Nintendo 3DS Perplexities: Mii Maker, Mii Plaza, and StreetPass

I'm still waiting for someone to "Find Mii."

Many aspects of the Nintendo 3DS are shrouded in mystery to those who haven't experienced it for themselves. So I've begun a campaign to encourage understanding...starting with the Mii Maker, Mii Plaza, and StreetPass features.

One of the first tasks a Nintendo 3DS owner should accomplish is to create a Mii. The idea of Miis began with Wii. Mii characters can be created and customized to resemble just about anyone. The Nintendo 3DS offers a short-cut to creating Miis by allowing the creator to begin with a photograph of the subject, leaving most of the work up to the system. After a first Mii is created, the Mii Plaza and the opportunity for StreetPass encounters open up.

The Mii Maker is where Miis are made. The Mii Plaza is a built-in game that revolves around StreetPass use. So what is StreetPass, you ask? StreetPass is a feature of the Nintendo 3DS by which it is possible for information to be exchanged between 3DS users as they come close to one another. The system can be powered-on or in sleep mode for this to occur. Lets say I go to a busy place: a mall. I carry my 3DS around in sleep mode. I walk by someone who has done the same. I don't even know the person, but I've now had a StreetPass encounter. The information that has been shared between us is totally harmless and includes our Mii creations, our first names, and our answers to questions such as "Cats or dogs?" and "What is your greatest hobby?" This person is a guy named Bob. His favorite piece of 3DS software is Face Raiders. He prefers cats. His dream is to have power. His favorite hobby is playing video games. (This is all made up, of course, so any resemblance to a real person is purely coincidental.)

Bob's Mii can now be found and utilized in my Mii Plaza. The Mii Plaza is composed of two basic games. In "Save Mii", my own Mii is trapped in a cage and in need of rescuing. After my fateful StreetPass encounter, I welcomed Bob as a warrior who could help to find me by defeating enemies in a series of stages. The second game in Mii Plaza involves collecting puzzle pieces to complete several different scenes from iconic Nintendo games. Bob shared the Zelda puzzle with me, which I wouldn't have been able to get without a StreetPass encounter. Pieces of this puzzle can be acquired by spending play coins: the currency of the Nintendo 3DS. They are earned by walking with the system (it has a built-in pedometer).

StreetPass plays a role in a few of the full-fledged, $40 3DS games. If I pass someone who has Nintendogs+cats, for example, we can share pictures of our pets and more. Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition also has StreetPass functionality. It is clear that this unique Nintendo 3DS feature will be utilized in creative ways in future games.