3DS And Wii U eShops Approach Endgame As Nintendo Provides Closure Date

It was inevitable unfortunately

Sales of fire emblem fate to end a month earlier for some reason strangely

Can I still go for exact amount option or only specific amounts are supported now?

I bought a bunch of stuff from 3DS and Wii U shop.

way way way WAY too much stuff.

I can't have any regrets now. the things I haven't bought... will stay unbought. it's not feasible to buy everything I could ever possibly want.

@Roibeard64 So i might need to get all the DLC sooner rather than later.

Looking at all the DLC i need to get for the the FE games, as well as DLC for Theatrhythm,...its going to be well over $150.

Well, I have downloaded all the updates for physical 3DS games I want to play in the future before the 3DS eshop will be closed on 28 March 2023.
I didn't see something interesting from Wii U eshop so I just let them disappeared.

Actually I have my initial plan to buy Yokai Watch 3 English version from 3DS eshop but to think again my gaming tendency with digital games that I neglected after I bought them, I changed my plan to get other games in physical since I have played Yokai Watch 3 Tempura Japanese version with more than 208 hours gameplay accumulated, so I don't really need the English version unless the game get reprint version again before 3DS eshop get closed.

@Pally356 I think dlc is march here's the tweet-"
Sales of the game Fire Emblem Fates will end one month earlier, on 28/02/2023. DLC for Fire Emblem Fates, including story paths accessible after the completion of Chapter 6, will still be available until 27/03/2023."

Reminder that if your Nintendo Account on your Switch is linked to your Wii U / 3DS, you can still add funds via the Switch and use them on Wii U / 3DS right up until the actual shutdown.

I had 100usd on mine but couldn't find anything worth buying. Hacked it and got my back catalogue of DS, SNES, Genesis and GBA put onto it. Now it's useful again. Nintendo can keep the 100usd.

Even now their official messaging is rather confusing - you can still add funds beyond August via linked Switch/Nintendo account. Also "purchases will no longer be available" does sound like you'll lose access to stuff you've already bought too - which is not the case.

Rest in spagetti, never forgetti

I swear Nintendo are just trying to annoy me now

Another reason why physical games are king...... of course some titles can only be purchased digitally, but all the main titles should be available somewhere.

Good thing I just hacked my 3DS recently and don't need to worry any more.

@SViper I bought Steamworld Dig 2 on sale a couple of weeks ago and it was the exact amount. But I did it via website

@Dogorilla So even pass the 29th August, if you've got your accounts linked (Switch with 3DS/Wii U), you can still use your funds you've added via the Switch to purchase items?

I bought a Wii U thismonth and got almost everything the eshop Had to offer in form of good VC Titles and exclusives. Cant let anything go to waste!

Such a great console and the eshop is so much better than the laggy abomination on Switch.

Trying to remember if there was any weird DLC for Fire Emblem I might want. I still need to get the DLC for Breath of the Wild too and probably a few other bits, possibly a digital version of Pandora's Tower. Although I noticed last time on Wii U eshop that an absolute load of games have been pulled already, which was frustrating.

@Jamie64326 Yep that's right, it's mentioned on the page linked in the tweet above.

Alright Capcom Europe, still waiting for the Phoenix Wright games to go on sale like they did in Japan and North America a few months ago. You've got until 27th March, I guess.

Good riddance! Surprised it took this long. Wiiu and 3ds were my least favorite from Nintendo.

Still need to get. Nintendo Pocket Football, Mario vs DK Tipping Stars and maybe Pokemom Blue for the nostalgia. I think I'm good for the Wii U though. Maybe Metroid Prime Trilogy as the physical release its crazy expensive now.

@Dogorilla That's great. Means I don't have to rush as such to find more games on there.

@NintendoEternity I can maybe see your point on the wiiU to a certain extent. What didn't you like about the 3DS. It had a solid library

I urge everyone to buy a Wii U for the sake of owning as many classic games as possible.

In 2020-10-28 I picked my latest free theme, and today I decided surf through themes and found 5 more free themes I don't have and those was added or made free since first date I said.

