Why Nintendo 3DS gives Coins for walking
At "forefront of active gaming" - Fils-Aime.
The Nintendo 3DS will use a built-in pedometer to record how far you walk and reward your strides with Game Coins.
Why? The unshakable Reggie Fils-Aime, head of Nintendo America, explains.
"Nintendo has always been at the forefront of what we call active gaming: getting up, moving around," he told MTV Multiplayer.
"What [the Game Coins feature] does, it's just another reason to encourage people to get up and walk around. Why? Because we want them to be carrying their Nintendo 3DS, going through Street Pass, Spot Pass types of activity. That's how it all ties together.
"In terms of is it the beginning of an achievement system of something of that nature? What I would tell you is, it's a motivation for consumers to get up, walk around, get out with their 3DS to leverage all of the other functionality that we have."
Street Pass and Spot Pass are deep-seated, passive Nintendo 3DS features. The former allows 3DS consoles to communicate when you pass another owner in the street. You can see what they've been playing and even send and receive game data. Spot Pass allows stationary 3DS stands or displays to transmit information to your device - handy for demos or for promoting things.
The Nintendo 3DS arrives 25th March here in Europe. The price? Shops decide; some are going just below £200, such as ShopTo, and others are holding out for £230.