Nintendo is taking pedometer rewards to a universal level with the 3DS.
Nintendo has created a newly revealed form of currency called “Game Coins” that it plans to use across various 3DS titles. Unlike Farmville cash or Microsoft Points, this currency isn’t acquired by spending real world dollars, but just by walking around.
Though Nintendo tried to start a pedometer craze with Personal Trainer: Walking, the device really hit through the release of Pokemon SoulSilver & HeartGold. With the 3DS, Nintendo has integrated a pedometer into the hardware itself.
Each day, the 3DS records its owner’s steps and awards him/her with Game Coins that can be exchanged in games that support their use. Specific games that provide bonuses for the coins haven’t been revealed yet. The currency could potentially allow players to unlock new karts in Mario Kart, or could be something less substantial.
It sounds like a move by Nintendo to implement the exercise game craze it’s been taking advantage of with titles like Wii Fit into the 3DS. What Nintendo doesn’t know is that The Escapist has solved the problem of having to move around to acquire in-game goods with a pedometer. My windshield wipers are already set up to net me billions of 3DS coins.
Source: Kotaku
Published: Jan 12, 2011 05:01 pm