Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata has stated that the company is considering implementing automatic firmware updates on their upcoming 3DS handheld console.
The obvious reason for enabling auto-updates on the 3DS, which would be done through the system’s SpotPass function, is to curb the piracy that the company has dealt with as a result of hacks exploited on the DS and DSi. However, Iwata says that piracy is not the only reason for the measure.
"Countermeasures against piracy are not the only purpose, of course. For example, so far, when we try to offer some new attractive function, our consumers first have to turn on the subject game system and go through a manual procedure in order to download and install the system update. As a result, not so many people were willing to update their hardware,” Iwata told investors. “So, we want to make it so that Nintendo 3DS hardware shall be (automatically) updated through the network ... for as many consumers as possible to be able to make use of the new functions that we propose."
If you’re one of those people who likes to be in control of your firmware upgrades, disabling automatic updates on SpotPass isn’t going to be enough to avoid them. Nintendo is also looking at ways to increase the ROM capacity on 3DS game cartridges to add software that would “initiate the device’s system update” for offline customers.
While the automatic online updates are likely to cause little resistance from customers who have become accustomed to such features on consoles like the Wii and PS3, incorporating the updates onto the games themselves seems like it could be going a bit too far.
Though updates can be great to add new functionality to older systems and patch security holes, companies have been using them recently to make undisclosed changes to systems. This has sparked a lot of debate as to whether users should continue to have control over the functionality of the systems they purchase or if companies should be able to control it using such updates.
I have mixed feelings about the issue. I like having control of my hardware and tend to manually update after researching the changes, but after being in support for years I can understand the need for auto-updates to fix issues in systems for those who are less tech savvy.
Is Nintendo overstepping with such updating measures? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
