Witness Exactly When Nintendo 3DS Online Services Shut Down

It's no longer possible to play Mario Kart 7 against others across the world, as Nintendo has officially ended online support for 3DS and Wii U. In fact, one player was racing on Rainbow Road as Mario when the service shut down. That meant they couldn't reach the finish line and complete their last race.

On X (formerly known as Twitter), a user who goes by Jerm-X "captured the moment the 3DS online [service] shut down" by sharing video footage of their race in Mario Kart 7. Jerm-X had just picked up a trio of green shells as Mario as well as sped into first place when the screens on the handheld went black. Then, the bottom screen revealed that online communication had been disrupted.

In October, Nintendo announced that 3DS and Wii U online services would shut down on April 8. Along with Mario Kart 7, other notable online-centric games that no longer will let you play against others over the internet include Splatoon, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

Over a year ago, Nintendo ended eShop purchases on 3DS and Wii U, meaning players haven't been able to buy digital content on those systems for a while now. With online support ending, too, both platforms are fully offline experiences. The only exception for now is Pokemon Bank and Poke Transporter.

Nintendo has offered new online support through old games via Nintendo Switch Online, though the service doesn't feature 3DS or Wii U games as part of its catalog. This topic is important to Microsoft, as Xbox has put together a new team focused on game preservation.