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E3 2013: Nintendo planning to set up 52,000 StreetPass relay stations across Europe and the US this autumn

Strangers in the night

E3 2013: Nintendo planning to set up 52,000 StreetPass relay stations across Europe and the US this autumn
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3DS

If, like I, you have been in dire need of a final pink square to complete a picture on the 3DS's StreetPass-based app Puzzle Swap for weeks, you will be pleased to read Nintendo is working on a new way of connecting 3DS owners.

During its E3 analyst briefing, Ninty announced that it will set up 24,000 new StreetPass relay stations across the EU and 28,000 in the US.

Whereas 3DS gamers in Nintendo's home country of Japan will frequently exchange game data via StreetPass on their long commutes, these kind of exchanges are less rare in the West.

Once The Big N has set up these relay stations around the US and Europe, though, 3DS players will be able to leave their StreetPass data behind for others to collect later at places like McDonald's and Starbucks.

Close encounters

Just like the current system, all you will need to do is ensure your StreetPass settings are turned 'on' and place your 3DS in Sleep Mode. So, yep, you won't have to be in the same place at the same time as another 3DS gamer to exchange game data.

Nintendo will roll out a system update this autumn and implement a StreetPass relay feature into the 3DS hardware. So, get ready for a lot more blinking green lights.

Until then, let me know if you have the far-right pink square in the Animal Crossing puzzle. I am prepared to travel. Long distances.

Nintendo Life
Alexander Beech
Alexander Beech
After seven years living in Japan, pocket gaming isn't so much a choice for Alex as it is a way of life. True, he could have woken up at 6am each day to play with friends online in the UK, but he was never a morning person. Instead, he preferred a succession of meaningless encounters with Japanese teenagers. Now, he is hooked.