In July, I returned from my favorite local convention, my 3DS fat with StreetPasses. Let me tell you, that is a scenario I have MISSED. After the March 28th shutdown of the StreetPass relays, a handy service which allowed you to visit certain AT&T Wi-Fi locations and exchange StreetPass data with people who had visited that same location previously, StreetPassing became a very different hobby. Now that I’ve had time to (mostly, sort of, maybe a little, OK FINE! NOT REALLY) get over NA Nintendo pulling the plug on the relays without giving the USA a heads up, I’m ready to write about the future of my favorite hobby.
Tips to get the green light burning
Nowadays, trying to get StreetPasses is like a treasure hunt. Prior to March 28th, I would take my 3DS to known relays and simply wait for the green light notifying me of the arrival of new Miis, often leaving it off in between destinations to save on battery life. In the post relay world, the only way to get any StreetPasses at all is to have it on you all the time, particularly in crowded or video game centric places. When you get one, it’s extra exciting because they’re so unpredictable. Cons are your best chance to keep the green light lit, but game stores and malls (especially on weekends or holidays) can also be good. Since you’ll need to save your battery power, I suggest leaving your screen brightness on 1. My N3DSXL can last for ages this way.
Meetups in your area?
Another thing to try is looking into StreetPass meetups in your area. Several (such as the now Switch & Play NYC) have changed their focus to the Switch, but they’re certainly worth checking out if they’re in your city/state. Touch base with any that have changed to a Switch focus, as they may still bring their 3DS as well. Pokemon meetups may also be worth looking into if they exist in your area.
Upgrading to the 100 Mii line in the Mii plaza is super helpful. This way when you do go somewhere with high activity, you can stuff all the Mii’s into your line and play through them later. Besides, if you’re serious about getting the maximum benefit, you’ll be too busy clearing out visitors in Animal Crossing, Fantasy Life, or any other game with a relatively small maximum StreetPass cap.
Of course, the Convention!
And now the ultimate destination to find those last couple of puzzle pieces, or finish Find Mii for the umpteenth time: The convention. I’ve been to several this past year in my ongoing quest to live in denial that StreetPasses are a thing of the past. I’ve gotten anywhere from about 3 to over a 100. Pick a con that interests you and try it out. You’ll have a blast hanging out with other nerds and going to panels/cosplaying.
And (if you’re very, very lucky) you’ll fill your 3DS with StreetPass data as well, or at least get a handful. As mentioned above, lots of games have caps on how many you can get at a time before clearing them out, so if you want to make sure you see EVERYONE’S Animal Crossing home, you’re going to have to stay on top of going into the games you have set up and clearing out the StreetPass info so that you can get more later. With the games I have that’s usually Animal Crossing, Fantasy Life, and Tomodatchi Life. This is why you’ll often find me in the back of convention panels. Best not to distract other con goers with my frantic gaming.
Hopefully these tips will help you get some use out of the StreetPass feature of your favorite games. Happy StreetPassing!