Nintendo to Shut Down eShop for Wii U and 3DS in Spring of 2023 (Funds available to add until May/August 2022)

Nintendo announced on Tuesday, 2/15 that the Wii U and 3DS eShop will shut down in late March of 2023. The option to add funds to your account by credit card will cease in May 2022, and by eShop gift card August of this year. So even though the purchasing of games will still technically be allowed through the holidays, the time to actually add the funds to do so is closing soon.

As of late March 2023, it will no longer be possible to make Nintendo eShop purchases for the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

More info: https://t.co/uGoxCcDZ70

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 16, 2022

The removal also applies to free demos, which will become unavailable in May of 2023. One respite for this announcement is that Pokémon Bank, a tool that allows users to store and manage Pokémon from different games, will become free once the change goes into effect next year. Nintendo added within the FAQ that there are no plans to end online for the Wii U or 3DS.

​

In a recently deleted FAQ (above), Nintendo confirmed that plans for releasing the games in other ways than the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service are currently off the table. That leaves many people looking to play retro titles with few options, so use the window to purchase while you can.

While the eShop on both Wii U and 3DS systems shuts down in May of 2023, you only have until May of this year to add funds by credit card, and August by gift card. To learn more about the announcement, you can see the official statement on Nintendo’s website here.

Credits:
Writing: Speedy Sloth
Editing: @Sari , @Thirdkoopa
Thumbnail: @Zerp
Social Media: @Zerp

 

Bruh come on

 

I actually have a question.

Right now if you add money to your Switch account via paypal it also gets added to your 3DS account as well, would that still apply after august? Or does that count as credit card?

 

I actually have a question.

Right now if you add money to your Switch account via paypal it also gets added to your 3DS account as well, would that still apply after august? Or does that count as credit card?

From what I understand if you add money through the Switch with it linked to your 3DS account it will be available until March 2023

 

So the 130-ish games in NSO are an "effective" way of preserving the history of the NES and SNES.
And Nintendo are willing and able to shut down Online services with a limited window of opportunity.
And NSO is a paid subscription service, so the moment they shut it down, you lose those games.

I'd like to applaud Nintendo for their landmark efforts in game preservation. It's so nice to see the 716 officially licensed NES games and the 1757 officially licensed SNES games being preserved for generations to come through such a perfect, long-lasting and easily accessible system. Truly, I think we should be so grateful to Nintendo. Such efforts are incredible, truly remarkable, and it is a true joy to see my beloved faceless company Nintendo truly making strides to preserve and promote their history. My hat goes off to them.

 

I think I've got most of the games that I want from the eShop (I panic-bought a bunch on the Wii U a few years back, figuring that we'd get nowhere near the amount of warning for the Wii U's eShop that we got with the Wii's Shop Channel) - the only exception that comes to mind is one of the Professor Layton games (I want to try the series out, at least), though I'll give the Wii U's eShop another look to be sure.

I'll definitely have to look into how to replace a battery for a Wii U Gamepad or 3DS, though - the battery life of my Wii U's gamepad seems oddly short (if I'm playing a downloaded game, it seems like it only lasts an hour or two). As for the 3DS, I downloaded Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright thanks to this announcement, and while it was downloading, the 3DS's battery went from four bars (max) to two.

 

I think I've got most of the games that I want from the eShop (I panic-bought a bunch on the Wii U a few years back, figuring that we'd get nowhere near the amount of warning for the Wii U's eShop that we got with the Wii's Shop Channel) - the only exception that comes to mind is one of the Professor Layton games (I want to try the series out, at least), though I'll give the Wii U's eShop another look to be sure.

I'll definitely have to look into how to replace a battery for a Wii U Gamepad or 3DS, though - the battery life of my Wii U's gamepad seems oddly short (if I'm playing a downloaded game, it seems like it only lasts an hour or two). As for the 3DS, I downloaded Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright thanks to this announcement, and while it was downloading, the 3DS's battery went from four bars (max) to two.

