3DS - Timeline
Monday7th Aug 2023
News Service For Dragon Quest X Online On Wii U And 3DS Will End Next Year
End of an era for the Japan-only release
Dragon Quest X Online might have never left Japan, but the game has come to a whole host of different platforms since its 2012 launch on Wii including the Wii U, 3DS, Switch and mobile. Service for the game ended on the original console a few years back and now Square Enix has announced that the Wii U and 3DS...
Sunday9th Jul 2023
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
The bros are back in town
It's time for another edition of Box Art Brawl — let's get ready to rumbllllllle! Before we get into this week's match-up, let's see how things panned out last time. We took a look at the GameCube's Donkey Konga, with a whopping three different designs to choose between. It was the Japan cover that walked away with the...
Tuesday4th Jul 2023
Random Sakurai Explains Why True Twin-Stick Controls Weren't Possible For Kid Icarus: Uprising
And yes, he still wants that Switch port
In his latest video in the 'Game Concepts' series, Masahiro Sakurai once again goes back to Kid Icarus: Uprising. This time, the legendary game designer breaks down the game's "unique" control scheme and explains the difficulties that the team had in developing the title. Part on-rails shooter, part...
Saturday1st Jul 2023
News Nintendo "Currently Have No Specifics To Share" About Other Legacy Platforms For Switch Online
Sorry, GameCube fans
Nintendo's Switch Online service added Game Boy games in February this year, but there are obviously requests for even more platforms, so is there a chance of other legacy systems being added? According to the company's president Shuntaro Furukawa, Nintendo "currently have no specifics to share". He responded with this classic...
Sunday25th Jun 2023
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - WarioWare Gold
VOTE!
Welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl. Before we dive into the competitors, let's take a look at what went down last time. Last week, we asked you to choose between a whopping three regional covers for Puyo Pop Fever and it ended up really rather close. It was the Japanese cover that walked away with the win on that occasion,...
Thursday1st Jun 2023
News Dillon's Rolling Western & Kirby Developer Vanpool Shuts Down
"We have decided to disband"
In some surprising news, it's been discovered Vanpool, the independent Tokyo-based development team behind the Dillon's Rolling Western series, has shut down. As of 31st May 2023, the studio is no longer in operation. It shared an official statement on its website confirming this. Here's part of a translation:...
Tuesday23rd May 2023
News 3DS System Update 11.17.0-50 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Ultra stable
Nintendo has issued a surprise update for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. This bumps the system up to Version 11.17.0-50. As usual, it's another "stability update" - with improved system stability to further enhance the overall user experience. Dataminer 'OatmealDome' also notes how the system settings, eShop app and internet...
Tuesday4th Apr 2023
PSA 3DS And Wii U eShop Download Codes Can No Longer Be Redeemed
"Thank you for playing"
Last week, after ending 3DS and Wii U eShop sales, Nintendo announced it would be extending the period to redeem a code to make up for certain technical difficulties. The new date was extended until 4th April 2023 in Japan, and that means this extra time to redeem codes has now also ended here in the west. This marks the end...
Sunday2nd Apr 2023
Zion investigates
The start of this week saw the closure of the 3DS and Wii U eShops, a sad time for all of us, many of whom spent last weekend feeling a little sentimental about all of the brilliant games that we would be losing as we attempted to download as many titles as possible (not speaking from personal experience, of course). But what does...
Saturday1st Apr 2023
News More Indie Developers Are Giving Away Free eShop Codes For Wii U & 3DS
Update: WayForward joins in on the fun
Update [Sat 1st Apr, 2023 03:05 BST]: Mighty Switch Force developer WayForward has joined in on the free giveaway fun sharing codes for Mighty Switch Force 2 on Wii U and 3DS throughout the day. It seems Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games was also giving out some codes earlier this week:
Thursday30th Mar 2023
News SteamWorld Series Creator Admits 3DS eShop Closure Is A Little Bit "Upsetting"
A DSiWare classic is gone
It seems Nintendo's closure of the 3DS eShop has been just as upsetting for game developers and publishers. Speaking to 'Kit & Krysta' recently, SteamWorld series creator and Thunderful Group co-founder Brjann Sigurgeirsson admitted it was sad seeing 3DS owners lose access to the 2010 DSiWare origin title SteamWorld:...
