Nintendo Store Update: Streaming movie app headlines lineup of two Game Boy Virtual Console rereleases, four DSiWare originals, one WiiWare release.
Once limited to mailboxes across the country, Netflix is finding its way into subscribers' homes through a wealth of ways these days. The on-demand movie rental service instantly streams films to PCs, Internet-capable TVs, Xbox 360s, PlayStation 3s, Wiis, and, starting today, the 3DS.
The free Netflix streaming application headlines this week's slate of Nintendo's new downloadable offerings for its Wii, DSi, and 3DS systems. At the moment, the Netflix application allows users to stream only 2D TV shows and films for viewing on the system's top screen, but the company has plans to add 3D fare to the streaming library in the near future. While the Netflix application is free, users must have a streaming membership with the company, which starts at $8 per month and covers streaming through any Netflix-compatible device.
Those who would prefer to actually play games on the 3DS have two new options this week with the Virtual Console rereleases of original Game Boy offerings Baseball and Game & Watch Gallery. Like its NES counterpart, Baseball offers a no-frills, no-license version of the American pastime, while Game & Watch Gallery revisits Nintendo's original line of portable gaming devices with updated versions featuring Mario, Yoshi, Bowser, and other Mushroom Kingdom mainstays. Both games are available for $3.
The DSiWare store sees another quartet of offerings this week with the word-guessing game Extreme Hangman 2, the microscopic augmented reality game AfterZoom, the brain-teasing Puzzle Fever, and the licensed pop karaoke game Just Sing! 80s Collection. With the exception of the $2 Extreme Hangman 2, all the new offerings are $5. Additionally, all of the games are downloadable for the 3DS through that system's eShop storefront.
The last new addition to the Nintendo online catalog this week is the WiiWare title 3D Pixel Racing. Available for 500 Wii points ($5), the multiplayer racing game lets players jump into retro-styled sports cars constructed from blocks (similar to the PlayStation 3 game 3D Dot Game Hero) and race through a variety of modes to unlock more tracks and additional cars.
Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.
@pataponplayer:oh yeah..I'm sorry I forgot about the ''Glass Half Empty'' motto for anything nintendo....let me change that then. ''3ds is stupid,yeah they got netflix,internet browser,great graphics,and will have a great future lineup of titles but just because the initial lineup of games is bad they are stupid *continues to pout about it online*'' is that any better? My bad for being positive about a Nintendo product.
This is good and all but with the 3DS lack of 3G or 4G network support, I won't be able to watch Netflix everywhere I go.
This is all great. I tried Netflix on my 3DS and had less streaming issues than when on my CPU,Wii,or 360. Now we need some 3D augmented reality games from the eShop.
I love it! I was able to find my TV show and watch about 2 hours of it before I decided that I shouldnt watch the whole thing tonight. The quality is very nice. Once what you wanted to watch starts to play, it doesn't stop, unless something is wrong with your internet.
Netflix is a nice bonus to have on the 3DS. It is slower to load than it is on the computer obviously, but it works well enough. I recommend the A-Team series.
@ nintendobleu Wow that's a REALLY old show. I was just watching the BBC's Top Gear series.Man I love cars,I love British humor,and I love Top Gear.Hilarious stuff.
nice OPTIONAL feature, but didn't use it on the past will not use it here will keep playing Ocarina of Time some more instead
@blackace, Well Blockbuster hasn't had the best management in the past, the fact they could have bought part of Netflix in 2000 but at the time said movies by mail would never work is just the start.
I tried it out, and it works great. Yeah, it's a little slow, but I haven't had any battery problems after watching a full movie. It seems that they took notes from the update they did on the 360. Bottom line: not a reason to buy a 3DS, but if you already have one or are planning to get one, it's a bonus. If they get Hulu, then that last price hike from Netflix will make me cancel.
@bizuit Netflix isn't killing the movie store, people not going to the movie store are killing the movie store. ********************************************************** LOL!! That's only part of it though. The high prices for rentals at places like Hollywood Video & Blockbusters pretty much killed their stores. $6 for one movie rental (3 days) verses $1 per DVD (Redbox) /$8 a month unlimited movies streaming - $2 extra for 1 DVD unlimited time (Netflix). I still owe Blockbuster like $7 in late fees. $#%^ Blockbuster!! I hated their high price rental, their fees and their 3 day/5 day policies on new and old movies. Even with Netflix price increase, it's still a better price then renting 3 DVD/Blu-Ray at Blockbusters. I wish that Netflix and Gamefly would merge though. If Blockbuster was smart, they would have did the same thing as Netflix, but at a better price. Now Netflix is going international and the ball game is over. People discovered Redbox and Netflix and that's all you really need to enjoy new and older movies. My wife loves Netflix. No more searching in my huge collection for a DVD/Blu-Ray movie anymore. Type in the movie on Netflix search screen and hit play. No rental store can beat that.
