Nintendo is apparently totally cool with demos again. Maybe? Demos suddenly appeared on WiiWare again without explanation, and now demos have appeared on the eShop for 3DS, as well.
The North American appearance of demos was announced yesterday but launched today, alongside a chance to check out Resident Evil: Revelations ahead of its February 7 release.
Nintendo hasn’t responded to my request for clarification on whether demos will always be available in the eShop, or if they’ll function like WiiWare demos once did and disappear after a while.
Even if the demos are always available, however, you can only play them 30 times before the demos “expire.” I didn’t even finish the Resident Evil: Revelations demo, but when I exited back to the main menu on the 3DS, it had already ticked down to 29. It’s likely other demos will work this way, too.