Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) Termination of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Service for Nintendo DS / DSi and Wii Software As of May 20th, 2014, the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service will be discontinued and it will no longer be possible to use online features of Nintendo DS/DSi and Wii software such as online play, matchmaking and leaderboards. Unaffected services The following services are not affected by the termination, and will continue to be available after May 20th: Internet Channel Nintendo DS Browser Nintendo DSi Browser Nintendo DSi Shop Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play Wii Shop Channel YouTube Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games will not be affected but it will not be possible to use online features of Wii software played in Wii Mode on Wii U, and of Nintendo DS games played on Nintendo 3DS family systems. List of affected Nintendo-published games Online features and services of the following Nintendo-published games for Wii and Nintendo DS will no longer be available as of May 20th, 2014. For more details about each game's Internet features, please refer to its website. For information about online services and features for games published by other companies, please contact the publisher. Wii: Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City Battalion Wars 2 Boom Street Endless Ocean Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep Mario Kart Wii Mario Sports Mix Mario Strikers Charged Football Pokémon Battle Revolution Samurai Warriors 3 Super Smash Bros. Brawl The Last Story Trauma Center New Blood Wii Ware: Dr. Mario & Germ Buster Excitebike World Challenge LONPOS MaBoShi: The Three Shape Arcade ThruSpace High Velocity 3D Puzzle WarioWare: Do It Yourself-Showcase Other: Wii Speak Nintendo DS/DSi games: 100 Classic Book Collection Advance Wars: Dark Conflict Animal Crossing: Wild World Clubhouse Games Custom Robo Arena Diddy Kong Racing DS Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon Mario Kart DS Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! Metroid Prime Hunters Nintendo presents: Style Boutique Picross DS Pokémon Black Version Pokémon Black Version 2 Pokémon Conquest Pokémon Diamond Pokémon HeartGold Version Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time Pokémon Pearl Pokémon Platinum Version Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia Pokémon SoulSilver Version Pokémon White Version Pokémon White Version 2 Professor Layton and Pandora's Box Professor Layton and the Curious Village Professor Layton and the Last Specter Professor Layton and the Lost Future Star Fox Command Tenchu: Dark Secret TETRIS DS The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass WarioWare: Do It Yourself Nintendo DSiWare games: Metal Torrent Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! Sujin Taisen: Number Battle http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/vyWpoM6CBIe6FjW8NIY7bvzOrgBURhzw http://www.nintendo.com.au/termination-of-nintendo-wi-fi-connection God damn I'm going to miss playing Mario Kart Wii Online. I knew these services would come down at some point but not so soon. Same For Mario Kart DS Audio Edited February 27, 2014 by Helmsly Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 That's awful... How am I going to play Boom Street now? I was just getting back into playing Smash Bros Brawl online as well thanks to Project M Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 Here's the full list of games effected...which is pretty much every game that has online: https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/gameslist/games-wifi.jsp Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 @Josh64 is going to be devastated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 Nnnnoooo!!!!!!! It's the end of the world as we know it! So that's why nobody's buying the Wii U. They're all too busy playing online on their Wii. Seriously though that will be truly a sad day. I still remember the day MH3 servers shut. I still play some of these games online from time to time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 We all knew it would happen one day, but still... Goodbye Mario Strikers Charged Football online. The memories of making people ragequit with Hammer Bros and Boo abuse will not be forgotten! I was hoping that the advent of DS VC releases would warrant Nintendo keeping WFC online, but alas... (I wonder if they'll be able to run the online DS games off of different servers once they get released on the VC?) The service did last for a good while, it outlasted the original Xbox Live by over a year, but I wonder if it might have lasted longer had Nintendo not been in the dire financial position that they're currently in... RIP Nintendo WiFi Connection: 2005-2014 We should do a Mario Kart DS/Wii N-E League before the servers get shut down! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 Mario Kart Wii? Are they having a bloody laugh? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 Mario Kart Wii? Are they having a bloody laugh? The servers are all linked together, so it's almost certainly a matter of it being all-or-nothing. Just like with the original Xbox Live... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 Yeah but I bet loads of people still like playing MK Wii, a lot of which I bet don't really want to get the Wii U. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 This is too much to bare! I love playing BOOM STREET online! This news hit me hard, and the Wii has suddenly lost masses of appeal. How does it feel... When you're alone and cold inside? I guess I'll know now, every time I turn on my Wii Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 Yeah but I bet loads of people still like playing MK Wii, a lot of which I bet don't really want to get the Wii U. Good way to drum up sales of Mario Kart 8 & Smash Bros :p Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 That's bad news for new DQIX and the Layton games then. They all have significant amounts of unlockable content. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 Good way to drum up sales of Mario Kart 8 & Smash Bros :p Well Smash Online sucked, but MK was great. Still, I don't think too many people will care enough to splash out £240 or so for a Wii U with the game. It's just a shame for them to discontinue support on successful platforms while people are still indifferent about their latest console. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 Boom Street Wii U incoming? Wow, the Wii really didn't have that many online games. Although the DS list is mostly made up of Pokemon games though and most of the other games are "just" for downloadable content. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) Good way to drum up sales of Mario Kart 8 & Smash Bros :p And make people question how long Nintendo will keep those games online for? Yeah, that's exactly what they need... The real reason is no doubt just that they can't justify the running costs anymore. Especially since Gamespy (the company the ran the Nintendo WFC servers) was taken over by Glu Mobile; a company that since taking over Gamespy has held developers who relied on Gamespy to ransom with jacked up prices and an inability to switch suppliers (and of course since DS and Wii games can't be patched, they couldn't get out of it that way either...) Boom Street Wii U incoming? Wow, the Wii really didn't have that many online games. Although the DS list is mostly made up of Pokemon games though and most of the other games are "just" for downloadable content. That list only includes Nintendo published games. There are a lot more online DS and Wii games from 3rd parties that aren't listed here (and will also be taken down along with Nintendo's own games). That's bad news for new DQIX and the Layton games then. They all have significant amounts of unlockable content. Thankfully none of those games relied on "real" DLC, since the content in those games is just unlocked and is already on the game card; so Action Replay devices can still be used to unlock them (and any "real" DLC is actually downloaded from Nintendo's own servers that run the Wii & DSi shops, so they'll be safe - plus I believe that all Wii Ware, VC, DSi Ware and paid Wii DLC has been successfully dumped and archived anyway). Here's hoping that the hackers grab all the packet sniffing information that they can right now in order to develop unofficial servers where possible! Edited February 27, 2014 by Dcubed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 This seems cruel. The Wii U and 3DS both support backwards compatibility with these games and people do still often play them online. I get they'd come down eventually, but in May? That's way sooner than I thought. How many years was the original Xbox Live still running after the 360 launch? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) This seems cruel. The Wii U and 3DS both support backwards compatibility with these games and people do still often play them online. I get they'd come down eventually, but in May? That's way sooner than I thought. How many years was the original Xbox Live still running after the 360 launch? It started on November 10th 2002 and lasted until April 15th 2010. So it had a lifespan of 7 years 5 months, with it lasting 4 years and 5 months after the 360 was launched in the US. The WFC service started November 2005 and lasted till May 2014 - so that's a life span of 8 years 6 months, with it lasting 3 years 3 months after the 3DS came out in Japan. Makes me glad that Nintendo continue to focus on local multiplayer... So sad to see all of that development effort go to waste as the online functions are lost to history (assuming that they aren't restored when DS and Wii games eventually come to the VC). Edited February 27, 2014 by Dcubed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 And make people question how long Nintendo will keep those games online for? Yeah, that's exactly what they need... Perhaps, but anyone with an ounce of sense would know that this happens with online servers. I dread to see the fallout when MS and Sony turn off 360 and PS3 online services in the next 3 years. The real reason is no doubt just that they can't justify the running costs anymore. Especially since Gamespy (the company the ran the Nintendo WFC servers) was taken over by Glu Mobile; a company that since taking over Gamespy has held developers who relied on Gamespy to ransom with jacked up prices and an inability to switch suppliers (and of course since DS and Wii games can't be patched, they couldn't get out of it that way either...) Yeah, that'd do it. This sort of thing does make me appreciate Nintendo's focus on local multiplayer more, though. Think of all the 360/PS3 games that are going to be unplayable in the next 5 years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 Perhaps, but anyone with an ounce of sense would know that this happens with online servers. I dread to see the fallout when MS and Sony turn off 360 