I'm pretty sure the first four Layton games are on mobile, so if you have a phone, your good. The last Layton game that was released also got a Switch port so you can probably find that one pretty easily.

All you'd need left are Azran legacy and Miracle Mask.

 

So the 130-ish games in NSO are an "effective" way of preserving the history of the NES and SNES.
And Nintendo are willing and able to shut down Online services with a limited window of opportunity.
And NSO is a paid subscription service, so the moment they shut it down, you lose those games.

I'd like to applaud Nintendo for their landmark efforts in game preservation. It's so nice to see the 716 officially licensed NES games and the 1757 officially licensed SNES games being preserved for generations to come through such a perfect, long-lasting and easily accessible system. Truly, I think we should be so grateful to Nintendo. Such efforts are incredible, truly remarkable, and it is a true joy to see my beloved faceless company Nintendo truly making strides to preserve and promote their history. My hat goes off to them.

Preserving games is up to the fans. Rom sites are the true museums of gaming history.

It is too bad that copyright works against this, but it makes sense. Intellectual monopolies such as copyright are flawed at the core and thus working with them creates all kinds of problems that we then have to deal with through subjective laws such as fair use. Whoever came up with the idea that an abundant abstract concept could be owned as if it is scarce concrete property probably either was a moron or just corrupt.

 

Definitely a bummer for people that enjoy playing previous gen games, but for me personally, I only really play current gen games. I'm in my 30s and the time I do find for games is spent playing current gen games (so much so that I trade in every older gen console, I currently only have a Switch and PS5), so it doesn't really affect me much. Maybe Nintendo feels that's the case as well? Those platforms, especially the Wii U, have effectively not sold new games for the better part of a decade now I think.

 

Anyone know a good memory card for the Wii U and for the 3DS?

I have dozens of games on both consoles and there are still a lot more games I want to get but there are not enough memory.

I bought a SD card for the Wii U but it seems to be not working for some reason.

 

Anyone know a good memory card for the Wii U and for the 3DS?

I have dozens of games on both consoles and there are still a lot more games I want to get but there are not enough memory.

I bought a SD card for the Wii U but it seems to be not working for some reason.

Bought a 32 GB Samsung Ultra Plus microSDHC card and was able to easily copy/paste everything on over from the original 4GB card that came with my system.

At least looking at the logo of the packaging in my garbage can that's what it's called. Bought it at my local grocery store. I now have over 26k blocks available for use.

 

Honestly idk how much I can complain about this. The 3DS being supported for a solid 12 years and the Wii U, a commercial failure, lasting 6 years into its successor's life is more than I ever expected. They really did care about this gen in the end.

 

Preserving games is up to the fans. Rom sites are the true museums of gaming history.

It is too bad that copyright works against this, but it makes sense. Intellectual monopolies such as copyright are flawed at the core and thus working with them creates all kinds of problems that we then have to deal with through subjective laws such as fair use. Whoever came up with the idea that an abundant abstract concept could be owned as if it is scarce concrete property probably either was a moron or just corrupt.

I think it was Disney. Or if they weren't the ones who came up with copyright laws in the first place, they're definitely the ones responsible for screwing with it to the point that nothing becomes public domain until a billion years after the original creator's death.

 

I think it was Disney. Or if they weren't the ones who came up with copyright laws in the first place, they're definitely the ones responsible for screwing with it to the point that nothing becomes public domain until a billion years after the original creator's death.

Disney definitely has had a big hand in screwing up copyrights through their "Mickey Mouse Protection Act". Copyright laws are now a tool for Disney to increase profit at the cost of culture and innovation, and they do not even try to hide this fact anymore beyond just claiming that it is not so. But how could they hide it? Life of the inventor + 70 years (spometimes even longer, I think)? That is insane. And it always gets extended right before Mickey Mouse is about to enter public domain.

