It really is difficult! On one hand, I love seeing more about the games, but on the other hand, I want to be surprised about a lot of the stuff in the games. I already know the starter I'm going with, and I pre-ordered both versions, so that really isn't a factor for me. I guess it will be a balancing act, as I try to stay away from news about the game, but keep going back to see that new pokemon, or NPC, or anything! As for the street date being broken, I can't think that is any good. Mistakes happen, but Nintendo wanted it released on the 12th for a reason, and early releases just screw that up and ruin it for the people who wanted to avoid any possible spoilers. I'll bet that if Nintendo finds out who broke the street date, there will be some consequences for them.
Street Date will always be broken for popular games, though. The only way they can stop that is if they go to eShop only Considering the direction games are going, however, Gen 7 could very well be virtual only. Then we can finally have complete mystery (Although Gamefreak REALLY needs to release the final evolutions officially each time. It's one of the biggest deciders for people)
Couldn't you buy one, swap the SD card, then buy the other?
I don't think so; while the download is on the SD card, the purchase is tied to the 3DS itself, so you can't just swap SD cards. Either way, I'd still be carrying around an extra card, and I like physical cards anyway. I've got a lot of digital purchases/rewards, you just can't beat a physical card.
Wow, the street-date was broken almost a week early? That's pretty nuts! I haven't been following the development of the game very closely, but I think it'll be good for people who want info early to make a buying choice (assuming they haven't pre-ordered already).
More than a week! It broke yesterday, and the release is on the 12th. I agree it will help people (on reddit, people are already saying that the leaks have pushed them to one version or another) but there are also those poor indecisive bastards for whom any extra information is just too confusing...