7 June is going to be a huge day. Not only will we find out about the next Nintendo console but a software update will be available for 3DS, bringing with it several new features. Colette has already covered the 3DS Virtual Console, but today I'm going to talk about the internet browser.
Internet browsers are relatively new in the world of handheld gaming and have never quite cut it in terms of performance and speed.
Not this time though. The 3DS should put an end to the problems that marred the DSi. Whenever I used my DSi XL to surf the net, I would often encounter messages saying I couldn't load a page properly or it would just take so long that it would simply not be feasible to carry on.
The 3DS, though, is a much more powerful piece of hardware and will no doubt be able to handle loading sites quickly and efficiently.
What's more, the 3DS will boast Netfront as its chosen browser and Netfront has the capacity to play YouTube videos unlike the DSi.
Another handy extra feature is that the internet browser will be able to run on top of another application. This means that if you're stuck on the Water Temple in Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D you'll be able to turn on the browser and look up some hints.
When I went to check out the 3DS before launch, the application with the best 3D graphics wasn't a game. It was in fact Sky 3D and the 3D films. One of the 3DS consoles featured a five minute clip of Toy Story 3 in 3D and the graphical and 3D capabilities of the 3DS really shone through.
Without a doubt I'd like to downloading some 3D movies if they become available. Even the clips of basketball games from Eurosport 3D looked amazing. This is no doubt an essential feature.
Now for something not confirmed for any update: friend chat. Back on the old fat DS, Pictochat was really cool. Incredibly pointless but cool nonetheless.
The problem with it was that the DS had no form of online friend roster. This meant that you could only chat with someone who had another DS up to 10 metres away from you, and in situations like that, what's the point really?
Now that the 3DS is out we finally have a fully functioning friend roster with only one thing missing: a chat function. It's just not enough to see when your friends are online or what their favourite games are - I want to be able to chat with them so I can organise when or what games to play with them.
Hideki Konno, producer of 3DS, has expressed his interest in implementing a chat feature in further updates, but there has been no confirmation about when it will happen.
It's a shame really. My friend list seems a bit pointless right now without the ability to communicate somehow with the Miis on it. After all Nintendo has always been about social gaming and nothing is more social than communicating directly with someone you know.
So what are you looking forward to in future updates? Put your update wishlist in the comments.
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John Vekinis is ONM forum member luigispizza. He recently won a writing competition to write regular blogs for Official Nintendo Magazine.
