Nintendo 3DS and Wii U will have its card payments stopped on the eShop starting 2022, with Japanese users unable to buy transport cards.
In an announcement, the Japanese company announced the stoppage of a few services for the systems. Both the 3DS & Wii U eShop will lose its ability to process card payments. Features tied to this system will also stop working at some point.
This underscores the slow move of Nintendo to phase out their legacy devices. Furthermore, removing features will help discourage fans from buying old consoles.
Online payments for services to stop
In an announcement, the Nintendo Customer Service Twitter in Japan announced they are shutting down their card payment service for 3DS & Wii U. The tweet announced specifically that they will stop transport payment options through the systems.
「ニンテンドー3DSシリーズおよびWii U内のニンテンドーeショップにおけるクレジットカードと交通系電子マネーのご利用取扱い終了について」のお知らせを掲載しました。 https://t.co/hlGGJIZu3B
— 任天堂サポート (@nintendo_cs) July 20, 2021
“Notice of ‘Termination of use of credit cards and electronic money for transportation at Nintendo 3DS series and Nintendo eShop in Wii U’ has been posted,” noted the tweet.
Within the blog, they note that users won’t be able to buy transport cards through the eShop. The termination itself will start January 18 next year, after which users won’t have the ability to do payments.“We are announcing that the handling of credit cards and electronic money for transportation at the Nintendo 3DS series and the Nintendo eShop in Wii U will be terminated at 9:00 am on Tuesday, January 18, 2022,” said the post, translated via Google Drive.
“You will not be able to add balances using credit cards and transportation electronic money from the Nintendo 3DS series and Wii U after termination of services.”
Other features tied to online payment system to stop soon
The removal of online payment methods like credit cards and Suica [railway] cards in Japan is a sign of discontinuation. The company has looked into stopping much of its services for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U.
Among other things, some features for the systems will also stop functioning. For the 3DS, the internet browser filter for both devices will default to enable permanently. Users who set it to disabled at any point will still have options.
The Karaoke JOYSOUND for Wii U will also stop renewing 90-day tickets starting October 26. Everything before or during that date will work as is. Other services that rely on automatic renewal like Youtube posting will also stop working on October 26.
The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U are bracing for a phase-out. Earlier this year, Nintendo announced that they will stop all repairs for their 3DS models.
Featured image courtesy of Nintendo/Youtube Screenshot