It was heartbreaking to see the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS stores shut down back in 2023. Nintendo made it clear that the shop fronts for these platforms were going to get their marching orders, but they have since also announced an end date for the online functionality of these systems:
As of 8 April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS* and Wii U software. This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution.
And that’s only a few days from now.
The details were shared on the Nintendo Support site, and clarifies the above mentioned end of online play but also has a Q&A that details some quirks to the sunsetting of services – such as the special functionalities that will continue, including:
- Pokémon Bank
- Poké Transporter
So your Pokébuddies won’t be trapped on the beloved 3DS family of systems – for now at least. They do make a point of saying that the service “may also end at some point in the future.”
A few other salient points stand out as important, including:
- Will it still be possible to download update data or purchased software?
For the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to download update data, and redownload purchased software and downloadable content from Nintendo eShop.- When online services end, will StreetPass and SpotPass no longer be available either?
StreetPass uses local communication between Nintendo 3DS family systems, meaning that it will still be available even after online services end. However, because SpotPass uses online communication, SpotPass features will no longer be available.
So you can of course still retrieve purchased games (for the foreseeable future) and continue enjoying the ever-fantastic StreetPass.
So take these next few days to maybe crank out a few of your favourite online multiplayer games, share some content in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and just overall enjoy the twilight hour of these groovy consoles, because the Reaper’s axe is looking mighty sharp and ready to fall.
Are you sad to see the final end to the Nintendo 3DS and Will U console family? Did you enjoy online play on either system? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.
Known throughout the interwebs simply as M0D3Rn, Ash is bad at video games. An old guard gamer who suffers from being generally opinionated, it comes as no surprise that he is both brutally loyal and yet, fiercely whimsical about all things electronic. On occasion will make a youtube video that actually gets views. Follow him on YouTube @Bad at Video Games
