The Spam Thread!

[RAMChYLD]

I take back what i said about the DS only showing the health and safety warning when the game is launched. I guess that reflects how badly my mind is degenerating due to the funk I'm going through...

I know Nyko makes extended battery packs that just clip on to your console and enhances battery life about 3x according to their website. But, I'm not sure these are officially licensed products, and since my 3DS is still brand new, I don't want to get one right away just in case using these will void the warranty.

Also, what other accessories would you recommend for the 3DS? I already need to get a carrying case and perhaps a lanyard.

Well, the simplest answer would be to look for the official Nintendo seal of quality. If an accessory has that, chances are Nintendo will cover warranty if the accessory damages the 3DS.

As for other accessories:

1. Screen protectors. The 3DS screen is definitely not protected by Gorilla Glass. It's easily scratched and pricey to replace. Go for a good brand, like Hori (which is what's currently protecting Isabelle's screens),
   
2. Cartridge holder pouch. Since you're going the physical media route, a cartridge holder pouch is a must unless you like carrying a stack of DS cartridge cases or are willing to only travel with one cartridge at one given time, or willing to take the risk of accidentally losing a cartridge while on vacation by taking your cartridge travelling without the case.
   
3. Circle Pad Pro- not necessary a must, but worth having if you have games that uses it.
   
4. A class 6 or better SD card of at least 4GB. More if you plan to use the 3DS as a MP3 player and/or stereoscopic 3D camera.
   
5. A Playstation3 and a HD3D TV... just kidding, unless you're re really into stereoscopic photography

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Just found out that Nintendo plans to release the next installment of the Phoenix Wright games as download-only. While I don't play those, damnit Nintendo, why are we who live outside Japan in Asia undeserving of Phoenix Wright?!?

Also worried that Nintendo will eventually block non-Japanese Asians from their consoles in the future

[Blackberry Bun]

No idea what to say, so an SSc trivia quiz:

Over the course of 2003 SSc episodes, there's only one short instance where Apple Dumplin' is seen not wearing her hat. Which episode it is in?

[RAMChYLD]

I... I can't remember. It's been too long since I last watched SSC.

... Uhh... *quickly googles* Baby Takes the Cake?

---

Btw, Wade, I don't know about you, but Isabelle is capable of going on one full day with every charge. Maybe it's because I play on and off through the day and not constantly due to the nature of Animal Crossing, but I have my backlight on medium (I tried lower and it wasn't pleasant, especially at highest 3D settings) and power saving is on. I never turn off WiFi, and never turn off the console, only leaving it on standby. Maybe it's true that the 3DS XL uses less power than a regular 3DS? Doesn't make sense, given the 3DS XL's larger screen which logically means it needs more power for backlighting...

As for why I never turn off the console, well, I'm using the pedometer function to earn Play Coins (which is seriously needed to get the Nintendo stuff in Animal Crossing New Leaf). That, and I actually use StreetPass to slurp up Miis for the Mii Plaza as well as Happy Home Academy Showcase houses from other Animal Crossing New Leaf players that I may happen to cross on that day (which is very useful if you only have one or two friends that play ACNL). It's also why I tend to bring Isabelle with me when I go out for walks.

[cpd2009]

Prepare for a rather long post...

So far, it's been mostly continuous play since I'm a Mario fan. I can get about six or seven hours of DS/DSi play with brightness at 3 and WiFi off. As it stands, I finished New SMB, and now I'm on to NSMB 2, which is a 3DS title. I still need to properly gauge Clifford's 3DS life. I do not have Power Saving on.

As for Wifi... there are a few issues while using Clifford away from my home Wifi. The college has a WiFi network, but I'm done with school now and only go over with my parents to work once in awhile. Plus, their WiFi network is mostly the old Wireless-B standard, so file downloads are horrendously slow. Also, I don't know anyone that has a 3DS yet, so StreetPass pickings may be slim. I'm pretty much counting on McDonald's for any free DLC at this point since they are a Nintendo Zone partner. I might be able to score StreetPass stuff on longer trips to bigger cities though... I just hope nothing obscene gets through.

As for the accessory recommendations... I normally don't use screen protectors because I fear they won't be easy to put on, and the fact some end up clouding the image and it's not as sharp. I will go for a cartridge pouch since hauling around several DS cases is a bit cumbersome. And, I do plan on getting a larger SDHC card.. 8gb or higher. My 3DS came with a 2gb SD card, and it's still mostly open, but NSMB 2 has DLC, and that DLC will add up quickly.

After Mario, I will end up dabbling in more casual fare, like AC:NL and various other casual type games.

As for those games I asked about... yeah, I do like those kinds of games. I may give them a shot. And, even though I'm a brony (though not hardcore like the rest half-brony?), I can still come to appreciate earlier generations of MLP... and keep them separate from each other too.


