FAQ: Nintendo Ambassador Program and Free eShop Games

one question i have been on the eshop lots of times and downloaded lots of things before august 12 soes that make me an eshop ambassador

Question: James, what do YOU think the other 10 unmentioned NES and GBA games are? And when you find out will it be a separate post or just updated onto this?

@jtr just going to the eShop makes you an ambassador

@jtr235 As the FAQ says, if you have connected your console before the 11th August, then yes you are an Ambassador.

@Kholdstare for NES I'd expect Metroid, Kid Icarus, Punch Out!! and maybe Urban Champion or Zelda II. For GBA, I'd like it to be Polarium, Advance Wars, Golden Sun, Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga and one of the Pokémon games, though I doubt I'll get my wish

When we hear the official word on the other games it'll get a new post and get put in here

Are you guys gonna write reviews for the games that don't have one yet?

another question if i go on the eshop on agust 10th and become an eshop ambassador but dont go back on till september 2nd can i still download the free games

@jtr235 Yes, the games will be free for more than one day

@TwilightV Good question! As you know we review everything you can download to a Nintendo console, so I guess there's your answer

@james good that makes me an eshop ambassador oh it sound so important... ambassador

I'm wondering if my SD card will hold an additional 20 games with the DSi games I already own.

i go back to school on sept 6th so that gives me six days of non stop nes fun before another year of lame boring school

I find it incredibly unlikely that they wouldn't sell the GBA games to the general public. After putting the effort into making them work on the 3DS, they don't want the money from the public?

They'll be selling them. They just say no right now to try and entice buying it at $250.

I just hope it doesn't bjork or something. I'm so nervous that my 3DS might not count or something, I don't know why, but it's a bad gut feeling. I wish there was a surefire way to tell you were an "Ambassador", like some kind of mark on your home screen or something.

All in all, I'm so excited!

I want Metroid Zero Mission, Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem Sacred Stone and Lunar Legend and I'll be very very very Happy xd

@Hardy83 they are gonna release the gba games to the public, its just there waiting a little bit after after us (who got the 3ds before august 11) to release the gba games to the public, and the games are not free

I want Fire emblem to be one of the other ten games!!

@James: That's great. These games need recognition (especially WarioWare!)!

Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga...please have that game, I loved it.

i was pissed to see that huge price drop after buying it. it was a day one buy for me.

but all these titles for free is more than welcome. they arent actually free, theyre 80-90$ the pack. anyway....
all the NEW titles would have been instant buy for me, mean 5$ each...about 50 bucks spent there. then the gba has 2 titles, making a total of about 60$, and that doesnt even include the titles not yet mentioned.
nintendo is not screwing with us, this is a generous compensation. thanks !

there should be a vote on all the nintendo websites they should put up the top 100 nes and GBA games the 10 that get the most votes become the other ten that are avalible

I hope to see Super Mario Bros. 3 or 2. Superstar Saga and Advance wars. Can't wait 'till I get my 3DS on August 5th.

@johnhood, I paid £167 on Launch although as £160 is the recommended price, I'd expect it to be lower. £230 was the original recommended launch price, but I got it about £60 cheaper. I'd expect it to be about £140 in most places after the price drop.

Wow, this is quite a shock to me, and a nice one too. It'll be great to have all those games free, and great for sales (and streetpass) to lower it that much so suddenly.
I wonder if they'll quietly strip away any minor features to keep production cheaper like Sony likes to do.

Anyway, this is a really smart move for sales and image, I heard a radio report this morning about Nintendos' quarterly earnings drop. It'll also help keep DS systems as very strong sellers by the time the Vita comes out at full price.

Let me get this straight!
I bought the console at launch = before August 11th.
Thus, I can download 20 (twenty) chosen titles from the eShop for free when they come available??

If so, this is a motherload of a good news! I'm hoping for SuperStar saga too...

Pretty grand gesture on Nintendo's part, but not making GBA games available to those who chose to wait would still alienate part of the fanbase. It does sound like a bit of a ploy to sell a few more units at the current price before dropping it down...

Still, though, Nintendo loves printing money, so I doubt that they really have "no plans" to make GBA games available to everyone...

Question: When will the 3DS Ambassador offer expire?

It's a pity that we have to wait so long to get the games. Especially the GBA games.

Do you know the typical size of a GBA game? I imagine that we'll all have to buy new SD cards in order to get all of the games.

This is the kind of thing that keeps fanboys as fanboys. It means a lot and I hope they see the loyalty that this kind of move breeds. They know that early adopters are likely to already be big fans of classics and those are easier to release for them too.
I only wish they could have done something like this to save WiiWare. A free game or two goes a really long way towards building a dedicated consumer gamer.

@Omenapoika That's absolutely correct

@Azooooz We don't know. Probably at the end of this year? I'll try to find out.

So the games aren't available yet?

I want Pokemon fire red

I doubt they'll release RPGs for the GBA Ambassadors.

Are you sure that you'll only be able to download ten selected NES Games? I mean, if Nintendo made an emulator for 3DS, they could also release the whole Wii NES VC Games at once.

Anyways, if I get Zelda I, II, Kid Icarus and Punch_out, then I'm happy.

@Atomic_3DS_Man Correct. Games will become available starting 1st September

@Everyone — if you've got a question you want answering, please direct it to me with @James, otherwise I'll likely miss out on it as the comments are already piling up. Thanks!

so we just get on the eshop and thats all?

I have a question:

I currently have no access to Wi-Fi, and I won't until September. I already bought the 2 free eShop games and Link's Awakening DX, does that mean I'll still get the free games?

I know this isn't exactly about the Ambassador program, but with these 20 games do you think we'll have to upgrade to an SD card with more memory? Will all these game fit in a 2 gig SD card (with game data on it)?

@RYBlast Yes, as long as you've connected to the eShop before 11th August, you're good to go

@RYBlast - yest, you will get them as you first logged into the eShop before the "deadline". You don't have to have a constant access to WiFi.

I am quite surprised by all this, but it's great news for every 3DS early adopter. My 16GB SDHC card is ready for it!

IS it register into the eshop before august 11 or is it register your 3DS onto club nintendo before aug 11

@James and Kifa, alrighty then! Thanks!

Now, my worry that the Vita would be a tough competition with the 3DS has faded away.

I think I have died and went to Heaven.
_{seriously though,t the GBA line-up is mind-blowing already, I can't wait till we find out what the next 5 are. Oh, and NES is cool too. :3}

@James I have two little questions for you.
1.) Will there be only twenty games to 'choose' from, or will there be more than twenty and we'll have to make up our minds? D:
2.) Any word on how long you have to download the games? It won't matter to me unless they actually are offering more than twenty games, meaning I would prefer to wait and pick my favorites from the bunch, but I'm just curious how long you have after they're initially available to download them.

@Bensei isn't the Legend of Zelda a RPG

Somewhere on a dutch game site i saw that they are also going to give super mario advance 4 : Super Mario Bros 3

@MadScientistMan Zelda is an action-adventure game. RPGs are Final Fantasy and the like.

Kind of weird to make this announcement more than 2 weeks before the drop but I guess they really want to give people the chance to get the $80 worth of games. As for what's in the box, if they've only sold 700,000 but were expecting 1.4 million I think they will be selling the SAME boxes at the lower price for the foreseeable future. Though I could easily see them taking out the 2gig memory cards and maybe even the cradle moving forward.
Any word on the DSiXL prices, still $179 in US, can't imagine they would leave it higher than 3DS.

thats bloody brilliant news @james will these free games come staggered or all at once in september?

Very Nice. If you look at what the games will probably cost, getting 20 games free will probably be more than the $80 differential.

I'm with Hardy though, in that I'm guessing the GBA games will be made available to everyone eventually (though, I have been wrong about stuff like that before). Also, I already have the two NES games listed that I actually want on my Wii, and I don't really feel the need to have another copy of LoZ and SMB on my portable.

I was actually going to cave and buy one on Monday, but they were sold out at Target. I guess I'm just going to sit tight until Aug. 12!

What's really crazy is that this is cheaper than the DSi was at launch. I'm surpised they're going so low. I think they'd probably be fine at $199. Not that I'm complaining (Nintendo can't really complain either - the profit margin on a $250 3DS must have been huge), but I wouldn't be surprised if the thing sells out everywhere on the 12th.

What not April 1st, not dreaming — so happy I'm going to explode!

Here's what bothers me. If you already have a 3ds chances are you are a big nintendo fan (like me) and already have most of these games in some format or another. Why not give us the option to pick whatever virtual console, dsiware, or 3dsware games we want? Even better give us credits to buy retail 3ds games.

@James Do you think that, eventually, one day price-drop 3DS owners (like me) will get these games?

Will the SD card the 3DS came with hold all these 20 free titles?

fuuuuuuuuuuuu really? decline in sales and now this. derp. I hope they make good!

This is good news for me. It just so happens that I own/don't care about all of these games. So I don't care about getting them for free. Therefore, since I wasn't planning to buy a 3DS until late this year anyway, this just saved me $80.

@James Will these free games be affecting the free Four Swords game? Will they still be giving it in September?

I imagine that the 10 games NOT mentioned are 3rd party. Also, NES VC? Then what about 3D Classics?

The only game I own on that list currently is Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Thanks Nintendo I can't stay mad at you but please make me more happy by releasing Super Mario 3D Land before 11/22 and then I will forgive you.

I really hope the other five are Superstar Saga, Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, Minish Cap, and Pokemon Random Color.

Nintendo rocks. If you consider NES games worth $5 and GBA worth $10, that's $150 worth of freebies to make up for $80. Serious awesome right there.

What about South America? If Nintendo neglects their SA fanbase I will be very pissed...

Just when I thought they lost all touch with reality and the consumer and the 3DS is hopelessly lost, THIS happens....This is REALLY good news guys....for everyone.

People who want to buy a DS and people who own one.
And the GBA selection is all games I wanted anyway.

