1) Do you like the pedometer feature of the 3DS? You earn 1 Play Coin for every 100 steps registered as you carry around your 3DS, and you can earn a maximum of 10 coins a day (after getting 1000 steps).

2) Is the 10 coin limit too restrictive?

I don't see a problem with it at all. I easily get the 1000 steps every day, even if I'm just walking around the house doing my normal routine.

I feel the Play Coins are a nice bonus feature on top of StreetPass that should motivate people to carry their 3DS around wherever they may go.

The 10 coin daily limit may start to feel more restrictive once a person's 3DS game library grows, and you're having to spread the coins across multiple games.

3) And on another note: What have you been using your coins on so far? Are you accumulating them in the hopes of picking up a game that will use the feature?

I haven't used too many of the Coins for the Mii Plaza games Find Mii and Puzzle Swap. The coins in Puzzle Swap can end up giving you pieces you already have, and I'd rather just use StreetPass Miis anyway for both games (even though it's been very rare for me to get any StreetPasses).

So I have been spending my coins generously on Super Street Fighter IV figurines and have a total of 103 figurines, while still keeping a bunch of Coins in the bank (currently at 50), ready for future 3DS titles I will buy later on.

4) How would you like to see Play Coins implemented in games? Just for optional bonus content?

Final note: It's awesome that the Coins are universal across any 3DS game, and it's all up to the game developer to decide how to use those coins.

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@Zero

I don't take my 3DS with me when I head out for the day so I'm pretty unfamiliar with streetpasses. It pretty much amounts to a less reliable version of the play coins from the sounds of it. And like I said before, I didn't look in to it too much because the actual content on board seems pretty crappy. If there's not another way to acquire play coins then it's still a flawed system unless it is mandatory that these extra unlocks be available in some other capacity.

But the "unlocks" that you speak of are basically the fruits of the games designed around StreetPass. They really wouldn't work any other way, there is not really "gameplay" to speak of in these games other than collecting things through StreetPass (or play coins) and using them to unlock things. How else would you suggest collecting these things when there is no real gameplay involved in the games?

Obviously I can't guarantee that all future uses of play coins will be similar, but as the 3DS stands right now I don't see much room to complain about their usage in these StreetPass games. Actually in these cases the play coins are the alternative method that Nintendo set up for those who can't/won't StreetPass, they can only do so much in these games without just handing you everything, thus eliminating the entire point of the games to begin with.

It shouldn't be a mechanic in the first place! That's the point. The 3DS is a machine that plays games. Having game content linked with non game actions is just... unnecessary. It's like if my phone would unlock phone content (backgrounds, ringtones, etc) if I play music on it. What if I have a music player I prefer to use or just plain don't like listening to music on the go? I miss out on this content or I alter my habits to accommodate the device.

If the game is built around street pass or play coins as the only mechanic then it doesn't matter since it's only content you would get for using the functionality in the first place. But stuff like Street Fighter? That's when it becomes a problem.

@stephen08

It is perfectly analogous to doing side-quests. Even in a game, side-quest cause you to behave differently than you normally would do just to complete the game.

Your beef seems to be that the side-quests happen outside of the virtual game environment, but that's just being narrow-minded. Nintendo explicity stated that the whole purpose of Play Coins (and StreetPass) is to introduce gameplay concepts that blur the lines between the video game world, and the real world; they are called PLAY coins after all.

Just because the gameplay is abstract, it doesn't make it non-existent. It's still a gameplay mechanic, regardless of how mundane it may seem to you.

@stephen08

But it's a portable system. It encourages people to use its portability function and take it with you or be more active. I think it's a great idea, unless you're some morbidly obese person who doesn't even think of moving around on a day to day basis. Coins are quick and easy to obtain... really, 1000 steps takes what, maybe 15 minutes? Even if you just carry it in your pocket around your house, you're going to get those coins.

I really like how these features build onto each other. Bring it out for steps, get coins. As you do so, you may also get StreetPasses for specific games. But whatever, I guess some people will pick at things no matter what they are

@casper884
With this level of delusion I don't think there is any viable discussion left to be had with you on this topic. Justifying it as non-traditional gameplay is just... wow. You must do very well at your Nintendo PR job.

@VofEscaflowne

The issue is I shouldn't be obligated to take the system with me regardless if I want to or not. I could take it with me but if I don't want to play games then why should I bother? This is just an attempt to grant more exposure to the 3DS and the fact that it's being praised here is honestly surprising. I guess some people will defend anything as long as it has a Nintendo stamp on it.

@stephen08

Well I guess I just find the idea of meeting up with random people kind of exciting. Living in a small town, getting a StreetPass for me is a huge thing The coins isn't really ground breaking or anything but it then encourages more people to bring it with them, making the chance of receiving StreetPasses even higher. Plus I think it is a good idea to keep people active, especially the younger audience. They did it with the Wii and now the 3DS but maybe to a smaller extent as it's not like the coins are a huge feature of the system.

@VofEscaflowne

The streetpass is a neat idea, I don't really take issue with that. Though linking content to it is a little questionable.

@stephen08

Is there really much content linked to it? The games I have don't support it but what is there? The battles in Street Fighter IV and Ridge Racer's ghost exchange is the only things I know of.

@stephen08

Are you really in any position to question people's rationality? You are comparing putting a system in your pocket while in Sleep Mode to terrorists and being held hostage. And now you are saying that this is questionable because content is linked to it?

Yeah, imagine my surprise when Nintendo implemented ideas based on PORTABILITY on a PORTABLE system. Non-gameplay or not. You just come off as some punkass kid sometimes.

