For today's Super Smash Bros. Brawl update, we get some more functionality for the Nintendo WFC: Spectator Mode.

In effect, you get to watch online matches as a sort of TV show: you don't get to see names, and matches are random, but it's still a neat and interesting mode where you can observe play styles of different people.

You can also use the coins you earn in Classic Mode to wager on which player will be victorious. The losers will get runner-up prizes of stickers.

Should be an interesting mode.

Even among Smash players, there are some people who just aren’t that good at action games. With that in mind, I’ve been thinking about how I can convey the fun of Smash to newcomers. I’ve been thinking about this type of thing since long before I joined this industry.

So, for this game, I’ve prepared a new kind of mode. It’s called Spectator, and you’ll find it in the With Anyone menu. If I had to describe it in a word, it’s "watching!"

You can enjoy watching matches between other people!

This mode is a service where Nintendo uses Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to send the data for games played between other people to every Smash household.

Match selection is handled automatically, and absolutely no names of any players can be seen. It feels like there’s a continuous broadcast of matches on your television! Even if you don’t play, you can enjoy the battles of other characters!

And at the beginning of each match, you can even bet coins on the character you think will win.

I’ll bet some coins. I’ve got a winner!

Glean what hints you can from the stages and combatants and try to deduce the winner.

Of course, if your pick wins, your coin count will increase! And the more players in a match, the higher the payout. There may even be extra prizes.

Even if you lose, you can get some stickers.

Just to make sure there’s no mistaking that just watching a match can be fun, we’ll be passing out stickers left and right.

For those of you who want to cooperate with our data collection for Spectator mode, set Allow Spectators to Yes in your Wi-Fi Options. This will result in your play data occasionally being sent to Nintendo.

This setting is in your Wi-Fi Options.

The content that is broadcast is the same for everyone spectating (if your connection timing is the same), so it should be fun to have people in different environments watch and cheer the same match.

To be shocked by impressive play, or to bust a gut laughing at some accident will be quite fun! Perhaps you can use it as reference for your own matches.

Hopefully this mode is something that even people who aren’t good at games can enjoy.

Akira_EX via smashbros.com »