Netflix finally comes to 3DS
Extremely convenient movie rental service Netflix (known as Devourer of Worlds to Blockbuster) is now available on the 3DS. Once you download it from the Nintendo eShop you can stream thousands of TV shows and movies straight to the little portable. The big question is: can the 3DS battery life hold out long enough for you to get through the average 2-hour movie? Oh, zing!
In all seriousness, I'm glad the feature is finally on the beleaguered 3DS. Nintendo has been playing catch-up with the portable since launch, with many features--including the eShop--inexplicably delayed for months. Netflix unfortunately has some delayed features too; as of now you still can't view select movies in 3D, but hopefully that option will arrive soon. Personally though, I still can't justify the steep price tag of the 3DS, so I'll probably play the waiting game until Vita's holiday launch forces Nintendo to gets its act together.
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Starting today, Nintendo 3DS™ owners across the United States and Canada can download a free application that allows Netflix members with unlimited streaming plans to instantly watch TV episodes and movies streaming from Netflix. The attractive, easy-to-use service adds a huge value to the Nintendo 3DS portable system, and again demonstrates how Nintendo 3DS continues to present new and different experiences for owners almost every day.
Nintendo 3DS joins the Wii™ console in its ability to stream Netflix content. On an average day, more than 1.5 million Netflix members instantly watch TV shows or movies via the Wii console. Now available for download from the Nintendo eShop, the Netflix application makes it easy for people to enjoy big action films, award-winning documentaries or hit reality shows and sitcoms on the Nintendo 3DS system anytime, anywhere.
“The new Netflix application looks great, plays great and is a fantastic consumer experience,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “It gives Nintendo 3DS owners access to an amazing wealth of movies and TV shows, which they can watch conveniently from thousands of free Wi-Fi access points across the country. Nintendo 3DS truly offers something for everyone.”
“Nintendo is a terrific partner with Netflix,” said Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix. “We’re excited to extend the partnership to include streaming on Nintendo 3DS.”
The new Netflix application for Nintendo 3DS displays movies and TV episodes in 2D on the system’s upper screen. Users will soon have access to an additional library of select movies that can be viewed in 3D without the need for special glasses.
Use of the Netflix application on Nintendo 3DS requires a broadband Internet connection and a Netflix streaming membership starting at $7.99 a month. Netflix members with unlimited streaming plans can instantly watch on their Nintendo 3DS systems and other devices, including the Wii console.
To download the free Netflix application or any other content from the Nintendo eShop, Nintendo 3DS users must first install the free system update that became available on June 6.
The Nintendo 3DS system’s parental control settings can be used to manage access to the Netflix application. Parents who wish to manage the specific content their kids watch will be happy to know that the parental control settings associated with their Netflix account will be applied to the streaming content viewable on the Nintendo 3DS system.
For more information about Nintendo 3DS and its other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.7 billion video games and more than 600 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.
