It's the end of an era, as both the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS will be moving on to that great end-of-life cloud in the sky. Nintendo has put out a warning that they'll be winding down support both the eShop on both platforms. Starting May 23 of this year, credit cards will no longer be able to be used to add funds to the 3DS or Wii U eShop, with support for physical eShop cards going away on August 29th. Digital download codes will still work and will be redeemable until the final plug is pulled in March 2023.

As of late March 2023, it will no longer be possible to make purchases in Nintendo eShop for the Wii U system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. It will also no longer be possible to download free content, including game demos. Furthermore, as this date draws closer, related services will cease to function:

• As of May 23, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use a credit card to add funds to an account in Nintendo eShop on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
• As of August 29, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use a Nintendo eShop Card to add funds to an account in Nintendo eShop on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. However, it will still be possible to redeem download codes until late March 2023.

Users who link their Nintendo Network ID wallet (used with Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems) with their Nintendo Account wallet (used with the Nintendo Switch family of systems) can use the shared balance to purchase content on any of these systems until late March 2023. After that, the balance can only be used to purchase content for the Nintendo Switch family of systems.

In an FAQ released alongside the announcement, Nintendo clarified that this will not affect online play, and users will still be able to redownload games they have previously purchased.

If someone visits Nintendo eShop and wants to download something on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family systems after late March 2023, what will they able to do?

• On both platforms, users will still be able to:
  • Redownload content they own.
  • Download existing software updates.
• On both platforms, users will not be able to:
  • Purchase any content:
    • On Nintendo 3DS, this includes paid content, plays and passes in software such as StreetPass Mii Plaza, Theme Shop, Nintendo Badge Arcade and Pokémon Bank.
    • On Wii U, this includes passes in software such as Wii Sports Club.
  • Download demos.
  • Download free-to-start software.
  • Redeem a download code.
  • Add funds to their Nintendo eShop balance.
• On Nintendo 3DS family systems, users will still be able to:
  • Download a small number of free themes from Theme Shop.

Nintendo released the 3DS in March 2011, with multiple revisions to the handheld released throughout its lifetime. The Wii U came out in November 2012, and had a short life, being officially discontinued after the launch of the more successful Switch in 2017. The Virtual Console service was well known on either system, where classic games were sold individually, ranging from decades of Nintendo history. Nintendo chose to mention that they currently have no plans to continue the Virtual Console line, and will be focusing support on the Nintendo Switch Online classic library.

Source

 

[MikaDubbz]

Honestly, for the Wii U anyway, that shop will have gone quite a bit longer than I ever would have imagined. And its a good thing Tiramisu came along, so now even when it does shut down after a year from now, those wanting to get coldboot CFW wont be out of luck due to no longer being able to buy a DS VC game.

 

[MikaDubbz]

This is the Digital future some people wanted

I get the sentiment, but the Wii U being a disc based system, means that the physical media has a shelf life too. Discs deteriorate over time and eventually stop working, Wii U discs probably have about a 20-50 year life to them. And that's just it, this applies for ALL disc-based media. Eventually, all your music CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, all your physical PS1-PS5, Xbox, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Saturn, Dreamcast, etc. games will stop working as well.

And honestly, we're really addressing the store here, not the copies of the games, and when you put it in that perspective, the digital store front will have drastically outlived the amount of time in which you could buy new physical copies of these games at any brick and mortar store.

 

[Valwinz]

I get the sentiment, but the Wii U being a disc based system, means that the physical media has a shelf life too. Discs deteriorate over time and eventually stop working, Wii U discs probably have about a 20-50 year life to them. And that's just it, this applies for ALL disc-based media. Eventually, all your music CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, all your physical PS1-PS5, Xbox, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Saturn, Dreamcast, etc. games will stop working as well.

every single Ps1 and Gamecube disk is working fine

 

[MikaDubbz]

every single Ps1 and Gamecube disk is working fine

For now. I'm not making up the fact all media discs deteriorate over time, within our lifetimes really. Look it up if you doubt. (Also, while your personal collection may all still work fine without issue, I wouldn't be surprised at all to hear that some PS1 games in people's collections are starting to be problematic or not read at all.)

 

[DeadSkullzJr]

You know, I grew up playing on many of Nintendo's game consoles, and I have to say, the Nintendo 3DS is likely the last Nintendo related system to have any real sense of unique meaning behind it. I own a Nintendo Switch, I have to say, this sucker doesn't have much under its belt, it doesn't pack a punch like the previous systems did (I do not mean hardware specifications wise either, not even close to what I mean). This thing looks like a half baked Android tablet on the outside and looks like a half baked laptop in the inside. There's nothing really revolutionary about this system, the joycons aren't even well made. For what it is, it works, but it isn't the Nintendo that I grew up knowing, instead it's the Nintendo that I used to know slowly dying (not literally).

As a bit of a side note, a lot of people wanted a digital era, over the years I knew how bad of an idea that would be, because one thing always stuck out to me, "what if the services end, what then?" to which I never got a reasonable reply, most cases I get the typical "pirate everything" sort of reply. While that's all fine and dandy, some people out there prefer buying and owning the games they know and love. We human beings wanted an all digital era for the sake of convenience, and slowly we got that starting with the Nintendo DSi and the Wii, the Nintendo 3DS pushing further with full retail digital titles alongside the physical. Here we are today with the Nintendo Switch, where some physical game cartridges don't even contain the game at all, or if it does it's only half of it, or we end up forced to get straight digital. People asked for a digital era, and now we are getting it. We are reaping what we sowed, a nasty consequential outcome of our bad habits and our own self destruction.

