Oh absolutely, and that&#x27;s the way it is with the 3DS. But keep in mind that Nintendo home consoles have always been the favoured split-screen multiplayer - they&#x27;re the consoles you play when your friends come round (and they work equally well for solo gamers). Consequently, forced online patches aren&#x27;t really as obvious as they are on Xbox or Playstation.<p>On the 3DS, the only forced patches that affect me are OS patches that I&#x27;m required to install in order to access the eShop.<p>The mixed physical&#x2F;digital distribution model for the 3DS is my favourite of all models right now. You can buy a cartridge, requiring no installation or online activation (which you can readily loan or sell later on), or you can download games from the eShop which, once activated, doesn&#x27;t require any online call home. Ever. You can transfer games between consoles (e.g. during an upgrade) by going online and initiating a license transfer.<p>It&#x27;s a great balance.<p>My one gripe is region locking. I hope that goes away (and rumours indicate it might). I waited a year for Fire Emblem Fates to come over from Japan and then it hits the US months before we get it in Europe..