Always wanted to be an ambassador.

I finally get to play Metroid Fusion, hopefully the other Metroid game will be available (Zero Mission).

Oh good FAQ by the way.

I would kill to get either of the Fire Emblem titles for GBA...

Also, this announcement is amazing.

After reading the amount of the price drop from what I paid, all I got out was an angry, "Son of a.....," before I saw the bit about my new diplomatic status and the 20 games, forcing an unsatisfactorily placid concluding, "....oh, fair enough."

I still hate being proven wrong about console games on Virtual Handheld.)=< Hopefully it stays with the NES and maybe the Sega Genesis so I'm slightly less wrong.

I have connected to the eShop many times and I haven't got a notice saying that I am a 3DS ambassador...

I think this is a great program, but I'd be especially happy with the NES Metroid. That game would be perfect for suspend data and restore points

I have a question: Where can I hug you guys for being awesome?

Minish Cap, Minish Cap, Minish Cap, Minish Cap....come ooooooooooooooon....

Dangit, Nintendo! The prices I pay for being an early adopter. However, the 20 games deal sounds really, really, REALLY lucrative!

How do I sign up?

They should have Dig Dug as one of those games

Price drop in Europe is non-existant. Talk about 1/3 off. PFFFFT!

Great you're doing a FAQ about this, guys.
I've got a question that doesn't really belong here and most likely won't be answered for some time to come. But here goes.

• Will these games support multiplayer ? (@James)

@LTD The Nintendo website said something about updated versions of the games being available later. So I don't think they'll have multiplayer support at first.

Will I be able to take some games that are already on the VC for free? So I can wait till 12th August and get them (:

Holy crap! This is the best news I have heard all day! Unbelievable!

Dude I love waking up to this on my birthday.

Please help me !

Last time i went on the Eshop was at the end of June and i will not have the opportunity to go back again before September.
Will nintendo consider me as an ambassador ? :x

@redmad yes you only have to connect once before august 12th and you're in.

MY GOD NINTENDO I LOVE YOU EVEN MORE <3

@Redmad: yes.

@redmad im guessing yes, but im guessing it will only be available in august.

With that price- the 3DS is going to have a really great holiday seasons vs PSVita.

When I first saw the news about the price drop I was pretty miffed.My initial thought was uh oh its the N64 debacle all over again! but the free games are great compensation for us early suckers adopters so I'm pretty chuffed now. Good work Nintendo your finally learning!!

I'm pretty happy about this deal because Nintendo is actually giving some pretty good games. Nice!

Don't leave price at the hands of retailers.
Nintendo should understand that software need a price drop too....If Mortal Kombat on iOS is fun at 0,99 cents (even with crappy controls) and a full Square RPG like Chaos Rings is just little more than that then you need to make games 40 times better to justify the price. We're not at 2004 and "itouch" and ipad is an upgrade of the "touch generation" experience. Ok maybe Mario Cart and Pokemon Violet worth full price but most other titles dont.

It's actually tempting to go and get it now, since having those games wherever would be nice..... but then again I'm cheap and can play them all on my computer xD

Ah, now this is how you deliver a bitter pill. Coat it with honey. Certain other gaming companies should take notes.
Really smart maneuvers, drop the price to increase sales, especially with the Vitas coming, then this generous compensation program to sooth all the ruffled feathers. Give plenty of notice so consumers don't feel cheated or blind-sided... Yup. This is how you do it.

well i guest since i payed £220 for 3DS at launch i deserve sum free games:)

@master344 Because most questions can be answered by carefully reading the FAQ.
@pikmaniac02 No, only the set twenty games. No free choices there. And the expiration date of this program is TBA.
@daznsaz TBA.

Oh, yeah! Free games! And good ones, too. Too bad they aren't in true 3D, but oh well...FREE GAMES!

I'm curious to see how many people run out and buy a 3DS before the August 11th date to get the free games. I'd advertise that on TV if I were Nintendo.

I'm happy about this, actually. It was worth buying on launch instead of waiting a really long time, and free eShop games. Yeah!!! But that price drop was fatal.. about $80.00 that's alot of money to save.

@James the announcement from nintendo says this about the NES games: "Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the Nintendo eShop later in the year, the updated versions will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost."
my question is: how will the ambassador versions be different from the paid versions? maybe at first we will get them in 2D but when they are made available they will be 3d classics?

I believe the original versions won't come with emanuals and perhaps bug fixes will be built into the later eShop releases that ambassadors will be able to download for free.

Another question that most likely cannot be answered yet:

• Do the NES games have save states like on the Wii's VC ?
  _{All i'm asking for saves-wise. And i'm just trying to be prepared for a catch here. Just seems too good to be true.}

Try that again without the profanity, please.

The Mods

so i just needed to have the 3ds before august 12,2011, and have used the e-shop?

I'm kinda tempted to go out and buy a 3DS right now so I can get those free games but considering that I own most of those games already I would rather stick with the $80 discount. Plus, I'm pretty sure that those GBA games are going to be made available to the public eventually. I don't mind waiting.

Hmmm. HMMMMMMMMM.

If the US dollar wasn't so incredibly weak right now I'd be mighty tempted to pick up a Japanese 3DS, but unfortunately 15,000 doesn't mean $150 anymore. Argh! Still, this definitely softens the blow for when I finally break down and realize how empty my gaming life is without imports. :<

Woah...well then, Yoshi's Island and Fusion are on my list.
(just release them already. T_T)

Does this program also include Canada?

Although I highly doubt it, I hope that they allow multiplayer in the GBA games. The GBA Link Cable (obviously) won't work on the 3DS, but it'd still like to play some of the multiplayer ones with my friends!! That would reeeeeally be awesome if they incorporated that feature, but again, I highly doubt they will =/

I'd rather have zero mission than fusion, but no complaints, fusion is great, and free

I hope those other GBA games are: The Minish Cap, Pokemon Emerald, Golden Sun, Advance Wars, and Fire Emblem...

As for the NES games: Super Mario 3, and Metroid.. I dont care what those other 3 are..

This, Nintendo, is the greatest thing you've ever done for me. I love you.

POWDERED TOAST... MMMANNN!

@James
I am quite stoked for the free games that are being offered. I do have one question about the NA press release though. This paragraph states "Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the Nintendo eShop later in the year, the updated versions will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost." What will "updated" versions be I wonder and how will they differ from the early versions available to Ambassadors?

I am hoping for nes games: Metroid, Wrecking Crew, Final Fantasy, Kirby's Adventure and/or Star Tropics.

I kind of wonder if Mexico is included in this great offer!, I guess all i can do is remain positive! (or change my settings to USA before the 12th!)

_{(We should be included as it says "north america" on that list, but some companies seem to believe that south america starts below the USA borderline!)}

I need a bigger SD card.

Pokemon!

@mdee14 hopefully not...

Wow, I'm glad I recently updated to a 8GB SD card LOL.

This is awesome news. I really really REALLY hope that Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga and Zelda: Minnish Cap make the cut!

Especially since I never got around to play The Minnish Cap. All of this AND Zelda Four Swords Adventure for FREE and all out THIS YEAR together with a brand new Mario and Mario Kart 3DS game. This is so awesome!

I want to be an ambassador, damnit! This throws a wrench in my plans!

Say what? I'm going to get 20 free games? Wow, consider me officially sweetened. To be honest, I was expecting a price cut of exactly this size after the slow sales, so when I read about it today in the paper, I didn't bat an eyelid. I have a beast of a commute to work, so Ghost Recon and now Ocarina of Time have been a massive help. As I explained to friends, this is the first time I've bought a console so early in it's life. I've seen it all before, so I knew by Christmas the price would have dropped but I knew it was going to be a life-saver and I also reasoned that by getting in there early, I could try and keep up to date with the classic games that come out as they come out.

@James, @everyone: I sent a couple of emails to Nintendo asking about the ambassador program availability in Mexico and Latin America, Ill be sure to update you and to post here if I hear back from them. Has any you read/found anything about this on your end?

"Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the Nintendo eShop later in the year, the "updated versions" will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost."

can anyone tell me what does the "updated versions" mean? 3D versions?

To all the people asking about the need of a bigger SD card:
I'm not sure of the file size of eshop games but, I have a 2gb SD card in my Wii and it has roughly 80 games on it spanning NES to WiiWare.

I understand this pretty well. But just to clarify, will a Trinidadian like myself be eligible for the free 20 games??? Because I wasn't able to use the Nintendo Video service.....

by connected, do they mean registered? because I can't remember if I registered mine or not. And please only respond to this if you're 100% sure. thank you!

^^ What armoredghor said (asked), I cant register (club.nintendo) it in Mexico.

@7ATalavera Oh I just checked it on nintendo.com. you're automatically registered if you entered the eshop. btw, I'm not sure if we're getting free GBA games-if you check the wording, it says 20 free games, there will be 10 free games available on the first day for nes, and there will be 10 exclusive to ambassador gba games with no mention whether they will be free. I just emailed tech support.

Oh, I've waited for this... (As South African bad guy Arjen Rudd in Lethal Weapon 2) DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY!!!!!!!!!!

this is what i'm talking about. School starts on september 11, cool i'll have a lot of time to download and play these amazing 20 titles

@armoredghor: I hope they dont add registering for club.nintendo as a requirement, or they dont simply skip Mexico (we missed green lantern and Netflix) since "More details about this program will be announced in the future". I hadnt noticed, you are right, they do not specify if the 10 GBA games will be part of the 20 free downloads (they never label GBA games as free), if they mean an ambassador earns the "privilege" to buy them, I pass. Let us know if Nintendo replies.

EDIT: Mexican official magazine posted a translation of the press release, but its just a translation no new details, not necessarily meaning the program will be effective in Mexico. I contacted them about this and as usual they know nothing, their information is often late and incomplete, Nintendo should be more serious and strict when choosing their official international representatives IMO.