Etrian Odyssey Nexus and maybe a few other games aside, I'm done with those digital stores anyway. So, a huge sale (other EO games have been under 10 euro's already, and the physical versions are just insanely expensive now, so much so that I considered selling my physical copies and replacing them with digital, or not at all since I already played them), or I'll just play other games elsewhere. Or go the way of the pirate, which I actually have less moral issues with than with paying taxes. But the developers still get a chance to make some money of it for now, I suppose.

I really hope this is an implication of a revised service for future hardware. It’ll be a shame if this turns out to be just a “we’re moving on” from Nintendo.

Games I might pick up (if they don't get ported to Switch) before the closure:

3DS
•Dragon Quest VII & VIII
•Sonic Lost World
•Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World
•Dr. Mario: The Miracle Cure
•Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move
•Ultimate NES Remix
•HarmoKnight
•Mario Party: The Top 100*
•Fantasy Life*
•Ever Oasis*
•Mario Sports Superstars*

Wii U
•Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric
•Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 1-2

*Games with asterisks aren't very likely, but you never know. The 2 Mario games are a curious novelty but ultimately I hear are pretty bad. The two RPG's I've heard great things about, but that just isn't a genre that often holds my attention from beginning to end.

Planning on picking up a 3DS around november time so that'll give me plenty of time to download any games I want to download

might be smart to buy a digital pokemon game before the shop goes down

@NintendoEternity Wii U is understandable, but what'd the 3DS ever do to you? That was my favorite Nintendo system ever until the Switch came out.

@JoeSooper Same. That's the true endgame for 3DS owners now.

I have moved on from my 3ds and will never go back. Not even to actually play samus returns. I’ve played everything else plenty of times, and the only game I’ll miss if it never comes to switch or anything else will be zelda lbtw. But I’ll never go back to playing that hand cramping, eye watering tiny little console. My kids got some use out of it, but they all have switch’s and have moved on too. I’ve lost plenty of digital purchases over they years, and apple and steam and the only companies that do digital right in my opinion. I still have the same music collection for 20 years each time I change phones/iPods. My pc is no different. Nintendo said switch will be a new thing. Hopefully I’ll be playing botw on my switch 3.0 along side with botw 2 and 3, or whatever the next, next zelda is someday.

@themightyant still seems entirely unnecessary. I could easily fly through the opening chapters in a day.
Just will catch out a few last minute purchasers from buying the game and dlc.

Get Metroid Prime Trilogy while it's still $20 on the Wii U eShop! Three of the greatest games ever in one handy, relatively cheap package!

Checklist of all wii u virtual console games https://www.listchallenges.com/all-north-american-release-wii-u-virtual

Checklist of all 3DS virtual console games https://www.listchallenges.com/all-north-american-release-nintendo-3ds

I transferred all of my Wii virtual console downloads to my Wii U which covers a lot of stuff, all I really have left is GBA, DS, and Wii games.

@NintendoEternity That's what a fake fan says.

"...because you can be absolutely sure that boxed games will skyrocket in price after March."

Looks at inflated DS and 3DS JRPG prices on eBay and elsewhere

You don't say....

This is not the time to rush to these stores to buy games that will be gone.

This is the time to stop buying digital games on any Nintendo service until they make one that is trustworthy like Steam or GOG.

On the one hand, it's nice that the eShops will be open pretty much all the month of March before their closure. But on the other hand, my debit card, which I use to add funds on the Switch to use on the 3DS/Wii U, expires on that month, so a trip to the bank may be necessary once March 2023 arrives.

@johnvboy

Than DRM-Free in any Form is Imperial

Just like gog or usb-stick, disc or else with the Data and no drm.

I've basically bought what I want to. I still want to download Ogre Battle 64 on Wii U and DKC 1-3 on 3DS.

@LimitedPower It is true. You'll be able to use those funds before the 3DS and Wii U eShops shut down on March 28th.

This is the end for you, my childhood.

@TheHighGround You can't win childhood. Nintendo closed down the highground!

install custom firmware 🙃

while i dont own one of the new xboxes (games dont interest me too much) I do feel like Microsoft has handled their older content the best, while not every game is supported you can still play a large amount of older games on the system and can redownload games you bought on your account without having to buy them again, for example if you bought banjo kazooie for xbox live on 360 you can still download and play the game on the newest xbox, you can even access supported games you bought physically.

i am hoping that things like backwards compatibility will be a big focus for future consoles, its also one of the reasons why i hope the "hybrid" concept is kept on nintendos next system.

I feel like Nintendo's way of offering legacy content is my least favourite which is unfortunate since I feel they have the strongest library of said content. I would love something like the arcade archives or that Capcom arcade stadium for Nintendo's games, even just a "buy and keep" option for the NSO games would be a big improvement for me.

@strollin_stu unsure if its against the rules but this is a good resource 😉

3ds[dot]hacks[dot]guide

@SnackPop
You underestimate my power!

@Jireland92 It was inevitable unfortunately

Steam will be shutting down soon too, that's how it HAS to be with digital stores.
Oh wait...

@victordamazio that's like thinking the masses will stop supporting Activision or EA, or stop playing predatory microtransaction games, or even call of duty. Sorry, it's not realistic.

@EmoGamer u can, still download the games u own on WiiU & 3ds after the store closures, too.

I'm in NZ and trying to buy the SMT4: Apocalypse DLC I'm met with a "DLC not available" alert...I have a European account and can buy it on that 3DS but it's not my main one.

I've tried to contact SEGA/ ATLUS about this but have had no answer. Anyone know what's going on there?

@EarthboundBenjy
Your purchased stuff will remain downloadable.
Only the purchase will become impossible.
Please read the article.

@victordamazio Games will not be "gone". You will retain access to your purchased titles. Did you even care to read the article?

@_LutheR_
I'm well aware of how it works. I'm confused by your response because nothing in my original commented indicated that I didn't know how it works...?

EDIT: Wow your name is untaggable lol. the nintendolife comment system interprets the underscores as italic markup.

@Crono1973 Steam is a digital store front for PC, a platform that is still being supported. The Wii U and 3DS have been discontinued. Trying to compare the E shop to steam is a false equivalency.

Dont worry for Redownload after March 23 as there is no time periods for digital licences I am certain there will be dedicated servers as long as you exist.

Switch library is a tad disappointing mainly surfing thousands of shovelware every sale and have been saying for years the WiiU is the better Zelda experience.

Alex do a comparison video your audience deserve the truth before closure next March.

Or get Steve to do it 12 Zelda games

@_LutheR_ I know that people who already bought these games can still download them, but those who didn't buy the delisted games, won't be able to buy them for now on.

Many Wii U and 3DS games were never ported to other platforms, there are cases where these games got ports but the Wii U and 3DS versions are unique and people want these versions, and the only way to play these games is buying them before they are delisted or using piracy, which Nintendo despises and a bunch of Nintendo fans calls it theft, which it isn't.

Also, for how long you will be able to download them? For a while, we believed Nintendo was removing the download option on the Wii and DSi shops.

@Jireland92 Then let's compare it to the Xbox store where you can still buy original Xbox games as well as 360 and Xbox One games. All are backward compatible.

Nintendo chose this course; they didn't have to just because the 3DS and Wii U are discontinued.

@Crono1973 This happening to the Wii U is justified, the games come on disks, they don't run on Wii U.

But Nintendo could have added backwards compatibility with DS and 3DS carts on Switch, even if they had to add a separate cart slot.

@victordamazio Nintendo is the one who designs their systems without backward compatibility in mind. Remember that. Also, you don't need the original Xbox discs to play original Xbox games on the Series X and Series S.

@Crono1973 Yes, I forgot to say that, Nintendo could have added a digital only backwards compatibility.

@victordamazio they couldn’t have made DS and 3DS games backwards compatible on Switch because the Switch doesn’t have a dual screen set-up.

