Nintendo has officially announced that in early April 2024, online play and other online functionality for 3DS and Wii U systems will finally come to an end completely. This announcement comes after both systems’ eShops were shut down on March 27th of this year, the thirteen-year anniversary of the 3DS.
The company posted a short FAQ in a post on its website about the upcoming cessation of online play, which will render nearly all online functionality on both systems completely unusable. While this will affect online gameplay, it will also affect friends’ lists and even SpotPass.
No specific date or time has been provided at this time, but Nintendo assures players that they will provide that information at a later date. For now, all we know is that support will end in about six months.
You Nintendon’t Have to Go Home, But You Can’t Play Here
While online functions will be almost completely shut down, longtime trainers can rest a bit easier knowing that Pokémon Bank will continue to function, though Nintendo makes sure to specifically state “that may also end at some point in the future.”
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In the FAQ, Nintendo notes that this will affect nearly all software and online functions for the systems, not just its own first-party games, and not just online play. While some games may still function, no list was provided.
With some exceptions, online services will end for all Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. Please contact publishers for information about the online services for their software.
If you have a large collection of digital games, Nintendo has assured players that they can still redownload and update software they have already purchased. This was promised prior to the closure of the systems’ shops earlier this year, as well, and Nintendo states that this will remain true “for the foreseeable future.”
Naturally, games that require no online communication will continue to play just as they always did. Games that do, however, will see an array of lost features. Nintendo has a whole page dedicated to explaining how the Nintendo Badge Arcade app for 3DS will be affected.
The long and short of it is that you will not be able to use the app at all once this goes into effect, and an error message will appear should you attempt to access it. You will only be able to keep up to 1,000 badges on your system, so the company suggests users finish placing all their badges before support ends completely.
Online, some users have speculated that this could mean the next Nintendo console is set to launch next year, possibly in April, and that this move is being taken to free up server space for the new console, which has been rumored to launch sometime next year.
The company previously said it would not release a new console this fiscal year, but April would be the beginning of its next fiscal year, making this timeframe technically possible; however, it is still nothing more than a theory held by fans, as nothing currently suggests that is the case.
How do you feel about the end of online support for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U? Do you still play games online on these systems, or are you fairly unbothered by this change? Let us know in the comments and on our social media feeds!
Source: Nintendo
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