What makes it even worse is that almost every successful franchise of Disney is based on public domain works. Disney got big by taking from the public domain. But when it is is their turn to give back, they change the laws to prvent that, all while they keep taking from the public domain themselves. Disney is living evidence of the importance of the public domain and they are a great beneficiary of the public domain, but at the same time Disney is also a great enemy of the public domain and the one who changes the law just to never have to give to the public domain.

 

The worst about intellectual monopolies such as copyright (also common mislabeled "intellectual property", even though it is not property at all and is actually a monopoly), is that they are corrupt to begin with. Even the original 14 years with a possible extension of another 14 years was corrupt. Government granted monopolies are corrupt and infringe upon property rights. Calling intellectual monopoly infringement "stealing" or even "piracy" is a joke. If pirates really went from robbing sailors to just copying and sharing stuff using their own property then they are one of the few greatest success stories of reform in the history of mankind. Matters of intellectual monopolies are full of misnomers like that all to trick people into thinking that they actually are property.

Property is a concept in order to deal with the problem of scarcity. E.g. if I ride a bike then that excludes you from riding it. So how do we determine who gets to ride it? Fighting is costly, so we solve the issue using property rules. That way we divide property without costly conflict.
Monopolies is a concept used to deal with the problem of abundance. E.g. you want to sell me something but I can make it myself or get it elsewhere. How do you limit my possibilities so that I become dependant on you? You create scarcity. You forbif me from using my own property to create what you want to sell and then you sell it to me.
Ideas are infinite. If you show me an idea then I automatically also posses it. There is no scarcity. There is only abundance. If you wanted to sell the idea to me, then you must forbid me from using my own instance of the idea. That is what copyright and patents are all about. They are monopolies which create scarcity to solve the "problem" of abundance.


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Honestly idk how much I can complain about this. The 3DS being supported for a solid 12 years and the Wii U, a commercial failure, lasting 6 years into its successor's life is more than I ever expected. They really did care about this gen in the end.

The 3DS's game servers are still online, too.

 

Fire Emblem Fates Revelations is going to be impossible to get outside of the pricey special edition version, yikes. I'd advise anyone who wants to play that route to get onto it soon.

 

Sad to hear that they are shutdown eShop for Wii U and 3DS in the spring of 2023. I hope they will not.

 

Capcom's got an ongoing sale for the 3DS, so if you want to pick up any Ace Attorney, Resident Evil, or Monster Hunter games, now's the time - Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is about $2 at the moment. (also, there are some games, like the Game Boy version of Mega Man V, that aren't available anywhere else)

 

Capcom's got an ongoing sale for the 3DS, so if you want to pick up any Ace Attorney, Resident Evil, or Monster Hunter games, now's the time - Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is about $2 at the moment. (also, there are some games, like the Game Boy version of Mega Man V, that aren't available anywhere else)

I just bought Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trilogy on 3DS yesterday. I am enjoying it a lot.

Are the other Ace Attorney games on 3DS eShop any good?

 

I just bought Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trilogy on 3DS yesterday. I am enjoying it a lot.

Are the other Ace Attorney games on 3DS eShop any good?

Depends on who you ask, Dual destinies and Spirit of justice are pretty divisive.

 

Depends on who you ask, Dual destinies and Spirit of justice are pretty divisive.

And that’s why I’m asking if they are any good. What’s divisive about those two games?

I notice you didn’t mention Apollo Justice. I’m assuming it isn’t divisive?

 

And that’s why I’m asking if they are any good. What’s divisive about those two games?

I notice you didn’t mention Apollo Justice. I’m assuming it isn’t divisive?

I didnt mention it because i forgot it got a 3DS port. lol

The reason the games are divisive is because of the switch in writing staff that happened after Apollo justice.
You know things like wonky characterization that makes the old characters feel really weird compared to the first few games, and in the case of Spirit of justice, a plot that's just really hard to swallow when you stack it up to everything that came before. Which is probably the reason there hasnt been a new Ace Attorney game in a while because it's kinda hard to pick the story back up from where that game ended lol

At least the Great Ace Attorney was great, the original writing staff worked on that one.

