SpotPass

SpotPass (Japanese: いつの間に通信, Hepburn: Itsunomani Tsūshin^?, lit. Unnoticed Communication) and StreetPass (Japanese: すれちがい通信, Hepburn: Surechigai Tsūshin^?, lit. Passing By Communication) are communication systems first introduced with Nintendo's Nintendo 3DS games system; SpotPass was later incorporated into the Wii U game console. SpotPass delivers content from the Internet to the consoles, and StreetPass uses local Wi-Fi functionality to exchange data between 3DS systems.

SpotPass is a Nintendo 3DS and Wii U "always on" online background connectivity system, similarly to how predecessor WiiConnect24 originally functioned with Wii, which can automatically seek and connect to wireless network nodes such as Wi-Fi hotspots, sending and downloading information in the background while in sleep mode or while playing a game or running an application. It can be customized to fit the user's preferences, including opting out of it altogether for selected software. One application is being considered to use this functionality to "automatically acquire magazine and newspaper articles", similar to networked e-book reader applications.

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Wikipedia