and PS3 online services in the next 3 years. Yeah, that'd do it. This sort of thing does make me appreciate Nintendo's focus on local multiplayer more, though. Think of all the 360/PS3 games that are going to be unplayable in the next 5 years. But it's only been 18 months since the Wii U came out, not 3 years. Also, the Xbox servers for games like Halo 2 weren't shut down until 5 years after the 360 came out (2010). That said, they've been active for some time, but my housemates who still play Wii games online are going to be gutted Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 Pretty shocking, would have thought they'd carry on support for a while yet. Bit of a shame for those getting in to Project M too. As for me, well, I knew I should have played The Last Story sooner dammit! Still sealed up in a cupboard somewhere How long did Microsoft continue to support the original Xbox after the 360 launch, out of interest? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 I wonder in future how long the PS4 servers will stay online when the likely PS5 will be released. Since online is pay to play now there may be enough people paying the server costs who are exclusively still playing on their PS4s online to keep the servers running a while longer. I also got the impression that services like PSN were sort of integrated throughout most of the consoles so that it wasn't one set of servers for one console. I could be wrong about that. But it's only been 18 months since the Wii U came out, not 3 years. Also, the Xbox servers for games like Halo 2 weren't shut down until 5 years after the 360 came out (2010). That said, they've been active for some time, but my housemates who still play Wii games online are going to be gutted Yeah, and even then, Halo 3 pretty much rendered 2 obsolete and brought over some of the previous games' maps, from what I can remember. It's a shame because it clearly isn't the right time to shut down servers for a really popular console when the new console isn't really popular at all. I'll miss being able to play certain Mario Kart tracks with others again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 That is absolutely ridiculous... Surely it's far too soon for it all to be closed down... I've just fucking bought Boom Street too.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 Way way way too soon. Unless the numbers are so low that it just doesn't warrant having the servers up but then why not scale back or something (I'm assuming they haven't done this given the online record I think that's fair) I wonder in future how long the PS4 servers will stay online when the likely PS5 will be released. Since online is pay to play now there may be enough people paying the server costs who are exclusively still playing on their PS4s online to keep the servers running a while longer. I also got the impression that services like PSN were sort of integrated throughout most of the consoles so that it wasn't one set of servers for one console. I could be wrong about that. You'd like to think this will be less of issue with how closely intergrated the server side of that is etc...perhaps their long term vision to have all them running on the same servers. Like I'd assume this is part of Microsoft's vision with the Azure servers that One and whatever comes in the future will all be compatible. At least that's what they are selling forward thinking consoles. I think with PS3 and Xbox 360 it's slightly different but that hope is there for the future. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) ItIt started on November 10th 2002 and lasted until April 15th 2010. So it had a lifespan of 7 years 5 months, with it lasting 4 years and 5 months after the 360 was launched in the US. The WFC service started November 2005 and lasted till May 2014 - so that's a life span of 8 years 6 months, with it lasting 3 years 3 months after the 3DS came out in Japan. To expand that a little bit; Original Live lifespan (Nov 2002-April 2010, 7 years 5 months) Xbox Launch- Nov 2001 NA / Mar 2002 EU - launched 1 year/8 months into life. 360 Launch - Nov 2005 NA / Dec 2005 EU 4 years 5 months (4 years 4 months) Nintendo WFC lifespan (Nov 2005-May 2014, 8 years 6 months) DS Launch – Nov 2004 NA / Mar 2005 EU - launched 1 year/1 year 4 months into life) 3DS Launch – Mar 2011 NA/ Mar 2011 EU 3 years 2 months Wii Launch – Nov 2006 NA / Dec 2006 EU 7 years 6 months (7 years 5 months) Wii U Launch – Nov 2012 NA / Nov 2012 EU 1 year 6 months So noticeably shorter post-support in Nintendo's case(which is different as it was across DS AND Wii, not just the one area, though Wii's time equals the original Xbox). However I think post Wii U lifespan is most important. Important in itself anyway, but even more so given how poorly the Wii U is generally doing - there's no doubt a lot of people who haven't transitioned and are now left without any online for their systems. Will this cause a push to Wii U upgrades? Probably not. If anything it might even hurt them - as someone said; how long will their wii u online remain for? It's just another facet of Nintendo's continually sub-par online efforts imo. Edited February 27, 2014 by Rummy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) Never thought I would say this but Nintendo I hate you , lost some respect for you today . I think we need to give mario kart wii a send off before 8 is out , play all 32 tracks in order league members assemble ? Edited February 27, 2014 by yesteryeargames Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
