14 DAY TRIAL // The president of Nintendo has announced that the 3DS handheld, set to be launched on February 26, 2011 in Japan and about one month later in both Europe and the United States, will be able to automatically download and install firmware updates without asking the player if he wants to upgrade his device.
Talking to investors as part of a Question & Answer session Satoru Iwata, who is the president of Nintendo, has stated, “As part of the functionality of SpotPass, we're looking into having automatic system updates via the internet.”
The SpotPass mention suggests that the download and the install could happen even if the Nintendo 3DS is in sleep mode as long as a Wi Fi node is near and the user has configured his device in order to access the Internet through it.
The Internet can at the moment be used to download and install firmware updates for the Nintendo DSi device but Nintendo says that players are needed to initiate the process which leads to problems as most of them simply forget to get the new firmware.
Satoru Iwata also suggested that Nintendo might include the firmware updates on retail game disks in order to make it easier for players to install them before their favorite game launches.
The question which prompted Iwata's answer was linked to piracy, which has been a growing problem for the current DS line up.
Nintendo has not announced any specific anti piracy measures linked to the Nintendo 3DS but as long as the company delivers firmware updates with increased frequency it will likely aim to make them eliminate any security holes that are discovered and lock out pirates from the device.
The Nintendo 3DS will allow players to get a host of three dimensional gaming experiences without the use of any specialized glasses.
Titles announced for the new device include a new Zelda, Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid.