Poll: The End Is Coming, But How Much Will You Miss The Wii U And 3DS eShop?

I will miss the games

Especially when Nintendo is going to remove them after the shop closes, like the already confirmed with FE Fates Revelation DLC (even if you bought it, you can't redownload it, really Nintendo learn from the other guys how it should be done)

Also Virtual Console, that the most maybe.

And in a lesser sense I will miss the themes too.

Sooner or later, every console arrives at the point where piracy is the only digital preservation available.

With download-only titles such as the Guild01 series (it only had a physical release in Japan), that is a big sad sadness.

Virtual console and DLC going missing is a big pain in the behind. As I have said in the forums, I will probably be going through the eShops during the weekend and planning what to get in the next few months.

To be fair, this wouldn't be a problem for me if virtual console was on Switch, but nope, subscription only. So little choice.

Honestly, this is an appalling decision by Nintendo. I know we've been taught to think that this sort of thing will "always happen eventually" but in a world that's going ever more digital, it really shouldn't.

Keeping these shops live would barely cost Nintendo anything in the grand scheme of things, a pittance, but instead they've chosen to basically make dozens of digital-only titles and virtual console games inaccessible.

Microsoft still has the Xbox 360 digital store open, and still runs weekly sales on it. There's no excuse for Nintendo shutting down the Wii U and 3DS eShops. Incredibly consumer unfriendly and entirely unnecessary.

I'm not surprised. I'm also not sure what I'm still missing from the 3DS. I managed to get the Mario + Luigi games I was missing and a Spider-Man game I always wanted last year.

EDIT: Luigi's Mansion is the only one I can think of. Never played the original. I was hoping they'd port it to Switch

The Virtual Console was never going to save us - I say this as someone who has purchased Nintendo games since SNES - but there needs to be a healthy ROM scene coexisting with new developments for purchase

Metroid Prime Trilogy coming to Switch after the $20 version on Wii U is no longer available. 😉

A lot of people are outraged about this, as though these stores should remain open in perpetuity. We've got a year to get everything we want. I don't see the big deal. I don't think Nintendo would close them if they were making a lot of money. So far, less than one in five responders has purchased something from the Wii U shop in the past year. It kind of makes the case for that one.

Sadly not surprising. The Wii U's Nintendo eShop is heaps better than the Nintendo Switch's eShop 'cause of all the classic games you can get on it and many fans have said it but instead of giving us a better eShop on Nintendo Switch they take the old one down because it is making them look bad. After all the rumours of Gamecube and Gameboy games being added the Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo Switch turned out to be incredibly disappointing.

The GameBoy and Game Gear games on the 3DS will be missed. Perhaps the closure is in preparation for their addition to the NSO service.

Nintendo should either, make the Switch online apps a lot better (add every single VC game they can get the license to) or release the VC onto Switch.

I don't mind them closing the 3DS / Wii U eShops, because that is normal. But they should improve on their classic game offerings.

Sin & Punishment on wii U. I wanted it, but only have a switch and rather not get it on nso.

Getting into 3DS eshop page for the first time after bought my first Old 3DS XL in 2 November 2013 was unforgettable moment as it was my first experience to taste original games.
Now I have to take care four 3DS XL machines from All three different regions (USA, Japan, PAL).

I still have my 3DS, still playing on daily or at least 3-5 days in a week, and I bought lots of digital games, too (mostly because I was studying abroad and can't buy the same game from same region)
Afterward, I eventually buy physical for games I like to play, except for some games that are digital exclusively or games that are too rare and expensive to get.
Tbh, the only thing I think I will regret is the DLCs that I didn't get. I already list out some DLCs that I will make sure to get before they close, though, which are from SMT4 and Persona Q series.

Nintendo pioneered backwards compatibility back in the day. It really sucks they don’t have a way to carry forward your purchases. My disappointment with all this; is that the Wii U is a flimsy toy. It’s a great system and yea last week I downloaded Wind Waker HD and last year I got Zero Mission. But the screen on my gamepad is actually crap. Bottom left doesn’t work at all. So one day this is all going to fail.

Like Xbox; Nintendo needs to have a system that supports these games being carried forward. I really hope the Switch’s successor allows for this. Also NSO sucks compared to the Virtual Console. Not because it’s a subscription service but because its content is extremely lacking.

Game libraries shouldn’t disappear, but they all do in some way or another. It’s a shame to be sure.

I really do not care, I haven't bought a game on 3DS or Wii U in years and I most likely never will again since I already own every game I'm interested in on those plattforms.

And I'm sure 99% of all people complaining don't actually plan on buying anything in those stores either

@mariomaster96 you say this, but when Metroid Dread was shown at E3 last year. Metroid games on the eshops shot up the charts. Not sure how many they sold exactly; but they sold because they were much cheaper than hunting down a physical copy. That could easily happen again with other franchises (e.g. if they announced another Mario & Luigi or FZero). I think it’s a shame though of course not surprised in the slightest.

