While no doubt many of you still have a Nintendo 3DS or a Wii U hidden away somewhere, or perhaps even return to play on these platforms from time to time, the online services that these two consoles offer are likely used a fraction of what they once were.
To this end, Nintendo has now announced that it is pulling the plug on "online play and other functionality that uses online communication" for software on the systems. This will apply to all software exclusive to the systems, and will mean that you won't be able to use online cooperative play, internet rankings, data distribution, and so forth for most games on the systems.
The exact end date is set to be April 8, 2024, although the end time has yet to be communicated. You will of course still be able to play games offline on both systems, and for those who still like to return to Pokémon titles on said platforms will be glad to know that Pokémon Bank is set to be unaffected by the service closure.
Likewise, some additional and unspecified games will be unaffected by the planned closure, and you'll still be able to download update data and purchased software for the foreseeable future. StreetPass will also remain functional, but SpotPass will be closed down permanently.