@stephen08

As expected, you pull the 'crazy Nintendo shill' card. Whatever, if I'm delusional for appreciating abstract concepts, then fuck rationality.

@missypissy

The comparison holds from a conceptual viewpoint but not a literal viewpoint obviously.

Yes, let's tie content to more aspects of the system that cater to certain use behaviors but not others. 3D Play coins, you get them when you play a game in 3D for a period of time. Battery Play coins, 1 coin per charge cycle of the battery. Minimum Brightness play coins, you get coins for having the screen at minimum brightness. Gyro play coins, you get coins for using the gyro instead of the slide pad. etc.

Find some way you use the system and imagine there being an incentive system tied to the opposite.

Wii U feature: Play coins: you earn coins for playing games only on the tablet screen. You want to use your HDTV? Them's the brakes.

stephen08 said:

@Zero

I don't take my 3DS with me when I head out for the day so I'm pretty unfamiliar with streetpasses.

Too bad for you.

@stephen08

Those are all horrible examples.

StreetPass or Play coins aren't just some arbitrary features being labelled as gameplay mechanics. They actually serve a purpose. StreetPass allow gamers to socially interact with each other from both the outside and the inside of the video game world, giving birth to new gameplay concepts and ideas by merging the two realms together, kind of like Augmented Realitiy. Play Coins help to motivate users who feel like they may not be in a sufficient population to receive the benefits of using StreetPass. If more people start using Play Coins, more people start using StreetPass. But more importantly, the act of using these features, is what ties them into the gameplay, not by them simply being enabled.

@casper884

From a consumer perspective there's really no difference. Use the system in this way to reap the rewards. If it doesn't mesh with your usual practice then you miss out. That's the real issue. The only difference is that the examples I gave do not really contribute to the 3DS's profile like trying to make more people carry it does.

Basically it boils down to this: When I go out for the day I don't bring my 3DS with me. I'm just not in a situation where I would be able to play games for a length of time to justify bringing it. If I do have some time to kill I listen to music or play a quick game of something like Tetris or Freecell on my iPhone. Bringing along my 3DS to earn Play Coins and Spot Passes is just a stupid thing to do. I risk losing/damaging the 3DS by taking it with me despite not playing games on it.

I can appreciate that's not the case for everyone but if you already want to take the 3DS with you it doesn't really make much of a difference. You will take it based on your lifestyle needs and this play coin stuff will either be a bonus or an omission. If it makes people take their systems with them when they normally wouldn't well then I applaud Nintendo for tricking the masses but that doesn't mean I like the mechanic any more than I do now.

If I had known bringing the 3DS with me would risk bringing the world to an end, I would've left it at home more often. Oh wait, it doesn't. Seriously, how hard is it to just stick it in a pocket and then forget about it? How do you even risk damaging it any more than you would risk breaking your iPhone? Even if it's just an issue of not wanting to bring it to work or wherever else during the day, do you not go to the store or anywhere? I don't even understand why this should really be an issue to anyone.

Usually my pants only have two pockets: one for my cell phone, the other for my wallet. The occasional car keys make things even more complicated. I don't usually game on the go, so I really have no reason to take my 3DS with me.

I really doubt Play coins will go any further than unlocking extra stuff that can be used in some sort of "Make a monster and have it battle through streetpass" mode anyway. If a game is actually built around Streetpass, fine. It's a new way to "play." It's only going to be a problem if traditional games start locking out traditional content to make you spend Play coins.

This thread seems to be blowing Streetpass functionality out of proportion. I see it as a little add-on feature - neither a reason to purchase a 3DS or a reason to be dissatisfied with it. Sure, it's a bit of a marketing strategy for Nintendo, but it's also pretty fun to get a pass and play Find Mii.

It's a quirky system - and I'm not sure it works all that well - but it's certainly not worth getting catty with other members of Negative World about.

stephen08 said:

If it doesn't mesh with your usual practice then you miss out.

Uh... Nintendo didn't develop this for people who already carry their systems around, they developed it to try to get more people to carry their systems around. The whole point is to get people to step outside of their usual practice. And for some people it works, I know that back when I was doing the StreetPass games I was carrying my 3DS everywhere, and once I unlocked everything I lost that motivation. If another game pops up that has compelling StreetPass / play coin stuff, I will start carrying it around everywhere again. (I still carry it around a lot, just not as obsessively.)

It's a pretty smart mechanic on Nintendo's side.

Whatever the case, it's such a non-issue. It's a neat little mechanic that a lot of us are having a lot of fun with. For the rest, honestly... you're not missing out on much as the unlockables aren't the real point, they're just the stick and carrot to get you doing the games. And if you really feel like you are missing out, carry it around for a bit. It's not that difficult.

@kriswright

I don't consider a feature birthed from a social phenomenon (bark mode in DQIX, in Japan), 'a little add-on'. It's huge in Japan, and with the right software, it can be huge here. Hell, we already have several organized StreetPass events all around the country, and now GameStop is having StreetPass/SpotPass events every Saturday. It allows for a new type of gameplay experience and has the potential to usher in a new genre. Those aren't the characteristics of some insignificant feature.

@stephen08


If you think that this bears no difference on the consumer perspective, then where the hell have you been since the boom of SNS like Facebook? Millions of people aren't playing Farmville just to unlock content. Millions of people play it because it's a new gameplay experience that meshes social activity with the virtual world. It motivates them to keep playing, and it's suitable to casual or hardcore play. StreetPass = a more adventurous version of Farmville.

If that's not your cup of tea, fine, but let's not pretend that this is some inconsequential, insignificant feature.