Now, for some more musings about Clifford and the 3DS in general...

The Circle Pad is fantastic! It even works with DS/DSi games! I haven't used the D-Pad much for New SMB, and now that I used the Circle Pad, the D-pad seems a bit stiff in movement.

I think I might be able to handle 3D images fine. I was able to watch a 3D video and play some NSMB 2 in 3D and I didn't get sick yet. It was less than 10 minutes though. I need to test longer.

The 3DS Internet Browser is nice if you need to check some site in a quick pinch, but I don't see myself using it that much. The web page is also split up across both screens too.

I tested Clifford's 3D camera, and while the images look great 3D wise, they really could have used higher-res sensors. It would have driven up the cost a bit, but the images would be far clearer than they are now. I also played through the "Archery" phase of AR Games, and it's very cool. I need to show this to my parents. I'm going to toy with Face Raiders next, but I will attempt to use a cartoon face instead, as I think using my own face would be rather freaky. (I already seen Ashens demo of Face Raiders, and it's strange to see clones of your head look menacing and whatnot.)

Also, I always find it interesting how Nintendo tends to display any sort of memory in "blocks" rather than the standard megabytes like the other console makers. I assume they do this to make these things easier to understand for the less technically-inclined, but they could have included the option to switch to gigabytes/megabytes instead.

[RAMChYLD]

So far, it's been mostly continuous play since I'm a Mario fan. I can get about six or seven hours of DS/DSi play with brightness at 3 and WiFi off. As it stands, I finished New SMB, and now I'm on to NSMB 2, which is a 3DS title. I still need to properly gauge Clifford's 3DS life. I do not have Power Saving on.

Hmmm, then I think you could consider an extended battery pack, although I think you could try turning Power Saving on and see how it performs and if the slight dimming of the screen is okay with you. If it extends the battery life significantly.

As for Wifi... there are a few issues while using Clifford away from my home Wifi. The college has a WiFi network, but I'm done with school now and only go over with my parents to work once in awhile. Plus, their WiFi network is mostly the old Wireless-B standard, so file downloads are horrendously slow. Also, I don't know anyone that has a 3DS yet, so StreetPass pickings may be slim. I'm pretty much counting on McDonald's for any free DLC at this point since they are a Nintendo Zone partner. I might be able to score StreetPass stuff on longer trips to bigger cities though... I just hope nothing obscene gets through.

Well, here's the deal: StreetPass does not use WiFi hotspots. When you don't pair a 3DS with an access point and it doesn't find hotspots that it recognizes after losing contact with one that it does, it will repurpose the wireless adapter for it's own mesh-like communication infrastructure and seek out other 3DS instead until an a hotspot it recognizes comes into range. This is StreetPass. Any other 3DS discovered within it's range in StreetPass mode will result in a data exchange between your 3DS and any other 3DS it can find in it's vicinity. What gets exchanged? Well, data from games that are StreetPass enabled, like Mii Plaza and Animal Crossing New Leaf. StreetPass is also the mechanism used for "local wireless" connections to allow other 3DS to network with your 3DS in local wireless supported games without being connected to a hotspot.

As for the accessory recommendations... I normally don't use screen protectors because I fear they won't be easy to put on, and the fact some end up clouding the image and it's not as sharp. I will go for a cartridge pouch since hauling around several DS cases is a bit cumbersome. And, I do plan on getting a larger SDHC card.. 8gb or higher. My 3DS came with a 2gb SD card, and it's still mostly open, but NSMB 2 has DLC, and that DLC will add up quickly.

Noted. Hori protectors don't cloud up the screen unlike other cheap protectors tho, but definitely it's up to personal taste. Also, clouding will occur if the protector gets scratched anyway But then you could change protectors and it'd all be clear again. Btw, I didn't apply the protector on my own- I got the shop to apply it on Isabelle for me before I took her home

Good call on the cartridge pouch.

And remember to get at least class 6 when buying your SDHC card

As for those games I asked about... yeah, I do like those kinds of games. I may give them a shot. And, even though I'm a brony (though not hardcore like the rest half-brony?), I can still come to appreciate earlier generations of MLP... and keep them separate from each other too.

Noted. Well, the thing is, the MLP game is also of the minigames type, and well, is short. Very short. I completed it in 2 hours on Custard. So yeah.

I think I might be able to handle 3D images fine. I was able to watch a 3D video and play some NSMB 2 in 3D and I didn't get sick yet. It was less than 10 minutes though. I need to test longer.

Well, as mentioned before, I usually adjust the 3D settings constantly and according to how tired my eyes feel. I should note tho- by the time I get serious with Animal Crossing (spoiler: between 7 PM and 2AM) my eyes would be tired enough to warrant playing with the 3D settings on it's absolute lowest. So yeah.

The 3DS Internet Browser is nice if you need to check some site in a quick pinch, but I don't see myself using it that much. The web page is also split up across both screens too.

Well, the thing about the 3DS browser is that it doesn't do flash like the Wii's could. I found that the only thing useful about it is uploading images taken by the 3DS' camera or ingame to the Nintendo ImageShare service which will forward the images to your Facebook account. That, and maybe only mobile versions of sites. Even GameFAQs is better left to Eve because of the huge size of the walkthroughs and guides being large memory hogs that will definitely cause issues with Isabelle's minimal amount of memory.

I tested Clifford's 3D camera, and while the images look great 3D wise, they really could have used higher-res sensors. It would have driven up the cost a bit, but the images would be far clearer than they are now. I also played through the "Archery" phase of AR Games, and it's very cool. I need to show this to my parents.

Heh.

I'm going to toy with Face Raiders next, but I will attempt to use a cartoon face instead, as I think using my own face would be rather freaky. (I already seen Ashens demo of Face Raiders, and it's strange to see clones of your head look menacing and whatnot.)

I actually tried it out with this face (*1). Surprisingly, the puppy's face actually fits the games' requirements of human features and the next thing I know, I was shooting at the horrible monstrosity! Believe me! without the floppy ears (which the game omits because your ears are supposed to be under a helmet), puppy looks like a freakish psycho. I actually tried to sample the face of Maggie from Maggie and the Ferocious Beast and Caillou's sister Rosie as well, but the game doesn't think their overly cartoonish look fits it's requirements.

Also, I always find it interesting how Nintendo tends to display any sort of memory in "blocks" rather than the standard megabytes like the other console makers. I assume they do this to make these things easier to understand for the less technically-inclined, but they could have included the option to switch to gigabytes/megabytes instead.

Agreed. But I guess you can always put the SD card into a SD card reader and get the readout from there. Although you will have problems figuring out which folder belongs to which game...

(*1) Don't ask.

[RAMChYLD]

That reminds me, it's almost domain renewing time...

[cpd2009]

I finally got Clifford and my two games Club Nintendo codes registered, and I happened to have enough coins to get a DSiWare title.. "Aura Aura Climber". It looks like a fun game. You have to send this little fireball skywards to the goal by grabbing posts.

I also found out that you can store DSiWare titles on an SD card, but you can't launch them. That's silly, especially if you invest in a class 6 SDHC card (which I don't have yet), which should be fast enough to run a DSi title or VC game from the card without copying it back to the main memory.

Well, guess what? I've converted to Oneness Pentecostalism. My oldest three girls (Peach, Marble, Plum) and husband have followed. I'm very, very happy with this. I never thought I'd be a Christian. This church is amazing, though. I was raised Baptist in a controlling, cruel way and I didn't really believe what I was told. The Baptist churches I went to were snob clubs, not loving and, in my opinion, not of God. I left the Baptist churches as a very young adult, experimenting religiously off and on for decades afterwards. I'm done experimenting. The church I'm going to now is so wonderful. My church and faith are far more therapeutic than therapy itself. I feel blessed and fulfilled, and I feel like things are only going to get better.

Sorry I took so long to reply to you.... David and I got caught up in Nintendo 3DS stuff. It's great to hear that you have found a church that helps you feel better. I was going to a church myself for a while back when I was spending my last year of college away from home. It was a difficult time, and even though I'm not a very religious person, going to church somehow made me feel better about life in general.

[RAMChYLD]

I forgot to mention this before: you do not need to know anyone with another 3DS when using StreetPass. It will randomly slurp data from any nearby 3DSes it can find, even if the other 3DS is owned by a complete stranger. Some people actually abuses the feature, so don't get offended if the slurped Miis has a "dirty" face or has a completely offensive greeting (most likely thing to happen of you take your 3DS to college and back, since it's usually college students that do this kind of things). It is also important that the character you put on StreetPass offer on the Mii Plaza is using a name that no one can associate to you, preferably a very generic name- You don't want to be hounded by other 3DS owners in the college, do you?

[Blackberry Bun]

Lots of talk about something I have no idea about. =P

Anyway, the answer is "The Play's The Thing".

[RAMChYLD]

Lots of talk about something I have no idea about. =P

Anyway, the answer is "The Play's The Thing".

Please bear with us I did a quick scan tho, and you can readily get a 3DS in Indonesia, but it's reputation as a "Pokemon" (read: kiddie) console and the lack of eShop, plus the price of the games, may put you off...

Anyways, remember the 3DS extra videos that Ashens put up a long time ago with a bunch of QR codes? Well, it's a bait and switch troll video. The first one gets you Noseybonk as advertised, but the subsequent codes nets you very weird Miis, including a representation of the "Forever Alone" troll...

Also, Wade, has Angel passed you her friend code yet? I asked her and she said that she will pass you the code personally...