Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

Article Images

Line 3:

{{Redirect|NiFi|the data process and distribution system|Apache NiFi}}

{{Infobox video game online service

| name = Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Line 29 ⟶ 31:

}}

'''Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection'''{{efn|{{nihongo|ニンテンドーWi-Fiコネクション|Nintendō Wi-Fi Konekushon|lead=yes}}}} (sometimes shortened to '''Nintendo WFC''') was an online [[Multiplayer|multiplayer gaming]] service run by [[Nintendo]] tothat ~~provide~~formerly provided free online play in compatible [[Nintendo DS]] and [[Wii]] games. The service included the company's [[Wii Shop Channel]] and [[DSi Shop]] game download services. It also ran features for the [[Wii]] and Nintendo DS systems.

Games designed to take advantage of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection offered Internet play integrated into the game. When promoting this service, Nintendo emphasized the simplicity and speed of starting an online game. For example, in ''[[Mario Kart DS]]'', an online game was initiated by selecting the online multiplayer option from the main menu, then choosing whether to play with friends, or to play with other players (either in the local region or worldwide) at about the same skill level. After a selection was made, the game started searching for an available player.

On January 26, 2012, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was succeeded by and absorbed into the ~~'''~~[[Nintendo Network]]~~'''~~. This new online system unified the 3DS and Wii U platforms and replaced Friend Codes, while providing paid downloadable content, an online community style multiplayer system, and personal accounts. Nintendo Network is fully supported on the [[Nintendo 3DS]] and on the [[Wii U]], whilst still continuing providing partial legacy support for both Wii and Nintendo DS under the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection brand. Specifically, the Wii U can boot to Wii mode and then access the Wii Message Board messages which have been recorded by the gameplay progress of compatible local games, but it cannot send Wii Message Board messages remotely between different machines.

On May 20, 2014, Nintendo shut down Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, except for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection pay and play branded games, Nintendo DSi Shop and Wii Shop Channel services (which were terminated on March 31, 2017, and January 30, 2019, respectively).

After the end of the service, there have been various fan-made services to restore online functionality to games that Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection supported that remain operational, most notably Wiimmfi.

==Launch==

On November 14, 2005, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was deployed with the release of ''[[Mario Kart DS]]''. Having been developed under the direct supervision of ~~company~~ president [[Satoru Iwata]], Nintendo's Takao Ohara lamented that Nintendo's long history of online strategies had each quit due to unexpectedly insufficient userbases, but that Nintendo WFC had in four months garnered 2.9 million connections from over one million unique users. To achieve the goal of a truly sustainable online userbase with the most-used network service in the world, Ohara described a new strategy for identifying and relieving four main barriers. The proposed four barriers are difficult setup procedures, the psychological barrier preventing newcomers from joining in games, the unpleasantness of receiving abuse from other players, and the cost barrier. The company's proposed online strategy at this point was called "simple, safe, free". Nintendo believed that the online platform's success directly propelled the commercial success of the entire Nintendo DS platform. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection then served as part of the basis of what would become the [[Wii]].<ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 28, 2006 |title=Wi-Fiコネクションについて講演『ウイイレ』など40タイトルが開発中 - ファミ通 (archived) |url=https://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2006/03/25/103,1143298259,50588,0,0.html |access-date=April 23, 2017 |magazine=Famitsu |language=ja |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118211400/https://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2006/03/25/103,1143298259,50588,0,0.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

==Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection architecture==

Line 94 ⟶ 96:

*[[Netflix]] (North America and Europe only)

*[[Hulu Plus]] (United States only)

*[[YouTube|YouTube Channel]] (~~United~~North ~~States~~America and Europe only)

*[[LoveFilm|LOVEFiLM Channel]] (United Kingdom only)

*[[Amazon Prime Video|Amazon Video Channel]] (United States only)

Line 151 ⟶ 153:

