The Death of the 3DS (and Wii U)
Last year, Nintendo removed the ability to make purchases on the 3DS/Wii U eShops. This month, on March 27th of 2023, is the end. You will be able to redownload previously purchased content “for the foreseeable future”, though.
To be crystal clear: if you ever wanted a digital version of a 3DS/Wii U game or it’s DLC, you have less than a month to obtain it legally. That’s it.
So, what do you need to do? Simple. You need to download the following free software to future proof your 3DS:
1: PokeTransporter
If you literally ever want to play pokemon games older than the 3DS and move those pokemon forward, you NEED this app to transfer from DS to 3DS.2: PokeBank
This software transfers pokemon from 3DS to Switch, and is going to be free after the eShop closes. It currently has a $5 subscription fee, but again, this will be removed after March 27th. If you want to transfer any 3DS pokemon to Switch, you NEED this app.3: Pokemon Picross
The save data for this software is used to hack the 3DS. Even if you don’t want to hack your 3DS, you may someday want to play a 3DS game that is digital only, like Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation. This is the current software used to hack your 3DS using the excellent 3DS hacking guide.On a related note, my guide on what to do with a hacked 3DS is available here, and my Wii U guide is here.
It is impossible to brick your 3DS or Wii U with modern hacking solutions, but you should still follow the instructions closely to make sure you don’t scare yourself.
Once again, either you download Pokemon Picross or you are committing to never playing any digital 3DS game you don’t already have.
If you have questions, my inbox is always open. Nintendo may have given up on these consoles, but we never will. Rock on, tumblr.
since I just ran into this and thought they took PokeTransfer off the shop for a sec, it’s worth noting that if you search for PokeTransfer in the eshop, nothing will come up. according to Bulbapedia you need to follow a link from within PokeBank to get to it
Extremely good addition, thank you. I downloaded it about 10 years ago so this slipped my mind.
Also apparently Pokemon Picross is no longer used for hacking as of about 4 months ago, so you dont need to download it. You just need Pokebank d: