No Adobe Flash and PDF for 3DS web browser

In addition to getting that Nintendo eShop and Pokedex 3D update on June 6, the other major update is the web browser’s debut on the Nintendo 3DS.

Unlike the web browser in the Wii and Nintendo DS that was powered by Opera, the 3DS’ will be made by NetFront, the same company that has made browsers for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. And just like the Internet Browser on the DS, the 3DS one will not support Adobe Flash – a stance anybody familiar with Apple’s iOS devices will already know all about.

The Wii‘s Internet Channel is the only web browser on a Nintendo system to ever support Adobe Flash.

While Nintendo nor Adobe have provided any official reasons as to why Flash is not supported, we reckon it has to do with the 3DS’s paltry 128MB of RAM and lack of hardware decoding to run Flash smoothly.

Not only will there be no Flash support, but there will be no PDF support either. Granted, you wouldn’t want to read a PDF on the 3DS’s tiny screens anyway, but it still makes the web browser feel awfully gimped.

On the bright side, the browser can access pictures taken with the 3DS’ cameras and upload them online for 3D viewing in the MPO format. You win some, you lose some.

Raymond Wong
Categories: Gaming
Tags: 3DS (Nintendo), adobe flash, Nintendo, pdf