NINTENDO gamers have been warned they could lose the money sitting in their 3DS and Wii U eShop accounts as the company closes the online services for both consoles.
Players have until 11 March at 6am GMT / 10pm PT to transfer any remaining funds over to a Nintendo Account.
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Online play for 3DS and Wii U will shutdown on 8 April 2024, at 12pm GMT / 4pm PT.
For those in Japan, it will be the morning of April 9th, at 9AM.
This is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time.
Nintendo
Nintendo has a help page on its website that explains how players can best navigate the transition.
“As of March 27, 2023 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time, it is no longer possible to make purchases in Nintendo eShop for the Wii U system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems,” the company writes.
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“It is also no longer possible to download free content, including game demos.
“Users who link their Nintendo Network ID wallet (used with Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems) with their Nintendo Account wallet (used with the Nintendo Switch family of systems) can use the shared balance to purchase content on the Nintendo Switch family of systems.”
If players fail to transfer funds from their 3DS of Wii U accounts to a Nintendo Account – that money will be lost in the ether.
Here is a list of all the consoles that will be affected:
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- New Nintendo 3DS
- New Nintendo 3DS XL
- New Nintendo 2DS XL
- Nintendo 3DS
- Nintendo 3DS XL
- Nintendo 2DS
- Wii U Deluxe
- Wii U Basic
Nintendo says that ceasing online services for 3DS and Wii U consoles is part of the “natural lifecycle” of technology, as each device is used less by consumers over time.
The first iterations of the 3DS and Wii U consoles came out in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
But the 3DS family hardware was officially discontinued in September 2020.
Wii U consoles fell out of production even earlier, in January 2017, when it was succeeded by the wildly popular Nintendo Switch.
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Explained: What is a Nintendo Account?
And what’s the difference between a Nintendo Account and Nintendo Network ID?
A Nintendo Account is what Switch console players use to buy games and items inside the Nintendo eShop.
Even if you don’t have a switch, you can still create an account to merge the leftover funds from your 3DS or Wii U eShop account.
A Nintendo Account is created outside of the console, on a PC, tablet or smartphone, via Nintendo’s website here.
Only users aged 16 or older can create their own Nintendo Account.
Accounts for children under age 16 can be added to a Nintendo Account family group by their parent/guardian.
Parents can also link a Nintendo Account to multiple Switch consoles.
It’s important to note that only one email address can be linked to one Nintendo Account.
A Nintendo Network ID (NNID) is created and used on a Wii U console and/or Nintendo 3DS system.
NNIDs are used for online features, such as online multiplayer or interactions, and can be used for buying inside the eShop until 27 March, when those services cease operations.
