Despite the shutdown of the Nintendo 3DS eShop in March, a dedicated community of 3DS enthusiasts are working together to maintain the handheld’s social aspects by hosting events on Discord.
From March 31st to April 2nd, Nintendo 3DS enthusiasts across the world organised gatherings to resurrect the much-beloved StreetPass feature. Once an iconic feature that allowed multiple 3DS consoles to connect through proximity or by visiting designated relay points, StreetPass allowed players to encounter Mii avatars of other players they encountered in their daily lives. This feature allowed players to interact with other players’ Mii characters, share in-game accomplishments and earn badges. Despite the recent shutdown of the Nintendo 3DS eShop, fans continue to keep this beloved feature alive through community events and online gatherings.
Various StreetPass revival events were organised in cities and countries like Australia, Belgium, Florida, Hawaii, Ireland, London, New York, Nottingham, and Tokyo, among others. These events coincided with different fan conventions and were aimed at attracting as many gamers as possible. It’s interesting to note that these events happened in the same month when Nintendo had announced its plans to shut down the online store with no intentions of preserving its game library.
At the best of times, preserving gaming hardware is challenging, and it becomes even more daunting when a manufacturer begins decommissioning online services such as the 3DS eShop. In addition to emulators that can help preserve a platform’s software library, preserving the hardware itself becomes more challenging as more owners decide to discard it.
If you want to help save the 3DS and are passionate about the handheld device then you can join the Discord channel in question and be part of the movement.