Nintendo Updates: Nintendo has discreetly removed support for Netflix on two older systems, the 3DS and Wii U, signaling that the consoles are fading deeper into oblivion. The firm now has no support for the streaming service at all. Despite the fact that the Switch has been out for four years, no Netflix app has been launched for it.
In January 2021, it was announced that the Netflix applications for the 3DS and Wii U will be discontinued. In practice, most consumers had already abandoned the two devices: Wii U manufacture was ceased in January 2017, and all versions of the 3DS were phased out by September 2020.
Not only did the Switch outperform other devices in terms of performance, but it also served as a portable and living room system. Putting aside the company’s expanding support for smartphones and tablets, it’s currently the company’s lone first-party hardware platform.
Nintendo Consoles & 3DS Apps
ScreenRantAccording to a Nintendo support document, 3DS and Wii U support were formally stopped on June 30. On December 31, the software was withdrawn from the devices’ eShop, but it continued to operate for Netflix customers, presumably to ease the transition.
The termination affects all 3DS models, even 2DS spinoffs that were stripped of stereoscopic 3D effects. Those effects were rarely employed in games, and video services, who would have had to adapt the material for the 3DS, didn’t pick up on them.
Nintendo’s scenario contrasts sharply with Microsoft and Sony, which have added as many streaming applications as possible, including Disney+ and HBO Max, in addition to Netflix.
This covers live TV alternatives such as Sling TV and YouTube TV. Hulu and the normal version of YouTube are available on the Switch, but the lack of Netflix means that many customers will have to rely on third-party devices like Chromecasts and Apple TVs.
Nintendo has been chastised in the past for its limited emphasis on games. It took a long time to embrace the internet on its consoles, with the Wii being the first to do so in 2006. Even back then, the business made services tough to use, relying on friend codes to interact with other gamers, for example.
There’s no indication that Netflix or other streaming services will be included with the “Switch Pro” system, which is supposed to be released in 2022; nonetheless, they may be required to encourage the public to remain with Nintendo as a platform. A console like the Xbox Series X may serve as an all-in-one entertainment device that can handle games, movies, and music.
