The Nintendo 3DS has received its first update in over a year, proving that Nintendo hasn't completely forgotten about its old handheld machine. The success of the Nintendo Switch meant that the 3DS and the Wii U were swiftly abandoned, as focus shifted to the newer, more popular machine.
The 3DS hasn't received any updates since November 2020, but that has now changed. According to OatmealDome on Twitter and an official post on the Japanese Nintendo website, the 11.15.0-47 update is now live in all regions. The patch notes mention a change to stability, but the update is focused on the 3DS' native Internet Browser app, which is likely to stop an exploit to load custom firmware. It's not surprising that Nintendo has limited the number of similar apps on the Switch, as the system doesn't even have access to a number of popular streaming video apps, like Netflix.
It's not just the 3DS that is receiving love in 2021, as the Wii U received its first update in three years back in March. These systems will likely continue to receive updates, so long as fans keep trying to hack the firmware so that they can run pirated software. Such piracy was rampant in the days of the DS and Wii, so it's clear that Nintendo is doing its best to prevent the same thing from happening to its later consoles.
The 11.15.0-47 update for Nintendo 3DS is available to download now.
Sources: Nintendo, OatmealDome/Twitter