How permanent are my purchases on E-shop?

When I buy something on Steam I have the satisfaction of knowing I'll have it forever.

What happens if I get the new 3ds, can I somehow transfer my stuff over to the new hardware?

Looking more into the future - Will I be able to transfer my eshop games, like the virtual console games to the Wii U successor.

Nothing I purchase is linked to my account, correct? it just installs onto the SD card but there is no permanent home for the game like steam has for their user libraries?

There is an account with all your purchases linked obviously, it's just tied to that one console. To transfer the account to another console you have to contact Nintendo.

How does this compare to the other services? Are all of your PSN purchases on the PS3 playable on the PS4? I am under the impression that they are not. All of my digital purchases on the Wii were carried over to the Wii U, though. I have no idea if that will also be the case with the Wii U successor.

you dont have to contact nintendo...there is a system transfer tool in both the wiiu and 3DS...

you only have to contact nintendo if your system breaks or is stolen.

Ah, well that's nice. Still a far cry from psn and xbl though.

a far cry eh? good one.

You don't own it forever. If Steam is gone, then you lose those games. Also, some weird third party games might have their own DRM on some games.

In terms of Nintendo, you buy games that are tied to your Nintendo ID. Currently, Nintendo are in growing pains with how you transfer your games to new devices. You need to go through a process of transfer games between systems. So it's possible, but not as streamlined as simply logging into your account and having all of your games available irrespective of what device you're on. I'm sure Nintendo will streamline this service in the next generation.