Rumor: Friend codes returning for 3DS

A fleeting mention of friend codes in Famitsu's preview of Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition has caused speculation that Nintendo's cumbersome system of adding online friends will make a return for the 3DS.

In its most recent look at Super Street Fighter IV 3D's online multiplayer features, the Japanese game magazine makes mention of the ability to play against random opponents or fight friends via a buddy list that is managed using – dun dun duh! – 'friend codes.'

Above: FRUSTRATION SIMULATED

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Whether this is in reference to an in-game system or a universal multiplayer policy, Nintendo isn't saying. Still, the mere mention of 'friend codes' is enough strike fear into the hearts of Wii and DS owners who don't want to spend another few years juggling 12 to 16-digit codes just to play a quick match of Donkey Kong Kart Racer Sports Edition 3DS with friends. True, this takes all of one minute to do, but the practice is needlessly complicated when compared to the quick and painless approach to adding contacts on other systems.

Jan 13, 2011

[Source: Andriasang]

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Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at GamesRadar+ until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries.