This is what I sent:
....and here is what they replied:
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Does any other company do this? Where they tie virtual purchases to hardware, forever lost if the hardware is lost? I can only imagine how many little kids lose their DS's.
I was really hoping he would tell me that with my 3DS serial number, I could get my games retrieved. What a crock.
TL;DR- I emailed them about getting my games back if my 3DS is lost or stolen. They told me:
Dear good people of Nintendo,
First off, keep doing what your doing, I love your games and systems- I'm a big supporter.
My question is about the 3DS eshop games I download, and the ones I will download in the future. I realized the other day that I've downloaded a couple hundred dollars worth of games, and if I continue to shop on the eshop, a couple thousand (I'm a pretty avid gamer). My system has got so much value, it's like carrying a diamond necklace.
I was wondering, should I lose or have my 3DS stolen, is there any way to retrieve the games that I've purchased on the eshop? I am curious about your policy on this, and especially when so many young kids play 3DS and could potentially lose them. I know on the iphone and PSP, you are tied to an account to which you can retrive your games. How does it work for Nintendo? Should I be worried about buying my little nephew eshop points?
thanks for your time! Can't wait for all of the great games! Bill Trinen and Reggie - whatup!
....and here is what they replied:
Hello,
Thank you for writing. I'll be happy to answer your questions regarding virtual content on the Nintendo 3DS. All virtual content downloaded on the Nintendo 3DS is tied to the system itself. As our warranty doesn't cover lost or stolen game cards and systems, if this were to happen regardless of your games being virtual or you owning the physical copies, they would not be covered for replacement.
If you happen to want to upgrade from your current Nintendo 3DS to a Nintendo 3DS XL, you will be able to perform a system transfer yourself. The system transfer requires both systems to be present and connected online. This is the only way to insure your content gets transferred over to your new system.
Please feel free to respond to this email if you have additional questions.
Sincerely,
Brian McFarlane
Nintendo of America Inc.
Have you heard about our new home console? Learn more at http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu/what-is-wiiu/.
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Nintendo's home page: http://www.nintendo.com/
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Does any other company do this? Where they tie virtual purchases to hardware, forever lost if the hardware is lost? I can only imagine how many little kids lose their DS's.
I was really hoping he would tell me that with my 3DS serial number, I could get my games retrieved. What a crock.
TL;DR- I emailed them about getting my games back if my 3DS is lost or stolen. They told me: