I still have my Wii U and I can, legally, redownload the games I bought back in the day from the eShop. Sure, I can't buy new games, but I can redownload what I had.
@1UP-HUSKY They are saving it up for the next Direct surely.
I mean. Even if bad ports as things are looking up, they didn't announce Dragon Ball Sparking Zero back on the Switch release, but it was announced in the July 31 partners direct, and it's releasing on November this year.
Not every game developer has to announce things years before release.
@AussieMcBucket You don't even need to create a secondary account. Just change country of your current account, then get back to your original country after using the vouchers.
@Bowsers-Inside-Story It's hard to buy directly from Japanese Nintendo eShop. It accepts some international cards from other countries, but not many.
It's easier to buy from Amazon Japan with international cards. It accepts most cards. You buy Nintendo eShop prepaid cards in Amazon Japan thanks to it being very easy to do (easier to get cards in Amazon than buying directly in the Japanese eShop).
You buy two 5000 yen cards or a 9000 and 1000 yen cards (in Amazon Japan), or whatever combo for getting 10000 yen in eShop credit. Then you redeem them in your Japanese Nintendo account and use 9800 of those for buying the vouchers in the Japanese Nintendo eShop.
@AussieMcBucket Japanese eShop vouchers go for around USD$69 nowadays with the currency change value. You can buy eShop cards through Amazon Japan with most USA credit cards.
Most games the vouchers allow are the same titles globally, so they are the same as is if you buy them in USA or UK shops.
So, it's roughly USD$35 per game. That's a huge discount.
@Shmicko Reports say Switch 2 game cards are some kind of flash storage that could stop working after 20-30 years with moderate use.
Not sure about how trustable those reports are, but it sounds plausible given the read speeds they have (above 600MB/s), and how actual flash drives work.
@Divide_and_Wander It's not like Sakurai is involved in MP4, as in, working more on Riders wouldn't push MP4 back.
Also, there's still that Hyrule Warriors game that Nintendo sees as a big game. It's still coming out this year, per their last trailer some weeks ago.
@N00BiSH I know it's not about me, I'm just voicing my opinion on the matter, what this section is for.
They charging a lot of money for limited physical editions, we shouldn't really care. These games are more like collectibles basically, so 60 to 80 bucks sound alright. It's just like all those reddit people whining about the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World prices.
That doesn't make Nintendo a bad company, just a greedy company, which is okay in my book since companies need to be greedy. The same for Wayforward here.
@N00BiSH So some fans of niche games are getting affected. I mean, I feel bad for them, but since I don't care about physical stuff, I don't care about all that drama.
Have they mistreated their staff (employees) or something?
@Otoemetry It was the digital version. As in I got the game on the eShop.
Save data was in the SD card, but encrypted couldn't be copied to another 3DS even after I recovered my digital games. Nintendo support couldn't give me a solution for this. My save data was simply gone. I still got like 40 mons in Pokémon Bank that I transferred then to Home. But my most important ones were gone, since they were in the save of the game when it broke.
Sending it to them, they would be able to restore the hardware, but they always formatted (probably changed motherboard in most cases, whatever), or so they told me, which would make the save data not compatible with the 3DS anymore anyway.
I was able to recover my bought digital games later, but of course there was no "Cloud Save" thing back then.
Anyway, there's still not cloud save for Pokemon nowadays outside of Home.
@AstroTheGamosian The Pokémon Company wants people to feel each game as their own adventure. That's the only reason it's always been one save per game, or user nowadays.
Also, they wanted a pair of siblings to buy 2 cartridges and not only one back since the originals.
@HexagonSun It's still possible the game doesn't come in the cartridge in Switch 1. People can always cheap out in cartridges and put the rest of the game as a mandatory update.
"pulls data from an indeterminate number of sources"
Erm. No. Generative AI doesn't work like that. The way it learns could be compared to the way a human learns. It doesn't copy and paste parts of artworks for creating something new. It "learns" patterns with millions of (yeah, stolen artwork in most cases) examples of desired output of data as pictures.
We could argue about the ethics, which I'm usually against in most scenarios.
How long will it still be possible to redownload previously purchased content in Nintendo eShop for Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems?
For the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC and receive software updates on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
====
Not only they say this, but I've been replaying some Kirby Planet Robobot, which I just redownloaded last month. So, I know this first hand.
The update advice before the eShop closure came from other users online who had no clue and thought Nintendo would drop redownloads. And/or also people letting others know some updates would not be able to download anymore, because they were treated like a separated game/app and you had to first download once while the eShop was still up so you could redownload it later.
Mario Kart 7 had something like this, I think, and some other 5 games, but it was only a handful of those cases.
I'm sure Nintendo will someday remove the ability to redownload previous console games, but the Wii released back in 2006 and you can still redownload WiiWare and VC titles you bought. There's no reason to think Game Key Cards won't be able to redownload game data in 20 years given that example, even if Switch 3 isn't retrocompatible. Only big reasons that could cause that to happen: apocalyptic event or bankrupcty.
@Jeronan The eShop still opens, but there are no games (for purchase), and there's the notice you can no longer add credit nor buy games. It doesn't close automatically the eShop app.
You can still enter Menu > scroll down to Redownloadable Software > Redownload any game you had previously bought.
Voila! You'll be able to download all your games right now as of May 7th, 2025.
It has always been like this since the shop closed for 3DS and Wii U. I also just redownloaded My Pokémon Ranch on my Wii last week just for checking it out, because someone else said that wasn't possible. It is.
I mean. Maybe there are some countries where what you say happened, but I know for a fact that in USA, Japan, the UK and basically all European eShops allow you to do this.
@Jeronan Please investigate before spreading false information.
You are still able, as of right now in May 2025, to redownload digital 3DS games you bought when the 3DS eShop was still available, from Nintendo servers, by official methods (just open the eShop on your 3DS, enter your profile and look for you purchased games list). And yeah, including game updates. Also, you can still download the game updates themselves if you own cartridges.
Also, you can still redownload Wii U games in your Wii U (previously purchased of course), also Wii Ware games in your Wii (a 19 year old console), and also DSi Ware games in your DSi.
In fact, you may still redownload Tetris (GameBoy) in 3DS if you bought it when it was available. And that game was removed from sale years before the 3DS eShop closed.
Again, please investigate before spreading false info. Thanks.
@KociolekDoSyta Okay. Then I don't understand what people is whining about if you will still be able to re-download Game Key Cards data, at least for the next 20 years.
What's the problem then? If nothing lasts that long.
@larrythumbs Actual Swich 2 game cards (with data inside them) are rumored to be using flash type storage. If true, they will degrade very fast, so they will only be okay for 20-25 years. As in, in 20+ years, game cards will stop working (will have very slow read speed, so, won't work). So you also don't "own" anything with the Swich 2 cards with data in them.
That's not different than Nintendo shutting down servers for redownload in 20+ years.
Info: WiiWare and DsiWare games can still be re-downloaded (if bought before stores closed) right now, even after 19 years of the Wii launch. So no, Nintendo won't close down Switch 2 re-download abilities in less then 20 years (unless they go bankrupt or an apocalyptic event happens).
Comments 959
Re: Mario Movie Domain Names Surface Online Ahead Of Mario's 40th Anniversary
@itsapossum Not everyone is on Twitter, or any Twitter clone.
Re: "Everyone Is A Director" At Nintendo, Says Former Dev, But Don't Make Excuses
@Dee123 Yeah. You're right. "Might" means "could or could not", so you're right. I could or could not steal puppies and kittens from children.
It's not a fully affirmative sentence. It's just an expression of uncertainty about that things could still be like they were or they could not.
Re: "Everyone Is A Director" At Nintendo, Says Former Dev, But Don't Make Excuses
@Dee123 That's the thing, "might" means "could have or could have not". No evidence needed.
Re: Nintendo Direct Announced For Friday, 12th September 2025
@Fizza that was in part due to COVID.
Re: Review: Star Wars Outlaws (Switch 2) - An Underrated Adventure, A Super-Solid Port
@WhiteUmbrella Don't be so rude, please.
You're right. What else do you want to hear?
But I can get another Wii U and ask Nintendo for tranferring my account. It's not so hard.
But okay, you're right, I'm wrong. I need to get back to elementary school.
Have a nice day.
Re: Review: Star Wars Outlaws (Switch 2) - An Underrated Adventure, A Super-Solid Port
@WhiteUmbrella What?
I still have my Wii U and I can, legally, redownload the games I bought back in the day from the eShop. Sure, I can't buy new games, but I can redownload what I had.
Why would I need to buy them again?
Re: Rumour: Resident Evil Requiem Could Be Heading To The Switch 2
@1UP-HUSKY They are saving it up for the next Direct surely.
I mean. Even if bad ports as things are looking up, they didn't announce Dragon Ball Sparking Zero back on the Switch release, but it was announced in the July 31 partners direct, and it's releasing on November this year.
Not every game developer has to announce things years before release.
Re: Video: 13 Exciting New Games Coming To Switch 1 & 2 In September 2025
@the_beaver They should have delayed the console until December and release with 5+ first party games.
/s
Re: ICYMI: Nintendo Reminds Us Switch Game Vouchers Won't Be Sold After January 2026
@AussieMcBucket You don't even need to create a secondary account. Just change country of your current account, then get back to your original country after using the vouchers.
Re: ICYMI: Nintendo Reminds Us Switch Game Vouchers Won't Be Sold After January 2026
@Bowsers-Inside-Story It's hard to buy directly from Japanese Nintendo eShop. It accepts some international cards from other countries, but not many.
It's easier to buy from Amazon Japan with international cards. It accepts most cards. You buy Nintendo eShop prepaid cards in Amazon Japan thanks to it being very easy to do (easier to get cards in Amazon than buying directly in the Japanese eShop).
You buy two 5000 yen cards or a 9000 and 1000 yen cards (in Amazon Japan), or whatever combo for getting 10000 yen in eShop credit. Then you redeem them in your Japanese Nintendo account and use 9800 of those for buying the vouchers in the Japanese Nintendo eShop.
And that's it.
Re: Another Switch Game Just Got A Free Switch 2 Upgrade - Includes Higher Frame Rate, Enhanced Resolution And More
@Freek I agreed with your joke. What are you talking about?
Re: ICYMI: Nintendo Reminds Us Switch Game Vouchers Won't Be Sold After January 2026
@AussieMcBucket Japanese eShop vouchers go for around USD$69 nowadays with the currency change value. You can buy eShop cards through Amazon Japan with most USA credit cards.
Most games the vouchers allow are the same titles globally, so they are the same as is if you buy them in USA or UK shops.
So, it's roughly USD$35 per game. That's a huge discount.
Re: ICYMI: Nintendo Reminds Us Switch Game Vouchers Won't Be Sold After January 2026
@Shmicko Reports say Switch 2 game cards are some kind of flash storage that could stop working after 20-30 years with moderate use.
Not sure about how trustable those reports are, but it sounds plausible given the read speeds they have (above 600MB/s), and how actual flash drives work.
So no, not "forever".
Re: Another Switch Game Just Got A Free Switch 2 Upgrade - Includes Higher Frame Rate, Enhanced Resolution And More
@Freek Yeah. You're right. Of course.
Re: Gallery: Get A Closer Look At Nintendo's Gamescom 2025 Booth
@KITG_GROUP Also, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade runs very smooth on handheld mode.
Re: Gallery: Get A Closer Look At Nintendo's Gamescom 2025 Booth
@Divide_and_Wander It's not like Sakurai is involved in MP4, as in, working more on Riders wouldn't push MP4 back.
Also, there's still that Hyrule Warriors game that Nintendo sees as a big game. It's still coming out this year, per their last trailer some weeks ago.
Re: Here's A Look At The Official Box Art For Kirby Air Riders On Switch 2
@YunoboCo I can confirm the eShop listings of the game in several countries (and probably all) say this:
Same console (1-4)
Local Multiplayer (2-8)
Online Multiplayer (1-16)
Re: First Impressions: Pokémon Legends: Z-A Is An Attempt To Catch The Hardcore Again
@ear_wig While not perfect, it runs very well already on Switch 2 without a patch.
Re: Video: Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Full Gameplay Demo
@Max_the_German Welp. At least they leveled up from PS2 graphics now.
I remember when people used to praise PS3 graphics.
Re: Deals: Get 5% Off Nintendo eShop Credit & Switch 2 Games In Our Summer Sale
@Ooccoo_Jr Yes, you just need to change region to redeem it, to Japan, then get back.
Re: Deals: Get 5% Off Nintendo eShop Credit & Switch 2 Games In Our Summer Sale
@Ooccoo_Jr It's the equivalent of £9 if you buy the eShop code for the Kirby update in Amazon.jp.
Re: Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase Announced For Tomorrow, 31st July 2025
@Elock While developed by Bandai, people shouldn't forget Hyrule Warriors. It's still a Nintendo game.
Re: Shantae's Long Lost GBA Sequel 'Risky Revolution' Gets Switch Release Date
@N00BiSH I know it's not about me, I'm just voicing my opinion on the matter, what this section is for.
They charging a lot of money for limited physical editions, we shouldn't really care. These games are more like collectibles basically, so 60 to 80 bucks sound alright. It's just like all those reddit people whining about the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World prices.
That doesn't make Nintendo a bad company, just a greedy company, which is okay in my book since companies need to be greedy. The same for Wayforward here.
Re: Shantae's Long Lost GBA Sequel 'Risky Revolution' Gets Switch Release Date
@N00BiSH So some fans of niche games are getting affected. I mean, I feel bad for them, but since I don't care about physical stuff, I don't care about all that drama.
Have they mistreated their staff (employees) or something?
Re: 'The Hundred Line' Receives A New Update, Here's What's Included
@ROMhaiku That would be like skipping the game. Why play it at that point?
Re: The Pokémon Company Pays Tribute To Anime Voice Actor: "James's Voice Will Always Be Part Of Our Adventure"
They didn't do this for when Latam Spanish Jessie's VA passed away.
Re: Borderlands 4 On Switch 2 Will "Mostly" Run At 30fps
@Kang81 Isn't Street Fighter 6 an AAA game? Why does it run at 60fps?
Re: Here's What Donkey Kong Bananza Looked Like On Switch 1
@Flapflop So, for playing both Mario Kart World and DK Bananza is $1,160 total?
That's expensive. No reason it's flopping.
Re: Shadow Labyrinth Is 4K/60 On Switch 2, Free Upgrade Available From Switch 1
The free update is great!
Re: Video: Which Original Switch Accessories Won't Work On Switch 2?
So 8bitdo controllers aren't supported?
Re: Random: Zelda: TOTK Autobuild Sharing Exploit Lets You Summon An Army Of Ganondorf & Epona
Wow. Need to find those QR codes.
Re: Mario Kart World Has Been Updated To Version 1.1.1, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
I don't get it. Version 1.1.1 was released at launch you say, but now it's being launched again? Same version 1.1.1?
I don't think that's how software versioning works.
Re: Pokémon Fan Loses "20 Years Worth Of Data" After Performing Switch 2 Transfer
@Otoemetry It was the digital version. As in I got the game on the eShop.
Save data was in the SD card, but encrypted couldn't be copied to another 3DS even after I recovered my digital games. Nintendo support couldn't give me a solution for this. My save data was simply gone. I still got like 40 mons in Pokémon Bank that I transferred then to Home. But my most important ones were gone, since they were in the save of the game when it broke.
Sending it to them, they would be able to restore the hardware, but they always formatted (probably changed motherboard in most cases, whatever), or so they told me, which would make the save data not compatible with the 3DS anymore anyway.
I was able to recover my bought digital games later, but of course there was no "Cloud Save" thing back then.
Anyway, there's still not cloud save for Pokemon nowadays outside of Home.
Re: Pokémon Fan Loses "20 Years Worth Of Data" After Performing Switch 2 Transfer
@Polvasti They probably downloaded most of them into the Switch game. You can't have them repeated both in Home and in a game.
Re: Pokémon Fan Loses "20 Years Worth Of Data" After Performing Switch 2 Transfer
@AstroTheGamosian The Pokémon Company wants people to feel each game as their own adventure. That's the only reason it's always been one save per game, or user nowadays.
Also, they wanted a pair of siblings to buy 2 cartridges and not only one back since the originals.
Re: Pokémon Fan Loses "20 Years Worth Of Data" After Performing Switch 2 Transfer
I stopped playing Pokémon back in the 3DS Pokémon Omega Ruby.
Played the heck out of it when it launched. But then, I had an accident and my 3DS broke.
I didn't feel the need to transfer all my mons into Pokémon Bank back then, because I was still actively playing the game when the 3DS broke.
I got 1 or 2 boxes in Pokémon Bank saved up prior. But that was just 10% of all my mons tranferred all the way back since Leaf Green.
It felt like a loss. A real loss. Couldn't ever get over the fact my Leaf Green Blastoise back from 2004 when I was only 10 years old was gone.
I still mourn him. It's not a joke.
Sorry. I need to wipe my tears.
Re: Review: The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - The Best Way To Play, But 'Zelda Notes' Sucks
I haven't gotten tired of Voice notes. It's in Latam Spanish for me, but anyway.
Weird to score a game negatively based on something that, you guess it, is optional and not in the game.
Re: Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Announced For Switch And Switch 2
@HexagonSun It's still possible the game doesn't come in the cartridge in Switch 1. People can always cheap out in cartridges and put the rest of the game as a mandatory update.
Re: Video: Do You Even Need A Pro Controller For The Switch 2?
@Runex2121 That's the MSRP in my country.
Re: Video: Do You Even Need A Pro Controller For The Switch 2?
I'm already paying USD$750 for the console.
What's USD$100 more?
Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Dev Used Procedural Generation To Manage 100,000 Different Assets
"pulls data from an indeterminate number of sources"
Erm. No. Generative AI doesn't work like that. The way it learns could be compared to the way a human learns. It doesn't copy and paste parts of artworks for creating something new. It "learns" patterns with millions of (yeah, stolen artwork in most cases) examples of desired output of data as pictures.
We could argue about the ethics, which I'm usually against in most scenarios.
Re: Looks Like 'Bravely Default' On Switch 2 Will Still Have 0% Encounter Toggle
@johnedwin you can decide that here. It's just player preferences.
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Tells Studios "Do Not Underestimate The Physical Edition"
@Thomystic Switch 2 cartridges seem to be using NAND Flash for storage.
That doesn't last as long as a SNES cartridge, for example. So, expect a life of 20-25 years, maybe even less.
Re: Buy Deltarune On Switch And Get The Switch 2 Version "At No Additional Cost"
@johnedwin What? Why are you commenting that on this article?
This game is a full digital game without cartridge or Game Key Card.
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Tells Studios "Do Not Underestimate The Physical Edition"
@Jeronan I add this:
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/57847/~/wii-u-%26-nintendo-3ds-eshop-discontinuation-q%26a
From that link:
How long will it still be possible to redownload previously purchased content in Nintendo eShop for Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems?
For the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC and receive software updates on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
====
Not only they say this, but I've been replaying some Kirby Planet Robobot, which I just redownloaded last month. So, I know this first hand.
The update advice before the eShop closure came from other users online who had no clue and thought Nintendo would drop redownloads. And/or also people letting others know some updates would not be able to download anymore, because they were treated like a separated game/app and you had to first download once while the eShop was still up so you could redownload it later.
Mario Kart 7 had something like this, I think, and some other 5 games, but it was only a handful of those cases.
I'm sure Nintendo will someday remove the ability to redownload previous console games, but the Wii released back in 2006 and you can still redownload WiiWare and VC titles you bought. There's no reason to think Game Key Cards won't be able to redownload game data in 20 years given that example, even if Switch 3 isn't retrocompatible. Only big reasons that could cause that to happen: apocalyptic event or bankrupcty.
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Tells Studios "Do Not Underestimate The Physical Edition"
@Jeronan The eShop still opens, but there are no games (for purchase), and there's the notice you can no longer add credit nor buy games. It doesn't close automatically the eShop app.
You can still enter Menu > scroll down to Redownloadable Software > Redownload any game you had previously bought.
Voila! You'll be able to download all your games right now as of May 7th, 2025.
It has always been like this since the shop closed for 3DS and Wii U. I also just redownloaded My Pokémon Ranch on my Wii last week just for checking it out, because someone else said that wasn't possible. It is.
I mean. Maybe there are some countries where what you say happened, but I know for a fact that in USA, Japan, the UK and basically all European eShops allow you to do this.
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Tells Studios "Do Not Underestimate The Physical Edition"
@Jeronan Please investigate before spreading false information.
You are still able, as of right now in May 2025, to redownload digital 3DS games you bought when the 3DS eShop was still available, from Nintendo servers, by official methods (just open the eShop on your 3DS, enter your profile and look for you purchased games list). And yeah, including game updates. Also, you can still download the game updates themselves if you own cartridges.
Also, you can still redownload Wii U games in your Wii U (previously purchased of course), also Wii Ware games in your Wii (a 19 year old console), and also DSi Ware games in your DSi.
In fact, you may still redownload Tetris (GameBoy) in 3DS if you bought it when it was available. And that game was removed from sale years before the 3DS eShop closed.
Again, please investigate before spreading false info. Thanks.
Re: Former Assassin's Creed Lead Isn't Happy About Switch 2's Game-Key Cards
@WhiteUmbrella https://www.theverge.com/news/644803/nintendo-switch-2-game-key-cards-trade-borrow-resell
Nintendo’s Tetsuya Sasaki explained to GameSpot:
“So key cards will start up on the console or system that it is slotted into, so it’s not tied to an account or anything,” said Sasaki.
Did you even read this part?
WILL START UP
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Tells Studios "Do Not Underestimate The Physical Edition"
@KociolekDoSyta Okay. Then I don't understand what people is whining about if you will still be able to re-download Game Key Cards data, at least for the next 20 years.
What's the problem then? If nothing lasts that long.
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Tells Studios "Do Not Underestimate The Physical Edition"
@larrythumbs Actual Swich 2 game cards (with data inside them) are rumored to be using flash type storage. If true, they will degrade very fast, so they will only be okay for 20-25 years. As in, in 20+ years, game cards will stop working (will have very slow read speed, so, won't work). So you also don't "own" anything with the Swich 2 cards with data in them.
That's not different than Nintendo shutting down servers for redownload in 20+ years.
Info: WiiWare and DsiWare games can still be re-downloaded (if bought before stores closed) right now, even after 19 years of the Wii launch. So no, Nintendo won't close down Switch 2 re-download abilities in less then 20 years (unless they go bankrupt or an apocalyptic event happens).