Not looking forward to 3ds physical game prices skyrocketing. Have most of the titles I really want but there are about 7 more games I’ll order, 3 of which are prime price hike candidates.

I was ready to move on once the Switch came out. It was bound to happen eventually, so I'm not really surprised. The only real loss here is the virtual console, and I don't see the NSO offering as a suitable replacement. That said, it also doesn't bug me personally that much because I'm not really one to go back to play old games. It's mainly thinking about my friends who do like playing those games. And as long as they keep the ability to redownload already purchased stuff for a good while longer I'm fine. Though I did have a big hard drive connected to my WiiU so I should still have everything there. The 3DS had a bit less space to work with.

Can you still buy games via the website up until the final deadline with your credit card?
Currently back to playing Bravely Default on my 3DS and also dabbling with Fantasy Life as the mobile game isn't cutting it for me. Recently bought the DLC for it preparing for this announcement. Few more I need on Wii U before it shuts down though.

Even physical games now need DAY ONE and beyond updates... these will all be gone too. This is a big loss and we will never have another system that was so 'open' to so many games;
Ds, Dsi, 3DS, 3DS eShop exclusives, Virtual systems, DLC themes, and of course the system and individual games updates.

Disgusting. Xbox live on 360 is still alive and well, there is no excuse for this early demise other than pressuring us into the ripoff of NSO.

I have the SNES 3DS Xl new in box.. was going to keep forever or maybe sell... I will open and update it and every singe game then will do a system transfer near the very end and as they kill off the 3DS (and wii u too! Another important loss we will see why after it is gone for good) I will have a brand new new 3DS XL with my large games collection to enjoy -against Nintendo's fairly hostile actions here.

In the future -yes piracy and emulation is the way to go for games archive and enjoyment. No digity no doubt!

I'm tempted to buy some VC games, but I don't really use those consoles anymore.
And they're still fun...but compared to the Switch they incredibly slow home menus.

At least these consoles are reasonably easy to emulate? I guess that's a last resort.

I just purchased Xenoblade Chronicles X from the Wii U eShop a week ago. Now I feel like I must grab any available DLC before it’s too late.

This is a game that I would love to see on more powerful hardware, but it would require some modifications because the game pad is used heavily.

I don’t think that the Switch is powerful enough to handle a proper definitive edition. One of the biggest weaknesses of XBCX is draw distance and LOD. It would make me super happy if Nintendo would sell the publishing rights to PlayStation.

My initial reaction was, "Quick, what do I need to buy?" but on reflection, if I haven't bought something in the last 10 years I probably didn't really want it.

I feel like the 3ds is ending early, but I can understand the wii u. Not enough money to throw at the eshop over the next year to feel like i have everything I want.

I just don’t know where i can find time for all the old consoles to play their games. 3 months ago i bought a ps4 pro and played pretty much all the exclusive games, and I couldn’t find anymore time to play even on switch, let alone 3ds. I will not miss it, as the older i get the less time i have to play any kind of games, and i tend to move on after a console gave everything that had to give.

@msvt game updates will not be gone - they will still be available for the "foreseeable future" according to Nintendo.

Well, it's the end of the purchase thing, but no console is dead as long as we use them.

The significance goes in this order I think:

• Exclusive download-only titles. Hundreds of games will be gone, and that is a massive loss for all gaming fans.
• DLC. Many many games will be rendered incomplete. Especially bad for games with extremely important DLC such as Smash Bros and Fire Emblem.
• Virtual Console. SO many classic games that are difficult to find nowadays. Particularly for GBA (on Wii U), and GB, GBC and GG (on 3DS) as they are not on Switch at all.
• Download versions of retail games. At least if you manage to find a physical copy, your system will play it, but many of them have become rare and expensive over the years.

Damn. This is a much bigger deal than the Wii shop closing.

I don't mean to be dramatic but i am devastated tbh. I knew they would close down soon but i kept telling myself that i'd get a job and get everything on my wishlist but that's not happening now.

So now i gotta dip into my savings to buy my wishlist which is about £150. See you in a few more months new Kirby game.

Life sucks lol.

I think there should be a massive sale like 90% off all games during the final month

This is exactly why the Wii and Wii U eShop were better than switch online. You could actually own the games. My Wii still has all 300 or so games I downloaded from the shop and as long as I don't delete the SD card they are on or lose my backup it always will have them. They are right there ready to be played anytime i want.

On switch eventually it all goes to hell and every game you had access to will be gone. Not to mention you gotta subscribe in the first place. It's just a glorified rental service.

The way I see it, this is Nintendo's way of telling us that they'd very much like it if we pirates all of their old games.

I got a 3ds just last week! I don't mind the eshop closing tho.... It's a pirate's life for me 🦜

I will miss both of them, as well as the Wii Shop Channel and the Nintendo DSi Shop, for one single reason: They have charm, unlike the boring Switch eShop.

My priority will be on the Wii U, my 3DS doesn't like my new internet connection and I will download stuff when I visit my sister,her internet connection is far more stable and reliable than what I've ever had.

@chardir
That is a relief, thanks!

Whoever answered Virtual Console on the most significant loss of losing the 3DS/Wii U eShop needs to check themselves. It is so much worse to be losing digital exclusives like Fast Racing Neo, Fatal Frame Maiden of Black Water (the original version of a game and how it was intended to be played), affordable versions of Atlus games like Etrian Odyssey or SMTIV and their respective DLC along with so many indies. I get the VC stans love Virtual Console, but dudes, really? That is the most significant loss? Get on another bandwagon, please.

EDIT: And I forgot about the texture upgraded pack for Xenoblade X. So in the future if the game is not ported it won't look as crisp.

@Lupin

Yep pretty much. Just like how they refuse to localize mother 3. It's all good. I got a Snes mini with a flash drive plugged in that can hold the entire Snes library so I'm good. They want me to pay for it then release it officially. I got no problem supporting an official release. I might pirate but only games I have no other legit legal way of playing.

I dumped quite a bit of money into the 3DS and Wii U libraries within the past 3 months.

This past December I picked up all the virtual console Pokemon games on the 3DS, for starters. With the intention of potentially playing with and trading with others, but that'll be a bit difficult if they can't also buy the games.

Also, I picked up Pokemon Ultra Sun digitally because the secondhand physical prices for picking up that game are kind of ridiculous. I'm sure many people/games are in a similar situation, even before this closure drives prices up further.

I also filled some holes in my N64 virtual console library (such as Donkey Kong 64) after being let down by how NSO is being handled.

I also picked up some physical Wii U games recently, such as Xenoblade Chronicles X. Not sure if it has DLC it needs, but at the very least the idea that being unable to download game patches might not be far behind this decision creates an uncomfortable situation.

Also.

I've also been studying Japanese, and the 3DS is a great place to get practical experience thanks to most 1st and 2nd party games supporting furigana. Again, within the past 1-2 years I picked up quite a few titles, but I'm still learning so I'm sure there are more Japan-exclusive titles I'd be wanting to try out sooner or later. Most of them digitally, since prices for physical imports have been kind of ridiculous for a while now (due to shipping costs, if for no other reason).

I'm feeling burned in all sorts of ways right now.

I haven't modded any consoles since the Wii/PSP era, although I'm sure PC emulators will be capable of filling the holes (especially with Steam Decks finally reaching the wild). I just wish that emulators weren't the only practical option, especially since it kills a lot of the community aspect of games.

I'm certain this is a purely business decision for Nintendo. They will be getting negligible sales from WiiU and 3DS, and there will be a maintenance cost to keep them running.

Really disappointing news, I still use both consoles and there are a lot of games I've yet to buy on the eShop. So many games will be completely inaccessible after this shutdown, especially ones that make a lot of use of the Wii U and 3DS's unique features and control schemes, which will make them nearly impossible to port to Switch or anything else.

And they jailed poor Mr Bowser just for trying to let us all play such games in the future..

The polling options are so loaded

Out of 10:
Wii U: 0
3DS: 10

@Dogorilla I consider this situation makes it a free game now to hack your Wii U or 3DS. There is no reason not to now for that very reason. I'm more worried about losing services like Pokemon Bank that allow you to carry over Pokemon caught from GEN 3 (plus Colosseum and Gale of Darkness) all the way to GEN 7 to the Switch.

Before people bring up team executor that is an entirely different situation from a lot of 3DS or Wii U hacks.

My Wii U is modded with my entire Gamecube, Wii and Wii U game collections backed up, I bought a new gamepad battery and charging USB to Wii U gamepad cable last year, and I have Retroarch installed on it for older systems. It's my favourite way to replay older Nintendo systems, with the exception perhaps of N64.

Dammit, there are still a lot of things I want to buy.

Petitioning apparently worked to save the PS3/Vita stores (though not the PSP one), so I don't know, perhaps if there's enough demand Nintendo could extend the date... or maybe not...

• There aren't any new games.
• I got the few that games I wanted.
• Luigi's Mansion(GC) never went on sale. Your mistake Nintendo, you can keep it.
• I loved the 3D effect.<3 It was a good run while it lasted
• Now focus on the current gen console, enough of that mobile baloney. (Still bitter that mobile got a new mario kart while Nintendo's flagship console, the Switch, did not. The new MK8 tracks dlc helps, but doesn't erase what's been done.)

.

@Bobb You will still be able to add funds through the Nintendo website so not entirely out of the woods yet. But damn, just a little under a year left for the store. I will need to remember to up my Pokemon Bank subscription so I can keep that service till 2024.

That also reminds me I will need to buy a new SD card for my 3DS.

So I’d assume the answer is yes: Will Virtual Console also shut down?

EDIT: Just read the whole article, so I guess they are, I’ll have to make my purchases on it before then.

I kinda want to browse around the 3DS e-shop now. Where’s my charger?

@Burning_Spear
No, you have until May, June if you use eShop cards.

I don't think I have bought anything on the Wii U/3DS eShop since before the Switch came out

I think I have most of the virtual console titles that I was planning to grab, but there are a couple of retail titles I want to grab before it shuts down as this will no doubt drive the prices of the harder to find retail titles even higher.

I'll be honest and say I've not used either store for a long time and likely never will again, that doesn't mean I agree with the closure. The biggest problem is the lack of a unified store between their consoles, meaning your games don't come forward even if they are on the next platform. This needs to stop and any future hardware either be compatible with the software or allow you to own any comparable games.

Sadly this also seems to mean that Nintendo's classic games will forever be behind a subscription model

Where's the option "I play on my 3DS EVERYDAY because I'm a sucker who has to complete Badge Arcade Catcher with only my free daily goes"
Cos that is me

Look. All I'm asking is:
Does it really cost so much to keep this content online and available for purchase/re-download that you'd rather let your loyal fans down than just keep the server up?

Maybe someone can explain if this is really taking up so much space/electricity/internet traffic that it just can't stay online along side the Switch's eshop server(s)...

Final thought, if Nintendo really want to incentivize people away from pirating, than stop making pirating the last resort for game preservation.

A sale would be nice... Detective Pikachu is still $40!

@Bayjax You 100% have my sympathy.

I've been arguing with people lately about Nintendo's approach to game preservation and accessibility, and their general feelings basically amount to "poor people don't deserve entertainment".

I'm holding out hope, but not my breath, that Nintendo do a massive sale to close out the store.

I don't really miss the Wii U eShop but I'm sad to see the 3DS eShop close. I'm still an active 3DS user. They haven't had any sales for a while now, even Atlus games stopped being 5-10€ a piece every two months or so. I'll buy games here and there in preparation for the shutdown. At least they gave good amount of time to react.

@Bunkerneath I did that for Pokémon Shuffle. I played over 700 hours in total. S ranked all 700 main stages, all 700 hard mode main stages and all EX stages, except the last two. I gave up on completing the game couple of years ago because the last two stages are just way too nasty and I've hit my skill cap. Never spent money on microtransactions.

@UglyCasanova These two events are not unrelated.

Pretty much grabbed everything I wanted by now, so not too worried. It will be a headache for future retro enthusiasts who discover the two machines and want to arm them with digital content, but these things can't stay open forever

@TrixieSparkle you can mod the Wii U.

I'm still waiting for an original Donkey Kong game. 8 years and counting!

Quite sad, but we all knew this day was coming.

Personally? These eShops have been pretty dead to me since they stopped doing discounts. I've got most of the VC games I want and - for retail releases - I've resigned myself to the idea that, if I've not bought it yet, I'll probably never find time for it anyway.

@Wexter It's annoying, I'd rather leave my consoles the way they are, but modding them might be necessary, even if only to make sure I don't lose access to my purchases if they ever disable the ability to redownload games.

They've confirmed that Pokemon Bank will become free to use, in case you missed that, so that's some good news at least.

I was a late adopter of the 3DS family — had no interest in portable gaming pre-Switch, so I actually got a New Nintendo 2DS XL after getting a Switch — but quickly became enamored not only of the system and its excellent library, but specifically its Virtual Console, whose spot-save function gives it a major edge over the Wii Virtual Console in terms of gameplay (though not selection) and the Arcade Archives series on Switch (in terms of both game play and selection; the spot save in AA releases is annoying to use). I will be making a lot of purchases before this is shuttered, as I did in the lead up to the Wii VC closure.

WII all going to miss U..

@Dogorilla I did miss that! Been working my way through the older games after getting back in with Sword and Shield so was going to be disappointed if I could no longer transfer up. For completionist purposes. This is great news!

@Modsandsods1 making a whole new control scheme isn't that easy honey

@Richnj - Thank you and yes, you really do need to be rather rich to be a Nintendo fan. I'm a long way from being a "comfortable" Nintendo fan lol!

Maybe 1 day. (:

I still carry my 3DS with me every day, though I use it to make music and haven't touched a game in who knows how long (which is a shame because there are still a ton on there that I haven't finished). I've been thinking of picking up a second so I can have a second copy of my favorite KORG synthesizers to use in theoretical live shows, but that's a lot of money for something I might never use. Well, now I guess I have to make the decision soon.

I just want Nintendo and Sony to embrace the system Xbox has in place. Once you’ve bought a game you’ll be able to take it with you to the next system.

All I can think of now are games I need to get before they shut down the stores LOL. Like, my brother has our Wii U now that I'm in college, but I think I still may download Metroid Fusion and Metroid Zero Mission on it just so I can play those games, even if the system isn't mine.

I don’t care how many people say it was a stupid system, I still love my wii u. If only they put more power and time into it. ::

The good news is that it’s easy to mod the Wii U and 3DS. Not that I recommend piracy, but it’ll get to the point where it’ll be the only way to play select games.

That said, I’m probably going to purchase and download Metroid Prime Trilogy. It’s the only way to legally experience the trilogy without dropping $120+ on used copies online.

I have pretty much downloaded all I want to. There may be a couple of games on the 3ds that I may go for now that the eShop is going. I'll miss the VC most of all on both consoles

Just like with Earthbound Beginnings and Earthbound, various VC games will come around again, I feel, whether NSO or something else. But those Wii/WiiU/3DS exclusives that haven't made a "jump" to newer systems...? New customers will just have to pirate or hope they return one day. That's honestly what I feel is the worst part.

Wii U there are only maybe 1 or 2 games I haven't picked up yet on it. Ironically however I've been playing my Wii-U every day lately. But not sure if there is anything I am really missing there.

The 3DS however....is a bigger disappointment, the games I still want to get for it will rack up quick. Being most of the physical versions of the games I want already are price hicked to hell.
Radiant Historia, Shing Mangi Tensi, Fantasy life, to name a few

What makes this a bummer, is because Nintendo builds innovative consoles, lot of these games can't be played in there truest form else

Because of my Mom thankfully I snagged the Senran kugara games during summer but I really need to get Kid Icarus,The FE games,and the Yo-Kai watch games before its too late!!!

Nintendo's cavalier approach to their storefronts and disposable hardware never cease to amaze me. I like Nintendo's games, but as we've moved more into a perpetual ecosystem, Nintendo the company seems ever less likable.

This isn't about ending legacy support, they were still selling 3DS, what, 2 years ago? This is about shutting down a way of getting retro games without subscribing and taking the rest of the store as collateral damage. Nintendo will control when and were you buy the content on a given year, and they've decided it will be through subscriptions this year.

I'll always enjoy their games, but I've got to the point of actively avoiding giving them money anywhere I don't have to and can't do something somewhere else. Doing business with them feels like I'm in a glass cage.

I still have my WiiU hooked up to my TV. Gonna have to back up my external hard drive. Move all the games over. Maybe buy a second one as well. That is my biggest issue with all of this; not being able to re-download games I have bought.

WIth Nintendo Switch taking over anyone could see the Writing on the Wall on March 2017. If anyone didn't see this coming well that's something one should already know.

I think I will buy a couple Game Gear games on my 3DS just for nostalgia and fun... Maybe Columns and Sonic?

I still have my Game Gear, games, and TV Tuner... but I think the LCD screen went out years ago.

@nukatha Actually, Nintendo support seems to indicate that you can keep adding funds if you do so through your Switch, provided that you've linked your Switch, Wii U and 3DS accounts to a My Nintendo account. I've read it a couple of times, and I think I'm correct. If that's the case, everything is normal for the next 13 months.

@WhiteTrashGuy Based on my knowledge and this article, you will be able to re-download games you have already purchased beyond the store closure. You just won't be able to make new purchases.

Still a good idea to backup.

My problem is that my kids all have 2DSs and play them all the time. They love to download games on them.

eShop is next! Good job Nintendo!

The main flaw I see, is that Nintendo made a real "push" for digital with the Wii U, that first year incentive giving 10% back on digital games was a brilliant offer. They made the Wii U compatible with a large array of drives, unfortunately only USB 2 speed. Now I have 100s of game licenses which will only run on Wii U, the transition to Switch was unsupported. Meanwhile the competition have licenses playable across systems and generations and accessible via cloud services. If the Switch doesn't have its licenses transfer to the next console, Nintendo will yet again erode any good will it's customers had. Remember Wii U went out of it's way to include full BC with all Wii functions, if their marketing hadn't failed so drastically, it should have been an automatic upgrade with any customer who invested in VC and wiiware. The whole thing is a little like, don't trust Nintendo with Digital content, it 'can' become worthless.
The future will likely hold a subscription service where you get access to every Nintendo license, but that depends upon an internet connection.Tethering a Switch to the internet misses half of it's appeal.

Nintendo Life should make a list of well-received 3DS and WiiU eShop games that are not available anywhere else.

If you know someone who is into it... Affordable Space Adventures is a FANTASTIC co-op experience and one the very few games to actually make good use of the WiiU Gamepad and asymmetrical gameplay.

@HolyGeez03 Nintendo Land and Warioware were both solid showcases. You need alot of controllers and players though. Wii sports HD was a good update too That alot of people completely forgot about. Nintendo should have just given it free instead of the silly pass system they experimented with. They could have monetised it later by introducing cheap costumes for your Miis etc.
I think the thing I miss most is actually Miiverse, uploading pictures in a pure Nintendo centric environment was actually fun. They missed a trick by not doubling down on Miiverse instead of pulling the plug.

There's a lot of DLC, download-only exclusives, and virtual console releases that are going to be legally inaccessible after this.

And what about games that got tiny print runs and cost hundreds of dollars physically?

Everyth9ng about this sucks. That's me being honest.

