SpotPass in Swapnote/Letter Box disabled worldwide, Nintendo gives official statement
57 replies, posted
Official Statement from Nintendo
[QUOTE]T[I]hank you for your support.[/I]
[I]Nintendo has learned that some consumers, including minors, have been exchanging their friend codes on Internet bulletin boards and then using Swapnote (known as Nintendo Letter Box in other regions) to exchange offensive material. Nintendo has been investigating ways of preventing this and determined it is best to stop the SpotPass feature of Swapnote because it allows direct exchange of photos and was actively misused.[/I]
[I]Nintendo always wants to provide a positive experience for all consumers and limit the risk of any inappropriate activity or misuse of a service. We feel it is important on this occasion to take this action.[/I]
[I]We are very sorry for any inconvenience to the many consumers who have been using this service responsibly; however this decision was made considering the point that many minors also use this feature of Swapnote. Thank you for your understanding.[/I]
[I]Nintendo will continue to work to ensure more consumers are aware of our Parental Control features, which allow parents to manage their children's experience on our systems. For more information, please click here.[/I]
[I]Service stop date: Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013, 7 p.m. PT[/I]
[I]Service being stopped: Nintendo 3DS software Swapnote - Sending and receiving notes using SpotPass[/I]
[I]Affected regions: All regions where the service was offered[/I]
[I]Special Notes services are also stopped[/I][/QUOTE]
[url]http://gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=216010[/url]
so basically
"we dont want kids sending each other naked pix"?
Sucks, I guess, but from their point of view, considering that their target audience is chiefly made up of minors, it makes sense.
I'm not surprised.
I remember when a friend told me about the street pass thing, and could only think the amount of bullshit that people put on there.
But us in the 3DS thread used Swapnote all the time for goofy and fun shenanigans
Not that I particularly like the decision, but someone elsewhere brought up a very good point about this: Nintendo is a [i]much[/i] more public target for something like this than either of the other two and they have to play more on the safe side. Someone sends a pic of his crotch to a kid on Xbox and no one cares because it's the "murderer console" to 95% of America and "isn't that what you [i]do[/i] on Xbox?"
Same thing happens on a popular, family-friendly Nintendo system and Fox News will be [i]salivating.[/i]
"UBIQUITOUS TOY IS ACTUALLY PEDO-PANDERING PORN PHONE?! VIDEO GAMES MAKE [b]YOUR[/b] FAMILY UNSAFE! THIS RELATES TO TERRORISTS FOR SOME REASON"
Public perception of video games would be blasted back by about fifteen years.
[QUOTE=mark6789;42718801]But us in the 3DS thread used Swapnote all the time for goofy and fun shenanigans[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I'ma miss people sending decent artwork and whatnot. Those were always fun to look through.
[QUOTE=VinLAURiA;42718843]Not that I particularly like the decision, but someone elsewhere brought up a very good point about this: Nintendo is a [i]much[/i] more public target for something like this than either of the other two and they have to play more on the safe side. Someone sends a pic of his crotch to a kid on Xbox and no one cares because it's the "murderer console" to 95% of America and "isn't that what you [i]do[/i] on Xbox?"
Same thing happens on a Nintendo system and Fox News will be [i]salivating.[/i]
"UBIQUITOUS TOY IS ACTUALLY PEDO-PANDERING PORN PHONE?! VIDEO GAMES MAKE [b]YOUR[/b] FAMILY UNSAFE! THIS RELATES TO TERRORISTS FOR SOME REASON"[/QUOTE]
Something similar like that already happened.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xAK-X0RA5o[/media]
[QUOTE=Swiket;42718867]Something similar like that already happened.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xAK-X0RA5o[/media][/QUOTE]
lmfao
sometimes I'm suprised how stupid reporters/the news/people can be
You can't send messages to friends anymore, period? Really? That was the entire point of the app, imo. StreetPass for it never even worked for me, so now it's entirely useless.
what a stupid fucking decision
I really hope this doesn't affect the release of the Miiverse Update.
[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;42719085]Nintendo will bend themselves over for any "concerned parent" no matter how ignorant it is.
Do you know why there are no more casinos in Pokemon games? Because a parent said "You're teaching our kids gambling!!!"[/QUOTE]
It isn't ignorant, people are abusing their system/program and they're doing something about it.
[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;42719130]It is. The world isn't the candy and rainbow trout skittle rivers that Nintendo thinks it is.
And if you think if they can keep having "restricted" multiplayer and continue to stay relevant to the video game market, you are dead wrong. Sooner or later they are going to have to give and give their fanbase the freedom to play online unrestricted.
Fuck, just put a child safety lock that makes online into the nanny that it is turning into, no need to flip off your entire older market.[/QUOTE]
What restricted online are you talking about?
[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;42719166]The ENTIRE friend code system is a great example of restriction.[/QUOTE]
Only on the 3DS and they're changing it.
edit: was wrong about it being removed
[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;42719166]The ENTIRE friend code system is a great example of restriction.
So you don't meet "strangers" in any multiplayer.[/QUOTE]
Aren't friend codes just a result of Nintendo not knowing how to do online right?
-snip-
was wrong
One thing that bugs me is that the Parental Controls already have an option to block this, it's just soccer moms are so tech-illiterate they probably don't even know they're there and complain about options already put out.
[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;42719222]Yeah I just tried looking, couldn't find it either.
I think the Mii-verse update just brings in accounts though, which is great for the E-shop but that doesn't really mean that you could just search and add people willy nilly. Given Nintendos record, I find it doubtful.
It is a step in the right direction, though.[/QUOTE]
Yeah all I found on the Miiverse update talking about fixing the account system and not friend codes. I may have gotten those mixed up in my head, sorry.
Today and yesterday I've been having problems about remembering things correctly :v:
[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;42719222]Yeah I just tried looking, couldn't find it either.
I think the Mii-verse update just brings in accounts though, which is great for the E-shop but that doesn't really mean that you could just search and add people willy nilly. Given Nintendos record, I find it doubtful.
It is a step in the right direction, though.
Actually, it's already a thing on the Wii-U, could someone who owns one ( :v: ) confirm whether you can add people without friend codes and whatnot or not?[/QUOTE]
Yes on the WiiU all you have to do is enter your username and bam your friends. But im pretty sure i read somewhere too that said that usernames are coming to the 3DS also.
It was there from the start on the Wii U.
[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;42719257]Did the Wii-U have it originally or was it an update? I'm really curious how they'll turn the current friend-code system into an account system, that might be what is taking them so long with the update.[/QUOTE]
The Nintendo Network system was on the Wii U at the start.
[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;42719257]Did the Wii-U have it originally or was it an update? I'm really curious how they'll turn the current friend-code system into an account system, that might be what is taking them so long with the update.[/QUOTE]
Launched like that. Wii U had gotten rid of friend codes from the very beginning.
[QUOTE=JustGman;42719181]Aren't friend codes just a result of Nintendo not knowing how to do online right?[/QUOTE]
Are you serious? Do you really think they're so ignorant about the whole online thing that they'd be like:
"Hey, we wanna connect our system to the internet like others do."
"Good idea, but does anyone know how those consoles go about identifying their users, because I've apparently never seen an account system in my life."
"No, nor have I. But I have a [i]phone number![/i] And I think we should make our user IDs RANDOM TWELVE-DIGIT CODES for no other reason that we [i]seriously[/i] can't think of something less convoluted."
"By the way, what's a 'name'?"
"No idea, 2319-4096-2768."
A little faith, please. If you wanna call 'em stupid, at least let it be over their misguided if well-meaning attempts to shield their users from [i]anything[/i] unpleasant even if it means ridiculously archaic and over-shielded systems. You make it sound like they don't know how to operate anything more recent than an acoustic coupler.
I truly believe Nintendo doesnt know anything about anything of the outside world or the internet. Thats why were still slugging along with the WiiU and 3DS.
nidhogg must have been the inspiration
You know, this baffles me considering the fact that with the friend code system, you'd have to invite people to give spotpassed notes, and there's no way you can receive them from random people. So essentially you'd have to add the friend code of someone that just happened to share it without you knowing who they are in the slightest; you wouldn't even know if they speak English or Japanese.
Of course, with Animal Crossing around, people can just exchange their friend codes on Tortimer Island, so I guess I'm not too surprised.
If they really care that much though, they could add a "report" option in Swapnote, like the Miiverse has.
[QUOTE=AlienFanatic;42719339]nidhogg must have been the inspiration[/QUOTE]
He scared Nintendo with all of his muscular dragon stands in new leaf
Spotpass is permanently disabled? Great, now the app itself has become practically useless since anyone hardly ever uses the streetpass feature.
[editline]1st November 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=AlienFanatic;42719339]nidhogg must have been the inspiration[/QUOTE]
Maybe. :v:
Ok, now how am I going to message my friends that I want to play Pokemon when they don't have a phone or computer on them?
[QUOTE=MR-X;42719109]It isn't ignorant, people are abusing their system/program and they're doing something about it.[/QUOTE]
they're complete idiots for not realizing this would happen from the start (like every fucking person who got their hands on the program knew it would)
[editline]1st November 2013[/editline]
sorry we gotta disable animal crossing's online feature for everyone, jimmy kept saying "penis" to his friend and his mom got mad
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