Nintendo held a press conference this past Friday, and they had lots of interesting information for 3DS owners, as well as for those interested in purchasing one. This includes new camera features, a major new app, new software. Here is a quick run-down of what was covered at the event.
- The new 3D video capture will allow users to record up to 10 minutes of 3D video at a time. It’s an interesting novelty, and is actually capable of stop-motion and taking pictures as set intervals, even as your recording. These videos can be directly sent to YouTube, but there is no word on whether or not the 3DS will eventually support the viewing of YouTube content.
- Hulu Plus is the biggest piece of news from the conference. It is the paid version of the service, but your $7.99 a month will go pretty far. With access to thousands of TV shows, which are updated almost daily, its cheaper than cable. If you’re a Nintendo fan who’d prefer to use a television, this app is also coming to Wii.
- There are even a few more downloadable games coming, and one of them is another freebie (that’s 23 downloadable free games for people who bought the system before or at E3). A sequel to the included StreetPass RPG-lite, Find Mii, will be coming soon. If you haven’t finished the first, no problem. Find Mii 2 (I swear if that’s not a pun) will be playable right away. In the way of 3D classics, Kid Icarus and Kirby’s Adventure will be getting a facelift soon.
- Mario Kart 7, one of the most important 3DS games coming out this holiday, will have it’s own channel for storing various information, including ghost data. If you have someone in your StreetPass log, you can join them online for 60-fps 8-player online matches. Mario Kart 7 launches December 4 in the US.
The 3DS may have had a rough start, but Nintendo is obviously determined to make sure that it doesn’t become a footnote in the company’s history. The 3DS will be a console worth owning this holiday, but we’ll have to wait and see to find out how many others think so.