3DS - Timeline
Tuesday10th Dec 2024
News Man Caught Selling Hacked Pokémon Sun Save Data Arrested By Japanese Police
Gotta catch 'em all
If you cast your mind back to earlier this year, you might recall that a man was arrested in Japan for selling modded data from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Well, it's clear that not everyone was paying attention to the repercussions, as last week, Japanese police announced that they had arrested a man on similar charges for...
Saturday7th Dec 2024
Rumour One Of Kirby's 3DS Titles Will Return Next Year, It's Claimed
As "filler for the Switch"
Nintendo is still in the process of padding out its Switch release schedule for 2025, and as we already know, it will be reviving a few older titles as part of this strategy - starting with the Wii and 3DS release Donkey Kong Country Returns in January. It also recently announced Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition...
Sunday1st Dec 2024
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (3DS)
Hunting on the go
We are back with another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, it was a one-on-one match-up for the GBA's Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land and after a few weeks of close calls, we had a pretty definitive winner in this one. It was the darker European and North American variant that walked away with a comfortable win, taking 64% of...
Friday29th Nov 2024
Random Pokémon Fan Crunches The Numbers To Settle Alpha Sapphire's "Too Much Water" Debate
Wait, the meme was true??
Back in 2014, IGN, like many outlets, shared its review of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. While the vast majority showered the 3DS remakes with praise, IGN was slightly more critical, awarding them a 7.8/10 and noting that they have "too much water" (among other criticisms, naturally). In case you haven't seen it...
Monday4th Nov 2024
News Seven Months After Closure, The Nintendo Network Has Lost Its Final Player
A+ for effort
Back in April, the Nintendo Network servers were officially closed down, wrapping up online play for Wii U and 3DS users and the consoles' respective eShops. A few weeks after the closing date, we posted about four players who were still keeping the dream alive, remaining on the servers thanks to their constant, uninterrupted use of...
Wednesday16th Oct 2024
Random Of Course Someone's Playing Metaphor: ReFantazio On Their 3DS
RPGee-whiz
Atlus's latest RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio launched on PlayStation, Xbox and PC last week and, according to our friends at Push Square and Pure Xbox, it's really rather good. Naturally, a game of this size didn't end up making it to Switch, but that hasn't stopped some from playing it on a Nintendo handheld all the same (thanks,
Friday11th Oct 2024
Feature 10 Years Ago, Nintendo Launched The Very Best 3DS
Practically perfect in every way
When it comes to Nintendo handhelds, it's standard for the first iteration to get the job done just sufficiently to sell the idea, but by the end of the system's lifecycle there are several upgrades available that, by comparison, make the original feel like a dev unit or pre-release prototype. We love the original...
Sunday29th Sep 2024
Poll Box Art Brawl: Professor Layton And The Miracle Mask
I've got it!
Hello folks, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last week, we checked out the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country. It was a classic 3-way battle in which Japan managed to emerge victorious with 42% of the vote. Europe followed very closely with 39%, while North America floundered slightly at 19%. This...
Tuesday24th Sep 2024
News Nintendo To End Repairs For Famicom & Super Famicom Classic, New 2DS XL In Japan
Three more reach the end of the line
Nintendo has announced that it will be ending repairs for the Famicom Classic, Super Famicom Classic, and the New Nintendo 2DS XL in Japan "as our current stock of parts runs out". Shared by OatmealDome on Bluesky, both the classic "mini" cons
Thursday29th Aug 2024
News Nintendo Runs Out Of Replacement Parts For New 3DS, Ends Repairs In Japan
"We have run out of parts"
Following an announcement Nintendo would stop 3DS repairs in Japan, the company's support service has now revealed it's run out of parts necessary to repair the New Nintendo 3DS in this location. According to a rough translation, this means it's no longer accepting repairs for this particular unit as of 28th August 2024...
Saturday29th Jun 2024
Guide Luigi's Mansion 2 HD: Full Walkthrough Guide
Every level, every Boo, every Gem!
Welcome to our Luigi's Mansion 2 HD walkthrough guide series! Here we'll give you a 100% guided tour of the multiple haunted mansions on offer in Luigi's second spooky offering. With step-by-step details on how to progress through each area, alongside full guides for All Boo Locations and All Gem Location
Wednesday26th Jun 2024
Poll Luigi's Mansion 2 HD Is Out This Week, Will You Be Getting It?
Go on, tell us
Luigi makes a very spooky return this week in Luigi's Mansion 2 HD for the Nintendo Switch. Of course, as you likely already know, this new release is a high-definition port of the original 2013 3DS release. The reviews for the title are already rolling in and so far they've been quite positive. In our review here on Nintendo Life,...
Tuesday25th Jun 2024
Random StreetPass Fans Are Hunting For A Super-Rare Puzzle Swap Panel
Have you seen it..?
If you're a staunch fan of the 3DS, then chances are you've dabbled in the Streetpass and Spotpass features over the years. The latter, of course, is no longer available since Nintendo shut down the online servers, but if you're out and about with your 3DS, then you can still benefit from the StreetPass function (that is, if you...
Wednesday12th Jun 2024
News Atooi's Switch Game 'Hatch Tales' Has Been Delayed (Again)
A special showcase will now take place this month
Atooi's latest game Hatch Tales was meant to be arriving on the Switch eShop this month, but it's now been delayed again. It will now apparently be releasing on 23rd August 2024. This follows a last-minute delay at the end of March this year, which led to the game being pushed
Tuesday4th Jun 2024
Random Fallout Fan Ports Original Game Onto The Nintendo 3DS
Venturing into the 3DS wasteland
Considering how much the Fallout franchise has evolved over the years, the original game is still a darn good time and well worth checking out. You can play it on Steam now for under a tenner, if you like, but one fan has gone a step further and ported the game over to the 3DS. As spotted by TheGamer, the mod was...
Friday31st May 2024
Video For 365 Days, We Took Our 2DS Everywhere Just For StreetPass
Please Nintendo, put StreetPass in 'Switch 2'
StreetPass was fantastic — StreetPass is fantastic — and last year our intrepid video producer Zion Grassl went on a personal quest to see how many tags he could get for the glorious little inter-console app... At the start of 2023, I had a real longing for the days of the 3DS. Partially due to the...
Sunday26th May 2024
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Bravely Default
Fly high, fairy
Hello folks, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl. Before we get cracking, let's see how things panned out last week, hm? We looked at Super Monkey Ball Adventure, one of several entries for the GameCube. As we'd expected, the busier, more vibrant box art from North America sealed the deal, winning a healthy 79% of...
Thursday23rd May 2024
Random The Last Pokémon Player On 3DS Online Shares Message Of Thanks
Player survived 28 days, 23 hours, and 30 minutes after shutdown
The last remaining player to play Pokémon X & Y via the Nintendo 3DS online servers has shared a message of thanks after surviving for 28 days, 23 hours, and 30 minutes after the official shutdown. Known only as 'Amanda', the player's message was relayed online by Joziken (one of...
Wednesday15th May 2024
Random Four Players Remain On The Nintendo Network Servers, One Month After Closure
Keeping the dream alive
Last month saw Nintendo finally shut down the online servers for the Wii U and 3DS' Nintendo Network. It was a sad day, for sure, but there have been a brave few who, in the month since, have kept the dream alive (thanks, GamesRadar). Yes, a certain group slipped through the cracks of Nintendo's shutdown and
Monday6th May 2024
Random 3DS & Wii U Players Beat 14-Year-Old Halo 2 Server Record
Online services were shut down last month
A group of Wii U and 3DS players have managed to stay online, despite servers being shut down, for over 25 days. And, in the process, they've managed to beat a 14-year-old record held by Halo 2 fans. GaffsNotLaffs (via GamesRadar) has been tracking users wh
Tuesday23rd Apr 2024
Random Kit And Krysta Show Off Their Immense DS And 3DS Collection
Including a few signed gems
The DS and the 3DS both had incredible libraries of games, we all know this, but sometimes it's kind of nice to just see a whole bunch of them laid out nicely so we can gaze at them in wonder. Thankfully, Kit and Kryta, former Nintendo employees and current, uh... Kit and Krysta hosts, have taken the time to show off...
Sunday21st Apr 2024
Poll Box Art Brawl - Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS)
When stars align
Hello one and all, and welcome to this week's edition of Box Art Brawl! It feels like only yesterday that we checked out Kirby Super Star's box art variants, yet here we are! In last week's battle, we had a classic three-way brawl to determine whether North America, Europe, or Japan would come out on top. Well, after counting and...
Friday19th Apr 2024
News Splatoon And Pokémon Join 'Free Comic Book Day' 2024 Lineup
The action begins early next month
Free Comic Book Day will take place next month on 4th May 2024 and as usual, there will be some video game-themed ones up for grabs. Provided you're located near a participating retailer, this year, you'll be able to get your hands on 'Pokémon Adventures: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire’, ‘Street Fighter vs...
Wednesday10th Apr 2024
Random Fan Saves All Dragon Quest 7 DLC Maps Before 3DS Servers Shut Down
"It felt like giving a little present back to the community"
With the 3DS and Wii U servers shutting down forever just a few days ago, a huge amount of DLC, digital-only games, and games reliant on online play have been lost to time. But one Dragon Quest fan sought to preserve all DLC for the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VII — and they did it just...
A "PSA" from Atooi following the 3DS online shutdown
Following the shutdown of online play for the 3DS and Wii U yesterday, Atooi founder Jools Watsham has issued a special PSA to "Nintendo 3DS owners and fans of Chicken Wiggle". All of the 3DS community levels that were uploaded to Chicken Wiggle during its lifecycle will be made available to...
Tuesday9th Apr 2024
News 3DS And Wii U Users Say Goodbye To Online Play
"Goodnight"
It's a bit of a sad day in the world of Nintendo, with the company officially shutting down online play functionality for both the 3DS and Wii U systems. Fans have today united by jumping on the servers while they were still active and seeing out the final hours. Across social media, there have been a lot of people having some final...
News It's Over! Nintendo Shuts Down Online Servers For 3DS And Wii U
Thanks for the memories
Nintendo previously confirmed it would end "online play and other functionality" for the 3DS and Wii U in April 2024 and we've now reached the exact date of this shutdown, so this is it! The online services for both of these systems have been officially discontinued - marking the end of Nintendo's Network generation...
Friday5th Apr 2024
Guide When Does 3DS And Wii U Online Shut Down? Nintendo eShop & Online Play Closure Guide
End game
This is your final reminder that if you want to play your 3DS or Wii U online, you've only got until Monday when the online servers are taken offline for good. There's still time to enjoy some online play with the original Splatoon, then — just not long. Enjoy it while you can! Th
News Capcom Reminds Monster Hunter Fans About 3DS And Wii U Online Shut Down
"Important Nintendo information"
Next week marks the end of online play and other functionality for the 3DS and Wii U, and it's not just Nintendo issuing reminders. Japanese publisher and developer Capcom has now released a message about the shutdown and certain Monster Hunter games that will no longer be playable online. It will also no longer be...
Thursday28th Mar 2024
Reminder Nintendo Is Ending 3DS And Wii U Online Play Early Next Month
The official shutdown is almost here
In case you missed it, Nintendo is shutting down online play and other functionality for the 3DS and Wii U early next month. As we get closer to this deadline, Nintendo's Japanese social media accounts have been issuing regular PSA. The latest one was posted earlier this week, once again reminding everyone...
