No messaging?

[kiramarshiku]

Ok so these 3DS systems are $130 to $200, and there is seriously no way to just private message someone on your friend list? I'm sorry but that is just ridiculous. On every other system before this there was at least pictochat for local chat but now there isn't even that. Swapnote is a joke and now they even deleted the online capabilities from it and any other messaging app that the 3DS has.

 

[Mariah]

It's for playing video games not messaging your friends. Get a damn cell phone. Who needs Pictochat when you can talk to your friend in person?

 

[FrostyPaws]

That's what I was thinking, swapnote stinks and when they took away flipnote, that just crushed me.

 

[Shimmer]

I agree. I miss Pictochat ;________________;
Swapnote was fun until they disabled spotpass for it. I haven't tried Flipnote Studio for the 3DS yet so I'm not sure if that has "messaging" capabilities?

 

[JCnator]

Well, your only means of messaging as of now is to use your Miiverse's Activity Feed. Problem is, registered 3DS friends don't count towards your Miiverse Friend List. There's not even the private message function on the 3DS version of Miiverse, yet the Wii U one has it.

If I remember correctly, there's even a paid chat application from eShop that's called "ChatALot", but no one would get it anyway.

 

[kiramarshiku]

Yeah I'd at the very least like to be able to send an invitation for someone to join my game with a personalized message. For example there's someone on this forum I have on my friend list and I can see their online and playing ACNL but they're not checking the forum. So even though I want to play with them and can see they're online since they aren't on the forum right now I can't message them to ask them to open their gates. If I had a messaging function of any kind I could get the message to him easily.

 

[Tao]

My friend sends me a message on facebook from his 3DS whenever he wants to play Monster Hunter 4, so, you kinda can send messages. If I don't reply (because I'm not always on facebook like other people) he rings me on those age old inventions called a 'phone'.


Sending a private message isn't impossible, it's just awkward. It's also a handheld system, you can't hold it up to the same standards as a home console. If you are, then you should also argue that for ?200, it's a disgrace that it doesn't have Netflix or split screen mulitplayer.


There's countless other ways to contact your friends.

 

[Cress]

It does have Netflix...
ACNL has direct chat, that's what the best friend feature is for. It works really well.

 

[Tao]

It does have Netflix...

I assumed it didn't. I've never looked for it.


Not my point though, it still shouldn't be expected to have the same functionality as a regular home console.

 

[mynooka]

Knowing Nintendo, it's probably a measure to keep bullying and explicit messages from being sent among its' users. A lot of their games are aimed at a younger audience so they probably want to avoid any negative PR that could harm their customer base. For instance, parents expecting their video game consoles to teach right from wrong and getting mad at the company when little Timmy starts dropping F bombs everywhere.

Plus isn't Japanese culture a little more conservative? They probably value their users experience more and don't want people negatively affected by other people having the freedom to say whatever without regard to consequences.

While Nintendo is certainly behind when it comes to online functionality, they know there are a billion ways to communicate today so it's not going to be a system killer if they don't include it.

 

[ObeseMudkipz]

Why not just message them when they are on the forums? or just scheduel some playing time with them or something

 

[Reindeer]

It does have Netflix...

* only in NA regions.

It's not on the EU eShop. However, Nintendo can't be blamed for that. Netflix has to prep their app for release themselves on any system for any region, so even if it wasn't available on the 3DS in any region it would be because of Netflix.

The only way to message friends with the 3DS now is by using StreetPass. Swapnote/Letterbox still works, its online functionality is just gone. You could also go for the app somebody mentioned before, but each person would have to pay like 10 bucks or however much it is.

Knowing Nintendo, it's probably a measure to keep bullying and explicit messages from being sent among its' users. A lot of their games are aimed at a younger audience so they probably want to avoid any negative PR that could harm their customer base. For instance, parents expecting their video game consoles to teach right from wrong and getting mad at the company when little Timmy starts dropping F bombs everywhere.

Plus isn't Japanese culture a little more conservative? They probably value their users experience more and don't want people negatively affected by other people having the freedom to say whatever without regard to consequences.

While Nintendo is certainly behind when it comes to online functionality, they know there are a billion ways to communicate today so it's not going to be a system killer if they don't include it.

I think it was more to stop kids from sending explicit photographs of themselves to pedophiles.

That would also explain why it's the 3DS and not the Wii U. You can take a 3DS anywhere, so even into private places and then snap a few pictures. It's also a more private thing.
The Wii U is a home console. So it's accessed by multiple people, if you message someone on there it's likely that others will see, and snapping pictures generally just happens near the console (since its signal doesn't have such a far reach).

If you read that article, you can also see how it would be a bad idea to turn on the online functionality of Swapnote/Letterbox even with pictures being blocked (the Yomuri report details specifically). I'd say Nintendo wasn't behind on the online functionality of the 3DS. It's just that they don't want to end up in a PR disaster, and I honestly can't blame them if this is what people are gonna do with their products.

 

[Diamondarcadia]

There is no chat function because it was a giant lawsuit waiting to happen. Creeps and pedophiles have ruined it for everyone else. So on goes the world.

 

[Manah]

There is no chat function because it was a giant lawsuit waiting to happen. Creeps and pedophiles have ruined it for everyone else. So on goes the world.

I'm still wondering why the Pokemon games have voice chat.

 

[mynooka]

I'm still wondering why the Pokemon games have voice chat.

It is a bit strange. I guess they want friends who are playing against each other 1v1 to be able to talk and they didn't think a text chat would suffice. Or maybe so people could go back and forth on trades, but I don't know why they couldn't do that with a simple text option. I'm not really sure tbh lol

I was thinking why they wouldn't do it for Mario Kart or Animal Crossing but maybe having voice chat between more than 2 people is really tough to do on the 3DS, if not impossible. Considering the number of disconnects I've had while playing ACNL, I can understand why.

 

[Lucykieran]

I get the whole lawsuit waiting to happen thing but couldn't they just have made it so parents could disable it? Obviously 5 year olds shouldn't be messaging everyone on their DS's but I do think it would be a good idea for those of us who are a bit older. And they could include a blocking function. I understand that a simple solution is just to text your friends, and that is what I do when it comes to my friends I know in person, but for the people I meet on the Forum it would be nice to message on DS. Not everyone is on the forum constantly so they won't see messages here.

 

[Silas James Reel]

About Swapnote: Spotpass was disabled because people were passing around less than legal pictures.