It would be nice to see where we are on the ambassador program Hopefully we will see a 3DS notification saying that we are part of the Ambassador program

@Glade: exactly what I was thinking yesterday, that or a post on the eShop.

@7ATalavera: The word "provide" means that you don't pay for them. Read the press release closely.

Also, they said 20 "free games". This includes 10 NES games and 10 Game Boy Advance games. There should be no doubt here

Also, it says you simply have to connect to the eShop before August 12th

So GBA games won't be coming to the Virtual Console for purchase? Stupid Nintendo. Another opportunity missed.

So the VC will get Game Boy / Color, Game Gear, TurboGrafix, and NES games, but no GBA games?

This is the twelfth time I've been glad to not own a 3DS. Not buying at launch really proved to be a wise move for me! I told everyone they would price drop this year for months ever since we first heard the original price. I think this whole move pretty much proves the console was released prematurely Nintendo.

@tendoboy1984
Not yet as far as we know.
LET'S ALL JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS

I'm an 3DS owner since april and I can say that I thank Nintendo for giving us 20 games. So, stop complaining people. We had nothing for DS and now, there's a lot of efforts from Nintendo concerning the 3DS. They 're preparing too mini games for streetpass. I hope just one thing: better resolution of DS games on 3DS

@Cengoku: The 3DS has better (higher) resolution than the DS. This is the reason the DS games appear so blurry on the 3DS.

FAQ updated with more details about 'updated' games, prices, that sort of thing.

Here's an important thing though — please read the entire FAQ before you submit a question! I'm having lots of people ask "am I an Ambassador? How will I know?" when the FAQ quite clearly states the criteria you need to meet to become an Ambassador

@7ATalavera No word yet. Still looking into it for you.

@newlykate @LTD @mwellert Incorporated into the FAQ now, thanks

@Shadow100 No this will have no effect on the Four Swords game — that is DSiWare and will still be available in September.
@Dragoon I think it's likely but considering everyone moans about the price of GB and GBC games, I can't see GBA games being very cheap!

@daznsaz Probably staggered to avoid total Nintendo server overload.

@pikmaniac02 Q1 My guess is you'll have no choice in the matter. Q2 Updated into the FAQ now

The question is, would you rather have used the $80 on two 3DS games or stuck with the 20 free downloadables? Personally, I would have picked the 20 games just by the sheer amount of content you're getting.

@james: On my end, I am still waiting the email reply about this from NOA. The mexican official magazine (the closest thing we have to a local Nintendo office) posted a translation of the press release, but its just a translation no new details, not necessarily meaning the program will be effective in Mexico. I contacted them about this and as usual they know nothing, their information is often late and incomplete, Nintendo should be more serious and strict when choosing their official international representatives IMO... you are my only hope before swappin regions, Thanks in advance!

I don't know what to make of this. On one hand, the price cut or the 20 free games sound really good (that and Star Fox 64 and the Bit Trip Series look cool). However, I've only had my DSi XL for less than a year and I don't want to spend too much money on hardware in a such a short period of time.

This does tempt me...

Here's a question: When are GBA games coming for ambassadors

What are you on about getting coins for these games, we don't get coins for any purchases on the eShop anyway. At least, I don't and I'm in the UK.

I can't wait to get these games along with Link's Awakening, this is gonna be sweet.

-nick_gc

they're talking about club nintendo.

Nice idea on the updated FAQ. I like that you guys have it bumped to the top of the news articles every time its updated. cant wait for my free games.

I'm pretty sure this is written somewere, and that I've missed it, but
do Europeans also get free games?

@Matillion: Yes, we do.

those free games are tempting.... i'm going to have to think about if i want o buy it before or after the price drop

@Milkman-123 We have Club Nintendo in Europe too. And as Kainard said, please refrain from insulting people — this is an FAQ, we want unanswered questions!

Nintendo charges $5 for NES games, and I bet GBA games would be $10 each.
So this is basically a $150 value that early adopters will be getting. For Free. For paying an extra $80 on the system.
Sounds good to me.

I am going to wait for the price drop. I would rather play NES games on my NES anyway.

Won't the GBA games take up huge amounts of blocks?

@148: To be honest, I think nowadays those kind of games are a better fit for a handheld...DK Jr., Balloon Fight....definitely!

@149: Yes, but it will be on the SD card. I think I'll really order a 16 one now. ^^

RE: GBA games size, from what I recall the maximum size of a GBA game is 32MB, so I think the 2GB card should be OK.

i agree with blink! MINISH CAP, MINISH CAP, MINISH CAP, MINISH CAP PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ NINTNDO PLZ PLZ PLZ!!

ZELDA 2, ZELDA 2, ZELDA 2, ZELDA 2, ZELDA 2, ZELDA 2

@James

I Wasnt trying to insult the dude. and sorry, i'll try not to be a douche, lol. but seriously.

