Want to change your N3DS SD card? You'll need a screwdriver.

Hey there kids! Going to buy a NEW 3DS? Great! Gonna buy lots of games? Super great! Did you manage to get your hands on one of dem there Majora's Mask edition New 3DS? Super ultra mega hyper fantabulous great!

Wanna upgrade your console's Micro SD Card? GREA- welp...You'll need a screwdriver first...Isn't that swell?

Link.

The most annoying thing about the new 3DS? You can't just put in a new SD card, like you could in the old system. Instead of popping off the SD card cover, like you could on the older systems, the new 3DS requires the use of tools

Full disclosure: yesterday, Nintendo provided me with a new 3DS unit, for coverage purposes. But, getting the system up and running has been a headache. Mostly, it's because the SD card slot is underneath the hood. You need to pop off the back plate of the 3DS, which you can only do with a screwdriver. According to the manual, you need a #0 screwdriver:

According to the screwdriver set that I purchased yesterday, I acquired a #0 screwdriver. But for whatever reason, it didn't work. So I ordered another screwdriver set from Amazon, in the hopes that maybe it'll have whatever size it is that I need to unscrew the top off, so I can put in my SD card, so I can play my god damn games.

BUT WAIT! THERE"S MORE!!

And don't even get me started on the headaches around transferring accounts and games. Get this: you can only have your Nintendo Network ID account active on one 3DS at a time. Except, Nintendo banks on many users having multiple 3DSes. That's why they're not packing the power cord into the boxes with the new 3DS: they assume it's likely that people will already have a 3DS, so why inundate them with AC adapters? By that same logic, why can't I link my account on multiple 3DSes? I'm not saying I should be able to have multiple copies of the same game across multiple systems or whatever, but man, setting up a new 3DS shouldn't be this annoying. Then again, it sort of feels like Nintendo just being Nintendo, doesn't it?

...Now, I know Nintendo thinks that this isn't a big super duper deal. All that matters are the games, right? WRONG!

See...My question is...Why? All of these things, (No charger included with NEW console, Having to use a screwdriver just to change the SD card, can only have ONE of your NNID accounts active on ONE 3DS at a time..), are unnecessary!!

Thank you, Nintendo.

Nintendo, your one of the best, if not THE best developer and publisher out there. But somethimes you just make me scratch my head. You just...WHY?

BTW, here is a pic.

The Nintendo Network ID thing is literally two year old news, man.

And I'm struggling to think of why a household might not have screwdrivers.

Again, this doesn't affect me *shrug*

The brand new iPhone doesn't even have an slot for one.

3DS > iPhone

@pikachudude860: This is classic Nintendo.

The Wii U under-performing has them doing things in other areas to generate profit (remove ac adapters, amiibos, etc). It really is lame about the Nintendo Network ID, but I already knew about that as I own multiple Nintendo systems and they are ass backwards on how they handle e-purchases. The changing of an SD card requiring a screwdriver is equally lame.

Nintendo being backward and hypocritical? Nah.

Wow really? who doesn't have a screw driver or $2 to go and buy one.

I gotta agree with everyone said, this is old news indeed but it never fails to at least re-post this news to the average joe.

Fucking transfer system is gross

Hmm. Wasn't aware of that being two years old. News to me.

The pic above says that you'll need a certain screwdriver in order to open the console up. It seems that you could damage the screws otherwise. I do not what kind of screwdriver that is...

I don't have a problem personally with any of this. I'm still buying a N3DS one day. But that doesn't make it "OK" to not include AC adapters and stuff. Consoles these days should have everything they need to work properly.

They're crazy. End of.

#gothirdparty #stopmakingshittyhardware #neverbuydigitalNintendogames

iPhone >>> 3DS

You may be on to something there. Sad thing is, I doubt that Nintendo is even making that much profit off of stuff like this.

As long as we keep getting good games, we'll just have to grin and bear it.

All three of those wouldn't apply to Nintendo if they just did the right thing. I don't agree with them going 3rd party, but if we don't see an "Ultra NES" next gen, something seriously needs to change. New management or something. But I fear that THAT could make things worse.

Why can't 3DS be Vita?

That's why I buy Nintendo, for the games. I just wish they were better in other areas so I could give them more financial support, but as it is, I avoid buying digital with them.

they should have had a screwdriver tip on the stylus.

The Network ID account system is Nintendo's biggest sin. It's a clunky and awkward cash grab that imo backfires huge. If they had a unified account system where you could log your account on any device now or in the future, it would make dowloadable software more valuable to the consumer. They would feel more comfortable purchasing it rather than worry about if they are putting on the right device or not. Making the customer repurchase the same software over and over is just shady business practice imo.

So? What kind of person doesn't have a screwdriver?

@darkspineslayer: What are you buying from the PSN sale btw?

I am more bugged by it being a mini SD card. Why punish consumers who have a 3DS and want to jump to the new version? It is already hassle enough transferring over but now you have to make the transfer from an SD card to a micro SD card.

SDXC are not supported unless you revert it to fat32 which is just unwieldy and unnecessary work.

They haven't "done the right thing" for decades now and I don't expect they ever will. They'll always be backwards and gamer and dev unfriendly.

