It’s time to revisit one of my favourite topics in handheld gaming. If you’ve been reading LadiesGamers for a while, you probably know what I’m talking about already. That’s right, it’s time to talk about Nintendo StreetPass.
What is StreetPass?
It always surprises me how many people aren’t aware of this feature, so let me elaborate briefly for the benefit of anyone who never got to try this feature: StreetPass is a nifty feature on the 3DS and 2DS systems where the system’s wifi is used to communicate Mii and game data between units.
You can then use the Mii in certain games, and game data in the relevant games. For instance, in Fire Emblem: Awakening you send your unit to someone else’s game. They can then fight, recruit, or buy supplies from the copy of the unit you sent via StreetPass. In Animal Crossing: New Leaf your character would head off to the other person’s game with a copy of your house. Their character could order items they liked by visiting your house. StreetPass is a cool feature indeed! 
So why bring it up? Isn’t this a dead system and a dead feature?
Well, yes and no. Nintendo 3DS and 2DS systems have certainly joined the world of retired gaming hardware, but thanks in part to the pandemic and the ongoing popularity of gaming/media conventions, StreetPass hasn’t died out completely. And that’s good news for fans like me.
The pandemic appears to have reignited some interest in older systems, as people looked to the games of their youth for comfort. This drove a spike in the market for used systems. And with it appeared to come a slight spike in people’s interest in StreetPass. And why not? One thing we certainly lacked in 2020 and the first half of 2021 was a connection. The fleeting connection found by knowing you walked by someone else with similar interests to you is quite a dopamine hit! It’s really fun to find out someone else out there is still enjoying this now retro gaming system. 
How things are going at conventions
Conventions have definitely been slow to start up. I’ve been to 3 this year. At one (a comic convention) the StreetPass scene was sad. I think I got a single hit and that was it for the entire convention. Another very small gaming convention I attend yielded two hits on my systems. This was actually pretty decent, as this convention has only yielded around 4-6 hits in the past. The best was still my biggest local con, which tends heavily towards anime cosplayers. I got at least 20-30 individual hits from that convention, and I wasn’t able to attend the entire 4 days this time. Now is this down from 2019? Sure, but so was attendance. I consider this a good sign that, at least in certain spaces, you can still expect to get a few StreetPasses now and again.
…and everywhere else
My biggest surprise was outside of the convention world. A couple of months back I got two StreetPasses out around town! I suspect one was at a game store, and the other at a sort of Japanime store in my area, but I’m not entirely sure. Either way, it was a joy to go out for pizza with my family, and come home to the green light lit on my 2DS. Again, that little passing connection, especially after the heavy isolation of 2020, was just an absolute joy.
So StreetPass is not quite dead. If you go to a convention, bring your 3DS along and see if you get anything. The Mii you get maybe mine! And if you’re feeling really adventurous, take your 3DS along on your errands. You could really make someone’s day.
You must log in to post a comment.