I really hope its going to be available in my country.. i do live in Europe but what exactly Europe means for Nintendo? I couldnt get Zelda soundtrack or Nintendo Video just cause i dont live in "supported" country like England, Germany, France etc. if you know what i mean. I am worried how is this going to turn out and i am not too optimistic tbh

@ Justaguest
dont worry. im sure you'll get the games too, since you paid as much as anybody else. nintendo wouldnt leave people out of something this important

Ooooh please give us fire emblem <3 I'd be so happy to get it!

Also.
@James I live in israel, and I couldn't get any videos with nintendo video, and I can't get funds for the Eshop, but I got the pokedex and the biking game, will this be available to people unsupported by nintendo?

Fire emblem!! one of my favorite games! its the only grid game ill play, story, characters and reply value, a great game overall, come on nintendo! do it!

GBA games are NEVER above 32 Megs. All of the ones listed as of yet are between 4, and 16 Megs. There is not going to be a space issue.

@haddyDrow Good question. At the moment though we just don't know — Nintendo hasn't released an official list of supported countries yet. Sorry!

@James How much space will a NES game take up?

I do think they handled this expertly. They're easier prices for the general public while still giving thank you gifts to the loyalists. And to those that think we will see GBA games given to the general public; I think Europe and Japan will but not the US. (Operation Rainfall lol)

i have had a 3DS since march 24th i got mine a day early ive been on the eshop 200 times im i an ambassador

Do any of you guys think these games will be updated to "3D Classics" status sometime after launch in September?

@jtr235

I guess as long as you've downloaded something/visited the eShop, you're fine.

@ 160.

NES cartridges are extremely primitive when compared to today's standard. I can't imagine a game with more than like, 50 Kb. Unless they update them of course.

I'm pretty sure that you have a problem storing all of those lovely free games on your system.

OMG I think I'm going to cry

@haddyDrow same here. The only reason I even get to use the eshop is by changing the country settings on my 3ds. Still It would be nice to get a notification that I am on the ambassador program. Would be really annoyed if the compensation doesn't Apply to me or others who bought their 3ds early

@James So all I have to do is log into the Eshop???? Hmmmm...

@James I'm kinda worried cause I've filled my system up with dsiware and there are 16 pieces of 3ds software on the sd card and backed up versions of my dsiware and extra data should upsize my 2GB and if so how do you transfer all your stuff so the console can still read and think it's your data when it's on the new card. Should I be worrying?!

September first?!?!?!?

Nintendo is giving 20 free games on my Birthday

soo great. Well-played, Nintendo. I was worried Vita was gonna completely trample you this time around. As always--handhelds aren't the moneymakers. The games are. Get out a ton of these things early and push your software.

20 games from what already appears to be a great selection completely satiates me. No ill will about the price drop anymore.

@NiaLovesNinty Yep!

@AzaRockz Just buy another SD card and use one for DSiWare and one for Virtual Console stuff

Also, to the dude who asked me why I stopped answering questions, I do have a life away from this PC you know

@pogocoop sorry to burst your bubble but you only get the 10 NES games.

Yeah I just got kinda excited and stopped reading right also it was kinda late when I read this. But still 20 free games Starting my Birthday :3

exactly.

Damn, this is exciting.

In all honesty, I wish I could get these games sooner. I mean come on, I get them on my first day of college? REALLY?

@Balrog: Free stuff. Quit whining

@Izbirdboy Unfortunately I agree with @BalrogtheMaster, I'm excited about free games as much as the next person, but I start grad school at the end of August so I won't have time to play as much as I like.

@NiaLovesNinty Free stuff. Quit whining

I couldn't help but notice that things got pretty dry between launch and E3. Yes, I was a little disappointed, but that all changed after the E3/eShop update, and the re-released of LOZOOT. Again, when I read the title of the post regarding the price drop, I can't say I wasn't a little bit upset. However, when I actually clicked the link and discovered the wonderful offer by Nintendo, I couldn't help but feel some amount of satisfaction knowing that I would become a part of an ultra-exclusive offering by Nintendo. I've been a lot of things, including triple-platinum Nintendo Club rewards, 2009-2010-2011, but this is something the vast majority of 3DS owners will never have access to. I just feel sorry for those people who purchase their 3DS console full $250 retail in late July only to discover the price drop, register their console a day late, and discover they completely missed out on the Ambassador Program .

@James: "all eShop downloads are stored on your console's internal memory" I have all my eShop downloads stored on my SD card (except for DSiWare), however I dont own any VC games to confirm if they can only be stored on the system memory, if thats what you meant.

@Kainard: Not whining. Just making an observation. I said I was excited, but it sucks I won't have time to play them.

I don't think space will be an issue. I got Perfect Dark (N64 game) on Xbox Live Arcade and it was, I may be mistaken, either 46 MB or 460 MB. Either one isn't a lot, and it wasn't even a SNES game, it was a N64 game. If anything, I'm using my camera's SD card.

@Nia: I'm in grad school now while teaching 9 hours of lab a week. There'll be more time than you think

Everybody worrying about the amount of space your GBA games will take up along with your NES games... Don't worry it should all fit on your 2GB.. and on the highly unlikely chance that Nintendo adds unnecessary add-ons that add to the space of the games? You can easily buy a larger card for relatively cheap.

@7ATalavera @James I am also in the same situation like Talavera as I am from Mexico too, should I change the region of my 3ds?, I am currently studying in Shanghai and I have my 3ds configured with residence in Mexico so I have been accessing to the mexican eshop, but I'm afraid if the ambassador program is just available for U.S. and Canada, anyway I bought 2 DSiWare games, I do not know if changing my 3ds region I will lose my games

@jayclayx If I remember rightly you can change your 3DS eShop region without losing any paid content

@James
I'm pretty sure that DSiWare games are the only ones not playable from the SD card. I've downloaded 5 Virtual Console games, both 3D Classics, the 3D Pokédex and Let's Golf 3D and play them all from the SD card. I do hope Nintendo offers an update to allow DSiWare games to be playable from the SD card because my system memory is full and I hate having to swap out the files and re-organize my library. It has honestly stopped me from buying any more DSiWare games for the time being.

@jahasnell Appreciate it! I've not downloaded any 3DS VC stuff yet so wasn't sure on the transfer thing. Cheers

@jayclayx: I have changed my 3DS region settings a couple times now in order to download Netflix and Green Lantern 3D Trailer, and I can confirm you dont lose any of your games (or your rights to redownload them), but I havent added funds to my 3DS (not sure if region swaping erases funds) and I miss or get double SpotPass notifications when changing.

I just like to have my real information on my 3DS settings it kind of give the console and games personalization (Mii Plaza) and allows national wifi matches from your actual country, but if we dont have any official confirmation on the program coming to Mexico by Aug. 9 I'll just play it safe and move my 3DS to USA permanently (you could lose an Ambassador status changing back to Mexico) I recommend all users from not supported countries to do this, just be sure to input a tax free state.

Lets just say if it were required &/or you really wanted, you could even link it to club.nintendo.com, my only concerns now are we could be banned from the program by changing regions, or that it just wasnt available on our local server (if we have one), but ignore me I am such a worrywart

EDIT: IMPORTANT UPDATE on this situation in post 198.

For free games: do you need to login into the e-shop with your club nintendo account or just connect to it (so without the account).

@193

You just need to to connect to the e-shop prior to August 12th.

I am not a fan of this... I fully intended to buy the 3DS at the current cost.. I was just waiting for the money to save up. It's impossible for me to buy it before the 12th.. so I get screwed. I'd rather have the GBA games than a lower price.

@Izbirdboy I sure hope so! People say that to me all of the time. I think I'm psyching myself out!

20 old games for newcomers are great but there's nothing new for me... and I'll never sell my GB and GBA collection just because they will give a digital version of my old games...

Not sure Mexico 'll get free games, I tested again my 3ds with different region settings (New York, USA) when launched Nintendo Video it says "Nintendo video service is not available in your location. You cannot download videos". It sure is available in NY and I think Nintendo video cant be used when the region registered in 3DS doesnt match that of your connection/router/server. This are great games, an exclusive one-time oportunity I dont wanna miss.

One could lose an Ambassador status changing back to Mexico, I also thought to hold out until the end of the year with the 3DS region set to USA (even if I have no Nintendo Video for that time and mess my SpotPass) to get all the free games. But I also thought the Ambassador program may not work if my real location is not selected on the system settings (in the way Nintendo Video does), and I could just change nothing and hope for the chance of the program & games being available in Mexico (both big risks IMO)... What to do not-sure-if-supported regions? What would you do if it were you @James, @everyone??

EDIT: I can DL Nintendo Video and works fine with my real location selected on the system settings and I am still waiting NOAs email reply to one of the 3 Ive sent them about this almost 2 weeks ago

@7ATalavera Just hold tight until Nintendo makes an announcement. The first NES games are a month away so you don't need to decide now. Relax, deep breaths

@James: Not now, but by aug. 11, when register expires... OK... breathing deep

anyone notice that the 3DS has a blue analogue stick?
i would really want Fire Emblem: Fūin no Tsurugi for the GBA but i think im hoping to much. but it would be cool to have since i never played a fire emblem game with roy in it.

@James thanks for your quick response, I confirmed that I did not lose my DsiWare games , @7ATalavera I'm agree with you, we should wait until the last possible moment until we decide to move to another region or not (I am also interested in having my Nintendo video service configured in our region, to avoid blocking ip), I hope we can have a confirmation from Nintendo Mx before Aug 9, I will be constantly checking if there is any info about this, (fingers crossed)

So, Sony gets hacked and the PSN is down for weeks and they offer a welcome back of 2 free games and a limited subscription to PSN Plus. Nintendo lowers the price of the handheld and they give us early adopters 20 games for free. Hmm, which company sounds better? Roll on September 1st, I want some awesome games. Fingers crossed for the NES version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

@Trikeboy Your fingers will drop off before that game comes to 3DS.

so all you have to do is log in
you don't have to download anything

is it me or does anyone else think they should give us 3d versions of all the titles. nintendo only has 3 3d titles on the store, and i feel its very lacking.

