Over the last couple of months, I've been following the progress of programmer Smealum and his upcoming homebrew channel for the 3DS. The last time I reported on the progress of the project, it had been temporarily suspended due to the announcement of the New 3DS. Smealum explained that he wanted time to explore the updated model, and to make sure that it didn't have any additional security that would block the channel from functioning. It seems it didn't take long for him to crack the new system as shown by a recent picture on Twitter with the message "well, that didn't take long".

So what does this mean for 3DS owners? On one hand, it will give indie developers a place to create and distribute games and apps made with the channel. On the other hand (negative depending on who you ask), there is the fear that the channel will pave the way for emulators to run on the handheld, and the possibility that gamers could bypass the region-lock found on the system (something its creator says won't be possible).

Another aspect one has to consider is "how is Nintendo going to respond to this news". It's no secret that Nintendo are not fans of homebrew software (as proven by their commitment to make the Wii homebrew channel obsolete). It's a safe bet that we'll soon witness a race between the Big N and Smealum - Who can stay one step ahead of the others software updates?

What do you think of this latest update? Will you be trying out the homebrew channel? Let us know in the comments below.