Roughly a month or so ago, Nintendo announced that the company would be releasing a series of new and updated 3DS games. Many purchased 3DS systems based upon this statement, but it’s taken Nintendo quite awhile to deliver on its earlier promise. Yesterday, Nintendo finally provided 3DS with a downloadable version of Resident Evil Revelations (a demo). While this game demo is a start, it’s a far cry from the list of games that Nintendo promised consumers.

While Nintendo hasn’t made good on its game promise quite yet, the company has stood by one additional consumer commitment: Nintendo finally updated the 3DS firmware (though this did take quite some time). Now, those who are holding 3DS systems are just waiting for those games that Nintendo should be pushing out within the next month or so. In addition to the Resident Evil demo, Nintendo also announced that the company will be releasing a version of Mario and Sonic at the London Olympic Games.

An Interesting 3Rd Party Twist

Most gaming companies tend to provide console users with titles created and developed by the parent company. Nintendo, on the other hand, is different. In addition to the demo titles released and set for release listed above, Nintendo has announced that the company will be pushing out some 3rd party games as well. Those 3rd party gaming companies that have made the Nintendo 3DS list thus far include Capcom and Konami (to name just a few). The move to include 3rd party titles is a great move for Nintendo and for 3DS owners.

It seems as though Nintendo is aiming to provide 3DS users with a wide array of titles. While other handheld gaming systems are failing (the Sony Vita comes to mind), Nintendo’s 3DS is still hanging on. This is largely due to the fact that Nintendo will offer more titles than any other handheld. Now, 3DS owners simply have to wait to see whether or not those promised titles will actually begin to surface. While Nintendo is getting a lot of slack for not pushing out demos and titles sooner, it should be noticed that the company is (at least) standing behind its earlier promises – even if these titles are a bit late in coming.

Downloadable Demos

Nintendo has some fierce competition when it comes to downloadable demos. First and foremost, the company must compete with the mobile gaming market. More often than not, demo games (“free” games, really) are widely available through mobile platforms. Secondly, Nintendo is competing with the likes of companies like Sony that have already begun to offer users a number of downloadable demo options.
Nintendo has rolled out some free demos through the Wii system, but the 3DS is in need of demo updating. The demos that are now available are a sure sign that Nintendo aims to stay in the demo download race.

As an afterthought, those parents who have purchased 3DS systems for their kids may be worried that a wide variety of available and downloadable demos will spell under-age disaster. However, thanks to great 3DS parental controls, parents can still have the upper-hand – Nintendo is really a family gaming company, after all. Look for new Nintendo demos to arrive on the 3DS throughout the next few months (you can check out the Resident Evil demo now).