User blog comment:Narga99/mh3u online?/@comment-8874090-20130718151916/@comment-5043481-20130720103105

More accurately, you can play the 3ds online in the west, but you need a special application for the Wii U to make it work. So you have to have both anyway, and you can't play the Wii U at the same time.

The only people this helps are those who have a Wii U and 3ds but only have the game on the 3ds.