Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Each game that used the 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.[10] 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. 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.

Through internal design documents inadvertently leaked in May 2020, Nintendo had chosen to use the awkward 12 digit Friend Codes over more common screen names as the company feared that there could be conflict with people with the same screen name, and it would be potentially easy to guess at a person's screen name which created issues with privacy concerns.[11]

In 2008, Nintendo announced a new feature for the Wi-Fi Connection called Pay & Play. Games that use the Pay & Play feature may have additional downloadable content (DLC) or services that require extra fees. These fees will be paid for using Nintendo Points. A special red Wi-Fi Connection logo with the words "Pay & Play" is used to distinguish these games from the regular free Wi-Fi games.[12]

The first games to feature Pay & Play were released in Japan as part of WiiWare on the March 25, 2008. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan Wii and Lonpos each had downloadable content available for 100 to 800 Wii Points.[13] The first retail Wii titles to feature Pay & Play functionality are Samba de Amigo,[14] Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2.

WiiConnect24 was a feature for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection that was shut down on June 28, 2013. WiiConnect24 was a feature of the Wii that allowed the system to be connected to the Internet even when the console was in standby mode. Games and channels that utilized WiiConnect24 could send and receive data even while the game was not being played. Players who wished to send data to friends only needed to register each other's Wii System Code and not individual Friend Codes. Players could also send messages to their friends using WiiConnect24 from the Wii Message Board. When a message was received, the Wii's disc slot glowed blue. WiiConnect24 is succeeded by SpotPass for newer Nintendo consoles.

On April 9, 2008, the BBC announced that its online BBC iPlayer would be available on the Wii via the Internet Channel browser. Some users experienced difficulties with the service.[15] On November 18, 2009, BBC iPlayer on the Wii was relaunched as the BBC iPlayer Channel,[16][17] which is free to download from the Wii Shop Channel.[18] The service was only available to users in the United Kingdom. On February 10, 2015, the BBC announced on their website that they had removed BBC iPlayer from the Wii Shop Channel and terminated the service on the Wii due to resource limitations and infrastructure changes.[19]

The Wii Shop Channel allows users to download games and other software by redeeming Wii Points, which can be obtained by purchasing Nintendo Points cards from retail outlets or directly through the Wii Shop Channel using MasterCard or Visa debit/credit cards online. Users can browse in the Virtual Console, WiiWare, or Wii Channels sections for downloads. A feature to purchase downloaded software as gifts for others became available worldwide on December 10, 2007. Additional channels that were not released at the console's launch are available for purchase in the Wii Shop Channel. These include: Internet Channel, Everybody Votes Channel, Check Mii Out Channel, Nintendo Channel, Netflix Channel, Hulu Plus Channel and the Japan-only Television Friend Channel. Currently all downloadable channels are free of charge. Nintendo announced the purchase and redemption of Wii Points would be disabled on March 26, 2018, and then shut down the channel on January 30, 2019.[20]

Virtual Console channels are channels that allow users to play their downloaded Virtual Console games obtained from the Wii Shop Channel. The Virtual Console portion of the Wii Shop Channel specializes in older software originally designed and released for home entertainment platforms that are now defunct. These games are played on the Wii through the emulation of the older hardware. The prices are generally the same in almost every region and are determined primarily by the software's original platform.

Functioning similarly to the Virtual Console channels, WiiWare channels allow users to use their WiiWare games obtained from the Wii Shop Channel. The WiiWare section specializes in downloadable software specifically designed for the Wii. The first WiiWare games were made available on March 25, 2008 in Japan.[21] WiiWare games launched in North America on May 12, 2008,[22] and launched in Europe and Australia on May 20, 2008.[23][24]

The WiiWare section is being 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."

Like Virtual Console games, WiiWare games are purchased using Wii Points. Nintendo handles all pricing options for the downloadable games.[25]

The Nintendo DSi shop is an online store for the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL systems, where people can download DSiWare games and applications. Nintendo announced the Nintendo DSi Shop officially shut down on March 31, 2017, after disabling the purchase of additional Nintendo DSi Points on September 30, 2016. The availability of DSiWare games and apps on the Nintendo eShop will be unaffected.[26]

Flipnote Hatena was the online portion of the notetaking/animation creation app Flipnote Studio for the Nintendo DSi. It has been discontinued.

The Nintendo Wii received Netflix on March 27, 2010. It was only for American and Canadian owners but a Netflix disc was required. As of October 18, 2010 American and Canadian Wii owners could watch Netflix instantly as a channel without requiring a disc.[27]

Netflix has been discontinued for the Wii effective January 30, 2019.

The Nintendo Wii, DS and DSi can surf the Internet with a downloadable browser. The Nintendo Wii and DSi browsers are powered by Opera, but the Nintendo 3DS browser is powered by NetFront. The Nintendo DS's web browser, also powered by Opera, requires a DS card and a RAM expansion through the Game Boy Advance port.

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 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.[28]

The News Channel allows users to access news headlines and current news events obtained from the Internet.[29] News articles are available on a globe view similar to the Forecast Channel, and as a slide show.[30] The content was automatically updated and viewable via WiiConnect24 with clickable news images supported.

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.[31] As with the Forecast Channel, the News Channel is not available in South Korea.[32] The News Channel was shut down on June 28, 2013, along with the Forecast Channel, due to both channels requiring the discontinued WiiConnect24 service.[33][34]

The Everybody Votes Channel allowed users to vote in simple opinion polls and compare and contrast opinions with those of friends, family, and people across the globe.

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.[34]

As of December 4, 2012, a LOVEFiLM channel is available to download in the UK.

The YouTube channel allows the user to view YouTube videos on the television screen and has the ability to sign into an existing YouTube account. The YouTube channel is currently only available in the North American and Australian versions of the Wii system, with the North American release on November 15, 2012, only three days before the Wii U was released in North America. Google plans to gradually make the channel available on Wii in other countries besides the aforementioned regions.

The YouTube Channel has been disconnected after June 30, 2017 due to Google terminating legacy support for all Flash-based YouTube apps on that date.

The Check Mii Out Channel (also known as the Mii Contest Channel and the WatchMii Channel), is a channel that allows players to share their Miis and enter them into popularity contests. It was first available on November 11, 2007. It is available free to download from the Wii Channels section of the Wii Shop Channel.

Users can post their own Miis in the Posting Plaza, or import other user-submitted Miis to their own personal Mii Parade. Each submitted Mii is assigned a 12-digit entry number to aid in searching. Submitted Miis are given 2 initials by their creator and a notable skill/talent to aid in sorting.

In the Contests section, players can submit their own Miis to compete in contests to best fit a certain description (e.g. Mario without his cap). After the time period for sending a Mii has expired, the user has the choice of voting for three Miis featured on the judging panel, with ten random Miis being shown at a time. Once the judging period is over, the results of the contest may be viewed. Their selection and/or submission's popularity in comparison to others is displayed, as well as the winning Mii and user.

The Check Mii Out Channel sends messages to the Wii Message Board concerning recent contests. Participants in certain contests can add their user and submitted Mii to a photo with a background related to the contest theme. This picture can then be sent to the Wii Message Board. The Check Mii Out Channel was shut down on June 28, 2013.

The Television Friend Channel allows Wii users to check what programs are on the television. Content is provided by Guide Plus.[35][36] A "stamp" feature allows users to mark programs of interest with a Mii-themed stamp. If an e-mail address or mobile phone number has been registered in the address book, the channel can send out an alert 30 minutes prior to the start of the selected program. The channel tracks the stamps of all Wii users and allows users to rate programs on a five-star scale. Additionally, when the channel is active the Wii Remote can be used to change the TV's volume and channel so that users can tune into their shows by way of the channel.[37] The Television Friend Channel launched in Japan on March 4, 2008, and was discontinued on July 24, 2011 due to the shutdown of analog television broadcasts in Japan. It is not going to be launched outside Japan, as most countries, unlike Japan, have a guide built into set-top boxes and/or TVs.[38]

The Digicam Print Channel is a channel developed in collaboration with Fujifilm that allow users to import their digital photos from an SD card and place them into templates for printable photo books and business cards through a software wizard. The user is also able to place their Mii on a business card. The completed design is then sent online to Fujifilm who print and deliver the completed product to the user. The processing of individual photos is also available.

The Digicam Print Channel became available from July 23, 2008 in Japan. It was planned to be available in Europe, Australia, and North America, but was never released in those regions. It was shut down on June 28, 2013.[39]

The Today and Tomorrow Channel[40] became available in Japan on December 2, 2008, and in Europe, Australia, and South Korea[41] 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.[42]

A video on-demand service channel was released in Japan on May 1, 2009, it was planned to be released in North America.The channel is a joint venture between Nintendo and Japanese advertising agency Dentsu. The channel's interface is built around a virtual living room, where up to 8 Miis can be registered and interact with each other. The virtual living room contains a TV which takes the viewer to the video list. Celebrity "concierge" Miis occasionally introduce special programming.

