Nintendo"s recently launched portable console, the Nintendo 3DS, which has a WiFi feature. But what if you are traveling with the 3DS and don"t want to pay to access a WiFi hot spot? Never fear. Nintendo has you covered. Today the company announced that it has secured agreements that will allow Nintendo 3DS users to access over 25,000 WiFi hot spots in the US for free.
The hot spots include access to the WiFi networks at over 200 shopping malls in the US that are run by the Simon Property Group. Also over 1,000 Best Buy stores in the US will also offer free WiFi access to Nintendo 3DS console users. Finally AT&T has opened up access to nearly 24,000 hot stops that it operates across the nation.
In related news, Nintendo has announced that the first major system update for the Nintendo 3DS will be made available via download the evening of June 6. The update will add a web browser program to the console. While the browser will be able to show 3D images from web sites that support such features, the 3DS browser won"t support Flash-based sites or programs.
In addition to the browser, the update adds the new Nintendo eShop, a downloadable store where folks can purchase and download new content for the 3DS, inlcuding new games. One of them is the NES version Excitebike and for the first 30 days of the Nintendo eShop the game will be free to download for 3DS owners. This version of the classic racing game will be revamped for 3D viewing with the console.