No GBA games planned for portable VC launch

Nintendo's Wii Shop Channel and DSiWare Shop may have some great games on them, but browsing the services for content could be a bit easier. Unless you go in there knowing what you want, finding something new and interesting can be a bit cumbersome, as sifting through menu after menu can take some time.

With the 3DS, Nintendo hopes to change all that. Admitting that the Wii and DSi have not "provided the users with a sufficiently easy and accessible interface," the company says the 3DS's online shop will offer a faster, more optimised experience.

Switching from one screen to another has become much quicker, and you will notice the quick response. For any download business to grow, it must be important for consumers to be able to enjoy window shopping even when they do not have any particular product in mind. Quick and easy access to the shop is, therefore, very important.

While the Wii and DSi download services made it hard for Nintendo to "promote and sell the products in one place," the 3DS shop will combine "functions of Wii Shopping Channel and that of Nintendo Channel" to help users discover content they might not otherwise consider.

As well as original 3DS software, you'll also be able to download DSiWare titles to your shiny new machine, meaning on day one it could have a library of well over 300 titles to download.

As for the handheld's Virtual Console, Nintendo says it only plans to offer Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles at first, eventually expanding the service to include other "classic games." Some classic titles will even get 3D make-overs, but Nintendo warns these updated titles may be priced differently than normal VC games:

As an experiment, when Xevious from Bandai-Namco was made 3D, we felt that it significantly increased its value. To make the classic titles 3D will not be as easy as providing Virtual Console software, but we are eager to make them available for the download sales.

[source nintendo.co.jp]