Nintendo To End Online Play, Services For 3DS And Wii U

It will be a monumental end to an era for Nintendo's eighth-generation consoles as the Japanese publisher announced when they'll switch off online functionalities for the 3DS and Wii U software. This announcement was made on social media, where they detailed in an official press statement that consoles are to be affected and provided players with a support page regarding their unused Nintendo eShop balance bound to their wallets.

Nintendo announced in Spring 2023 that they would be discontinuing their online functionalities for the 3DS and Wii U, for which a follow-up was provided on 24th January 2024. These functionalities include "online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution," which may be shut down early should an unexpected event make it harder to keep online functionalities running.

According to the publisher, all online play and other functionalities will shut down for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U consoles on 8th April 2024 at 4 pm PDT / 7 pm EST and 12 am UTC on 9th April 2024. The impacted consoles include the New Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS XL, New Nintendo 2DS XL, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, Nintendo 2DS, Wii U Deluxe, and Wii U Basic.

In addition, owners have until 11th March 2024 at 10 pm PT and 1 am ET / 6 am UTC on 12th March 2024 to merge all unused eShop wallet balances by linking them to their Nintendo Account, which can be utilized on the Nintendo Switch. Should they not own a Nintendo Switch by the deadline, they can create a Nintendo Account and merge these funds until they can link it to a Switch console.

While owners can still play games that offer offline capabilities, certain services like the Poké Transporter and Pokémon Bank may still be online; however, they may cease online features. Likewise, StreetPass will still be available after online services have been switched off, guaranteed it's not the online features; however, the same cannot be said for SpotPass due to the feature utilizing online capabilities.

Regarding online services from third-party games, players are to consult the publishers for more information as all online services for their first-party games will end, but noted there are a few "exceptions." It will be possible for players to download their update data and reinstall previously purchased games and DLCs from the eShop, according to Nintendo, but it's likely they have until April 2024 to do so.

For further information regarding the Nintendo 3DS Home Menu badges, players can read the official support for the Badge Arcade app here. Additionally, they can also learn how to register a Nintendo Account to link their wallet and continue using their eShop funds.