For those who are still holding on to their previous-gen Nintendo consoles including the 3DS and Wii U, expect that the online play will no longer work, as reports claim that the company has shut it down based on several users. In the latest claims, users have reported that this happened before Christmas Eve, and this happened way ahead of the scheduled termination of the service.
Despite the Switch being its main console for all kinds of play since 2017, gamers have been treated to still getting online play features for the older Nintendo consoles until now.
Nintendo Shuts Down Online Play for Wii U, 3DS Consoles
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NintendoLife has reported that several gamers have shared posts regarding the error codes presented by the 3DS and Wii U consoles after they tried to access online play for the previous-gen platforms. It was perceived by the affected users that this is already part of the online play shutdown slated for the 3DS and Wii U platforms, initially announced by Nintendo to take place in 2024.
However, users have reported that playing online with a Nintendo Account will give users either the 'Error Code 006-0303' on the 3DS or 'Error Code 106-0303' on the Wii U.
According to Pretendo's blog post, the Nintendo Network's access errors already marked the "beginning of the end" for the previous-gen consoles, one which they observed around late December 2023.
Nintendo Promised this Shut Down for April 2024
Some gamers have reported that using the online play service for the old consoles has been unavailable since early December, with different titles affected. Still, this goes against Nintendo's official announcement from before, centering on its claims for early April 2024 to be the start of 3DS and Wii U's online play shutdown.
Nintendo's Online Play Experiences
Online play has long been part of what Nintendo has to offer the world and its gamers, with its platform being competitive with its rivals in the gaming industry which offer a connected experience in their respective consoles. That being said, Nintendo first offered online features for its Famicom (Family Computer) and is still available with the subscription-based Nintendo Switch Online for its current console.
However, for more recent consoles like the Nintendo 3DS and the Nintendo Wii U, the end is nigh, and this started with the Japanese entertainment company's 2022 announcement of the eShop shutdown for those devices. At first, it was only the eShop's end for the 3DS and Wii U by March 2023, with gamers no longer allowed to buy and download digital games, but it was subsequently followed by the departure of its online play.
With online play already announced for an April 2024 shutdown for Nintendo's 3DS and Wii U, several gamers have taken the time since it was revealed until around Spring of next year to enjoy the connected experience.
This holiday season was the perfect time to crunch in every ounce of 3DS and Wii U online play, but was cut short due to the earlier-than-expected termination by Nintendo, with the company staying silent about it.
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