===Friend Codes===

Each game that used Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection generated a unique twelve-digit Friend Code that could be exchanged with friends and be used to maintain individual friend lists in each game. Though certain games could be played online without a Friend Code, a Friend Code was required to play with a specific person. Friend Codes were generated from an identifier unique to a copy of a game and the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection ID of a DS or Wii system. Using a different copy of a game or loading the same copy in a different system generated a new Friend Code.<ref name="friend codes">{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/wfc/en_na/ds/gameSupportFriendCodes.jsp|title=| Nintendo - Customer Service | Nintendo Wi-Fi connection - Friend Codes|publisher=Nintendo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308175403/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/wfc/en_na/ds/gameSupportFriendCodes.jsp|archive-date=March 8, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref> If users wanted to become "Friends", they had to mutually add Friend Codes and be authenticated as Friends once both of them were online. Nintendo introduced these features as conscious steps to preserve users' privacy. If a DS or Wii game was sold, but not the system, there was no risk of the purchaser impersonating the seller. If a user needed to replace his or her DS system, then the old system's Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection ID could be transferred wirelessly, in order to maintain the user's original Friend Codes on the new machine. Some games required that the user had to use Friend Codes to use any online functionality.

Many games have additional features that are enabled between registered friends. These may include customized matchmaking options, cooperative play, friend lists, text chat, and voice chat. [[List of Wii games using WiiConnect24|Certain Wii games]] use the 16-digit Wii Number to share some data passively between mutually registered users via [[WiiConnect24]] instead of using independent Friend Codes. Although, some of these games may use both the 16-digit Wii Number and its own 12-digit Friend Code, depending on whether the online connectivity requires either passive data-sharing or active multiplaying respectively.

Line 178 ⟶ 180:

===Virtual Console ===

The Virtual Console portion of the Wii Shop Channel specialized in older software originally designed and released for home entertainment platforms that are older, in order to make them more accessible on newer platforms. These games are played on the Wii through [[Video game console emulator|emulation]] of older hardware. this hardware included the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES/Famicom]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES/Super ~~NES~~Famicom]], [[Nintendo 64]], [[Sega Genesis|Sega Genesis/Mega Drive]], [[Master System|Sega Master System/Mark III]], [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo ~~geo~~Geo]], [[TurboGrafx-16|TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine]], [[Commodore 64]], and some [[Arcade video game|arcade]] games, (referred to under the Virtual Console Arcade branding). The prices were generally the same in almost every region and are determined primarily by the software's original platform. the Wii version of this service was discontinued when the [[Wii Shop Channel]] was shut down on January 31, 2019.

===WiiWare===

The WiiWare section of the Wii Shop Channel specialized in downloadable software specifically designed for the Wii, and usually for lower budget games. The first WiiWare games were made available on March 25, 2008, in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6187517.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;1|title=WiiWare launching in Japan March 25|work=GameSpot|access-date=February 7, 2015}}</ref> ~~the~~The WiiWare platform was launched in North America on May 12, 2008,<ref>{{cite news |title=UPDATE 1-Nintendo rolls out Wii fitness game product |date=February 20, 2008 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2034720820080220 |access-date=February 21, 2008 | work=Reuters | first=Yinka | last=Adegoke}}</ref> and ~~launched~~ in Europe and Australia on May 20, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |author=Nintendo of Europe |title=Nintendo announces Q2 release schedule |date=April 24, 2008 |url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/2008/nintendo_announces_q2_release_schedule_7920.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530115128/http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/2008/nintendo_announces_q2_release_schedule_7920.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 30, 2012 |access-date=April 24, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/05/20/wiiware-launches-in-australia|title=WiiWare Launches in Australia|publisher=IGN|date=May 19, 2008}}</ref>

The WiiWare section was touted as a forum to provide developers with small budgets to release smaller-scale games without the investment and risk of creating a title to be sold at retail (somewhat similar to the [[Xbox Live Arcade]] and the [[PlayStation Store]]). While actual games have been planned to appear in this section since its inception, there had been no official word on when any would be appearing until June 27, 2007, when Nintendo made an official confirmation in a press release which revealed the first titles would surface sometime in 2008. According to Nintendo, "The remarkable motion controls will give birth to fresh takes on established genres, as well as original ideas that currently exist only in developers' minds."