A food delivery service channel was released in Japan on May 26, 2009 and was discontinued on March 31, 2017.[43] The channel is a joint venture between Nintendo and Japanese on-line food delivery portal service Demae-can. The channel offers a wide range of foods provided by different food delivery companies which can be ordered directly through the Wii channel. A note is posted to the Wii Message Board containing what had been ordered and the total price. The food is then delivered to the address the Wii user has registered on the channel.

The Nintendo Channel (also known as the Everybody's Nintendo Channel in Japan), is a Wii Channel for the Wii. It was launched in Japan on November 27, 2007,[44] in North America on May 7, 2008,[45] and in Europe and Australia on May 30, 2008,[46] and was shut down on June 28, 2013. It allowed Wii users to watch videos such as interviews, trailers, commercials, and download 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,[47] North America on September 14, 2009, and in Europe on December 15, 2009. The update introduces a new interface and additional features, options, and statistics for users to view. However, the European version is 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, is available on the UK version of the channel.[48]

Mario Kart Wii allows players to install the Mario Kart Channel on their Wii console. The channel can work without inserting the Mario Kart Wii disc into the console, but to compete in races and time trials the disc is required. The use of the Mario Kart Channel allows for a number of options. A ranking option lets players see their best Time Trial scores for each track and compare their results to those of their friends and other players worldwide, represented by their Miis. Players will have the option of racing against the random or selective ghosts, or improving their results gradually by taking on the ghosts of rivals, those with similar race times. Users had the option to submit these times for others around the world to view. Players could also manage and register friends using the channel and see if any of them were currently online.

Another feature of the channel were Tournaments, where Nintendo would, on a regular basis, invite players to challenges in which a certain objective must be achieved in the fastest time possible similar to the missions mode found on the 2005 Nintendo DS game Mario Kart DS. Players were also able to compare their competition rankings with other players.[49]

Users with the Wii Speak peripheral were able to access the Wii Speak Channel. Users could join one of four rooms (with no limit to the number of people in each room) to chat with others online. Each user is represented by their own Mii, which lip-syncs to their words. In addition, users could also leave audio messages for other users by sending a message to their Wii Message Board. Users could also share photo slide shows and comment on them. The Wii Speak Channel became available in North America and Europe on December 5, 2008.

The Nintendo DS has an 802.11 wireless adapter built in allowing the DS to access the service via a compatible wireless network. Support for 802.11b clients must be offered by an access point for a DS to be able to connect to it. Public hotspots that use a captive portal can be accessed after login using the Nintendo DS Browser.

Prior to the release of the Nintendo DSi, neither consoles nor games could support security protocols more advanced than WEP. Even after the Nintendo DSi's release, only online-enabled games made exclusively or enhanced for usage on this console iteration were able to support the Nintendo DSi's native online connection. This extended to the Nintendo 3DS as well, conditional the console's native online connection setting is the same as the Nintendo DSi, as other advanced settings were also unsupported.

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.[51] It is compatible with WEP, WPA with TKIP or CCMP, and 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.

The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector

If a compatible wireless network is not available, the Nintendo DS and Wii can also connect through the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector. Broadband Internet access is not required to make use of this connectivity, though it is recommended to reduce network latency. It was priced at the Nintendo Online Store,[52][53] however it has since been discontinued due to legal issues.[54] Its replacement, the Nintendo Wi-Fi network adapter, and many third party products, provide similar functionality.[55]

Nintendo worked with hotspot providers to allow free access in public for Nintendo DS users. In 2005, Nintendo made an agreement with Texas-based firm Wayport, Inc. to provide access in McDonald's restaurants in the U.S.[56] However, the deal was not renewed and has since expired. A similar partnership with FatPort to create free hotspots in Canada was announced by Nintendo of Canada on October 19, 2005.[57]

In 2006 former Director of Marketing for Nintendo of Europe Jim Merrick announced that Nintendo was planning total of 25,000 hotspots in Europe,[58] with 7,500 in the UK alone thanks to a partnership with The Cloud and BT Openzone.[59]

Nintendo of Australia initially announced on November 17, 2005 that they would roll out only 26 hotspots across the country, in partnership with selected EB Games, Myer and Dick Smith Powerhouse stores. On April 14, 2007, Nintendo announced that over one thousand additional free hotspots had been added in a partnership with Telstra Wireless, providing access in selected hotels, airports, Starbucks cafes, and McDonald's restaurants.