I'm going to miss a nintendo store that had some catchy back ground music, the switch store is dull in comparison and not any quicker either

1. Would have naturally preferred the games purchasable as long as possible, but not too bothered either - especially since not being able to buy a wanted game on 3DS eShop is nothing new to me (send my regards to Tales of the Abyss, Ace Combat, Spirit Camera etc), so I always knew there'd be something I would turn to custom firmware and rom torrents for. Still gonna buy what I'll get around to buy, and still gonna keep my N3DS "clean" (investing in a spare hacked console for unavailable purchases if need be) for as long as everything I've purchased here can be redownloaded. It's that simple.

2. Playing my 3DS every week, yup. Still no Wii U ownership. Latest 3DS library update? December 25, four games including Persona Q and Stella Glow. A total of 14 games bought last year overall - a far cry from my Switch gluttony, but still.

3. Biggest loss? The content that can't be used on Luma yet............ if any.

@Burning_Spear
Thanks! I missed that, that is much better.
It makes me wonder: If eShop balance can just be added through thr Switch interface, and they're still hosting the content for redownload, why wouldn't they just keep it open? It seems like there would be no additional overhead.

In reality, not that much? I have pretty much everything I want from those stores.

The Virtual Console stuff and DLC for Fire Emblem is about all I'd be bummed about if I ever had to replace my 3DS. Most of the actual games are now available elsewhere anyway.

It's still a bummer though. I can go still buy digital games for the original Xbox, 20 years later and I have no concern those games are going to become impossible to buy anytime soon.

In the past year, I've used my wii u to play:
Xenoblade Chronicles x
Wind waker HD
Twilight Princess HD
Final Fantasy tactics Advance
Metroid Zero
Metroid Fusion
Mario & Luigi partners in time
Minish cap
Majoras mask
Donkey Kong 64
Mighty final fight
Gargoyles quest ii

I may not play it every day, but the wii u still has an excellent library of exclusive or near-exclusive titles. And honestly, I am considering buying a 3ds to fill the gap on what's not available on the wii u....

Got everything I'm after from both. I'm good.

@nukatha Why would they close the Wii U and 3DS shops? There is cost involved in running those servers, and I would imagine the gap between those costs and the revenues realized is shrinking. But I would suggest it's mostly that they're ramping up Switch online subscriptions and may have plans to include a lot of stuff that is available on the older eShops. Maybe they're planning to make GBA and DS games available — or even Metroid Prime Trilogy — and don't want people to have the option to cherry pick those games off the older shops. A lot of people are upset, but come on: We've had so many years to buy these games and another year from now. I'm going to make a list of what I want and make sure I buy it all before the shop closes.

Well here's the thing; I took a look over my WiiU eshop list and figured that, other then some virtual console titles, there's not a whole lot i'll be upset to not buy anymore, as much of it is on other systems. 3DS on the other hand is going to be an issue, because there are games i want to buy but i just do not have the save space to house everything anymore.
That's what is stalling me from rushing out and buying things- Save space. It's the reason i was Physical only for the longest time- I just don't have the space to store everything anymore. I've got a boatload of pictures, games that need a stupid amount of save space as this was the era where studios decided to make games bigger then what they could stuff onto a disc or a cartridge after all, and others i just don't know if i can delete for the really important stuff.
And then there's the question of "Should i even bother wasting money on all this?", as the 3DS was given to me in the era where i did not have disposable income of my own to spend. Thus, i could only look at the 3DS eshop and dream at all the titles i could not get. Now i have to decide if i want to waste money and space just to have these titles that are about to disappear forever (Yeah yeah yeah, i know, emulation and stuff).
We're in the initial stages of loss right now with these news. Only time will tell if we will truly miss the eshops because of the stuff on them or how they made us feel... Though i suppose i should mention that when i saw the news my first thought was "Gosh darnit. Better tell that sibling who i gave a 2DS to a few years back to stop sitting on the fence and get buyin'..."

Look most people that give a crap about the eshop have already bought most of the games they want.

So I wasn't upset...

UNTIL

I found they took down the ability to buy games for WiiU from Nintendo.com today.
That bites! It is SO MUCH MORE cumbersome to do it from the shop on the device. UGH!
I bought a WiiU VC game just a couple of weeks ago - I go to the Nintendo website nearly daily - I know that this just changed. It's one thing to close the stores, it is another to announce your are closing them, and then make everything harder to do after your announcement.
NOT HAPPY!

@K1LLEGAL
Well any increase from zero would be shooting up the charts. I honestly think that was very over exaggerated when that happened.

Hopefully they gonna close down switch eshop soon as well. And bring us a new one

I will miss them both because I prefer one time purchases to subscription models.

Eh... Now this the way of digital consumption. No just gaming... You see all the time with movies going and leaving platforms. Hell I couldn't find a movie because it was not available streaming. Same thing with gamepass. Games come and go. Now it does suck because there will be no way of redownloading games. At the end of the day I already accepted the fact I rent games until the service shuts down. Most Nintendo IPs I try to buy physical all the though.

@cyrus_zuo It was in fact today. I had bought a few games from the website yesterday.

Eshop might be closing, but at least you get to keep the games you purchased there. The same cannot be said for when the inevitable day comes in the far future when switch online closes down.

I remember reading an article saying that some 3ds cartridges were rotting and don’t work properly, this is sad if my physical collection will stop working after a couple more years

I’ve been on a massive 3ds buying spree lately as I feared that this was coming. I’m back to playing the 3ds almost daily now and the eshop closing is really really going to sting. I’ve been picking up first party and atlus games physically as well as the later Layton games. The eshop closing is going to have a massive impact on already insanely high priced physical games SMTIV 2 goes for close to £200 already.

I hope there is a last sale so I can pick up stuff like SMT devil summoner 1 as that game is really expensive.

Just wait till they do that with switch, and make most of your games disappear. You know, like the cloud based only games they are pushing now (Kingdom Hearts), and how you have to be connected to the internet to play on your non primary system but you can only have one primary system even if you spent your hard earned money on multiple systems. Digital gaming is the worst thing ever. It’s a temporary license to play a game, and nothing more.

There was a brief period of time that the 3DS eShop had a “must have” game every single week.

I only really need to raid the VC and DLC since I supported both systems during their heyday. So accordingly I am not overly upset by the closure. It was gonna happen eventually. I will be buying back up batteries as well.

Affordable Space Adventures is one of the games I am considering picking up, but when I Google it the eShop page redirects to a landing page on Nintendo’s site. Maybe my chance to buy it has passed. Or maybe I literally need to do it from the Wii U itself, but I normally just buy the games from the web and then they download to the consoles automatically because of how I have my account linked.

I really hate this decision. Especially for the 3DS (WiiU wise most has been ported). A reason why a hate all digital. The 3DS will have a lot of games (and DSiWare) that are lost forever. I still play very frequently on my 3DS and still check weekly for the discount, but it's the same games all the time.

Waiting for the list of all virtual console games, as ranked and rated by "you"!

This reminds me to pick up some GBA games from the Wii U shop before they disappear so I own them legally. I was going to get Sin And Punishment 2 a few months ago but was lucky to find a complete physical copy for €10 more.

It’s actually hard to believe that people active on the WiiU eShop. Did anything new released the past years?

Nintendo will find a way to bring back older games in the future but the worst part of this is some people who will want to play these retro games in the future will never get to download some great dlcs for games like fire emblem fates or Xenoblade x

A decent Virtual Console lineup, great indies, original Nintendo stuff like Pushmo and FreakyForms, SEVERAL original music tracks, and significantly better quality control(compared to the Switch eShop). I'm pourin' one out for the 3DS and Wii U eShops, y'all.

I think it does this whole matter a disservice to try and polarise it like some people are doing in response. It's not all about either apathy or outrage. Many of us knew this was drawing closer and closer, but we can still be sad about it. That's where I'm at. Not outraged, just kind of down to see it finally drawing to a close.

And it's not like the 3DS has faded into total obscurity. It still has a really loyal fan base. Places like its subreddit have nearly a million members now. I get that Nintendo are in a position where they can't really do much for the fans themselves but I very much doubt keeping the eshop open was losing them money.
Like others have said, MS still have the Xbox 360 store open. If that's a source of revenue to this day then the 3DS eshop is definitely still making some money.
But it's Nintendo, and this decision is as good as set in stone. Just sucks to see it come.

You can still play both systems. What do you mean by miss? Jesus...this site is bad.

It's not just the games. With the music, reviews and UI in general, the 3DS/Wii U eShops are clearly superior to the switch. Hopefully Nintendo renovates the Switch eShop into something like that.

Starting up the WiiU, hearing your Miis "hello"
The wiiU interface man i loved it.

"What's the biggest loss when 3DS y Wii U eShops shout down?"
For me, ALL!!

Virtual Console. Unless you "hack" your Wii U, there is no official way to play Metroid Prime Trilogy or rare, expensive games such as Xenoblade or Pandora's Tower.

Haven't turned on my Wii U since getting the Switch in November 2017. Barely played my 3DS either.

It's unfortunate, and these polls are a small sample size, but there also pretty telling. Over a third of people can't recall the last time they bought something on 3DS eShop and almost half for the Wii U eShop.

Though I've been playing games my entire life, the 3DS was the era in which I started really paying very active attention to everything that was happening around a single system, started watching E3, keeping up with Nintendo, etc... So I have very strong nostalgia for the 3DS in particular. I'm lucky in that I already have the majority of the titles that one would consider "worth" having for that system, plenty of the DLC, a load of the more niche stuff, too... So in reality, this change will not really effect me until my 3DS finally gives up the ghost, and even then I'm sure we'll be able to redownload titles already associated with our accounts long into the future. Nonetheless, this still makes me feel incredibly melancholy. It wasn't Nintendo's strongest era, but my time with the 3DS is right up there with the Gamecube in terms of my own personal favorites. Now I'll have to rely on Nintendaan's old 3DS coverage to get that nostalgia hit I crave...

