Just recently Nintendo of America announced a 3DS connection rate of 67%, but it seems that this was a rather conservative figure. During his post financial results presentation, Satoru Iwata has outlined impressive online connection ratios for Nintendo's systems, with one region standing out as falling behind.
The internet connection ratio for 3DS is now a rather impressive 87% in Japan, where download game sales are particularly high, while in the U.S. the figure given is "about 83%". In Europe there's a very literal disconnect that "leaves much to be improved", with a connection rate of just 57%.
Possibly due to the system still being early in its life, Iwata-san gave less detail with the Wii U figure, but simply stated that the worldwide connection ratio is 80%; hardly surprising considering the system setup does everything it can to take you online, but a decent figure nevertheless.
With an emphasis on download platforms and software emerging from Nintendo, these connectivity rates will become a major priority. We assume that almost everyone here on Nintendo Life has their systems connected, but let us know if you don't, or know others that don't, in the comments below.
[source nintendo.co.jp]
Comments 43
I'm not form europe but I guess the connection rate problem has to do with the european E-shop prices
Some friends said to me that they don't even ever used Mii Plaza and/or StreetPass because they don't know what they are or they were lazy to look what they are... So that 57% figure of Europe is hardly surprising for me :/
I don't know how can people spend 200€ or more money in something that they won't even look into what it can do.
Does anyone know if the new update fixes any online issues as my Wii U online speed is atrocious and it's not my internet connection as that is very quick on my pc but things like the eshop and netflix are horrendously slow with issues like not loading and getting stuck. And dont even start me on downloading, I downloaded netflix app which took nearly half and hour and its only like 60mb
I think alot of the problem is parents buy the 3DS for the kids which would account for a large majority of DS owners and they dont realise it has internet capabilities. Where I work we get the odd kid's come in with there mums and the amount that don't realise there's more to the 3ds than just games. Most kids turn the power off as well instead of just closing the lid, my 6 year old does it and I have to keep reminding him about street pass
i think the problem is at your side i can stream series or movies while browsing the web and everything runs smooth try an internet speed test
My internet is super fast I have 2 laptops using it and2 phones and they all connect with no problems. Problem is the Wii U is a tortoise which needs to be turned into a hare. Hope the update fixes this problem or Nintendo will be getting a call from me
I'm surprised 80% of people managed or bothered with getting their Wii U online. My U's wifi needed to be set manually using a laptop and ipconfig every time I've added a connection.
Once it's set up, it has been very fast. Not sure why anyone with a good internet connection would experience otherwise.
One of my friends doesn't have home wi-fi, so she doesn't connect her 3DS online very often. I don't think she's even downloaded Swapnote yet or signed up for Club Nintendo even.
@PinkSpider I'm in same boat. I have Comcast with speeds of 60 Mb. I do some editing for work and can download 4Gb files in about 10-20 minutes. So mind you I only use simple math here but I got Lego undercover thinking that at 5:15pm when I got home I would theoretically have it by 745pm if I went conservative with 30 minutes for every 4gigs. I didn't get it downloaded and installed until 2 in the morning 9 hours, and no it wasn't my Internet or it wasn't my Internet maybe at that time as I was watching Hulu on my Samsung tv with highest HD which requires great dl speeds.
This is just one example though, any updates, Netflix, trines, that zombiu patch, anything from the Wii u is super slow to download. I guess I should be asking if its like BitTorrent and if I should be opening some ports or something.... He'll I've lived with it because online play itself is fine, Cod/Monster Hunter but geesh if only I could leave work early to start some downloads I guess it would be fine lol
Stupid Europeans, why don't you use the internet! (Joking)
@Nintenjoe64 Virgin Media UK the worst for the initial set up. Ethernet adapter is fine but Wifi you have to manualy set-up the connection to the router and then put google DNS in place of Virgin Media's.
Having said that after the initial console WiiU update theres no problems with setting up new wifi connections to Virgin Media without all the messing about involved initially.
Hopefully WiiU's are or Will be soon manufactured with at least the initial system update installed as I know the initial problems do effect other router brands and isp's around the world.
As for speeds, or lack off, it is slower than Ps3, which itself is slower than 360.
But some of the factors ppl forget about is eShop servers, what capacity they can run at, ISP speed throttling/restrictions aswell as Wifi interference from other wireless devices in your vicinity, other devices connected to the internet at the same time as well as interference caused by electronics in close vicinity of the WiiU (the tv) and even a WiiU placed on enclosed tv unit shelf can effect the Wifi speed.
The Internal memory Write speed is Incredably slow aswell, which will give ppl the perseption of slow download speed. I've posted it before but seriously anyone with a HDD copy something fairly small fron the HDD to internal memory then back to the HDD, the difference in time it takes is massive.
If you do a bunch of things while downloading on Wii U, it could be NAT or other devices using all your bandwidth something like that - next time try having just the Wii U connected to the internet, or keeping PCs & smartphones connected, but not downloading or streaming data.
the connection rate probably sucks cause European people are dumb Nintendo needs to make it so you re-download the games, not download once and your f***ed afterwards -_- Change this, and I bet you get closer to 100% in all regions.
