Japanese gamers today got their hands on Super Mario 3D Land, a privilege we western suckers have to wait at least another 10 days for. Until then, reports indicate that the game comes with a firmware update necessary before playing.

The update fights piracy by crippling the use of illegitimate flashcarts. It also makes online play more feasible by introducing a quicker route to joining a friend’s game in progress (not that this function will be used in Mario’s latest appearance).

Also inbound from Nintendo is the firmware allowing for 3D video recording. A new dawn, a new day.

[Source]