According to Polygon, Nintendo has finally launched its official store app worldwide after previously being available only in Japan. The Android and iOS app now covers most major regions except Australia and New Zealand, letting players shop for games, accessories, and merchandise directly from their phones. This marks the latest addition to Nintendo’s growing app lineup that already includes Nintendo Music, Nintendo Switch Parental Controls, and the news platform Nintendo Today. Surprisingly, none of Nintendo’s previous mobile apps – not even the Nintendo Switch app – provided access to the eShop until now. The new store app also sends notifications about game sales for titles on players’ wish lists and lets users redeem My Nintendo points.
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The play history surprise
Here’s the thing – the most interesting feature isn’t actually the shopping part. Buried in this store app is a detailed play activity tracker that goes way beyond what your Switch shows you. Instead of rough estimates, you can see every single play session you’ve had with a game. And get this – if you link your Nintendo Network ID, you can view your gaming history across Wii U and 3DS systems too. Now, there’s a catch: that older data only goes up to February 2020, and it doesn’t show individual sessions like the Switch data does. But still, being able to see your gaming history stretching back over a decade? That’s a nostalgia trip Nintendo fans have been wanting forever.
Why this matters now
So why put a feature like this in a shopping app? Basically, it feels like Nintendo is finally starting to connect its ecosystem across platforms. The company has always been weirdly fragmented with its online services – different accounts, different friends lists, different everything. Putting Wii U, 3DS, and Switch history in one place is a small but significant step toward something more unified. And let’s be honest, seeing your old play history might just trigger some impulse purchases of those classic games you used to love. Smart move, Nintendo.
What’s still missing
Don’t get too excited though – there are still some obvious gaps. The fact that this detailed tracking was previously only available through parental controls is just… bizarre. And why February 2020 for the cutoff on older systems? That feels arbitrary. Also, the app description mentions checking in at official Nintendo stores and events for “related rewards,” but nobody seems to know what those actually are. Look, it’s progress, but it’s classic Nintendo – two steps forward, one step back. At least we can finally browse games without firing up the Switch, right?
