Nintendo are hard at work creating a system to accommodate paid item transactions on 3DS and Wii U, but will probably not utilise it themselves...

More information from Satoru Iwata's recent investor address is flowing in, with news on a grand plan to expand the online service for 3DS and the upcoming Wii U. This will include a facility for developers to offer paid in-game item transactions so commonly seen on other platforms. Such a service will be available to third parties on 3DS before the end of the year.

However, it would seem Nintendo are creating this paid downloadable content system with third parties primarily in mind. The CEO stated that such a DLC system, while potentially useful for generating short term profits, runs the risk of impairing the relationship between Nintendo and its customers in the longer term. Therefore, it is unlikely that Nintendo's own games will feature any paid DLC in the near future.

On the more general topic of the 3DS' online service, Iwata noted that the uptake of people connecting to the internet has been established much faster than on DS. However, the company is far from satisfied with the current rate of online players. Rather than increase the number of online users by a few percent, he wants services such as the eShop to achieve a massive penetration amongst users. Hence, Nintendo is planning a major operation to push online in its consoles that will span the next three years.

Finally, Iwata spoke of a desired future where anyone who owns a Nintendo system will pay for digital content with no reservations, just as they do today with physical content from retailers. That doesn't mean you need to worry about the disappearance of packaged software - Nintendo's digital business will simply be another pillar alongside retail.