Nintendo Switching Off Wi-Fi Connection Service On Wii And DS

No more Mario Kart on Wii

Not much of loss though. I'll be picking up Mario Kart 8 at launch anyway.

I'm really sad because of this. There are some games that utilized the wi-fi greatly such as Mario Kart Wii and DS.

10 days before mk8~ hmmm~ XD

Not a major loss to be honest, but as long as Netflix works ok then that's fine by me.

This is why no on wanted Always Online DRM on Xbox one.

No more Mario kart mp on Wii

There should be a law that requires game companies to release server access to the community for products they can't afford to run themselves any more.

@atomicjuicer Yep. However, an employee afterwards said they intended to have an update at the end of its lifetime to remove that before servers going off. Even better it got turned off day 1.

What about games like DQIX? Does this mean no more DQVC? Say it ain't so!

What about the Wii Shop Channel?

I must say,I'm gutted about this.I still spend a lot of time playing Mario Kart on Wii so I'll miss that,no doubt.I understand 3rd parties turning theirs off but for a game like MK,the only game where Nintendo really nailed online game the servers should stay on for at least another couple of years.There's no way MK 8 can ever match it's predecessors community with so few Wii U's out there.

Let's hope Nintendo plans to at least combine Wii & Wii U mode. Or at least give us access to the Wii Shop Channel via the eShop.

I'm only bummed due to Mario Kart Wii (which I haven't played in a while anyway).

AND since DS Wi-Fi is not compatible with my new router, I'll need to find one that is so that I don't miss out on the weekly downloadable puzzles in Professor Layton and the Last Spectre.

@AltDotNerd: Wii/DSi Shop Channels, internet browsers and Pay & Play functionality is unaffected.

It's time to move on ppl. Why play MK wii when you can play MK U.

What about DLC like the free additional puzzles in the Layton games?

Interesting, can't wait to see if this strategy works when MK8 sales time comes. Hopefully we'll finally get all the people that were waiting for something outstanding to hit the WiiU to finally upgrade.

It's a bit sad how soon Nintendo turn off their severs for stuff compared to the other two. I really hope they don't shut off the Wii Shop when most of the games are still not out in the Wii U one.

Does this mean I will no longer be able to play GoldenEye online even though I am playing it on my Wii U?!?!

I suppose it depends on how many people are still using the services. I would've assumed that Mario Kart Wii U is still fairly popular. With that said, the game did release nearly 6 years ago!

Hmmm... guess me and my friends will have to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom the old fashion way. Oh well I never really like online play on anything in the first place.

damn I hate when this happens. So this means all the Call of Duty games too? Also DLC on Advance Wars DS and Picross. I better play them a lot and download all I can then

This decision has lead me to decide that 007 Legends Wii U will go on ice for three months, and I will return to Goldeneye Wii full-time. Even though I have Reloaded now on PS3, I need to enjoy every moment I can of the game that forever changed my opinion of first-person shooters.

Goldeneye Wii and its community are perhaps the hardest-hit by this. I'm not saying we should be able to play online forever..but we'd like to.

A lot of fond memories with Wii's Wifi, especially with MK Wii and Goldeneye 007.

I also have yet to finish unlocking all the skins for Excitebike: World Rally. Anyone up for that?

I have a feeling the existing MKWii servers are going to be re-tooled for MK8.

No more Mario Kart Wii and Brawl?! Well, this really sucks, I loved playing those games online! Oh well, good things must come to an end I guess. :/

And MKWII was one of the best racing/game I ever played! Now, until MK8 comes out, I have no other choice but to play the lame MK7. Same chould be said for Brawl and the new smash bros. -_-

You know my faith in the big N is diminishing. One rule of business is, you can't really play it safe and succeed. They are playing it too safe, cutting off one artery to feed another. I scream foul. They need to stop sitting on that five billion they've got locked away in their vaults and EXPAND! You have to think big to be big, but Nintendo is thinking small. TOO SMALL!