That aside, I'm also a huge Pokemon fan. Bank becoming free eventually is great, but farther in the future, when online for these systems shuts down entirely, I'm going to be immensely disheartened to know that Pokemon from the first five generations will be trapped in games from before the era of Pokemon Home. I really, really hate that, truly. Ugh.

@Rayquaza2510 you can still re-download anything that was previously purchased after next year btw. It will be available as long as the servers remain online. Same situation with the Wii which still allows you to re-download software, but the end date for this is currently unknown, though it will happen sometime.

Still it’s pretty unfortunate that potential content will be impossible to (legally) get if it isn’t purchased by March next year.

This is why emulation exists and it’s a good thing for game preservation.

I still do like to go on my 3DS and Wii U at times and games like NintendoLand and Wii Party U are a blast for local multiplayer.
I’ll have to go through some games and decide on what I want to get. As a Resident Evil fan, I did end up purchasing RE Mercenaries 3D in a sale recently.
While I expect game boy and GBA games to come to NSO eventually (hopefully sooner than later), DS seems unlikely unless a future console goes back to dual screens. So I may look at what DS games interest me enough to get.

And I’m considering a couple FE DLC’s like the Fates and Awakening extra story DLC. Did get some of the Echoes DLC and enjoyed that.

The biggest loss is the virtual console. I enjoyed having access to a bunch of Gameboy games and whatnot on my 3DS. I’d buy a new one from time to time whenever I got the itch for something old school. Last night, I loaded up on some I was eyeing. They aren’t too expensive so it’s nice to have a bunch of old games in one place.

But, I knew this was coming. I finally finished off my Atlus collection in the last sale. I had a feeling the end was near lol

Honestly? I thought it was already shut down

I bought a Wii U this week, so this isn't the worst timing for me. I look forward to that list of recommended e-shop games!

The fact that they are shutting down Wii U makes sense but the 3DS too?
Let’s think, the Wii Shop released in 2006 or 7 and lasted until early 2020. Yes, i get that its because the Wii sold a bunch, but still. According to Wikipedia the entire 3ds family sold around 75.94 million units.
I knew it had to happen but…. it’s sorta sad.

@Luigi05 Especially the music. Compared to silence (aka Switch) the music was a VIBE.

Yeah Not happy about this one, Its not as if we all can afford to buy all the software we would like at once, Which is what Ninty is asking. There's still stuff on Wii U I want and 3DS. But now it looks like first I have to invest in a backup drive for my WiiU stuff. so at least I have a back up of my digital stuff, because if DLC is going to undownloadable then thats not good.

Will I get to buy all I want? , probably not.. and I actually use my WiiU every week , at least twice a week I game on it.

So if thats the way New Nintendo want to be what reason would I have to buy a Switch. You wait when they do this to Switch owners once a new system comes out. , the uproar will be ten fold.

The fact I can still buy Xbox 360 games on my 360 is marvelous. I actually bought a couple of Sonic titles on 360 not so long ago.
Yep way to go Nintendo , it must be the Yakuza in them .. its all those Oyabuns sitting on the board in Kyoto.

@Noelemahc You're right. If Nintendo is just going to shove all these games into the vault or worse just throw them into the dustbin of history they should instead just release them all out for public domain as they're clearly not looking to make money off of them anymore.

Yeah, this is why i am not buying digitally on Consoles.
They just can turn off what you paid for.

On a PC there is Gog, even on Steam are Games without DRM and i noticed that Amazon Prime also gives you Games without DRM.

And in the worst Case, i'll load a Crack to play Games they turn off the Service.

They have no shame, i have no shame.

I already played and/or bought everything I wanted from the fine consoles. But I think it's a shame, they should keep the store open a few years, it's a bit soon. IMO they should wait for the successor of the Switch, but I can understand their reasons. The service has a cost.

That said, they're making so much money, they're basically saying me to avoid buying digital games as much as possible on Nintendo systems because they won't support it very long.

But they should keep these systems online as long as possible to build trust.

I learned the lessons though, I mostly buy games on steam because the PC platform is most reliable in the long run. And I mostly buy physical games so that I can sell them when I'm done.

@Agent069 I mostly buy games on steam because the PC platform is most reliable in the long run.
Not true they can be pulled from the system anytime. This is a false analogy people make. Steam/GOG has no obligation to keep those games as well once they outsold their usefully to make money.

Just wanna jump in here and say Ogre Battle 64 on the Wii U virtual console is almost the only way to play that game. Playing it on N64 is a pain/risky move. More than once I’ve had the save data become corrupt on a file I had over 100 hours on. Before you say, “Emulation! Pirate it!” I would challenge anyone to find a working rom for it. And finally, aside from its ambitious design causing you to have to keep the game saves on a memory card, it’s a grievously under appreciated game.

@Grackler you are aware of this chrome extension? https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/wii-shop-channel-music/camjnljbmplngaalikoefoibonimfhkd