At this point I just want to buy my Nintendo games on Steam, I give up on them as a console maker.

No charger? Stupid. Shitty transfer system? Stupid. Need a screw driver to remove an SD card you'll probably only ever do once or twice? Meh. Dont see the big deal.

Good! My kids swapped SD cards in our 3DS's and I had to re-download everything again. Do you people cry about everything?

I almost never change or touch my SD card. Who doesn't have a screwdriver anyway?

because it has games

I think the point is why the fv%k do you need a screwdriver to change a memory card?

Sheep continue to amaze.

This. I got a 32GB card especially for my 3DS, and I have about 7 or 8 digital games on there. I was already annoyed at the micro SD thing - since I have plenty of SD cards already, but I don't have a 32GB micro SD. Nintendo just making one bad decision after another. Basically they are making sure it's not worth my effort to upgrade, and at this point it's probably not (since I'm not a big handheld gamer anyways).

Pretty annoying and yeah the archaic account system has been done to death. Still going to get one, just not sure when.

@foxhound_fox:

lol, good point. My Droid Maxx don't have one either. Plus I have a screw driver

Many households got "normal" (- /+) screwdrivers but maybe not these "special screwdriver" that is needed here...

Wouldnt surprise me if we see Nintendo start selling screwdrivers as well...

@aroxx_ab: Looking at the pictures.. they look pretty "normal" doesnt even mention any special kind.

So just put a 64 gig micro SD card when you get your 3DS and boom! wont ever have to do it again for maybe years

Reading the article it sounds like it something other than the ordinary...or why did he had to buy new ones two times

They have not been good with memory management since the GC. I suspect they are keeping it locked under mini screws to reduce piracy. The SD card input is where pirates find ways to hack the system, get free games.

This is a none issue. If you or your child don't know how to operate a screwdriver, well, you probably should be playing video games. If you cannot afford a screwdriver, you really cannot afford a Nintendo 3DS. I have plenty of screwdrivers laying around my house, as do many people. The memory card in the 3DS is used more like permanent storage than a traditional memory card, think Nintendo 64 or GameCube memory cards, so you won't need to remove it that often, if at all.

The larger issue here is that it does not come with a power adapter which is pretty shitty of Nintendo, especially when you consider that GameStop requires a power adapter to trade in your existing 3DS, meaning you simply cannot use your old one.

Nintendo is on a roll!

@RR360DD: Well, to be fair...the iPhone is beyond terrible.

On topic, every time i read something new about this N3DS i remember why i don't even want to be near one of them, so many fails with this revision.

You actually made a thread implying that the use of a screwdriver is an arduous task.

...

This is where stereotypes come from.

Easy for me, use to this kind of stuff...much more easier than replacing screen on diepad or crackpad. Yea the no inclusion of AC adapter with New 3DS is BS tho. :P

"Grinning and bearing" is what's allowing companies like Activision, EA, Ubisoft, and Capcom get away with MUCH of the shit they do.

Um... shouldn't that mean that you shouldn't be doing this below?

Yeah, that's not contradictory at all. :roll:

It's a completely normal screwdriver. It's actually really easy, and you'll only have to do it once (if ever).

The whole system transfer process took a while for me - maybe an hour all up. Then again, i had something like 16gb of downloaded games to transfer, so...probably my fault.

Once you transfer the data, the New 3DS will be set up exactly like your old one. Themes, friends list, folders, downloaded games, save games...they'll all be in their correct spots.

Doesn't really bother me. Naturally the old way would be way better, but needing a screwdriver isn't the worst thing ever.

I think he was talking about eShop vs Steam

hahahaha are you seriously this fucking dumb!?

I'll spell it out, JUST FOR YOU.

"Don't buy current digital games on Nintendo's current SHIT system. DO buy them on sane systems like Steam, PSN or XBLA!"

I see no problem with this. I've had to take apart consoles to make them work again. A couple of screws to replace the memory card is no issue to me. It also ensures that kids won't be losing those tiny memory cards. Sounds like a good deal in the long run. 1 Swap to a 32 GB card and it fixes all problems for the lifetime of the machine.

Well yeah, it still has a Nintendo logo on it.

I don't know if it's humanly possible to be more boneheaded than Nintendo if you TRIED.

Honestly, you'd have to make a serious attempt to be so obtuse. Why I don't support Ninty anymore. Everything they do comes with a caveat, and usually one that negates anything even remotely positive. I really can't see such a level of incompetence existing without a conscious decision to be so. To think such decisions being made intentionally is frightening.

If I could do this with my Tamagotchi when I was a kid I think my adult self can handle the task.

Even so, buying on Steam wouldn't make buying Nintendo games on there ANY less of a Nintendo related purchase/download

The vague hashtag that just says #neverbuydigitalNintendogames doesn't tell me anything further other than give me the idea of "never buy anything digital from Nintendo", which could mean never buy their stuff on ANY digital service period (like if you're boycotting them like I currently am EA products since 2013, temptations to play DA:I aside) and no, the #gothirdparty and #stopmakingshittyhardware alongsidedidn't specify what you're saying either, because if they were to play that game of chance, they might go retail (and the less I say my views on IF they do that, the better for both of our sanity).