It's a shame they are doing this BEFORE bringing DS titles to the Wii U! They are going to alienate players even more. Metroid Prime Hunters still has a huge on-line following and since ther isn't even a follow up for the game on the 3DS (unlike Mario Fart!) fans will not be happy about losing that functionality. There's even a thriving Facebook page devoted to the game and people swap their codes and schedule matches regularly. I am a bit torn personally. I never played much of the game on-line, but it's nice to know it's there. I was hoping that eventually they would bring the game to the Wii U and we could play it on-line with other DS users, expanding the audience for the title but I guess that was a waste of brain power on my part. Whatever Nintendo. Whatever!

Might get some Mario Kart Wii online play in before it gets shut down, nice way to prepare for some MK 8.

This is sad... I mean REALLY sad... I know servers have to go down eventually, but its usually one or two games at a time, not entire platforms all at once. Online play wasn't a big part of Nintendo last generation, but I still play Mario Kart Wii once in a while these days, and that game is still insanely popular online. Guess I'll have to fulfill my dream of having over 9000 VR rank before then...

@RantingThespian You won't be able to play that game online. Never ever again! c:

I'm gonna miss playing Super Smash Bros at 3 fps... NOT!!

Time for some last bouts of Tetris DS!

...if I can even still find a way to connect it. Who uses WEP anymore? And the Nintendo USB Wi-Fi adapter doesn't work on anything newer than XP.

It makes me wonder, then, if DS games that were online (I only remember playing MarioKart DS, Tetris DS, and Clubhouse Games) could also incorporate online in the Wii U VC. That could give the DS online feature a lifeline...

I think I understand the logic here because it should provide motivation for Wii owners to upgrade... but (a) why would I, as a consumer, be so upset about not having online play that I would upgrade--and more importantly--why would I then choose to upgrade to WiiU when the same thing is likely to happen at the end of its lifecycle; and (b) isn't one of the WiiU's main advantages over PS4 and XBOX One the issue of backwards compatibility, and doesn't this totally undermine that argument?

This is finally gonna put a plug in all those idiotic hackers in pokemon x and y that transfer hacked pokemon from B/W REJOICE!!!

I thought nintendo once said they would migrate it all to the nintendo network, or am I thinking of something else?

My Wii is Literally turning into a paperweight.

My SNES is however 100% as feature complete, functional, fully satisfying and fun to play, as the day I bought it.

This deletion of core services and features from my console after a certain amount of time, not a particularly long or reasonable time imo, is one of the major problems I have with all these modern consoles vs. the older consoles. It's also one, of many, of the major problems I have with Nintendo's products and services these days and it's just more validation for why I haven't bought either of Nintendo's current-gen consoles.

I don't want something that disappoints and frustrates me at almost every single turn and that basically sums up modern Nintendo imo.

Nintendo made me the gamer and indeed man I am today but I just don't think Nintendo is FOR me any more and I mean that in both the figurative and literal sense of the word.

I believe this move will make Wii and DS owners to "upgrade" to Wii U or 3DS, but is it a win-win solution for Nintendo? only time will tell.

After this and GT5 I don't think I'll bother with DLC of any kind ever again.

This absolutely sucks MK Wii is still active albeit a lot of cheats play SSBB is still loads of fun at least have three to five first party online multiplayer games that utilize NN for Wii U before cutting Wii support.

Way too early in my opinion. Running a couple of servers really isn't that expensive. And because Nintendo refuses to repair my Wii U i'm not too happy that they are now cutting off my old Wii from the internets. Bad move Nintendo!

@Peach64 How so? The original version of Xbox Live launched in November 2002 and was axed in April 2010....so lasted for 7.5 years.

The Nintendo WiFi network launched in November 2005...we're now in 2014 and it's still available for a few more months.

All they removed last year was WiiConnect24, which hardly anybody used much anyway. And even so, they'd kept it running for a reasonable amount of time.

Can some confirm how this effects wii online via wii u?

Nothing lasts forever people, time to build a bridge and get over it. Theres really no point acting all huffy about it. Its not like nintendo shot your dog in front of you and Its not like sony and microsoft dont shut off servers as well. If you have a 3DS or U play online there, or if your that burnt up about go play some online somewhere else. The systems are dead, outside of people that troll these type of forums there probably isnt a wide enough audience to keep the service going for most games anyway

So many games I never played online... Oh well. I barely ever used the online modes on my Wii/DS games but this still makes me sad. Guess I may as well go enjoy some of the online for games while I can.

Ah server closure, the ace in Nintendo's pocket. Hellooo Wii U sales!

Yeah this must affect playing online Wii games on Wii U? Would be cool if it was possible to play them on there, but maybe only makes sense for call of duty games and goldeneye. Theres still a lot of player on the COD games I find. I have the Ghost and Black Ops 2 for Wii U also, but I like to mix it up a bit.

Wait, so does this affect 3rd party games like Goldeneye?

This is a bit harsh on the million people that bought Mario Kart Wii last year. I guess Nintendo needs the servers for MK8. Would be good news if it all still worked on the Wii U's Wii Channel.

Dang, well I guess before the servers go off I will get things off the wii so if the time comes I can transfer stuff from my wii to a wii u if I get one, pretty sad if we can't play these games online any more.

To all those complaining about Nintendo's decision... the move was inevitable, but Nintendo has kept support far, far longer than almost any other company, such as Electronic Arts, who usually pull online for a game in under two years.

@Mk_II what's wrong with your wiiu and why wont they repair it? I tried to get my 3dsxl repaired, it kept deleting save data for downloaded games- a problem covered under the warranty. They found a literally tiny scratch on it and said that because of that tiny scratch i would have to pay around £80 to get it fixed. They refused to just fix the problem I sent it in for unless I paid to have the scratch fixed. Been dying to rant on here about that for ages. What was your problem?

Heh, just this weekend I dusted off my Nintendo Wifi USB Connector to get the DS's Pokémon Diamond online and try and get a few missing 'mons (last time I played it was in 2007 according to the in-game diary). Twitchplays got me in the mood

From a techincal POV, limiting the DS hardware to just WEP connectivity was a really bad idea. It was outdated back when the console came out. I bet most modem-routers from ISPs come preconfigured with WPA nowadays - mine did and I don't fancy downgrading the security to WEP just for the DS. Besides, I doubt many people still play DS games online.

@boynerdrambling as Nintenjoe says below you, what about the million people who bought Mario Kart wii last year?

I just hope that their current servers used for 3DS and Wii U stuff can be integrated in whatever they do after that _{instead of having to shut it down completely.}

You lot need to go back and read your notes from last year (assuming you keep notes) but Nintendo Network will be integrated into future devices so they're a part of the same ecosystem

Good thing Mario Kart 8 comes out 10 days later then.

Well that's disappointing. I've now got a strict time limit to finish my Pokédex in White and Black 2. At least 3rd party games aren't affected (as long as those companies keep the servers running), but does that mean I'll have to get a Wii U to continue playing "Conduit 2" online after that point? Well, just one more reason to sell my Wii once I get a Wii U and then just hook my GameCube (with GBA Player) back up.

Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Wii and Smash Bros are mostly affected by this.

I have to confess that haven't really used any of those online features in years and years.

It does seem like a marketing ploy to push the Wii U and 3DS. Well, the Wii U has (or will have) equivalents to some of the better online Wii games, such as MH3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart Wii. It makes sense to pull the wireless plug (?) on the Wii and DS with MH4, SSB4, and MK8 on the horizon.

@allav866 Sure, it makes sense from a business point of view, but it's still a d*ck move, their new stuff doesn't sell, so let's cripple the old stuff so people who want to play online will have to upgrade, yeah, just the thing to encourage trust in Nintendo...

Oh man... First I finish off watching David Tenant as The Doctor in Doctor Who on Netflix (Which is really sad and brilliant at the same time), and now I see that Nintendo is pulling the plug on online soon for Wii/DS as well. Today's just my day for the bittersweet moments in life...

Guess I'll need to round up some online with a couple of friends for a final bout in a few games before the services go dark... Sigh... I'll miss Mario Strikers Charged with my mentor, @Twilight_Crow.

The way Nintendo deal with this sort of stuff is no good anyway. Cannot imagine what they do uses loads of resources either. If your connection is good there should never be any lag. (Other players might jump about and stuff but the game should play just like in single player).

I suspect there will be a homebrew server for Mario Kart before long.

This will actually be quite bad for the upcoming DS releases on Wii U (and 3DS).

If/when they release games like Mario Kart DS and Metroid Prime Hunters, those games will be gimped since there is no online available for those...

Luckily Mario Karts covered with 8, but I'm going to miss Goldeneye! I better play that more before its too late! Pretty much every other Wii game I play has died out from inactivity long ago, though.

RIP Mario Kart Wii, Onslaught, Water Warfare, Goldeneye, Snowboard Riot, SEGA Racing, Excitebike: WR, MotoHeroz, Mario & Sonics, Virtua Tennis, We Love Golf and anything else I missed. Wow, I played a lot more online games on the Wii than I thought! I didn't even get into listing DS games yet.

Feels like the Dreamcast all over again with my favorite games shutting down, but its bound to happen to every console eventually.

Never cared about online on Wii since tri shutdown. But what about the Layton Puzzles as someone else asked. Is that considered part of the shop?

I find it funny that Nintendo would do this so soon the Wii u has been out what a year and you pull the online out of the Wii? Smh Nintendo smh

I understand the DS but it's probably a year or 2 too soon on Wii and I think it is a bad move on Nintendo's part. Does it affect me, nope, but they did make a ton of profit off the 2 systems so maybe an extra year would make sense. I really doubt this will push people to upgrade

@whodatninja This

...but...but all the picross ds puzzles I haven't gotten to yet...
and... mario kart wii... sure there'll be 8, but wii...
and my siblings aren't gonna be happy that they won't be able to access any more songs on band hero... maybe. i'm assuming something like that would be tied to the shop

but yeah while I can think of a bunch of things this'll affect for me, mario kart wii is the only one I use at least once a week... blah...

Noooooooooooooooo, Mario Kart Wii...

Dang! I need to see how some of the other characters in The Last Story play before the servers go down. This seems way to early to be shutting servers down, the huge majority of people haven't migrated yet.

@19Robb92 This is exactly what I thought, just in time for mario kart 8 they will stop everyone who still plays on the original.

@AltDotNerd Did you...read the article?

This is so stupid! I get that they're trying to get people who have a wii to go and buy a wii u, but this is ridiculous! So does this mean we can't play wii games online even if we're playing them from our wii u?

Part of me wants to be sad about this, but truthfully, if you hadn't told me I never would have noticed. Haven't played the Wii online in years... probably 2009 was the last time. Couch MP is still the way to go with Nintendo franchises.

If you can buy stuff in the store and watch Netflix then the title really should be "Nintendo turns off online multiplyer" as it still looks like wi-fi is working. Unless of course you bought a mini, THEN wi-fi actually is turned off.

Wow... this is a lot earlier than I expected. I respect that they had to do it eventually, but every single game including third party games at once? That's a pretty big action. Thankfully, I never use wi-fi much, so I'm little affected. But I understand some games still have huge communities, and there are quite a few games that are going to have important features taken away because of this, too. It's going to suck when I go back to replay Pokemon games and can't access the GTS or any other features anymore :/

Eh. As long as I can access the Wii VC, I don't really care.

@Lunapplebloom

Does this mean we can't even play DS games online on 3DS, and such? Dang, I just bought "Bomberman Blitz" to.

Sure it's because they are going to offer the DS games on WiiU, it's sad but true...

does this mean that online trading in pokemon heartgold and pokemon white is over?

Lol i swear people find any reason to insult and discredit Nintendo.

I have 2 3DS XL's and a Wii U and my kids still play the Wii and their DSi Xl's more.

@Mr_Trill281 Iwata will say that at E3 for reals bro

"it's important to remember that there are a lot more Wii and DS systems out there right now than there are Wii U and 3DS consoles — so is this a calculated move by the company to force existing customers to upgrade?"
I don't think so, simply because I doubt there are tons of Wii's and DS's using the internet to play online. Even at their peak, they weren't exactly online focused, and only had a handful of great online games.

That said, it's always sad to see online be shut down. Monster Hunter got shutdown last year, and now everything else will get shutdown. I guess the silver lining is that Mario Kart and SSB will be replaced soon after.

how about DLC?

While this makes sense for most of these games, I'm a little surprised Nintendo so easily shuts out online for the Pokemon games on the DS. I know people who still play Diamond and Pearl online, let alone Black and White 2 have been out for just over two years. I just think with a series that places such an emphasis on communication, such as the global trade station and online battles, this really seems impractical.

I'm going to really miss the online for Mario Kart Wii and Animal Crossing: City Folk too.

