It’s fun to finish Find Mii, a treat to collect gifts from Nintendogs + Cats visitors, and rewarding to see your figures claim victory in Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition.
These are some of the best uses we’ve seen to date of StreetPass, the cool functionality built into every Nintendo 3DS system. The mechanic has brought gamers across the world together in unprecedented ways. It’s helped forge new friendships. It’s helped make portable gaming a more dynamic and communal activity.
And yet, I fear it’s in danger of fading away.
This week marks the release of Driver Renegade, the first 3DS game released in North America to use StreetPass in any form since Dead or Alive Dimensions hit stores back in May. Driver introduces the Leaderboards concept, which simply tracks top scores among players and makes little use of StreetPass. That seems a missed opportunity for a franchise that enjoys undercover activities — something that the surreptitious exchange of StreetPass data could have enhanced.
To be sure, there are upcoming games that have vowed to better use StreetPass. Mario Kart 7, Sonic Generations and Heroes of Ruin are integrating the feature in sensible and exciting ways. But it’s confounding and disheartening that StreetPass functionality remains the exception rather than the rule. Of the 67 upcoming 3DS games listed this week at GameStop.com, just 12 are known to use StreetPass.
Why so few? The answers might surprise you.
Project budget and staff limitations certainly play a role. And because relatively few people own Nintendo’s new system, developers are reluctant to include features generally built around random encounters.
These are valid and expected concerns. More surprising are the creative roadblocks and mixed messages developers note are coming from Nintendo. For example…
• There are tight controls over what data can be exchanged via StreetPass and clear limits on user-generated data. These controls laudably aim to keep StreetPass an experience appropriate for all ages, but have severely curtailed creativity among game developers. This helps explain why so many of the earliest StreetPass experiences have been duplicitous or benign.
• To better understand the potential and limitations of StreetPass, developers are generally looking to Nintendo to lead the way. But these developers are getting mixed messages as to whether the functionality should even be supported. Of the first five 3DS games Nintendo released in North America, just one supported StreetPass.
• Nintendo, once a great supporter of the StreetPass groups listed here and proud trumpeter of its own meetup strategy, has not referenced StreetPass on its Twitter account since July 23 and has only once mentioned StreetPass on its Facebook account. Is this to say StreetPass was a fad? Different developers interpret this silence in different ways.
As Nintendo noted when explaining its reasoning behind the recent 3DS price cut, it’s important to maintain momentum within the industry and regain momentum when it’s lost. Now is the time for Nintendo to regain momentum with StreetPass — and it can do so quickly and easily. Here’s how…
1. Nintendo Global President Satoru Iwata has promised 3DS owners a StreetPass Mii Plaza software update by year’s end. The Nintendo 3DS Conference set for Sept. 13 is the best opportunity to outline that update’s content and specify its release timing.
2. Confirm that two of next year’s most anticipated 3DS games — Animal Crossing and Paper Mario — have robust StreetPass functionality. Gamers and game developers should be excited about the future of StreetPass. Prioritizing the feature’s inclusion in these top-tier titles will help do so and affirm the importance of StreetPass.
3. Start mentioning StreetPass again on Twitter and Facebook. Remind new system owners which games include it; ask gamers to recount their first or favorite StreetPass experience; and encourage people to connect with a local StreetPass group.
4. Include three new puzzle panels with the next 3DS system update. And work to strengthen the desirability of pieces by featuring puzzles that represent old favorites, such as EarthBound, or enhance the games they promote. Completing a Kid Icarus puzzle to unlock a bonus in Kid Icarus: Uprising would be much welcome.
5. Work more proactively with third-party developers on StreetPass. With key publishing partners, become more actively involved earlier in the development process. For all licensed developers, create a guide that offers a better vision for StreetPass functionality and helps stimulate new ideas and approaches.
I’m holding out hope that the months ahead will see a renewed interest in StreetPass within games and among games, but the future largely depends on Nintendo. I’m eager to support the company’s efforts, but Nintendo must first give me efforts to support.
Joshua Lynsen
Founder, StreetPass Network & StreetPass DC
“We’re very excited to share this new tool with Nintendo 3DS gamers and further enhance the StreetPass experience,” said Joshua Lynsen, founder of StreetPass Network. “Like the identification badges you see at conventions, PassID allows people to share the info they want to share with friendly audiences. It’s our hope that PassID will build more meaningful and lasting connections between Nintendo 3DS gamers.”
