SUMMARY
- The company announced that the online servers for its older consoles, 3DS and Wii U, will be shutting down soon.
- With the launch of newer consoles and evolving technology, the audience for 3DS and Wii U gradually decreased.
Nintendo just announced the end of an era. The company announced that the online servers for its older consoles, 3DS and Wii U, will be shutting down soon. The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U played a huge role in Nintendo’s online ambitions. These were some of the early gaming consoles.
With the launch of newer consoles and evolving technology, the audience for 3DS and Wii U gradually decreased. Besides, Nintendo was also focusing more on the Switch. Amongst all this, the cost of running the older consoles was significantly high, while the players were numbered.
Thus, earlier, Nintendo revealed that the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U online servers would be shut down. However, now the company has finally given a concrete date so that players can begin preparing for the process well in advance.
When will Nintendo end online support for 3D and Wii U?
The Japanese company officially announced that online support for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software will cease on April 8, 2024. The shutdown will affect online play and functionality that uses online communication on both platforms. This includes things such as online co-op, internet rankings, and data distribution.
Update: until 3/11, you can merge your unused Nintendo eShop balance to your Nintendo Account, so that it can be used on #NintendoSwitch.
More details: https://t.co/2x9uikXifN
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 24, 2024
The company, in its official statement, said, “Please note that if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned.”
Additionally, it also stated that players have until March 11 to link their unused Nintendo eShop balance to their Nintendo account. These remaining funds can then be used on Nintendo Switch.
In 2023, Nintendo announced that the server would be shut down in a spring shutdown. Meanwhile, they also said that certain games, including StreetPass, Pokémon Bank, and Poké Transporter, will continue to function for anyone still using the platforms.
Reports suggest Wii U was among Nintendo’s worst-performing consoles, with just 13 million odd sales. On the other hand, the Nintendo 3DS had generated sales of up to 75 million in its entire life cycle.
When did 3DS launch?
The Nintendo 3DS was a foldable handheld game console. Produced by Nintendo as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was announced in March 2010 and revealed at E3 2010. The device had backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. It was an eighth-generation console that primarily competed with Sony’s PlayStation Vita.
The 3DS was launched in Japan first on February 26, 2011, followed by Europe on March 25, 2011, North America on March 27, 2011, and Australia on March 31, 2011. Later, a larger version of the Nintendo 3DS featuring a 90% larger screen, named 3DS XL, was launched a year later.
Nintendo 3DS XL was launched by that name in Europe on July 28, 2012, in North America on August 19, 2012, and in Australia on August 23, 2012. In Japan, 3DS XL was known by the name Nintendo 3DS LL. It was launched in Japan on July 28, 2012. 3DS’ lifecycle spanned from 2011 until 2020.
When did Wii U launch?
The Wii U was a successor to Nintendo’s Wii console. It was the company’s home video game console, released in late 2012. It was one of the early eighth-generation video game consoles to compete with Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4.
In fact, the Wii U became the first Nintendo console to support HD graphics in games. The console was launched in North America on November 18, 2012, and in Europe, Africa, Australia, and South America on November 30, 2012. It arrived in Japan later, on December 8, 2012. The Wii U had a pretty small lifecycle of merely five years between 2012 to 2017.