Line 201 ⟶ 203:

===''Forecast Channel''===

The ''Forecast Channel'' first became available on December 19, 2006, and was shut down on June 28, 2013, due to the discontinuation of [[WiiConnect24]] which it required. The ''Forecast Channel'' allowed weather reports and forecasts to be shown on the console from the Internet via the WiiConnect24 service. The ''Forecast Channel'' displayed a view of the Earth as a user-spinnable globe (courtesy of [[NASA]]), with which users could view weather in other regions. When fully zoomed out, an accurate star map was visible in the background. The [[Big Dipper]] and the [[constellation]] [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]] are easily recognizable, for example. The ''Forecast Channel'' features included the current forecast, the UV index, today's overall forecast, tomorrow's forecast, a 5-day forecast (only for the selected country you live in), and a laundry check (Japan only). Certain games like ''[[Madden NFL 07]]'', ''[[Nights: Journey of Dreams]]'', and ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]'' could use the ''Forecast Channel'' to simulate weather conditions depending on the player's region.<ref name="maddenweather">{{cite web|url=http://reviews.cnet.com/Madden_NFL_07_Wii/4524-9993_7-31861374.html|title=Madden NFL 07 (Wii)|publisher=[[CNET]]|date=November 19, 2006|access-date=February 14, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120524093132/http://reviews.cnet.com/Madden_NFL_07_Wii/4524-9993_7-31861374.html|archive-date=May 24, 2012}}</ref>

===''News Channel''===

Line 208 ⟶ 210:

The ''News Channel'' became available in North America, Europe, and Australia on January 26, 2007.

Starting with the August 6, 2007, update, the ''News Channel'' shows a [[news ticker]] in the Wii Menu. However, not visiting the channel for a period of time will result in the ticker not appearing, until the channel is viewed. A December 20, 2007, update only released in PAL regions increased the number of news feeds to the channel, sourced from a larger number of news resources and agencies, providing more news that is available per country.<ref>[http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=32000 GoNintendo » Blog Archive » Wii News Channel updated- What are you waiting for?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715164155/http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=32000|date=July 15, 2009}}</ref> As with the Forecast Channel, the ''News Channel'' is not available in South Korea.<ref name=SK>{{cite web|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2008/04/14/wii-launches-in-south-korea-on-april-26-with-even-cheaper-virtual-console-games/|title=Wii launches in South Korea on April 26 with even cheaper Virtual Console games|work=Siliconera|date=April 14, 2008 |access-date=February 7, 2015}}</ref>

The ''News Channel'' was shut down on June 28, 2013, along with the Forecast Channel, due to both channels requiring the discontinued WiiConnect24 service.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Wii/Wii-Channels/News-Channel/News-Channel-242177.html|title=News Channel|work=Nintendo of Europe GmbH|access-date=February 7, 2015}}</ref><ref name="~~gameinformer.com~~Game Informer">{{cite web|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/04/12/nintendo-discontinues-several-wii-channels.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415102744/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/04/12/nintendo-discontinues-several-wii-channels.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 15, 2013|title=Nintendo Discontinues Several Online Wii Services|work=www.GameInformer.com|access-date=February 7, 2015}}</ref>

===''Everybody Votes Channel''===

Line 217 ⟶ 219:

''Everybody Votes Channel'' was launched on February 13, 2007, and was available in the Wii Channels section of the Wii Shop Channel. The application allowed Wii owners to vote on various questions using their [[Mii]] as a registered voter. Additionally, voters could also make predictions for the choice that would be the most popular overall after their own vote had been cast. Each Mii's voting and prediction record was tracked and voters could also view how their opinions compared to others. Whether the Mii was correct in its predictions or not, it was displayed on a statistics page, along with a counter of how many times that Mii voted. Up to six Miis could be registered to vote on the console. The channel was free to download. Each player could make a suggestion for a poll a day.

