Nintendo’s Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

I can’t believe this hour has finally come. I guess I was living in denial, but it’s time to accept reality. April 8th marks the final day of 3DS and Wii U, as Nintendo closed the e-shop earlier and announced the complete shutdown of online services and support for these devices to come into effect now.

You might have different thoughts about these two and even complaints, but let’s put those aside today. They were a source of many beautiful memories for me; I’m forever grateful for that. So, join me on this journey of mourning and reminiscence, as we pay our regards and say goodbye to these iconic devices.

Nintendo 3DS — From Rocky Beginnings To Worldwide Renown

The first stop on this trip down memory lane is the Nintendo 3DS, a console I got pretty late, but enjoyed the hell out of. Surprisingly, 3DS’s launch was a rather tough one. It was to be the successor of the DS, Nintendo’s most successful console to date, so the expectations were surely high, but the troubles exceeded the anticipated range.

This Is How The Nintendo DS Dominated The Handheld Market
byu/One_Day_Dead inGames

3DS was priced at an immense $250, which was one of the major causes of its lukewarm reception. It was so big of an issue that Nintendo cut the price by a whopping $80 only 6 months after release. To compensate players, an Ambassador initiative was started, which provided 10 free NES, and 10 free GBA games to affected users. And the rest is history, 3DS started climbing to the heights it deserved.

It was the first device to feature stereoscopic 3D support without additional accessories and complete backward compatibility with the DS games. The console received multiple variants like the 3DS XL (larger screen, better hardware), and the 2DS (an entry-level model without 3D capabilities). All these are a testament to how successful and fan favorite the 3DS became over the years.

My time with the 3DS and the treasured memories I made will be forever with me. I never owned a DS or any other Nintendo console for that matter. 3DS was my first device, and my excitement was through the roof. I remember the first game I played on it was Ocarina of Time 3D, it was as sublime as playing it for the first time.

Just reliving some memories. I miss being 8 years old.
byu/Savagespringtrap06 in3DS

That’s not all, it was home to some legendary games that shaped the present of gaming like the Zelda trio, Fire Emblem Fates and Awakening, Dragon Quest 8, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, and many, many, more. Rest in peace my old friend, you sure brightened my life.

Wii U — The Forever Overshadowed One

Next up, we have the Nintendo Wii U, and you must be wondering “Who even will miss the Wii U?” I’ve seen this a lot over the years, excessive hate and general apathy for the console. The Wii U indeed was a less-than-ideal device, but I still believe it doesn’t deserve this much slander.

The Wii U was in a tough spot, a lot of which can be attributed to Nintendo’s decisions. The first thing was the design choice. The gimmick of creating a separate controller tablet for a home console sounds like a good idea, but it wasn’t. It created a disparity in your gaming experience, as it required splitting your attention between two screens, one of which is quite worse to look at.

Also love how Nintendo doesn’t realize it was the bad advertising and not the content
byu/JewishNazi62 inwiiu

This design flaw led to the second major problem people had with the Wii U, the extreme shortage of games on the console. Designing software that makes use of its very different split screens discouraged developers. On top of that, it was in the generation of the PS4 and Xbox One, devices it was very clearly inferior to in performance and ease of development.

Thus, the Wii U was overlooked by both Nintendo and everyone else who soon moved on to the Switch. I accept all this and also agree that the Wii U was a weak console. But it was not as bad as it’s made out to be. It was a creative step, one whose execution was bad. But look at it this way, we would’ve never got the Switch had it not been for the Wii U’s fumble.

That said, the Wii U had some pretty impressive games that were a blast to play, including Twilight Princess and Wind Waker HD, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Super Mario 3D World, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, and of course, Breath of the Wild.

Farewell, my misunderstood and overlooked fellow. You truly deserved better.

Misunderstood
Wii U was an unfortunate example of bad timing/poor marketing. Systems great, terrific gamepad & excellent games. OG Wii sold very well & reached an audience far greater then Nintendo ever imagined, all ages were involved, something Wii U couldn't recapture
Agree? https://t.co/9fwBvFt4Ki pic.twitter.com/nwbj9455VR

— Dynamic-Gaming-Twinz (@TwinzDynamic) April 5, 2024

Nintendo’s Cruel Practices Claim More Victims

As I mentioned, you might not have the same feelings for a particular console, as maybe a different device was as beloved for you, but I think there’s one thing we can agree on as fellow gamers; the loss of any game is lamentable. These devices and their games made the games we play today possible. 

It’s always important to ensure games of the past are well-preserved for future generations to see, but steps like these are not making it easy. Nintendo not only goes hard against player-generated content and stuff that facilitates preservation like emulators, but it also kills its own past relics in the most cruel way possible.

Screw You Nintendo
by inPiracy

All things must come to an end, that is a fact. The time of the 3DS and Wii U has long passed, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be preserved. Steps like the e-Shop closure are a little too extreme, and so are Nintendo’s other strategies for video game preservation. At least, I hope the gamers of tomorrow never forget the contribution of these two brilliant devices.