Nintendo Prepares For 3DS & Wii U eShop Closure With Scheduled Maintenance

I heard Nintendo will reprint some 3DS games before the 3DS eshop closure.
Please reprint Yokai Watch 3 English version and all Kirby 3DS games.

Downloaded Metroid Hunters, Metroid Other M, and Bomberman 64. The latter is one of my favorite games ever. The multiplayer is a chaotic masterpiece. Bring it to NSO!!

As long as we can still add funds via the Switch, then I'm dandy. I can't see myself splurging much towards the end. I'll probably download some more GBA/DS games on Wii U and maybe a handful of eShop exclusives for the 3DS, but... I'm quite indifferent, really. I'm a bit over hoarding games that I'll seldom (if ever) play.

So long, partner...

As sad as it is to see it go, it doesn't have to be this way. I don't see why you should be required to access these games through official means when it's going to be impossible to do so in the near future. Anyone who still holds onto these consoles yet hasn't homebrewed them kind of had it coming. Not to mention there have been reports that Nintendo could potentially shut down all Nintendo Network services in general in 2024 or 2025. Seriously, everyone needs to quit the FOMO and get their legacy systems hacked.

Pretty lame that Nintendo hasn't had any sales. Stingy to the last

Sucks that they are shutting down, but in reality I have all the games I want by now.

Whew, glad I made some purchases in the last few days.

@Hask Some not all, they wouldn't be in business anymore if they shut down all of them. Also people did get their legacy systems hack, why else do you think the hackers are happy when Nintendo ended support for Wii U and 3DS, the main reason is so the homebrew scene could finally happen for those platforms just like GameCube, Dreamcast, PSP, PS Vita, and Wii. When company no longer support their legacy platforms, those platforms are open to homebrew and modification. Switch is not open yet cause Nintendo is still supporting it, when its time is up, the homebrew crowd will embrace it.

Sooo do hacked games play like an original copy? No input lag?

@Hask Do I have to ‘mod’ it before the online service goes down?

It's so confusing how they're breaking it up like this. For clarification, until March, I can still add eShop funds to my Switch account to buy 3DS and Wii U games, yes?

@Serpenterror I know that many have already done so, but there are still some stragglers. I see people all the time asking which games they should get and frantically scrambling to pour hundreds of dollars into a dying service. Just want to make sure less people make that mistake.

I vote they just remove half the games

Is wind water on sale lol. Maybe I should re buy a Wii U just for it.

@Not_Soos Correct, provided your accounts are linked. I used to make purchases directly on my 3DS and Wii U systems, but it's more convenient to add the funds using my Switch instead and see the balance show up on those devices. It makes those systems feel connected somehow, like they're part of the same family. Cheesy but true.

@TommyOliver
My daughter does not want to play Booty for the C64 nor Soccer on the NES.

Future generations will not have any interest in outdated systems like the Wii U. And those who have, will likely have to fight against old transistors and other failures. In 2042 we very likely will play Wii U and 3DS on an FPGA. In the meantime: pirate the games.

Boo this company! Boo!

I have already prepared my WiiU future-wise

I'm so glad I got those download only 3DS Kirby games. As someone who has that as one of the only (longer) series I want every single game from, god knows when they would come back considering what far more popular games from a decade prior have never been re-released.

End of a era sadly.

@TommyOliver
An issue with this vs other digital services is that a lot of these games (mainly the virtual console games) dont have other ways of buying them.

While yes digital services eventually come to an end the gaming market doesn't exist in a vacuum,

for example with playstation you can still purchase games as far back as ps3 (and on psp while the psn store isnt available you can still download the games on ps3 and transfer them)

With Xbox a large amount of games are digitally backwards compatible so people can still access a large amount of the games they bought back on 360 and games can get compatibility updates

With wii, wiiu and 3ds it felt like things weren't as "future proof" considering the wii didn't have an account system meaning games were tied to the system itself, even when transferring to wiiu the funds used on the wii shop channel were separate from wiiu eshop funds. also iirc the wiiu and 3ds didn't initially launch with an account system.

The closure of the wiiu and 3ds eshop also means the last remnants of the virtual console will be gone and while some of the games are available via the NSO service there is no way to buy said games digitally on switch.

Yet no one is doing any decent sales on the store, what a wasted opportunity to get some last sales in

While it's a shame that these stores are closing, I have more than enough games on my Switch that I still need to play, so don't really feel the need to download more games on my Wii U (that, at the moment, is boxed up in a cupboard) or 3DS.

if I can still add funds on my Switch and use them on 3DS, then I'll be good until the full closure.

However my Japanese 3DS has its own account that isn't linked to any Switch, and using eShop cards was the only way I was able to buy games on the JP 3DS eShop. So this really is the end for the JP eShop for me.

I think I've got everything I wanted from it. Mostly Virtual Console things. I bought all the Puyo Puyo Chronicle DLC, which is something I guess, though tbh that game's rpg mode is kinda bleh. Oh well. No one can get everything they might ever want, so might as well accept that there's probably something you missed your chance on and that will always be the case.

@Aerona There has been the occasional sale on 3DS. Nothing big, just a few titles at a time. I suggest keeping an eye on some tracking sites like Dekudeals or PSPrices.

@Tounushi Not for Nintendo's first party games there haven't, Capcom and Atlus have been great though

@Aerona The Atlus games have had some good sales here in Europe too, but Capcom Europe seem to be refusing for some insane reason. Since the closure was announced, Capcom Japan has had at least 2 eShop sales, and NA has has 1, yet Europe still hasn't had anything. I'd buy the Ace Attorney games and their DLC if Capcom would just put them on sale, but I'm not paying full price for digital copies. It's weird many other companies haven't had largescale sales either.

Will i be able to purchase games using the Nintendo website on PC? I've been using it for a while.

Remember to link your Nintendo Network account with your Nintendo account so you can add funds through there!

But you can simply add funds via the Switch and use them on the 3DS/Wii U. This whole thing sucks though.

You know, everyone's talking about buying through the eShop, but here I am, buying my Nintendo games pretty much exclusively through the UK site... I'm convinced that the games there will be available until March, but I'm starting to have doubts. I mean, it's not through the app, I pay directly with my credit card or PayPal, so it's all good, right?

@TommyWhite That's also a bit of a worry. Some titles might be too obscure to warrant a rerelease.
Though with services like Antstream and the big three having their own streaming services for their consoles, I hope more companies start streaming retro titles without it becoming a mess of exclusivities

@Jumping_Dead I've been worried about that too, but as long as your consoles are linked to your account, I suppose it'll be alright. Whenever I buy anything for the 3DS on the UK site, the gift boxes appear instantly on the device.

@Anti-Matter You say you heard, but what is your source?

@ForminaSage
There you go.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/04/looks-like-nintendo-has-been-reprinting-3ds-retail-games-for-a-final-hurrah

There are some 3DS games I'd would like to download but funds are so limited at the moment.

...and realistically there is emulation, and I've managed years without buying them. But still! The 3DS was a great little console.

@Serpenterror You were able to homebrew both the 3DS and Wii U before end of life. And you can do so now with the Switch. All 3 of these systems had active homebrew scenes before EOL.

The Switch arguably was the worst offender for this though since the hardware itself was exploitable.

@Kimyonaakuma I've actually made a spreadsheet of all the exclusive games for the 3DS and WiiU that interest me, ranking them by said interest. I've made a purchase schedule for what's not eliminated, dividing the total remaining euro value for the library by month. If any of the titles end up rereleased/remastered on the Switch or PC, they go off the list. If there's a sale noticed by PSPrices, I'll deviate from the schedule.
I expect just enough life from the consoles to go through them all, especially when I buy some spare parts.
It's either that or jumping to emulation, and I'd prefer to go for the "legal" option first.

They'll completely shut down the Wii U eShop the day before my birthday? Thanks for the birthday gift, Nintendo. At least I already have most of the Virtual Console titles I wanted...

I've said it before, I'll say it again, get Metroid Prime Trilogy while you still can...

Wait, can someone pester Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo to make the free DLC for "Dead or Alive: Dimensions" available through the eShop?

They originally distributed it really weirdly, you had to be online in a certain window and it'd download the one that was available automatically. But it didn't always work, so I'd like to make sure that people can get them.

On August 29, 2022, we can't add eShop funds on Wii U and 3DS. Well then, at least we'll have exactly seven years to enjoy our Wii U and 3DS digital purchases before the war of the machines destroys us all.

Why couldn’t the virtual console games just carry over to the Switch eShop? Not everyone wants a subscription to play a fraction of the virtual console titles under NSO.

Boy, the drama of digital storefronts. Shameful business practices. I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo pulled this to force a last minute buying rush, only to tell us in the next year that they'll have a Switch solution for many of their Wii/DS/WiiU/3DS digital-only libraries... That, you would need to re-buy again what you just last-second bought on 3DS/WiiU/etc. Sigh...

Piracy tiiiiiiime.

I haven't played my 3DS in forever. I sold my Wii U a long time ago as well. While I enjoyed my 3DS immensely, I'm not gonna lose any sleep over this. I say let them close the shop down. The time for 3DS/Wii U gaming has past. It's time to move on.

Wow so this is a lot less grim than it was made out to be. For the foreseeable future you can redownload your purchases. All the scare tactics made it seem like you wouldn’t. Definitely a good outcome in the end.

Yep, I am adding funds to my Switch account for a big shopping spree at the end of the year for both the 3DS and WiiU. I really wish Nintendo would change their minds on this, or at least announce a storewide sale prior to closing the shops.

@Shade_Koopa It is easy to say that as the unaffected party.

Yeah I’m gonna add some funds and see how much I can buy, I’m gonna try to get some DS games specifically bc I don’t see them porting most of those to a future Nintendo console

It is a shame that the big Console Manufactors seemingly aren't willing to support a Store over Time.
Imagine Steam would wipe all your Games after every new Windows Version.
I will buy no Game in those Stores, i'll stay in the Future with my PC and just plug it onto the PC or use Steam to stream it to the TV.

They should make several and massive sales, but they won't, because they know people will buy any remaining games on their wishlists for the asking price last day.

That's very Nintendo, but come on, third parties... Where are the 3D Sega classics' sales?

It would be a nice customer loyalty service to have a sale before this all happened. Especially for the WiiU customers who were loyal to the brand.

PS3 storefront is still up, so there is at least one platform being pro-consumer here in at least one respect. I just bought Grandia III a couple days ago.

And, yeah, it'd be nice to see some 3DS/WiiU sales, but I'm not gonna hold my breath. Most of the games I'm still waiting on (and will probably wind up paying full price for) are either Square-Enix (Dragon Quest VIII!) or 1st party (WiiU virtual console!) and we all know what those two are like.

I hear all the talk about adding funds to your Switch, but if you don’t have a Switch (like me) will the balance add website still work that’s mentioned here:

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Nintendo-3DS-2DS/Usage-/Nintendo-eShop/How-to-Add-Funds-in-Nintendo-eShop-Using-Credit-Cards-1626660.html

Using the balance add link here, currently I can add funds to my account that I can spend in the 3DS eShop. I can add funds either via PayPal OR an eShop card (called Pre-paid code on here).

Will this still work after 29th August? For both PayPal AND eShop codes?

A user on here has said it will, but I’ve never seen any comms from Nintendo explicitly say this, nor any news site say it. They all just say ‘you can still add funds via your Switch’, which doesn’t help me.

@Notshane well, duh. Most of my time gaming is spent on my Switch or some PC games. I'm not playing my 3DS anymore. This doesn't bother me at all.

@GravyThief I know this is not an easy answer, but I’d buy a Switch now if I was you, and make the connection.

You don't need a Switch to set up a Nintendo account, just set one up on PC and link your accounts. I purchased a eshop card the other day. and bought a couple bits. And WiiU got a new game today. Shadow Archer Special , I bought it and it's a fun Smash Tv clone. And the Last WiiU release as of now.