Not all of the Nintendo 3DS’ features will make it for launch, as we learned during the handheld’s price and release date reveal event in New York. The “eShop,” the Internet browser, and the DSiWare transfer service will all be coming at a later date, according to a quarterly report Nintendo produced last week.
The digital release of these three features coincides with the first system update that is slated to hit at some point in May, a couple of months after the Nintendo 3DS hits North American shores on March 27, 2011. It’s impossible to tell what the hold-up is from the quarterly report, but it looks like Nintendo wants to give all three some user-friendly functionality before they make their debut.
“So far, Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop, which are based on internet-browser technology, have not provided the users with a sufficiently easy and accessible interface because switching from one screen to another takes time and, for Wii, promotions by Nintendo Channel and sales at Wii Shop Channel have not been closely linked,” Nintendo president Iwata says in the report (via Shacknews).
“As it is critical in digital software distribution that the software available there won't be buried and go unnoticed, and that we can prepare pleasant encounters for consumers, we will be running a drastically redesigned shop for Nintendo 3DS in which you can more comfortably purchase software through downloads," he said.
If you own a DS and ever wanted to download a game, you know what Iwata is talking about right here. The current Nintendo DS store is clunky, slow, and the presentation of what is available to purchase leaves a lot to be desired. Nintendo appears to get this, and looks poised to implement better, more intuitive systems for the 3DS. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a couple of months after launch to see if it can pull this off.