''Everybody Votes Channel'' was shut down on June 28, 2013, as with the other channels.<ref name="~~gameinformer.com~~Game Informer"/>

===''LoveFilm Channel''===

Line 246 ⟶ 248:

===''Today and Tomorrow Channel''===

The ''Today and Tomorrow Channel''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/2009/free_today_and_tomorrow_channel_launches_for_wii_14488.html|title=Free Today and Tomorrow Channel launches for Wii|work=Nintendo of Europe GmbH|access-date=February 7, 2015}}</ref> became available in Japan on December 2, 2008, and in Europe, Australia, and South Korea<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nintendo.co.kr/Wii/wiichannel/channel.php|title=Wii Channels|publisher=[[Nintendo]]|access-date=September 14, 2009|language=ja}}</ref> on September 9, 2009. The channel was developed in collaboration with Media Kobo and allowed users to view fortunes for up to six Miis across five categories: love, work, study, communications, and money. The channel also featured a compatibility test that compared two Miis, and it also gave out "lucky words" that had to be interpreted by the user. The channel used Mii birthdate data, but users had to input a birth year whenever they were loaded onto the channel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2008/12/02/hands-on-nintendos-fortune-telling-channel/|title=Hands On Nintendo's Fortune Telling Channel - Siliconera|work=Siliconera|date=December 2, 2008 |access-date=February 7, 2015}}</ref>

===''Wii Room Channel''===

Line 256 ⟶ 258:

===''Nintendo Channel''===

The ''Nintendo Channel'' (known as the '''Everybody's Nintendo Channel''' in Japan), was a Channel for the Wii. It was launched in Japan on November 27, 2007,<ref name="EverybodysNintendo">{{cite web|title=DS demos on your Wii in Japan|publisher=Club Skill|date=November 27, 2007|url=http://www.clubskill.com/article/4710|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213205913/http://www.clubskill.com/article/4710|archive-date=December 13, 2007}}</ref> in North America on May 7, 2008,<ref>[http://www.nintendic.com/news/2293 Nintendic » Nintendo Channel dated for US, WiiWare integrated] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080425202732/http://www.nintendic.com/news/2293|date=April 25, 2008}}</ref> and in Europe and Australia on May 30, 2008,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/2008/nintendo_announces_q2_release_schedule_7920.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530115128/http://nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/2008/nintendo_announces_q2_release_schedule_7920.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 30, 2012 |title=Nintendo announces Q2 release schedule |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |date=April 24, 2008 |access-date=April 24, 2008 }}</ref> and was shut down on June 28, 2013. It allowed [[Wii]] users to watch videos such as interviews, trailers, commercials, and download [[Game demo|demos]] for the [[Nintendo DS]]. In this capacity, the channel worked in a similar way to the [[DS Download Station]]. The channel provided game info pages and users could rate games that they had played. A search feature was also available to assist users in finding new games to try or buy. The channel had the ability to take the user directly into the ''Wii Shop Channel'' for buying the wanted game immediately. The Nintendo Channel was updated with different Nintendo DS demos and new videos every week; the actual day of the week varied across different international regions.

An updated version of the Nintendo Channel was released in Japan on July 15, 2009,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/features/minnano_nintendo_ch/index.html|title=みんなのニンテンドーチャンネル - Wii|website=www.nintendo.co.jp}}</ref> North America on September 14, 2009, and in Europe on December 15, 2009. The update introduced a new interface and additional features, options, and statistics for users to view. However, the European version was missing some of these new additional features, such as options for choosing video quality. In addition, a weekly show known as ''Nintendo Week'' began airing exclusively on the North American edition of the channel, while another weekly show called ''Nintendo TV'', was available on the UK version of the channel.<ref>[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=249788 News: ONM launches Nintendo TV]. ComputerAndVideoGames.com (June 7, 2010). Retrieved on August 23, 2013.</ref>

Line 290 ⟶ 292:

===Wii===

The Wii has an 802.11b/g wireless adapter built-in. Due to flaws in its implementation, however, it is only capable of working when the 802.11 (legacy mode) basic rates of 1  Mbit/s and 2  Mbit/s are advertised by an access point. This means that 802.11b support must be offered on an access point for a Wii to be able to connect to it.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://nostringsattachedshow.com/2012/01/18/nintendo-vs-cisco/ | title=Nintendo vs. Cisco | publisher=The No Strings Attached Show | access-date=April 5, 2014}}</ref> It is compatible with [[Wired Equivalent Privacy|WEP]], [[Wi-Fi Protected Access|WPA]] with TKIP or CCMP, and [[IEEE 802.11i-2004|WPA2]] with CCMP. The Wii is also [[AOSS]] compatible as of the 3.0 system update. The connection settings allows players to configure access to and save settings for up to three different networks. Connection settings can be detected automatically or entered manually. The Wii does not have an Ethernet port built in, but can be connected via wired LAN with a USB Ethernet adapter available from Nintendo and third parties.

===Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector===

Line 328 ⟶ 330:

==Official website==

When the service launched in 2005, Nintendo created the official Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection web site as a portal for ~~gamers~~users looking to access the service or whom were in need of troubleshooting assistance. The website had live statistics and data from the service's servers and recorded high scores and service status. It also allowed a user to link ~~his or her~~their Nintendo DS Wi-Fi Connection ID to a My Nintendo account. ~~As of~~

In November 2008, the site ~~has~~was ~~closed in North America, and has now moved~~merged into a subsection of the Games section on the official Nintendo~~.com~~ website. On ~~May~~

In ~~20,~~preparation ~~2014,~~for the shutting of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection ~~service was shut down, and, as a result~~, Nintendo ~~deleted~~removed the subsection on its website prior to May 20, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nintendo.com/games/wifi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404151330/http://www.nintendo.com/games/wifi|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 4, 2014|title=Nintendo - Wayback Machine|work=[[Wayback Machine]]|date=May 16, 2014|access-date=February 9, 2017}}</ref>

==Termination and effects==

Line 336 ⟶ 342:

A small selection of online-enabled Wii games, such as newer ''FIFA'' games and ''[[Dragon Quest X]]'', which are not branded under the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, may continue using their online functions normally. Starting in 2015, various [[List of Wii games on Wii U eShop|Wii]] and [[Nintendo DS]] games were digitally re-released, including those which formerly supported Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

After the shutdown, there have been various third-party fan revival services to restore online functionality to games that Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection supported that remain operational, most notably Wiimmfi.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiimmfi.de/development|title=Wiimmfi Website|access-date=23 April 2024}}</ref><ref name="Alternative Wiimmfi">{{cite web|url=https://alternativeto.net/software/wiimmfi/about/|title=Wiimmfi A tool which brings back Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection|work=[[AlternativeTo]]|access-date=23 April 2024}}</ref><ref name="Mario Kart Wii Wiimmfi">{{cite news |title=Is the Mario Kart esports scene on the rise? Recent World Cup success argues it may be. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/esports/2020/08/13/is-mario-kart-esports-scene-rise-recent-world-cup-success-argues-it-may/ |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=23 April 2024 |archive-date=7 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107155649/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/esports/2020/08/13/is-mario-kart-esports-scene-rise-recent-world-cup-success-argues-it-may/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Fan project Wiimmfi lets you play some games online following Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection shutdown">{{cite web |url=https://nintendoeverything.com/fan-project-wiimmfi-lets-you-play-some-games-online-following-nintendo-wi-fi-connection-shutdown/ |title=Fan project "Wiimmfi" lets you play some games online following Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection shutdown |format= |work=Nintendo Everything.com |date= 2014-05-14 |accessdate=2024-04-24}}</ref>

Wiimmfi is a free [[private server]] that replicates the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection's functionality. It has been available to the public since May 10, 2014 (10 days before the Nintendo WFC shutdown) and continues to be operational.<ref name= "Alternative Wiimmfi"></ref><ref name="Fan project Wiimmfi lets you play some games online following Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection shutdown"></ref> It started as a replacement server for ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]'', one of the most popular games played in the service, and the most popular title played on Wiimmfi.<ref name="Mario Kart Wii Wiimmfi"></ref>

==See also==

Line 351 ⟶ 361:

==External links==

~~; Official sites~~

* [https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/wfc/indexDS.jsp Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Technical Support for Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite]

* [https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/wfc/en_na/customersupport/downloadUSB.jsp Latest USB Drivers and Software]

Line 357 ⟶ 366:

[[Category:Multiplayer video game services]]

[[Category:~~Online~~Nintendo ~~video game services~~DS]]

[[Category:Online video game networks]]

[[Category:Products and services discontinued in 2014]]

[[Category:Wi-Fi]]

[[Category:Wii]]

~~[[Category:Nintendo DS]]~~