 

Snip

So it had nothing to do with gameplay. Just the writing.

I decided to get them all. They are all digital only and they are on sale for a few days. The discounted prices are really low. I really enjoyed the first two episodes and I’m currently on the third episode in the first game. I really like that the games are interactive murder mysteries. I enjoy watching murder mystery shows and movies on Hallmark Channel like Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, Monk, Aurora Teagarden, Crossword Mysteries, etc.

 

You know, hearing this news does make you realize that if you haven't downloaded all the software updates for your 3DS titles, you'll be stuck with the base game forever once the eShop closes shop. This means no online races in Mario Kart 7, and Smash 3DS owners would not be able to access any of the DLC materials.

 

You know, hearing this news does make you realize that if you haven't downloaded all the software updates for your 3DS titles, you'll be stuck with the base game forever once the eShop closes shop. This means no online races in Mario Kart 7, and Smash 3DS owners would not be able to access any of the DLC materials.

For now, at least, they clarified that free updates will still be possible after the purchases are no longer possible. But yeah, it's hard to imagine an eventual future where even that isn't possible (legally, anyway). Thankfully, Nintendo in general has been a LOT better than the other console manufacturers about physical releases (it'd suck not to be able to update anything past the base game, but at least Nintendo isn't infamous for having games that're practically unplayable at launch).

So it had nothing to do with gameplay. Just the writing.

I decided to get them all. They are all digital only and they are on sale for a few days. The discounted prices are really low. I really enjoyed the first two episodes and I’m currently on the third episode in the first game. I really like that the games are interactive murder mysteries. I enjoy watching murder mystery shows and movies on Hallmark Channel like Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, Monk, Aurora Teagarden, Crossword Mysteries, etc.

Oh man, you reminded me that a LOT of games in the west don't have a physical release. Makes me all the more thankful I imported my 3DS.

 

You know, hearing this news does make you realize that if you haven't downloaded all the software updates for your 3DS titles, you'll be stuck with the base game forever once the eShop closes shop. This means no online races in Mario Kart 7, and Smash 3DS owners would not be able to access any of the DLC materials.

I need to get Smash DLC on my New 3DS XL. I have the DLC on my original 3DS.

I’m just not sure which DLC bundles to get to have everything.

 

I need to get Smash DLC on my New 3DS XL. I have the DLC on my original 3DS.

I’m just not sure which DLC bundles to get to have everything.

Well, if you have two 3DS systems that have access to your Nintendo Account, then you should be able to download any DLC materials that you've already purchased, free of charge.

 

Any more 3DS eShop recommendations? I am looking for good “download only” games. I have these games and I recommend them.

Pushmo
Crashmo
Stretchmo

BoxBoy!
BoxBoxBoy!
Bye-Bye BoxBoy!

Dillon’s Rolling Western
Dillon’s Rolling Western: The Last Ranger

Kirby Fighters Deluxe
Dedede’s Drum Dash Deluxe
Kirby’s Blowout Blast

3D Classics: Kid Icarus
3D Classics: Kirby’s Adventure

3D Sonic the Hedgehog
3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2

3D Streets of Rage
3D Streets of Rage 2

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice

Cave Story
Fluidity: Spin Cycle
HarmoKnight
Pocket Card Jockey
Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball
Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword
Siesta Fiesta

I am still not sold on Team Kirby Clash Deluxe. I just don’t understand how Gem Apples work. Apparently it would take you almost 3 years to 100% the game if you didn’t spend real life money on Gem Apples.

I am also not sure about Mario vs. Donkey Kong games and Dr. Mario games.

Are the Picross e games good? I see that there are 8 games in the series and they are all on 3DS eShop. What about Picross games with Pokémon and Hello Kitty characters?

I am also not sure about Nintendo Badge Arcade. Wouldn’t the game be unplayable if we are unable to use real life money after Nintendo shuts down eShop?

Well, if you have two 3DS systems that have access to your Nintendo Account, then you should be able to download any DLC materials that you've already purchased, free of charge.

I can’t do that. My New 3DS XL has a different Nintendo Network ID. Don’t want to delete that account or I lose my games.

 

I can’t do that. My New 3DS XL has a different Nintendo Network ID. Don’t want to delete that account or I lose my games.

Ouch. That has to feel very rough.

 

I am still not sold on Team Kirby Clash Deluxe. I just don’t understand how Gem Apples work. Apparently it would take you almost 3 years to 100% the game if you didn’t spend real life money on Gem Apples.

I haven't played Kirby Clash, but from what I heard, the Gem Apples work similarly to what they have in Pokemon Rumble World, which I will say has one of the best free-to-play solutions out there. The base game has your usual offering of time-based restrictions and such, having to spend gems that you receive in scarce quantity. However, if you spend real money, there's an upper limit, and once you reach that limit (which is around the price of an average retail game), you unlock a gem-mining machine that gives you a very generous helping of gems on a daily basis (on top of the large amount of gems you already got from spending money). It's not quite the most ideal, as you could run out of gems if you're a particularly obsessive player (though restoring your gems becomes a lot simpler), but for the most part, I'd say that by that point, so many restrictions are removed that it's practically no different than if you just bought the game as a typical retail release (and in fact, Pokemon Rumble World did get a physical release that has all these premium features built-in).

 

It took me two days but I got enough platinum coins to get My Nintendo exclusive games for 3DS.

1,000 platinum coins for My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

200 platinum coins for Flipnote Studio 3D

I had to play Super Mario Run and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and search for hidden objects on Nintendo websites to get platinum coins.

Edit: 3DS eShop is having a sale on many Sega and Atlus games, including 3D Sega Genesis games and Shin Megami Tensei games and Persona games and Radiant Historia and Etrian Odyssey Nexus and more.

 

So I took advantage of the Sega and Atlus sale and got these games from 3DS eShop for less than $10.

• Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology
• Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure
• Sega 3D Classics Collection (and other individual Sega 3D Classics games not included in this collection)
• Sonic Generations
• Sonic Lost World
• Super Monkey Ball 3D

This morning I checked 3DS eShop for sales. Sega and Atlus games are no longer on sale, unfortunately, but I see that SteamWorld games are on sale for less than $4! The only one not on sale is the DSiWare game.

 

View attachment 345354​

Nintendo announced on Tuesday, 2/15 that the Wii U and 3DS eShop will shut down in late March of 2023. The option to add funds to your account by credit card will cease in May 2022, and by eShop gift card August of this year. So even though the purchasing of games will still technically be allowed through the holidays, the time to actually add the funds to do so is closing soon.

As of late March 2023, it will no longer be possible to make Nintendo eShop purchases for the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

More info: https://t.co/uGoxCcDZ70

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 16, 2022

The removal also applies to free demos, which will become unavailable in May of 2023. One respite for this announcement is that Pokémon Bank, a tool that allows users to store and manage Pokémon from different games, will become free once the change goes into effect next year. Nintendo added within the FAQ that there are no plans to end online for the Wii U or 3DS.

​

In a recently deleted FAQ (above), Nintendo confirmed that plans for releasing the games in other ways than the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service are currently off the table. That leaves many people looking to play retro titles with few options, so use the window to purchase while you can.

While the eShop on both Wii U and 3DS systems shuts down in May of 2023, you only have until May of this year to add funds by credit card, and August by gift card. To learn more about the announcement, you can see the official statement on Nintendo’s website here.

Credits:
Writing: Speedy Sloth
Editing: @Sari , @Thirdkoopa
Thumbnail: @Zerp
Social Media: @Zerp

It is really sad, maybe somehow I can refund some of my purchases that I have done in recent months?