Wednesday29th Mar 2023
News Limited Run Teases One Last Physical Release For Nintendo 3DS
"Days like that remind us why we do what we do"
It's the end of a generation, with Nintendo yesterday calling time on the 3DS and Wii U eShops. Now that digital sales and physical production have come to a halt, the Switch creator is essentially done with these older platforms, but that doesn't mean everyone is.... Physical distributor Limited Run...
News Nintendo Extends Code Redemption Deadline For Wii U & 3DS eShops
You've now got until April
The global shutdown of the 3DS and Wii U eShops was technically yesterday, but it seems Nintendo has thrown a lifeline out to anyone who still has any codes left to redeem on these digital storefronts. As highlighted by the company's official Japanese customer support account on Twitter, Nintendo has extended the period...
Tuesday28th Mar 2023
News Two 3DS HOME Themes Are Now Free To Download (North America)
Stars, dots & stripes
If you happen to be located in North America, there's apparently a small eShop goodbye gift from Nintendo in the form of "free" 3DS HOME menu themes. Users in this region can currently claim a 'Dots & Stripes: Yellow & White' theme and a 'Stars: Gold & Black' theme from the Theme Shop. These themes previously cost...
News The 3DS & Wii U eShops Have Officially Closed, Purchases "No Longer Possible"
You can still download your existing library, but that's about it
Today officially marks the end of the 3DS and Wii U eShops. While you'll still be able to download your existing purchases, you can no longer buy or redeem new games from these digital storefronts. Free content including demos are also off limits. Now that the digital shops have...
PSA Pokémon Bank Is Now "Free To Use" On Nintendo 3DS
Update: Poké Transporter issues resolved
Update #2: The login issues appear to have been resolved, and everyone with the Poké Transporter installed on 3DS should now be able to access it. Update #1: We've had a slight development, with word quickly spreading online that the Poké Transporter is not working for some users. We booted up the...
News Nintendo Badge Arcade 3DS Service Ends 'Daily Free Plays'
"Farewell, Arcade Bunny"
We've got some news you probably didn't want to hear about the 3DS service Nintendo Badge Arcade. With the 3DS shutdown currently taking place around the globe, it's now been confirmed by Nintendo's Japanese website that this title has been partially shut down. As highlighted by well-known Nintendo dataminer and Twitter...
Monday27th Mar 2023
Poll How Many 3DS Consoles Have You Owned?
1DS, 2DS, 3DS, more?
Call us nostalgic, but the closure of the 3DS eShop has us reminiscing about the many incredible years of portable gaming we've enjoyed with Nintendo's last dedicated handheld console and its wider family. Recently, we've been downloading various gems we missed over the years and it's given us a chance to take stock of our...
Guide 39 Best 3DS eShop Games You Should Get Before They're Gone Forever
3DS eShop-only titles worth picking up pronto
It’s the final countdown — the 3DS eShop is closing for new purchases today, Monday 27th March, so we’re republishing this guide to highlight some gems you might want to consider snapping up... The 3DS eShop is closing down, after over a decade of service. It's not a huge surprise, but it is a...
Friday24th Mar 2023
News Nintendo Badge Arcade 'Free Plays' Might Be Over For Good
But it also could be an error
Players have been reporting that Free Plays on the freemium 3DS app Nintendo Badge Arcade are over. Over on the 3DS subreddit, users were booting up the game in order to cash in on their free plays only to find that there were none. Multiple users started reporting this yesterday, with European players also running...
Thursday23rd Mar 2023
Community We're Hosting A 3DS StreetPass Gathering At PAX East 2023, Come Join Us
A StreetPAX party!