I don't feel there is a better future after something like the Nintendo 3DS. I don't even consider the Nintendo Switch a worthy successor. Call it a weird take, but it's how I feel about it.

 

[k7ra]

It's would be very hard\bad for wiiu.
Example
First Xenoblade CX, for disk game you dl free dlc for faster loading and it takes a good amount of space.
Well, we should backup this stuff for sure.
Second cfw throught nds game, it's would not be possible to get it anymore

 

[Glyptofane]

Or PC since they probably arent gonna shut that down either

Yes, PC is ultimately better yet, but can lead to its own set of problems and isn't for everyone. I really just meant Xbox for keeping in the realm of console gaming even though I still personally hate M$.

I'm just about done with Nintendo's shit though. Fuck em and thank god for my rom sets. At least Sony has made some small efforts to unify purchases such as the PS1 games for PSP, PS3, and Vita. Digital PSP games on Vita. Some Vita and PS4 cross-buy options. And now of course PS4 on PS5.

 

[Jester_Helquin]

I was hesitant on hacking my 3ds, but no matter how many times I transferred Phoenix Wright between ds's it would always crash ( I owned it via E-shop) now I am definitely jail breaking these consoles

 

[Mario_hat_with_eyes]

What a shame. I knew it was inevitable, but I still can't help but feel sad at the fact that the era of games I grew up with is coming to a close... I still prefer the 3ds over any other system.

I have so much nostalgia surrounding these systems; the time I got my 3ds, the games I played, the great times I had with my friends and siblings, and seeing how long they have been around makes me feel old now...

It may be too late for this, but I hope that nintendo shapes up the switch, like how 3ds added themes and badges later in it's lifetime.

 

[DJPlace]

i'll be DAMNED if people pull a SONY!

 

[Kopimist]

What will happen with nusspli?

It should still work as there's no difference in how it grabs titles as either new or existing purchases. The same should be true for USB helper as well. Eventually when ninty pulls the plug on existing downloads (nobody knows when that will be) it will likely break both apps

 

[luigismentor]

Welp, time to redownload Pokémon Dream Radar.

 

[nemwolf]

Well this is sad. I know that right now one of the methods of hacking the Wii U involves using a DS virtual console game and on the 3DS the current method uses a free eShop game. I wonder how this will affect everything.

 

[Xalusc]

Gotta say, I'm a little worried.
Not about the 3DS, because the content from the 3DS eShop was almost, if not completely, preserved.

I'm worried about Wii U content. As far as I know, the current method for installing Wii U backups relies on Nintendo's CDNs to download the game/update/DLC...

Well this is sad. I know that right now one of the methods of hacking the Wii U involves using a DS virtual console game and on the 3DS the current method uses a free eShop game. I wonder how this will affect everything.

This is actually wrong. The Wii U doesn't require a DS game anymore since Tiramisu was released.

 

[nemwolf]

Gotta say, I'm a little worried.
Not about the 3DS, because the content from the 3DS eShop was almost, if not completely, preserved.

I'm worried about Wii U content. As far as I know, the current method for installing Wii U backups relies on Nintendo's CDNs to download the game/update/DLC...


This is actually wrong. The Wii U doesn't require a DS game anymore since Tiramisu was released.

Oh I did not hear about this, when did Tiramisu release? Im curious

 

[TheSpearGuy]

You know, I grew up playing on many of Nintendo's game consoles, and I have to say, the Nintendo 3DS is likely the last Nintendo related system to have any real sense of unique meaning behind it. I own a Nintendo Switch, I have to say, this sucker doesn't have much under its belt, it doesn't pack a punch like the previous systems did (I do not mean hardware specifications wise either, not even close to what I mean). This thing looks like a half baked Android tablet on the outside and looks like a half baked laptop in the inside. There's nothing really revolutionary about this system, the joycons aren't even well made. For what it is, it works, but it isn't the Nintendo that I grew up knowing, instead it's the Nintendo that I used to know slowly dying (not literally).

As a bit of a side note, a lot of people wanted a digital era, over the years I knew how bad of an idea that would be, because one thing always stuck out to me, "what if the services end, what then?" to which I never got a reasonable reply, most cases I get the typical "pirate everything" sort of reply. While that's all fine and dandy, some people out there prefer buying and owning the games they know and love. We human beings wanted an all digital era for the sake of convenience, and slowly we got that starting with the Nintendo DSi and the Wii, the Nintendo 3DS pushing further with full retail digital titles alongside the physical. Here we are today with the Nintendo Switch, where some physical game cartridges don't even contain the game at all, or if it does it's only half of it, or we end up forced to get straight digital. People asked for a digital era, and now we are getting it. We are reaping what we sowed, a nasty consequential outcome of our bad habits and our own self destruction.

I don't feel there is a better future after something like the Nintendo 3DS. I don't even consider the Nintendo Switch a worthy successor. Call it a weird take, but it's how I feel about it.

I completely agree with you, but the Switch's games make up for it

 

[64bitmodels]

This is the Digital future some people wanted

MY idea of a digital future is one where you just buy the games and get the game files with no strings attached
aka GOG

 

[AdenTheThird]

*Laughs in piracy*

 

[Marc_LFD]

This is the Digital future some people wanted

Even worse: Pay to stream a game and if the service is terminated, so is the content the person """owned."""

Of course, I'm specifically talking about Stadia.

Don't be surprised if it gets added to this website: https://killedbygoogle.com

YouTube Originals is there. Holy shit.

 

[Marc_LFD]

MY idea of a digital future is one where you just buy the games and get the game files with no strings attached
aka GOG

That's not how copyright owners want or see it. Their vision of going digital is: Stream everything and own nothing.