The problem with Nintendo consoles is that each offer vastly different experiences in how you play them. The DS line had 2 screens, the Wii had motion controls, the Wii U had a tablet controller and the switch is a home console handheld hybrid. To make a console that was backwards compatible with all of that would be next to impossible.

Xbox can make there console backwards compatible because the way you play the games doesn’t change. It’s way easier to add older games to the storefront because they don’t recquire any gimmicks. Aside from Kinect games which are not on the platform much anyway.

And before you mention it, I am aware that certain DS and Wii games are available on Switch, but those games have to be specifically redesigned to fit within the new limitations.

@Jireland92 While I get that the Switch has only one screen while the DS and 3DS have two, I don't think that making an emulator where the two DS screens are shown on the Switch screen at the same time is that hard, DS emulators do that.

@victordamazio the issue is that a lot of DS games were very reliant on the dual screen. Not just for the touch screen controls but also for presentation. DS emulation works well for games that weren’t too reliable on the dual screen, for everything else it’s not great.

@Jireland92
This is one of the reasons why im glad the switch ended up being more flexible on how you play the games, it not only makes the games more accessible but future proofs them.

Though on the subject of future proofing, the fact that Nintendo offered digital purchases on wii but didn't have an account system certainly didn't help, and wiiu/3ds initially didn't have one either.

One of the reasons im not a fan of the NSO retro games is that if the service ends or a game is delisted then you wont even be able to access them wheres at least with wii/wiiu/3ds you can still access your purchases which is a positive at least.

@Jireland92 they couldn’t have made DS and 3DS games backwards compatible on Switch because the Switch doesn’t have a dual screen set-up.

They did it on the Wii U, you can play with both screens on the Gamepad.

@HotGoomba the pirates on the other hand be like...

@Crono1973 yes, but the Wii U had the benefit of having a controller with a touch screen. The Switch does not. It has a touchscreen but only when played in handheld mode, and given the entire appeal of the Switch is being able to play it as a home console or a handheld, having it be backwards compatible with games that can only be played in one mode would be antithetical to that.

@Jireland92 You obviously don’t remember but DS games required the Gamepad too. You could not play them with a pro controller. So really, no difference here. Furthermore, the Switch Pro Controller has motion controls so it certainly could be used for touch controls. It can be done and it has been done on the Wii U.

@Crono1973 you’ve literally just proved my point. The Wii U’s gimmick was the game pad, the Switch’s gimmick is swapping between handheld and docked modes. One works great for DS games, the other does not. Gyro controls also aren’t a great substitute for touch screen games either. Just thinking of playing Wario Ware Touched like that is giving me a headache.

@Jireland92 The Switch Lite is proof that Nintendo isn’t sticking to the ‘switching’ gimmick. I agree that touch screen heavy games may not work as well but games that barely use the touchscreen as in using it as a map or using it to activate a power up would work just fine.

@Crono1973 which only really counts for, what, a small percentage of DS games. Most DS games, especially the older ones made extensive use of the touchscreen, meaning a good chunk of its library isn’t compatible. And no, the Switch Lite doesn’t prove Nintendo aren’t committed to the Switch gimmick since it’s a variation of the MAIN model. The Switch OCD also has the swappable mode gimmick and that’s a newer model.

@Jireland92 Depends on what DS games you played. RPG’s would be right at home on the Switch and the DS and 3DS are loaded with them. Plus I remember the Mario games just used the touchscreen to activate power ups. It could be done and Nintendo could do it. Who knows, they may do it one day. I am expecting GBA games on the Switch too even though those looked terrible on the tv and really only looked good on the Gamepad.

@Crono1973 yeah I’d be down for GBA games on Switch

@KevTastic84 I never liked the dual screen (wasn't a fan of ds either) and the 3D was nice, it just gave me a headache after awhile. Yes it had an Incredible Library, it's just ashame it was on the 3ds...I'm glad wiiu games are ported to the Nintendo Switch because wiiu had some great Exclusives too. I just hated the bulky gamepad with the poor battery