If you're heading to Boston for PAX East this weekend, you might want to grab your 3DS, 2DS, New 3DS XL — whatever, just grab your 3DS console — because we're hosting a community meet-up to reminisce and celebrate StreetPass! Hosted by the lovely Zion Grassl, champion StreetPass and one of our lovely video hosts over on...
News Pokémon Games Continue To Dominate 3DS Charts Ahead Of eShop Shut Down
Catch all the Game Boy classics while you still can
Time is running out for the 3DS and Wii U eShops with the shut down taking place next week on March 27th. Ahead of this, we've got a sales update to show you what's charting on the 3DS eShop in North America with less than a week remaining. The Virtual Console Pokémon Game Boy games are still...
Tuesday21st Mar 2023
Video Everything To Do Before The 3DS And Wii U eShops Shut Down
The end is nigh
Are you starting to panic about the impending closure of the 3DS and Wii U eShops? Do you find yourself wondering which last-minute games to pick up, or even how to link your Nintendo accounts properly? Then worry not, dear readers, we're here for you. Our lovely video producer Zion has put together an extensive video that goes over...
Monday20th Mar 2023
PSA You Only Have One Week To Purchase 3DS And Wii U eShop Games
Can we panic yet?
March 27th, 2023. Judgement Day. The day when Skynet will rain nuclear fire upon the earth and send a Terminator back in time to... Hang on. Sorry, wrong script. Two secs... March 27th, 2023. The day when the 3DS and Wii U eShops will shut down permanently, preventing users from purchasing new games and downloadable content. It's...
Sunday19th Mar 2023
Random YouTuber Spends Nearly $23K Buying Every 3DS & Wii U eShop Game
Jirard Khalil completes his preservation mission
The 3DS and Wii U eShop services are shutting down at the end of this month and that means you've only got so much time left to buy all of the digital games you possibly can on Nintendo's older storefronts. YouTuber, streamer and video game media personality Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil has taken...
Saturday18th Mar 2023
News Pokémon Game Boy Titles Dominate 3DS eShop Charts Ahead Of Service Closure
Get 'em while you can
We're now nearing the end of the month and that means we're getting closer to the end of the 3DS and Wii U eShop service. If you haven't got around to making any last-minute purchases just yet, and are wondering what's hot on the 3DS eShop right now, the weekly sales chart for North America should help you out. As you can see...
Thursday16th Mar 2023
Random The World's Largest DS Just Got A 3D Upgrade
And it even has a working Circle Pad
You might remember in July of last year, designer and all-around tech wiz BigRig Creates managed to build the world's largest working DS using a TV and McDonald's touchpad. Well, just as the DS gradually evolved into the 3DS, BigRig has managed to give his creation a dimension-adding upgrade. That's right, the...
Wednesday15th Mar 2023
Reminder Catch All The Pokémon Games On 3DS & Wii U Before The eShop Closure
Gotta purchase 'em all
The 3DS and Wii U eShop services are closing down at the end of this month on 27th March, and while all sorts of games and applications will no longer be available for purchase, one series in particular that's taking quite a hit is Pokémon. Serebii.net has put together a short social media reel to highlight what exactly will...
Friday10th Mar 2023
News Two 3DS Games Have Been Made Free To Download On 3DS eShop (Europe)
Kid Tripp and Digger Dan DX can be yours
Four Horses has made two of its 3DS eShop titles free to download in the run-up to the digital storefront's closure at the end of the month. Kid Tripp and Digger Dan DX are both currently free and will be free for the remainder of the eShop's life, Four Horses has revealed. (Thanks for the tip, Dogorilla!)...
News Capcom 3DS & Wii U Games Available For Just $2.99 In Final eShop Sale (US)
Get Phoenix Wright, Monster Hunter & more
The 3DS and Wii U eShops are shutting down at the end of this month, and ahead of this, lots of game developers have been slashing prices on their libraries across both platforms. Capcom is the latest to do this - with an absolutely massive sale currently taking place on Nintendo's slightly older digital...