Today I got both, a Notification and a post on eShop news clearly stating "You are a Nintendo 3DS Ambassador" having Mexico, my real country in system settings. I set language to englsh and I also used the shop with US settings before, but I dont think that matters.

So for people like me not sure if the program will reach your region, I think geting this notification we were waiting for, by this days, is so far the best confirmation. Could be helpful for the FAQ @James

i can't wait, i have gotten the zelda links awakening game, so hope they make the two zelda oracles, and majoras mask 3d, as for the new playstation vita goes, i bought one.

hell yeah! @7ATalavera I got the confirmation too officially we are ambassadors my 3ds settings are: language in spanish,residence Mexico and so the eshop , yeahh I´m so happy

@jayclayx: Oh yush, indeed we are Nintedo 3DS Ambassadors! Cant wait for GBA!
@winchester1989: I think 20 free 3D classics arent profitable for Nintendo, not even possible considering the launch of these games is under a month away, but I admit I love the idea.

@7ATalavera Thanks so much for the extra information. I've updated the FAQ to include Mexico and will get the word out elsewhere too

@James: Great, it'd be unfair to let out any country. But I was thinking more on updating:
"How will I know if I'm a 3DS Ambassador? Will there be a notification". Glad to help

EDIT: NoA emailed back, confirming it works in Mexico, but didnt answer about rest of latin America

I just got a welcome message from the eshop telling me I was an ambassador

same as gole

This was such a nice suprise after returning home from my vacation! I expected SOME update after being without an internet connection for so long, but this just made me happy for so many reasons...
1. Free games!
1.5. They're good ones.
2. More people will get a 3DS= More people to play with!
3. Some of the games were GBA titles, which probably means we'll get more GBA games later!

awesome, the eshop told me i was an embassador!

And it also stated quite firmly that the GBA games would be available only to embassadors.

help. I bought a 3ds for my sister today. I connected it to the internet, but the eshop is not yet available, neither is internet. How do I get this update?

in order to access the eshop you need to do a system update

@Winter Here's a very helpful 3DS eShop upgrade FAQ.

so I eventually just figured I had to update it. I have entered the e-shop and downloaded the free pokedex for her. Anything else I need to do?

Nope, you're good

i will copy all the games on my sd card, return my 3ds WITH a different sd card.i will buy a different 3ds and use MY sd card. i will have officially saved $80. just kidding. i wont do that. nintendo would MURDER me XD. plus, im too nervous that it wont work.

wait i registered in club nintendo, how wll i recieve 200 coins

YAY!
I Am An Ambassador!!

@Milkman-123 Yeah, that wouldn't work. It registers your games to your console, not your SD card, so those downloads will only work on the console that downloaded them.

can someone help me.. im wondering if do i have to connect to wifi to get the ambassador program thing.. but what if i bought it on the day it came out and connect to e-shop like two weeks ago.. will i be able to take part in the ambassador program for free games? help me im saying this cause i dont have wifi to update or go to eshop right now

@JMX68 If you have connected to the eShop two weeks ago, you are in the program

I'd like to see: mario tennis, super mario ball, super mario advance 2 and wario ware twisted. As you've probably noteced i like mario games.

um, the eshop notice went away that told me i was an ambassador, did it do that because the price cut today?

Okay here my issue, I purchased my 3ds back in May, I got the free pokedex and other game when they launch the eShop. Today I am just now finding out about the Ambassador program. I haven't signed into eShop since like July. I just did the system update tonight, but still so unsure if I am going to get the program because I didn't know about it until a day later. <.<''

soooo i have taken my n3ds at april 2nd and i have first connected it at 12 april ive downloaded the pokedex all the videos and the video thing + the game that was availible for free before 1st june i think soooo i will be an ambassador?

I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need no ambassador program, I have all those game boy advance games but in truth... I WANT THEM SO BAD D:

@lunabel3d sounds like you most certainly are an Ambassador

@thebrat2005 I've heard of a few other users around the net with this same issue... Keep checking this page on Nintendo for the serial number check.

@James:
#1. Would I still be part of the Embassador Program if I connected to e-shop before, but not during the months of July and August?

#2. I got back to e-shop on August 13 but just found the general message about the Embassador Program. Is it because the message saying that I am an embassador was deleted before I checked back?

#3. I bought my 3ds at the end of June, but in case I am not part of the Embassador Program, do I call or e-mail Nintendo telling them my receipt number?

I would greatly apreciate it if you or another person answers my questions. Thanks.

@Alex_C #1 Yes, if you have connected to the eShop at all before 12th August, you're in.

#2 Nintendo removed the notice so as not to confuse other people. You're still in.

#3 There'll be an electronic tool this week to clarify your Ambassador status.

i want warioware twisted for a gba game.

Won't happen I'm afraid!

So now I have the Red 3DS, is there any way to transfer my Ambassador rights/games from my older black 3DS over to this one?

i cant get my 20 free games.

@Roobz In November you'll be able to transfer your Ambassador games across to another 3DS, yes

@239, You'd think so but now its December. Insert Troll face from Nintendo here