Back in August, amateur programmer smea announced that the 3DS Homebrew Channel app he was working on was nearing completion. A few days later, Nintendo held the grand unveiling of the New 3DS. Hoping to get his app running on both old and new handheld models, as well as to ensure that Nintendo doesn't find a way to bock the exploit by the time the New 3DS arrives out West, smea decided to postpone the release. He's been hard at work in the meantime, and you can see a simple demonstration using an imported New 3DS in the video above.
This homebrew app will allow users to run custom software on their portables and possibly even break region-locking. What it won't do, smea claims, is run illegally obtained copies of commercial games. How well that works out remains to be seen, but if smea can pull it off, it will be a great benefit to players everywhere.
The New 3DS is already out in Japan (obviously), but North Americans will have to wait until next year to get our hands on it. Curiously, both Australia and New Zealand will get the New 3DS on November 21, ahead of the rest of the world.
