Wed, Jan 19, 2011 | 18:42 GMT
Nintendo details 3DS Friend Code revamp
During its 3DS conferences in Holland and New York today, Nintendo mentioned that its Friend Code system has been updated, making it easier to find friends to play with and doing away with the cumbersome number-swapping involved in Nintendo system online play in the past. Almost.
According to the firm, gone are the days when you would have to input a 16-digit number for your friend, which got especially tiresome when you had to do it more than once depending on the game you were playing.
With 3DS, your personal Friend Code will come with the system, and once you enter a friend’s into the handheld, it will remember it whether they are online or not.
There’s no word on how long of a numerical sequence these codes will have just yet, or if it will be numerical at all. There was also no mention, just yet, of a cap to the amount of people you can befriend.
Should a pal come online, an orange light will flash in the top right corner of the system. 3DS will also not only auto-track the status of your friends, but make finding new ones easier.
You won’t even have to manually enter any of your friends’ codes, either, should you be connected through local wireless, as you will only need to press a button to send or accept a friend request. 3DS will then auto-log the number and remember it.
Sounds much easier than the current system, and hopefully more details will be revealed soon, because the handheld is out in March for both Europe and the US.
Get caught up on all things 3DS from both sides of the pond through here.
Thanks, Kotaku.
10 
Posted in: 3DS, Hot, Nintendo, hardware
Tags: 3ds friends, friend codes
10 comments
#1
theevilaires
19/01/11, 6:51 pm
Oh yea this is gonna be sweet…again
Why can’t they just do online ID’s
#2
lexph3re
19/01/11, 6:56 pm
Lol. Because pedophiles purchase ds’s to steal your kids!lmao didn’t you know?
#3
theevilaires
19/01/11, 7:04 pm
^ Huh? Was that a joke or being for real. I haven’t used a gameboy in years so I have no idea how their online works. Just seems easier to have ID’s. The social security number BS is crazy.
#4
lexph3re
19/01/11, 7:14 pm
Its a joke and for real. Nintendo implemented the friend code system because their audience is promptly children. And, to give a since of security for the parents so when they hoped on the wii they would know their kids weren’t chatting and playing with some stranger trying to lure them away or screaming vile language at them.
It was a good idea at the time. But, it hindered the connectivity of the people who actually used the online service for real…. adults. I use to play pokemon pretty seriously with the friends after we found out the secret development system the game had. But, friend codes and lack of random online play ruined the purpose of knowing the secret function.
And, now its going to continue to ruin it. Why I stick with my psp and ad hoc party.
#5
theevilaires
19/01/11, 7:24 pm
Oh I see. I have a wii (bought it for my daughter) and she still hasn’t bothered to take it out the box.
#6
Freek
19/01/11, 7:37 pm
It’s got more to do with Nintendo’s lack of comitment to online than weird child abuse scenarios.
Nintendo has publicly stated many times that it will join the online world in full when it has figured out how to make money from it. Right now, they don’t see it as a viable buiseness so they don’t invest in it too much.
That goes for online play but also for download services on the DS and Wii. They hardly get any exposure at all and most of the hot games go to PSN and Live Arcade.
At this point, Nintendo does not care about the internet all that much.
#7
lexph3re
19/01/11, 7:44 pm
I think its a mix of what we both said. Because, I remember nintendo stating what I said as a reason why they created the friend code system. Its why I didn’t invest in a wii and got rid of my ds.
#8
elronathon
19/01/11, 7:53 pm
This does, at least, sound streets ahead of the system we have now. I do understand their security concerns but there has to be a better way!
#9
lexph3re
19/01/11, 8:02 pm
Well its what you get with nintendo. Very small steps…. smaller steps then a great grandma in a wheelchair
#10
Dr.Ghettoblaster
19/01/11, 8:40 pm
THAT girl does NOT play videogames….