Japanese multinational video game company Nintendo announcement post in their Twitter handle that April 8 has been finalised as the end of online service date for the Wii U and 3DS consoles. However, the company had planned for the shutdown on October 2023, but this latest update has finally given the handheld’s fans an exact date for the end of the consoles’ online support.
Known for making the most popular games like Mario, Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo has been swift enough in establishing itself as one of the pioneers in handheld gaming. The Wii U which was launched in 2012, featured an embedded touchscreen, a D-pad, analog sticks, and action buttons.
The 3DS on the other hand was a foldable handheld game console launched in 2011. It featured dual touch screens, an analog pointing stick (C-Stick), two additional shoulder triggers, and featured a camera for face detection to optimize the 3D display. While the Wii U and 3DS differed greatly in terms of commercial success, fans are disheartened by the news that support has come to an end for these two devices.
The announcement also states that functionality for online play and communication will no longer be supported, as fans will have time only until March 11 in order to merge unused Nintendo eShop balances with their Nintendo Account. This would allow players to utilize their remaining points on the Nintendo Switch. The termination comes as a natural ending of the consoles’ life cycles according to Nintendo’s Customer support announcement. However, users will be still be able to continue using their devices for offline play.
Users around the world have been expressing their disappointment with the company’s decision. Adding to this, there have been speculations that the move may incline with the company teasing the launch of Nintendo Switch 2. While the launch date of the Switch 2 still remains unconfirmed, users are hoping that the loss of the online functionality on the Wii U and 3DS consoles will be supplemented with something new and better by the company.
