Hulu Plus heads to Nintendo 3DS & Wii

Nintendo has announced a partnership with instant video company Hulu that will bring the subscription-based Hulu Plus service to both the Wii and 3DS handheld system. New episodes of “Modern Family,” “House,” and “Glee” are among the thousands that will make the leap to the small screen this fall.

While the immensely successful Wii has all but walked into the sunset thanks to tapering software support, it’s still in some 80+ million homes. A Hulu Plus addition is nice, but late. The 3DS hasn’t resonated with consumers quite the same as its console big brother or sibling the DS – a fact Nintendo is eager to change.

Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, believes bolstering the 3DS’ multimedia offerings will help it find some footing in a changed mobile gaming market.

“Nintendo 3DS continues to evolve with great new features and functions designed to reinforce its position as a premiere entertainment device,” said Fils-Aime. The Nintendo boss added that 3DS exclusives “Mario Kart 7,” “Pokémon: Rumble Blast” and “Super Mario 3D Land” will all see release by the end of the year. The company’s banking on the trio’s past success with handheld gamers to deliver big numbers this holiday season.

Originally priced at $249, the 3DS saw its price slashed to $169 months after launch. Consumers perked up at the device’s new price point, snatching up around 185,000 within the first three weeks. Sales in Nintendo’s homeland have also improved. This week the 3DS topped Japan’s weekly hardware sales chart with just over 55,000 units sold.

Hulu’s move closely follows competitor Netflix, which launched a free 3DS app for members in July. Both services share a dubious distinction; neither offers stereoscopic 3D video content – yet, anyway. That novel feature hasn’t been completely ignored, however. Nintendo released its own video channel for stereoscopic 3D shorts over the summer.

A 3DS system update slated for November brings another new feature that should please videophiles: 3D video capture via the system’s built-in camera. Users will be able to craft original stop-motion 3D animation from 10 minutes of saved footage, said Nintendo.

Let us know what you think of Hulu Plus on the Nintendo 3DS in the comment section.