Wednesday6th Mar 2024
Random New Pokémon Ad Positions 3DS As 'Retro', And The Internet Disagrees
New Pokémon ScaVi ad seems to think so
Get your Rawst Berries at the ready, folks, because you're about to feel a burn. The 3DS is now a retro console. Okay, maybe not officially. But it is certainly old enough for Nintendo to be using it in sentimental flashback sequences and for that, we feel ancient. This revelation came to us thanks to a new...
PSA You Have Until Next Week To Add "Unused" 3DS And Wii U Funds To Your Nintendo Account
The deadline is almost here
As we get closer to the official shutdown of online play and other functionality for the 3DS and Wii U next month, Nintendo has issued a reminder this week to merge your unused eShop balance while you still can. If you haven't already, now is the time to add these funds to your Nintendo Account, so they can then be used...
Tuesday5th Mar 2024
Talking Point What DS & 3DS Games Would You Still Like To See On Switch?
Dual-screen dreams
We are still receiving top-notch releases by the bucketload on Switch, but as the console enters the latter phase of its lifespan, we are well and truly in remake & remaster territory. The Wii U barrel has quickly run dry (though some remain that we'd like to see make the jump to the hybrid) and recent years have seen Nintendo...
Wednesday14th Feb 2024
News Nintendo To Stop Repairing 2DS, New 3DS & 3DS XL In Japan
Goodbye, old friend
The 3DS has had a good run over the years, but it's at the end of its life now that Nintendo has concluded eShop sales and announced the shutdown of online play. Ahead of the shutdown of online play in April, Nintendo's customer support service has also revealed repairs for the system will be ending in Japan. Even though this...
Friday26th Jan 2024
News Shantae And The Pirate's Curse Reprint Revealed As Limited Run's "Final 3DS Release"
Update: Pre-orders now open
Update [Fri 26th Jan, 2024 15:40 GMT]: Pre-orders for the physical editions of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse are now available on Limited Run Games' website. The Collector's Editions are already sold out, unfortunately, but you can still snap up a physical standard edition for $34.99. Original article [Thu 18th Jan,...
Thursday25th Jan 2024
Reminder The 3DS Pokémon Bank & Transporter Services Are Still Online
"But that may also end at some point in the future"
In case you missed it yesterday, Nintendo has now locked in the end date for 3DS and Wii U online play, with the services set to shut down on 8th April 2024. It's raised some questions about the future of Pokémon Bank and if you're wondering what the latest on this is, it's still the same...
Wednesday24th Jan 2024
News Online Play For Steel Diver: Sub Wars On 3DS Has Been Discontinued Early
Farewell, friend
Nintendo has announced that online play for Steel Diver: Sub Wars has been permanently discontinued on the 3DS ahead of the full online shutdown on April 8th, 2024 (thanks, Nintendo Everything). Now, the service has technically been offline for a little while now after Nintendo commenced emergency maintenance on September 4th,...
News It's Official, 3DS And Wii U Online Play Ends 8th April 2024
The end of an era
Now that we're in the new year, Nintendo has shared an update about the closure of online play and other functionality for the 3DS and Wii U, confirming these services will end on 8th April 2024. As part of this, it's shared a special message thanking customers for their continued support and also posting an update about how users...
Monday15th Jan 2024
News 3DS Emulator Citra Is Coming To Meta Quest Next Week
Say hello to CitraVR
The popular open-source 3DS emulator Citra is making its way to the Meta Quest platform as a native OpenXR application called CitraVR on January 20th, 2024. As reported by UploadVR, the application will launch in beta on SideQuest and GitHub, skipping Steam as a result of the Dolphin emulator's legal issues. Users will be able...
Wednesday10th Jan 2024
Random Wait, Is Ocarina Of Time 3D Old Now?
"Like a river's flow, it never ends"
Here's a little fact that made us choke on our Cornflakes this morning, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is old. Okay, maybe not old-old, but older than the original N64 release was back in 2011. Yes, the time between today (10th January 2024) and the release of OOT 3D (16th June 2011) is now one day...
