The Mario Kart 7 player still clinging to the now-defunct Nintendo 3DS servers has done so with extreme precautions to ensure his handheld doesn't lose power.
Speaking with GamesRadar+, the Mario Kart 3DS player going by Fishguy6564 explained how he's managed to stay online more than four months after the official 3DS and Wii U servers were shut down by Nintendo. He hasn't been the only one; the number of intrepid survivors still connected to 3DS and Wii U games like Splatoon, Smash Bros., and Mario Kart has slowly dwindled from around 23 to just one known player, and that's Fishguy6564.
"I didn't think we would even survive the initial shutdown," he said. However, he noticed that after the servers were closed, he simply stayed connected and found that the bots had survived and were in fact "racing as if nothing had happened." From there, "it had simply become a test to see how long we could keep this going."
- After shutting down the Wii U online services last year, Nintendo asks players not to use "unauthorized services" to replace them as they might pose "security risks"
- Wii U online replacement Pretendo says "we are committed to user safety" as Nintendo warns against using third-party alternatives to its dead servers
In order to ensure he's connected for as long as possible, Fishguy6564's 3DS has been connected to an uninterruptible power supply "tucked away in a cabinet where no one can touch it." This is the kind of dedication to game preservation that I can truly admire.
You can get the full story of Fishguy6564's refusal to go down with the 3DS server shutdown in our interview here. While a number of things completely out of his control could, at virtually any point, put an end to the 3DS and Wii U servers for good, he thinks his mission "could go on forever." That said, he adds that "there will be a point where I think it will be appropriate to send off the service on my own terms."
Now's a good time to reminisce on the best 3DS games ever made.
