All About the 3DS eShop

What is the 3DS eShop?

The eShop is Nintendo’s brand-new online download service for the 3DS, designed to be the equivalent of the Wii and DSi Shops. When the handheld launched the eShop wasn’t ready to debut yet, but starting June 6th it’ll be available for download via a SpotPass system update.

One of the key features of the eShop is its Virtual Console service for handheld games, similar to the Wii’s Virtual Console. Legacy systems that the eShop plans to support include Nintendo’s own GameBoy and GameBoy Color, as well as the Turbografx-16 and Sega Game Gear.

Players can also download various “3D Classics,” which are old console games remastered with 3D viewing. Initially demoed games included the original Super Mario Bros., but as of now the only known 3D Classic release is the NES version of Excitebike, which Nintendo is offering as a free download until July 7.

Old DSiWare titles, unique downloadable games, and brand-new 3DS apps like Pokédex 3D will also be available, but won’t use any kind of “3DSware” moniker that we’re aware of. Some of these applications will be free; others require paid downloads.

Nintendo also seems to be ditching the “points” system used for the Wii and DSi and replacing them with good, old-fashioned monetary transactions. You can still bank credit in similar $5 or $10 increments (now plus $1 additions!), but your available spending is totaled in a straight dollar amount. They reportedly won’t be keeping track of credit card information via some kind of account system, probably to avoid something like the recent PSN debacle, so you don’t have to worry about having your personal info hanging out in some databank somewhere.

Using the eShop, you can also browse 3DS game trailers and commercials and release calendars, as well as a user-ranked recommendation/rating system similar to what we’ve already seen on Wii with the Nintendo Channel.

What about my old DSi content?

Along with the eShop download comes the ability to transfer your DSi software to your 3DS. This capability is downloaded separately, presumably via the eShop. Once you’ve got the DSi transfer application, you can move over all kinds of data from your DSi to your 3DS, including DSiWare games, Wi-Fi user info, photos, and music. Be warned, however: once you move your games or Wi-Fi data over to your 3DS, it will be deleted from the original DSi and cannot be restored.

Not all DSi software can be transferred over. Nintendo supplied a list of titles that won’t be able to make the transition (translated via IGN):

What games are available?

Availability will vary by region, but so far only Super Mario Land, Alleyway, and Radar Mission have been announced for the Virtual Console in the West. We’ll also be getting the free Excitebike 3D offer, and Xevious has received a 3D Classics overhaul as well. As for other games: there’s a lot more slated for Japan, but Nintendo plans to add new titles to the service every Thursday in both the Americas and Europe. We know Zelda: Link’s Awakening is on the way, but otherwise we’ll have to wait and see.

Check out the press release below for this information as delivered straight from Nintendo.

JUNE 6 NINTENDO 3DS SYSTEM UPDATE ADDS INTERNET BROWSER, ONLINE STORE AND POKÉDEX 3D

Nintendo Offers Free Re-mastered 3D Version of NES Classic Excitebike for Limited Time

REDMOND, Wash., June 2, 2011 – Nintendo of America has announced that the first major system update for the hand-held Nintendo 3DS™ system will be available in North America the evening of June 6, Pacific time. By installing the free update via a wireless broadband Internet connection, Nintendo 3DS users will have access to an Internet browser and the Nintendo eShop, which contains a variety of new content, including Pokédex™ 3D, an application that lets fans see Pokémon™ characters in 3D. To celebrate the grand opening of the Nintendo eShop, Nintendo is offering the NES™ game Excitebike™ re-mastered in 3D as a free download until July 7 for anyone who installs the system update. Upcoming Virtual Console™ content available in the Nintendo eShop includes Game Boy™ games Super Mario Land™, Alleyway™ and Radar Mission™. New content will be added to the Nintendo eShop on Thursdays.

The Nintendo eShop is a digital store for Nintendo 3DS owners that provides access to a wide variety of downloadable content, such as original 3D software, classic games that have been re-mastered in 3D called 3D Classics, Game Boy and Game Boy Color “Virtual Console” games in their original 2D glory, and more than 350 Nintendo DSiWare™ games. Visitors can also view video game trailers, screen shots and product information for games, including those available at retail locations.

Within the Nintendo eShop, Nintendo 3DS users will also be able to download the free Pokédex 3D application and start collecting data for more than 150 Pokémon from the Pokémon™ Black Version and Pokémon White Version games. This new application lets users view each Pokémon in 3D with animated motion and sound. The Pokémon image can be rotated 360 degrees, allowing users to zoom in and view it from any angle. The detailed Pokédex also allows users to search, sort and filter all of the data they receive in a variety of ways, making it the essential guide for Pokémon fans. Players can complete their Pokédex by sharing data with friends and using the SpotPass™ feature, or by scanning special Pokémon AR Markers (augmented-reality markers). Once users have received data for a Pokémon, the AR Viewer allows them to view that Pokémon image in a real-world setting in real time, and create photos to share with friends.

“The Nintendo 3DS system is constantly evolving and growing,” said Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “The Nintendo eShop is a one-stop resource for a broad range of Nintendo information and downloadable games and applications. It expands the Nintendo 3DS experience with new and entertaining content.”

Other capabilities that go live with the system update include a free Internet browser that has the capability to show 3D images on sites specifically designed to show 3D images. The browser can also be used during game play. Users can stop their Nintendo 3DS game and go to the browser by pressing the Home button and then resume their game when they are finished browsing.

The system update also gives Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™ system owners the ability to easily transfer most of their previously downloaded Nintendo DSiWare™ games to their new Nintendo 3DS systems.

In the near future, users will be able to download a free application for a short-form video service that will enable them to view specially selected video content, including 3D movie trailers, comedy clips and music videos automatically received when the SpotPass feature is activated.

To install the recommended system update, Nintendo 3DS users can simply start the “System Settings” from the Home Menu, select “Other Settings” and scroll the page right to select “System Update.”

Remember that the Nintendo 3DS system features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo3ds.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.7 billion video games and more than 600 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.

Source: Nintendo Press, Nintendo Europe Press, Nintendo Japan Press, via Andriasang