No one's going to miss Super Smash Bros. Brawl online though, at least.

@luke88 they say the motherboard and/or GPU are fried because the air vents got clogged up with dust. And according to them that's a user error and not covered by warranty, I wrote them a letter explaining the situation but they haven't even answered.

I don't know why people are acting like Nintendo is the only person that does that when the others clearly will and do too. I'm a little saddened too by this too though, I clocked so much time into Mario Kart Wii goodbye 9999 VR I shall miss thee.

@Beau_Skunk
I'm wondering that too.

When they say "we are deactivating the Wi-fi service on the DS and Wii", does that really just mean that they are shutting down the servers for all DS and Wii games?

I would assume so, but I don't know for sure.

Hopefully Metroid Prime Hunters 3DS someday soon then

Sneaky way to boost Wii mini sales. pretty shocking decision though.

My Wii now resides in my bedroom, hooked up to my old SD TV. The only thing I use it for are disc games and Netflix/Hulu Plus. Glad to see the online video services won't be affected by this unfortunate "switch-off."

Would this make you more or less likely to buy a Wii u?

Fantastic Europe keep wifi until the 30th May ..result

At least the Wii-shop channel is unaffected.

"amazingly popular" yeah right!

Aw man... I better go play MK Wii online as much as possible! It's really good online unlike Brawl. I know there are not the same but still.

who wants to play some excitebike online tonight!

Great memories of playing Tetris DS and AW:DOR online...

They can't kill the Wii Shop Channel because it's VC is vastly superior to the Wii U's and they won't be able to make an extra buck from upgrading them! Still, I kinda thought WiFi was dead already, I tried to play Mario Kart Wii on my Wii U and it wouldn't connect. But what's the deal with killing Nintendo Video? It's still current gen y'know Nintendo?

@KnightRider666 yes I need to download all the maps I can for DOR
top game indeed! I still play it.

I'm wondering if we can still transfer Pokemon from BW/B2W2 to X and Y after this date. Does anyone know if this affects Poke Transporter? I hope not. Technically Poke Transporter is a 3DS app however I think it uses an internet connection through BW/B2W2 to transfer pokemon into Pokemon Bank.

EDIT: Looks like Poke Transporter will still work according to Serebii.

This is ridiculous. I'm COMPLETELY fine with them shutting all Wii games and most DS games, but them shutting off BW2 is just unfair. People are still buying the games in Walmart.

Wait I'm confused, what does this mean for the Internet Channel? Will it still work?
I don't have a computer of my own(I know it's almost required these days, but I always end up buying games instead >.>), so the internet channel is basically my computer, with youtube videos in glorious 240p

I'm glad the Shop Channel isn't going offline, I still have a bunch to buy(Recently purchased Yoshi's Story, King of Fighters 98 & The Last Blade 2).

So I guess those DS games that are coming to the Wii U VC won't have online play then... :/

SOME PEOPLE COMPARE THE nintendo network and all the infraestructure of online play of nintendo with the xbox and PS...PLEASE THIS infraestructure is "free"....

@Shotgunryugan you still can use the opera and some other things

It's been a long and good run with the online functionality for Wii/DS, especially considering that both consoles have been discontinued (Wii's with online in 2013 and DS/DSi around when the 3DS released). I am however a little sad that games these days become incomplete after the servers are shut down (DLC or online play).

@mercurio2054 Oh ok thank you so much! My Wii is basically my computer besides buying the occasional Virtual Console games haha.

@A1234 you download the dlc from the eshop... so... no

Please understand.

@Mk_II hahahahahahahaha a couple of servers? OMG...

Yet I still play DS games online and find people to play with, this news pissed me off...

What about future people that need to transfer their Wii purchases to Wii U?

This is one thing I don't like about Nintendo. Why should they stop repairing their previous products? Aren't they the only ones that can fix those?

I get that the next gen is what people are looking into but why stop service for previous gen if its still making money?

I don't understand why people are getting their panties in a bunch so much. Nintendo WiFi has been around for over 10 years. Nintendo probably wants to encourage Wii owners to upgrade since Mario Kart 8 is coming out very shortly. I am not really gonna miss it anyway considering how Wii's online was such a clusterf***k

Wii Shop channel is still a go. Probably should mention that!