@PinkSpider I had similar issues with my Wii U - for me it was network interference. Unfortunately, the Wii U is far more sensitive to wireless interference than other devices. I didn't have to move mine far to increase my performance - just rearranged things in my entertainment center. Keep it away from speakers (which tend to cause more magnetic interference than other devices), and at least 4-6 inches away from other consoles. Also, try adjusting what channel your router is broadcasting on to minimize interference - mine was auto-selecting a channel, and I had to manually set it to use channel 11 (likely be different for you). All of this came from multiple, lengthy discussions with Nintendo support (who you can also try contacting). For me, these things helped - I used to get kicked out of the eShop, with an error message that closed the app, literally 95% of the time I opened the app, would have massive download issues, and a variety of Miiverse problems; now I only get eShop errors 5% of the time, have no download issues, and only the rare Miiverse problem - not perfect, but far, far better. I am also hoping the update takes care of my remaining issues - but I'm a much happier Wii U user since talking to support, and adjusting to avoid wireless interference.
In Europe.... none uses the internet,bar when they're on their I Phones.
@hydeks were dumb? and you live in one of the dumbest countries in the world... uh huh
@ickyptang thanks man a sensible response I'll try a few things out
i use it all the time.
Im in the UK and I always encourage others to go online. I cannot tell you the number of people - even just within the last week - that I have shocked by telling them that they can download old N64, NES, SNES and Mega Drive games from the virtual console! It really is incredible that so many people do not know one of it's major functions!
Microsoft will be very happy to hear about the 80% WiiU connect rate
I'm happy to hear about it also.
Those are actually pretty impressive figures if you consider how many Nintendo 3DS's have been sold and considering how much more useful your 3DS becomes when connected to the internet, it is no surprise that people choose to do so.
@PinkSpider (Not sure what country he lives in, assuming America) At least Americans can connect a console to the internet
You guys do realize your internet only works faster if it's optimized right? Having over 15GB doesn't even usually matter unless you have more than 1 device connected to the internet.
I swear I've said this a million times by now, but everyone complaining about the internet speeds has FASTER internet than me based on the numbers, yet I am still downloading at faster rates.
The servers are probably part of the problem as well, but I wouldn't blame it only on Nintendo. Your HDD may be crappy, too. I got a better one and now data can overall travel faster through the ext. HDD.
@hydeks
What do you mean by re-download? You can't re-download something if you haven't purchased it. You can re-download content in your account on the eShop. The complaint was that you can't share with other devices or claim your purchases by typing in your account info between eShops.
I'm not saying it's for sure gonna happen, but it would make more sense fir Nintendo to possibly allow easier account handling by the user without needing online access.
Think download play and how that transfers game data without needing(nor can it) go online.
@SkywardLink98 He lives in Canada, so you were close.
I wonder how the connection rate for Australia is?
every download i get is 33min from nintendo
sometimes I talk with someone that has a 3ds that doesn't know what streetpass is. SERIOUSLY? how are people that dense
@TheKingOfTown Oh, well as long as I'm not insulted I'm good, lol. Resume insulting the Canadian.
Suddenly, the Wii Mini doesn't seem like such a horrible idea in Europe.
This is good indeed. But speaking of online, I can't play DS games online anymore due to Nintendo's choice to only allow DS games to be compatible with WEP security connections. Most router/network securities are WPA or WPA2. Is anybody else frustrated about this too? I can't even download new maps onto my Advance Wars Days Of Ruin game.
In Italy DS (and so 3DS, too, as nearly no-one can tell the difference) is considered a "kid toy". Seriously, one of my 7 years old daughter's schoolmates saw that I had a 3DS and said to me "Don't you know that thing is for kids?". Adult handheld gamers are rare indeed around here, and judged as slightly unhinged, too.
Of course everyone plays with tablets and smartphones, but that's "normal". :-S
@Gnoll: Ahh what do they know? Screw tablets, 3DS is king!
In the states you go to a Starbucks your 3ds connects to the net automatically. So you connect without even knowing it!
@AtomicToaster
So maybe in Europe we get a worse online attach ratio coz we don't have Starbucks!!!
Their is a general paranoia about internet usage and security in many european countries. I imagine the UK only view would be higher than 57%.
I am very impressed with the 80% figure tho.
I live in New Zealand an our internet is overpriced with relatively high ping rates... but sometimes the only way to purchase a game is online and/or via DLC as not all games are fairly represented in physical stores.
Another thing the Wii U is very picky about its routers, as when upgrading to 2.1.0 the Wii U would fail and even manual settings (as recommended by Nintendo AU support agent) would not work (router works fine with Wii/DSi/xBox360/PS3/PC’s/Android’s in house), in the end I had to borrow another router just to download and install the patch
@PinkSpider you got a 3DS for a six year old?
facepalm You have no room to speak in this area anymore.
@AtomicToaster what? No you don't. You have to manually go to the setting and set up a connection with that router. Don't be an idiot please.
@Gnoll go fair gamer! Slap sense into your country! Get them to play REAL games!
@Marioman64 For example, my friend is nervous bringing his 3ds in public places, so Streetpass has no meaning for him; plus he'd rather play FE:A or Mario Kart 7 instead of spending time on Streetpass
@Fusion14 Dude I typed that from a Starbucks where my 3ds connected automatically and they also have that Nintendo Zone thing at them. I'm in Seattle though the home of Starbucks with NOA nearby so maybe that's it but every time I pass a Starbucks my 3ds gets internet pretty much.
@MasterWario I wonder if there are people that are scared to street pass haha! Maybe it's like exchanging fluids to them!
Yeah but "connected" probably does not necessarily mean always on the net and downloading all games digitally.
I connect to update firmware and download a demo or preview video but that is it. I don't buy e-shop crap due to their terrible DRM system where games are locked to a single piece of hardware. That is stupid, and you are foolish if you go for that nonsense.
I can't understand people who don't connect their consoles online.
It's really easy, specially Nintendo consoles.
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