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In a move that will affect millions of people, Nintendo is about to take the Wii U and 3DS offline for good. After previously closing down the Wii U and 3DS eShops, the company is removing the ability to play games online. This means games like the original Mario Maker and its 3DS counterpart will no longer support online play or level sharing. Likewise, 3DS and Wii U Monster Hunter games will no longer be playable with friends online. Online support for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U will officially come to an end at midnight BST UK time on April 9, so consider this your final chance to sample the best the consoles have to offer before it’s too late.
Nintendo explains more: “Thank you very much for supporting our products.
“At 4pm PDT on April 8, 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software.
“This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution.”
Needless to say, it will still be possible to play 3DS and Wii U games offline once the services are taken offline.
Where it becomes a little more complicated is with previously purchased content and DLC.
According to the Nintendo FAQ, “it will still be possible to download update data and redownload purchased software and downloadable content from Nintendo eShop”.
However, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Monster Hunter support said that it won’t be possible to re-download DLC for its Wii U and 3DS games.
“Please note that it will not be possible to redownload any DLC for the listed titles once online services end,” reads a Monster Hunter tweet.
“However, DLC that is downloaded prior to online services ending will remain usable offline.”
Just to be on the safe side, it’s probably worth downloading any DLC for the games you do own on the Wii U and 3DS.
The good news is that StreetPass will still be available on Nintendo 3DS, but not SpotPass.
“StreetPass uses local communication between Nintendo 3DS family systems, meaning that it will still be available even after online services end,” Nintendo explains.
“However, because SpotPass uses online communication, SpotPass features will no longer be available.
“For example, you will be able to use StreetPass in StreetPass Mii Plaza, which is pre-installed on Nintendo 3DS family systems, but you will no longer be able to use features that use online communication (such as receiving new panels in Puzzle Swap).”