GOOD force those cheap wii players out of the stone age and into the NEXT gen wii u console Great strategy in my opinion! i think this will boost sales for the wii u

Time for Mario Kart 8!!!

@Shotgunryugan Get a Wii U; the browser on it is amazing and better than any tablet browser I've used.

This is just to remind us that no online service can keep going forever.
That's exactly why I'll always have physical copies of my games. I see that many people here and elsewhere consider video games disposable... Well, I don't. I want to be able to play all the games I own for years to come.
It's not like I don't buy digital games, but given the choice I'll always prefer physical.

This make me wonder how long the online for 3DS and Wii U games will last after Nintendo's 9th gen handheld and home console hit the shelves, since those and future Nintendo devices will run on the same "Nintendo Network" and the fact that the 3DS and Wii U are more online reliant than the Wii and DS were.

I'm not too upset about this, mainly because I haven't been able to use the DS for online for a while anyways. It's incompatible with most routers here since they no longer use WEP, and the Wi-Fi USB Connector has been discontinued for some time now.

Fortunately for Pokemon, Wireless multiplayer should still work, so you can at least trade and play with local friends.

I have to admit, I'm a little upset because I was looking forward to playing Modern Warfare 3 online when I got home for the summer.

My only question is what about Wii Mode? Will that work with online or not? If not, oh well. If so, great.

I know there are a lot of people that still play Mario Kart Wii online, but it doesn't hit me that hard because I only have three Wii online games anyway (Smash Bros. Brawl, Modern Warfare 3, and Monster Hunter Tri) and one of those lost its online last year. As for my DS games, I never played those online because I could never find a WEP access point.

The service will be missed, but it won't affect me.

@atomicjuicer "This is why no on wanted Always Online DRM on Xbox one."

Pretty sure Microsoft, and their PAYING service of Xbox Live, would have handled their situation a little differently than Nintendo, who is clearly by this news still trying to figure out this whole newfangled online world we live in.

That will kill Animal Crossing and other games which rely on spot pass to get items for their games. What about all the spot pass programs they are selling currently? Updates the thing of the past too? Seems like a good way to kill their company. Way to go Yoshi...more bad choices.

Genius move Nintendo, you can now upgrade owners from the archaic Wii onto the seamless, lag free experience of the Wii U!

I am very sad about this.

I guess I have to make sure I download all the extra Layton and Picross puzzles . . . and try and organize some online gaming over the next few months.

@yuwarite I'm not made of money & I won't be buying a console that literally has nothing that interests me at the time. I'm waiting for a price drop & to see what GBA/DS games it gets.
If it gets Pokemon Emerald I'll dive right in to the Wii U.

How will I get my Tatsunoko vs. Capcom fix now? ;-;

Does this mean all pokemon games up to 6th gen!!!

@Pixel-Perfect You can still battle the CPU, I know it isn't the best thing ever, but it's not like you'll lose your game or something
I've seen a lot of people over reacting on different forums, I'm glad I've always been a single player type of person, so I'm fine battling the CPU with no lag

Doesn't surprise me, online services cost money to keep up and they aren't selling Wiis or DSes anymore. They aren't getting much of a benefit from keeping these up, at least not enough to outweigh the costs. Glad the shops will stay open though, there's still a few WiiWare games I haven't gotten around to downloading, not to mention some VC games (since the Wii U hardly gets them).

Really is sad and pathetic that Nintendo will resort to this in order to force users to upgrade. I really actually enjoyed many DS and Wii games online and would like to even play more from my BL, but apparently Nintendo thinks otherwise.

There will likely be some games now in my BL that I'll be less likely to play because of this. I'm actually a busy person with a life, so it's not like I have the free time to instantly play every DS and Wii game.

But in a way, it doesn't surprise me that Nintendo still hates online. They just do the bare minimum to keep their fans happy and always will. Guess I better play Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart DS as much as I can after I finish VLR. Strange on how I wanted to play those games before this crap happened.

This will backfire on Nintendo somehow, because it will just make Wii/DS gamers mad and they will likely seek the competition instead.

Can you still get WiiWare games after?

