Just a little over a week ago, Nintendo announced their plan to shut down the eShops for both the Wii U and 3DS systems. Both systems have leagues of legacy content, like 3DS games and well loved remasters of games from past systems. Hopefully, you can get your hands on the remaining games for your collection before the physical copies skyrocket in prices. 

Before we contextualize why this is probably the best time to round out your collection, you should probably understand when the changes are to take place. The eShop will officially shut down for both systems in March 2023, but it’s much more urgent than it seems. The eShop will no longer allow funds to be deposited from credit cards on May 23rd, 2022. This means on that date, the amount of funds on it is finite. You won’t be able to put any more money on that eShop. It’s probably best you put in your funds now if a shopping spree isn’t your definition of a Saturday afternoon.

Now, why should you rush? After all, you probably don’t care about that dusty old 3DS or Wii U anymore. While that’s perfectly understandable, there’s a couple reasons you may want to take the opportunity. Especially on the 3DS, some games are digital only, meaning the loss of the eShop means a complete loss of receiving those games on a fresh console. This includes the app Pokemon Bank, which can be used to transfer Pokemon from 3DS titles like Pokemon Sun. While usually you’d have to pay a subscription, the app will become completely free after the shutdown, meaning it can be used indefinitely for any reason. Regardless of what you may pick up, there are guides that you might find a few games to pick up before the closure on.  

Even if the eShop only games don’t entice you, there’s still one more reason to have a last minute pick up. After the end of a system, it’s not all too uncommon that titles for the console skyrocket in price. People with physical copies will try and sell them for more than they paid because of their exclusive nature, making getting the games to experience them more difficult. Simply put, it’s not a good time to wait if there’s something you really want to try before the game market experiences the largest shift in years. All this applies to the Wii U as well, despite it’s unpopularity as a system.

Time is swiftly running out, so you better break the wallet before it’s too late. The credit card compatibility runs out on May 23rd, and you won’t be able to access the app at all after March 2023. Good luck!