Nintendo Confirms Full Retail Game Downloads for 3DS, Wii U

28 Apr, 2012

Nintendo recently announced that New Super Mario Bros 2 will be the first retail game offered digitally on the 3DS at launch, a service to be continued for many releases afterward. The news was delivered as part of a financial results briefing by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, during which the company posted its first annual loss in 30 years. Digital download codes will also be made available at brick and mortar retail stores, a move to preserve retail business despite a stronger digital push.

“There must be a solution other than positioning digital distribution as an enemy to wholesalers and retailers.” Satoru Iwata explained.

According to a Nintendo statement to Joystiq, “The majority of Nintendo-published Nintendo 3DS games will have the same dual-distribution strategy. Likewise, the majority of Nintendo-published Wii U games will be available both as packaged products and as digital downloads starting on launch day.”

While Nintendo stated that they will keep both digital and physical copies of software the same price, retailers will be permitted to discount their download vouchers in the same fashion as boxed copies. However, any digital game will only be playable on the hardware it was purchased on.

(via 1UP)

3 comments

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Gavin Greene
Gavin Greene

Elder Geek installed GavinGreene.exe into its News editorial directory in May of 2009. The resulting mobile humanoid server has developed frighteningly realistic obsessions with RPGs, Adventure Games, and Industry Politics, and may be the harbinger of the inevitable singularity. Follow him on Twitter @ElderGeekGav

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3 Comments

  1. Keck282
    Keck282
    April 28, 2012

    I’m glad that Nintendo has started to take digital distribution and the future of gaming seriously, or rather more seriously.

    I hope this means that the WiiU will have a substantial HDD inside of it and a competent online service.

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  2. Korne
    Korne
    April 28, 2012

    About time. The best thing about the wii was its classic console, and it is basically free money for them. They might as well release other games digitally as well.

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  3. Seluhir
    May 08, 2012

    Sigh… they’re years behind in even offering it and when they do, it’s still not really a competetive service.

    I know Sony allows for digitally purchased games to be downloaded onto multiple devices – any device sharing the same PSN profile for PS3/PSN titles and up to 5 downloads for PSP titles, and I thought Microsoft did as well provided they used the same profile(only ever had one 360 so never tested this one). For Nintendo to not do so is just going to still leave them miles behind their competitors in policy and technology.

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