@bluefunoodle311, @vf21x, Yeah, I shouldn't have really said that... (Not that I partake in any of that, I just know about it) @Bozanimal Thanks for the info.
This is a great app. for me netflix works fine I had absolutly no problem streaming scrubs to my 3ds even battlestar galactica looked great on it. the only problems I have is the short battery life and no 3G network at least the battery life is fixed with the shock n rock and If I had a phone with 3G service that could easily fix the second problem.
i gt problems wit net flix on 3ds especailly whn im tryin to gt off of it my whole 3ds freeze
This is great! Between browser functionality (I recently started using it and it works FANTASTIC and much better than the wii,the touch screen,double screens,and circle pad work FANTASTIC and feels like the internet were almost made for the 3ds,I am however INCREDIBLY disappointed in no flash),app-like e-store,notebook,and fully functionable camera netflix is making the 3ds quite the virtual swiss army knife! Once I start using Netflix (if I do) it will be great to just pull a device out of my pocket roughly the size of my hand and watch countless full length movies and programs.Even if you are a nintendo/3ds hater you have to give it props for that! And for those who are stating 3ds is ''just ds with 3d'',the 3ds has almost unimaginable more graphical and horse power,a built in browser,and things not even imagined in the ds,what was first rate and cutting edge in tech with the ds is now low rate and easy child's play with the 3ds.So criticize the individual 3ds games if you like,or even criticize the 1 or 2 negative aspects (out of the 10-15 VERY positive aspects) of the 3ds but there is no questioning that the 3ds is superior in tech to the ds BY FAR. (and in my opinion netflix has existed a long time with blockbuster with hardly any competition between the two,the change has come in with redbox,people are too cheap/lazy to go into a video store and pay a small amount more to rent for a lot longer.).
Yes, Netflix! :) Cool that Baseball and Game and Watch Gallery are on there. I played both on Game Boy. Definitely good times. :)
Really? Netflix makes a fully functioning app for a handheld video game system but STILL don't have anything worth bragging about for Android platforms. That coupled with Netflix's decision to charge seperate prices for DVD rentals and Instant Streaming makes Netflix look like a bunch of rookie idiots.
This is GREAT! Now I can watch movies in the 'can' when I wake up in the morning! Seriously, a great feature since you can just position the 3DS on a flat surface and watch unlike phones or iPods which needed a mount or support to get a good viewing angle. The battery consumption is very efficient too!
Pretty cool. Sadly I can see you getting roughly halfway through a move and your battery already being dead.
PS Vita was one of the top pre-ordered on Amazon. Remember how Nintendo said how the were not expecting such low sales on 3DS? Why would you want to pay the same and get less? time will crown the king.
Why are many people mad that NetFlix has kicked the butt of the competition? Hollywood Video & Blockbuster Video should have kept their eye on the market. They did not & soon they will be no more. Deal with it!
This is a pretty big feature for me. I love netflix, but the price increase is kind of a bummer.
@Raeldor no it wouldn't be worth anther look and it would probably be on the ps3 first anyways and by the time it does I should have a 3d tv
i just tried it out...quality is great.. i went to the bathroom and was still watching the movie!
Netflix isn't killing the movie store, people not going to the movie store are killing the movie store.
I would I want to watch it and that small screen I would rather watch it on my pc or ps3 and why would I buy a 3ds there is no good games on it and it is just a 3d version of a ds
As cool as this feature is, I can't say I understand the appeal of Netflex. Most of the movies available are subpar, and as someone else mentioned, they've kind of killed the video store ... which I resent. Alas, I'll download it anyway.
@DeadrisingX1 - Good question, but yes, ripping music from a CD you've borrowed from the library constitutes stealing. Your right to access that content ends when the lending period ends, meaning when you return the physical CD to the library. It's very much an honor system.
Love Netflix. Not to happy about the price increase however. [url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/12/netflix-price-subscription-plan_n_895779.html[/url] Sucks that they jumped from $9.99 to $15.98 for steaming movies and DVD movies (1 rental at a time) together. I'm already thinking about canceling the DVD portion, but not all their movies are streaming. Most of the newer movies are DVD only. Is it still worth $16 a month? I'm happy the 3DS is getting Netflix. Now I watch Netflix movies on the go. If I'm chilling in a waiting room or waiting in line a long , I can catch a T.V. show or movie while I wait. This is a good thing. The 3DS screen size is fine. I watch movies on my IPod with no problems at all. That screen is pretty small. I'm sure PS Vita will get this as well, but why wait. lol!!
@DeadrisingX1: Uhh...yes, that would be copyright infringement, which is most definitely illegal.
@vf21x yeah, so, let me get this straight, does borrowing a music CD from the library, ripping it onto your computer, and transferring the files to iTunes, etc, count as theft or breaking the law?
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