Sunday24th Dec 2023
News New 3DS And Wii U Users Can't Go Online In Games
Update: This particular issue has reportedly been resolved
Update [Wed 27th Dec, 2023 05:30 GMT]: Pretendo has provided a new update, confirming the issues occurring were "indeed unintentional". While not all issues have been resolved, it appears new users on both 3DS and Wii U can now connect to servers. "We noted in our last blog post that it...
Wednesday20th Dec 2023
News Fighters From Smash Bros. For 3DS Were Leaked By Former NoA Employee's Child
Well, partially
In August 2014, photos and videos of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS were leaked online, demonstrating evidence of unannounced fighters. The leaks were seemingly confirmed following a copyright strike from Nintendo of America before being proven irrefutably real upon the game's eventual release later that year. Since then, the...
Tuesday19th Dec 2023
Random Luigi's Mansion 2 Was Inspired By The British Sitcom 'Mr. Bean'
Can't unsee now
In 2013, Luigi's Mansion fans rejoiced when a sequel to the 2001 GameCube classic finally launched on the Nintendo 3DS. Now, thanks to a new video from Did You Know Gaming, we now know that Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon was greatly inspired by none other than the iconic British sitcom Mr. Bean. According to the video, developer Next...
Tuesday12th Dec 2023
News 3DS Title Fragrant Story Launches "Free DLC Expansion" Papaya's Path Today
A small run of physical copies are coming in 2024
Although the 3DS eShop has technically closed, third-party and indie developers are still showing their support for Nintendo's past-generation portable system. One, in particular, is developer William Kage, who announced a free DLC expansion for Fragrant Story earlier this year. Now in an update,...
Tuesday5th Dec 2023
News 3DS Japan-Exclusive 'Touch Detective 3' Gets Official English Localisation In 2024
Touch Detective 3 + The Complete Case is coming to Switch
The Touch Detective series is making its grand return to the West thanks to publisher Nicalis. Touch Detective 3 + The Complete Case Files is coming to Nintendo Switch physically and digitally on 28th March, 2024. (Thanks, Gematsu!) Physical editions have only been announced for No
Wednesday22nd Nov 2023
Anniversary Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Is 10 Years Old Today
Worlds apart
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds on the Nintendo 3DS is celebrating its 10th anniversary today. Released in North America and Europe on November 22nd, 2013, the 3DS title represents one of few instances in which Nintendo created a direct sequel to one of its Zelda games. Directed by Hiromasa Shikata and produced by Zelda...
Sunday12th Nov 2023
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Hey! Pikmin
Hey! Another brawl
Hello everybody, and welcome to the latest edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we took a look at Kirby Mass Attack for the Nintendo DS. It wasn't quite as close as we were admittedly expecting, with the North American version easily beating the competition with 65% of the vote. This week, we're skipping ahead to the 3DS and the...
Tuesday31st Oct 2023
News Surprise! The 3DS Is Getting A Brand New Physical Release Next Week
VBlank's Shakedown: Hawaii returns
Just when we thought the 3DS generation had finally come to an end, another company goes and announces a new physical release. This time it's a hard copy version of VBlank's Shakedown: Hawaii title. This game will be arriving next week on 6th November with pre-orders open on the same day. It will be priced at...
Sunday29th Oct 2023
News Newly Discovered Nintendo Filing Shows Off "Dual-Screen, Detachable Device"
Sending Switch successor rumours into overdrive (again)
Switch successor rumours have got louder in recent months and now some new Nintendo filings have been discovered. New ideas and designs from Nintendo, which were originally filed by the Japanese video game company on 11th November 2022, have been discovered on the 'World Intellectual Property...
Thursday12th Oct 2023
Soapbox Pokémon X & Y - The Series' Greatest Paradoxes
You can’t be groundbreaking without leaving a few cracks
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Andy looks back at a pivotal juncture in the Pocket Monster series which hinted at the path it would take over the following decade...
