Nintendo is makes titles that appeal to a wide audience, but the company hasn’t always made the best functionality decisions. In less than half a year, the 3DS and Wii U eShops will be shutting down permanently. However, all is not lost — there’s still time to buy digital copies of games for both consoles. The catch is that doing so requires some very specific steps to add funds to your account. Thankfully, as long as you have all the details, you should be able to resolve it relatively quickly and painlessly. Here’s how the process works in 2022 and up to the eShop closure in March 2023.
How To Add Funds To The eShop on 3DS and Wii U
The 3DS is still one of Nintendo’s most popular handhelds and the Wii U maintains a niche audience around the world. What makes things confusing is that although these consoles and the Nintendo Switch have access to the eShop, it’s not shared between them. Come March of 2023, the 3DS/Wii U eShops will be shutting down for good. If you’re still hoping to buy and download some titles for them, here’s what you need to do.
Step 1: Enable Non-Nintendo Device Access
Although the Switch is a Nintendo system, it is not recognized as one by the older-gen 3DS and Wii U. To fix this, access your NNID (Nintendo Network ID) settings from the Settings menu on your select system. Then, scroll to the tab that says “Non-Nintendo Devices” and select it. It will ask whether you want to make your NNID accessible to non-Nintendo devices, so click Yes. Enter your password and that will finalize the new setting.
Step 2: Link Your NNID To Your Nintendo Account
As confusing as it is, your NNID and Nintendo Account are two separate entities. To fix this, you must link them. Now that you’ve enabled Non-Nintendo Devices, you can do this from the Nintendo website. Go there and sign in to your Nintendo Account. Go to your profile page and look for “Linked Accounts” where NNID should be at the top of the list. Click “Edit” and select your NNID which will prompt you to enter your NNID username and password. After that, the accounts will be successfully linked.
Step 3: Add Funds To Your Nintendo eShop
Since you can no longer add funds directly to the 3DS or Wii U, you need to add them to your Nintendo Account. This can be done online or from the Switch by selecting your profile page. Look for the option to “Add Funds” and select it. You’ll be prompted to either provide a credit card or an eCard (Nintendo gift card) code to add funds. Once the details have been entered, the funds should appear immediately.
Step 4: Merge Funds With Your 3DS/Wii U
Near the option to “Add Funds” should be a prompt to “Merge with 3DS/Wii U.” Since there are funds in your account now, select that option. You’ll be prompted to sign in with your NNID details if you haven’t already. This will then take you to a summary page showing you the fund amount in both locations. Confirm how much you want, and you’ll see those funds appear in your 3DS/Wii U eShop.
If you’ve followed these steps properly, you’ll have successfully added funds to your eShop. Remember, this method isn’t going to last forever. You can add funds all the way up to March 27, 2023, when the 3DS and Wii U eShops close down for good.
