Nintendo Wii U / 3DS Gaming eShop Being Discontinued
If you are a user of either the Nintendo Wii U or the 3DS family of gaming systems, Nintendo has made an announcement that will affect you. Today’s post will review the announcement by Nintendo that they will be ending the eShop for the Wii U and 3DS systems. Gaming: Nintendo Wii U / 3DS Announcement
According to the post on the Nintendo Customer Support Portal, the eShop will be coming to the end of life starting in May 2022 and be fully discontinued by March 2023. According to the announcement, the following systems are affected
- New Nintendo 3DS
- New Nintendo 3DS XL
- New Nintendo 2DS XL
- Nintendo 3DS XL
- Nintendo 2DS
- Nintendo Wii Deluxe
- Nintendo Wii Basic
What Will Be Changing – eShop
What will be happening, according to the information posted by Nintendo
- As of May 23, 2022 (so this year), you will no longer be able to add funds to your account on the Wii U or 3DS systems eShop via credit card. That doesn’t affect any existing balances, just means you cant add funds via a credit card.
- As of Auguest 29th, 2022 (also this year), you will no longer be able to add funds via a Nintendo eShop Card. At this point, whatever your balance is on the eShop for Wii and 3DS users will be all you have to work with. Once that balance runs out, you will be out of luck for new purchases.
- In late March 2023, the eShop services will close for new purchases all together. So Wii and 3DS users will need to do their shopping for new items prior to this point.
Of note, the changes will only affect new purchases on Nintendo Wii and 3DS. Users will still be able to purchase items if they are using Nintendo Switch systems. In addition, per the Nintendo Announcement
Even after late March 2023, and for the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates and enjoy online play on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
This means the Wii and 3DS systems aren’t completely being killed off, only the ability to add new purchases.
Final Thought
According to Nintendo,
This is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time.
So for those of you who still enjoy your Wii or 3DS system, make sure you add anything you are considering buying before March 2023. Gaming: Nintendo Wii U / 3DS Announcement
Source
- Nintendo – Wii U & Nintendo 3DS eShop Discontinuation
