Yesterday morning, as part of the Nintendo Downloads update, Nintendo promised gamers that the Nintendo Video service would be launching soon.  Seemed like a rather odd part of an update (just a “coming soon” announcement), but as it turns out, “soon” meant today.

Upon connecting the Nintendo 3DS online, users will get a notification that the service is now available for download, while a ‘gift’ will appear on the main menu.  The ‘gift’ will launch the download for the service, which is free, and upon setup, the service will automatically download 2D and 3D videos, including those available via SpotPass from various genres including, animation, music, comedy and Hollywood.

The OK Go group, which launched a 3D music video alongside the first Nintendo 3DS system update, will be releasing a new video via the service on July 27.

In the coming weeks, Nintendo Video will feature exclusive 3D videos from Jason DeRulo, Foster the People, CollegeHumor and the world-renowned Blue Man Group, plus extreme sports and action videos, animation from various independent studios and 3D trailers for upcoming Hollywood movies. Specific content may vary across countries in the Americas.