The December arrival of Miiverse on the 3DS is sure to lead to a major expansion of users on the network, with the sizeable 3DS userbase joining those currently on the platform using a Nintendo Network ID on the Wii U. It's one part of what, we hope, will be a continual expansion of the ID system on the 3DS.

While interacting in communities driven by the portable's library sounds like a lot of fun, it's emerged that the service won't quite be as fully-featured as on Wii U. Reports emerged earlier today of a Nintendo customer services representative stating that it won't be possible to issue friend request or send private messages to other users. We followed up directly with Nintendo to clarify, which issued the following brief statement:

Miiverse on Nintendo 3DS does not include friend request or user messaging features.

Straight to the point then, and we referred to this confirmation as a late edit in our editorial on the Nintendo Network ID gradually creeping towards the modern age. Making friend requests and sending messages to other users is also off the table in the browser-based version of Miiverse, and both features would have required Nintendo to workaround the existing Friend List setup on the 3DS and apply extra moderation resources, respectively. Despite this we expect there'll still be disappointment at this news.

Are you surprised, disappointed or indifferent to this? Let us know in the comments below.