Email: Update on the Nintendo Account System

Coming from a Nintendo customer service rep…A unified account system will be implemented later this year with the launch of the Wii U. Eventually this same account system will be made compatible with Nintendo 3DS systems. At this time we have no additional details to offer and nothing to indicate how or if this will work outside the United States and Canada. In the meantime, if the system has a problem, taking it to an Authorized Service Center will maintain the Nintendo eShop account. If the system is stolen, we can transfer the account to a new system once we are provided with a valid police report.Of course, you asked this question because of the upcoming launch of New Super Mario Bros. 2 in retail and digital formats. What you need to know is that the digital format will only be available in the United States and Canada. We have nothing to announce regarding Latin American availability. NoC customer service member, David Marshall

Well, that’s a huge bit of information that I haven’t heard. Unless I missed this while roaming the floor of E3, I’d say this is great, new info! Thanks to Felipe Mac Knight for the heads up!

If my game console is stolen, I must provide Nintendo with a POLICE REPORT? What the hell!?

Let us pretend I have a Wii U.

Above: A Wii U

And now I have a delicious milk shake.

Above: Delicious Chocolate Milkshake

And here I have a cute little kitten.

Above: Cute Kitten

I place the delicious milk shake on top of the game console (*). During a vigorous session of Super Mario Brothers 6, the cute little kitten gets curious about the delicious milk shake on the Wii U and knocks it over. Alas. My Wii U is ruined by the delicious milk shake and the devious cute little kitten.

    
Warning: Do not try combining Wii Us, delicious chocolate milkshakes, and a cute kitten at home. Only allow professionals to do it.

Ideally, I should be able to go to the store, buy another Wii U, take it home, place another delicious milk shake on top of it, and re-download all the games from my account. I am getting the impression that this will not be possible. I am referring to the digital downloads and not the sitting of the delicious milk shake.

I don’t care if the game console needs to be connected to the Internet to authenticate that only one console is trying to access my account when I start up the game. By it being digital distributed, Internet access is an expectation. But I should never have to interact with customer service to play my account games on hardware I bought. It is also much cheaper for Nintendo to automate the service by eliminating the Human customer service personnel.

(*) (This is where a gamer places his drinks. I do it for every game console [Atari, NES, Wii etc.]. Nintendo re-designed their consoles to be curved so Malstrom can’t place his delicious milk shakes on the console until they wised up with the Wii.)