Starting today, Nintendo is changing pre-downloads via the Nintendo eShop to pre-orders. This means you'll now have up to 7 days before the launch of a game to cancel your pre-order if you place said pre-order with the eShop.
What do these Nintendo eShop changes mean?
The changes were highlighted by prominent Nintendo news source PushDustIn on Twitter, and officially announced via the Japanese Nintendo website. In a tweet, PushDustIn points out that the changes "will allow users to cancel their purchase" before a game they have pre-ordered launches, where before this would not have been possible. Twitter user Cliper asks PushDustIn if users will still be able to download their games before they launch, to which PushDustIn says this will still be possible "from 7 days before it seems".
Under the new system, you'll pay for a pre-ordered game 7 days before it launches. From that point onwards, you won't be able to cancel your pre-order, but at any point before then, you will. Let's say you pre-order Pikmin 3 Deluxe. Using Nintendo's previous pre-order system, you'd pay for it immediately and subsequently be unable to cancel that payment or the pre-order. The new system means you'll pay on October 23rd, 7 days before the game launches. You'll also be able to begin downloading your game at that point, but you won't be able to cancel once that date rolls around.
Quick Take
Anything that makes pre-ordering both easier and more convenient for players has got to be good, and that's what these new Nintendo eShop changes seem to be doing. It's good to give consumers more choice; many a pre-order has been either made in error or regretted later, so Nintendo introducing new ways to accommodate for those situations is good. In an ideal world, you'd be able to cancel a pre-order right up until the day before launch, but this is a good start.
How do you feel about these eShop changes? Let us know in the comments below!