@Mk_II Sounds ridiculous, yeah I had an ongoing feud with them for ages, sent endless emails and all I ever got back were automated response type messages, also sent a letter and got no response. I kind of expect different from Nintendo, maybe that's just naive. Good luck with your battle; keep hassling them.

@Mytee

Where'd you get the idea they were stopping Spotpass from? That doesn't even exist on the original Wii or DS (unless you mean WiiConnect24 but that's been defunct for almost a year).

@citizenerased They're not shutting down the Wii Shop Channel, just the online multiplayer on every game. But Nintendo better not shut down the Wii Shop Channel, because that will just show how ''valuable'' downloadable games are.

Wait, the Wii has online?

@gatorboi352 Well, when you learn that business doesn't care about tech maintenance after 10 years and that not every game company lasts as long as Nintendo then you'll realise how anti-gamer digital content can be.

The only option is to make community servers mandatory for titles that publishers don't want to support online any more.

@Doctor_Pancakes If they shut THAT down then...
NO ONE WILL BUY WII U!
(Just kidding, they'll (if they buy it) keep their Wii.)

its a good push for new systems. I'll miss playing Brawl online though

goldeneye... mkw...
Must play them at full enjoyment before they are removed.

This is kind of sad. It's going to kill off all the online features in the DS Pokémon games. No more GTS for Pokémon Diamond... I have a large DS game library, got to find out if it's anything I need to get done online while I still can.

They could have waited another year before the switch off I think. I understand it can't be around forever, and it might be good for the 3DS and the Wii U.

This is sadder than it should be

@ToxieDogg They shut down the original Xbox Live 4.5 years after it's successor had come out. Nintendo are doing it 18 months after the Wii's successor. I bet a lot more people are playing DS and Wii games online now than were playing OG Xbox games in 2010. I used the Nintendo channel on Wii a lot to look back over my play times, like the activity log on 3DS, and now that's gone.

I understand it makes sense financial, but shows Nintendo are just as ruthless about making money as the others, probably even more so, and don't exist to make their fans happy like a lot of people on here seem to believe.

MK Wii is still hugely popular online. Never had trouble finding racers to race against. Although i play MK7 on 3DS way more now. MK8 will be a selling point in me finally getting a Wii U

wow, would it really be that hard to keep the top 10 games running wifi forever? seriously?

i can still play snes online with my xband, just a joke

why not give dedicated fans the power to control games wifi capabilities and run a proper server for them if the fans can afford it

No point in crying over spill milk when most of the people at the party including yourself prefer juice and beer.

The funny thing is now they are going to be more people play online now that it is going to close soon, just like Monster Hunter Tri.

Nintendo doesn't care about their fans since the N64 days. Stuff like this makes me realize that the 3DS and Wii U might be my last Nintendo devices.

@Knux They can't keep the Wii Shop Channel running forever either. Maybe it's still early, but they will shut it down sooner or later. Then Sony and MS will follow suit.
The only place I can actually buy digital games without this concern is on Steam, because I know Windows PCs aren't going anywhere, but that's not true for gaming consoles, is it? You can't expect a company to keep their servers running for 10-15 years on dated hardware.

No more Bomberman Blast online? Can't think of any other Wiiware with an active online community now. Even Excitebike has been dead the last few times I tried to find other players. RIP Texas Hold 'Em, Cue Sports, Water Warfare... Heck the only reason I bought Super Street Fighter was the online play!

I really enjoyed playing Mario Strikers online, that was also a good implementation. Of course MarioKart was good too, and Super Smash Brawl was horrible.

With the Wii and DS backward compatibility as major selling points of the new system you would think they would keep the servers on longer. This will in no way make current owners upgrade to the new systems as I think it's just a cost thing.

Can Nintendo release the server code to allow users to run servers?

Wow, all those Pokemon games on that list...

Oh, the sales will increase...but for the Wii Mini XD

@unrandomsam: No doubt, since that had a share of online Wii hackers/modders. Nintendo should allow, via patch/upgrade, for their games to run on non-co. servers when the time comes that they shut down the official co. servers. Of course, Nintendo would see this as a counter-intuitive business move.

This is sad especially for Mario Kart Wii (and DS), Smash Bros, and all Pokemon games, though at least local wireless will always work. Mario Kart Wii (at least until 8 comes out) is one of the ONLY games that allows for two players on one console to play online with others...

@FireHorsePrime Kid Icarus Uprising says hi

I'm surprised any of you talking heads are whining. Nintendo is a business, not a charity. Get over it.

So man memories I have playing Mario kart wii online. I did that for years!.....until hackers arrived and spoiled everything.

I am going to miss those days a lot. But I understand.

Thanks for the many memories!

This just confirms how conservative and desperate Nintendo has become. To cease service on their very first wi-fi systems is a gigantic shame, as this is a huge factor in their sales. If this is Nintendo just being "a business", then they've lost any chance on making money, or on continuing to be innovative.
The 3DS will be my very last Nintendo system, PERIOD.

This may be a stupid question, but couldn't you just play Wii games online through the Wii U? Or DS games online through the 3DS?

@SuperMarioBros3 I'm sorry what? everything you whine doesnt make sense.

Nintendo doesn't charges for this service. It's free. And right now their profits are slowing down so is normal for them to move their resources to the ones that need more attention at the moment and have future. I am sad for this but it is normal. Wii sales are in their final fase and they need to pick up pace with their newer ones. These are not Sony or MS that can burn money when they want or charge for their services to the blind and dumb fanbase that pay for everything they tells them to do. Nintendo is smaller than them and need to be cautious.

This is normal and happens with free services that require maintenance and are being paid but the software sale. This is not drama, IS THE REAL WORLD.

@UnseatingKDawg The software needs to be programmed to use the service in question. WFC has their own servers and technoogy dedicated to teach of those games.

For that they should repogram the games to use the NN or create a patch. Which seems unnecessary at this point.

Seriously, though, this is one of the reasons I don't get too hung up over online play on consoles. Besides, this, Nintendo's infrastructure tends to be poor, and Sony and Microsoft both make you pay for what's a free (and better) service on PC.

I didn't see Goldeneye on that list. Maybe that'll stick around longer.

It's funny that some people are surprised they're doing this. lol

Too bad. This is gonna hurt Mario Kart DS hard. Heck, it's going to hurt the Wii as a whole, even more, what with the Wii Shop (which marked Nintendo's digital delivery debut)...

[EDIT: Turns out the Wii Shop is unaffected, I rushed through the article. Of course it's unaffected, heh heh!]

Okay....

1. Get pokemon X/Y for free when you purchase a 3DS+1 game
2. Terminate online service for wii and ds.

Wow Nintendo is really pushing it. I'm smelling a sweet Wii U promotion coming soon...

I’m getting Mario Kart 8 on release... But I’m bummed about not been able to play MK Wii anymore... Nintendo have already forced me to us my old Wii so I can enter the Bi Monthly MK Wii tournaments, now I won’t even be able to play on line… I can regularly find more players raceing on MK Wii that I ever can on Wii U’s Sonic Racing!?!

@FireHorsePrime first sentance I totllly agree. N is breaking several universal business laws in the past decade. And they expect to thrive this way? Pft.

This WILL make me think twice before buying another Nintendo game with online functionality of any kind. Because the 3ds includes as it's selling popint the use of older DSi games, for this reason alone, the DS online functionality should be supported at least for another 4 or so years. This decreases the reason to buy a 3ds (for me and many others) not improve it. Business tactics like this cost customers, thier being penny wise and pound foolish.

@heathenmagic yes, regarrding Advance Wars: it's time to get those achievements for online in your medals before they shut it down and make that part of the game impossible.And Fire Emblme Shadow Dragon: ? It's time to buy those weapons online before the game is unfinish-able now.

This is really quite quick in my opinion and kind of the first example of a "modern" console having to face this decision about servers. This isn't a tremendous loss since Nintendo was so far behind in online services, but can you imagine how mad people would be if Sony or Microsoft did the same for the PS3 and 360 in just 1 year?

This is really sad because I was just looking into some good online games to help fluff out my tiny WiiU collection...

@Dr_Corndog It is getting worse on the PC though. Not many games that still let you run your own dedicated server. I do agree it should be free though especially at console prices. (And if it was done properly in the first place it could be).

@Kolzig I doubt they will port MPH or Mario Kart DS to the Wii U because they've got MK8 coming and (speculatively) a new Metroid. But it would have been cool to play with others through the Wii U, combining online play with DS users, 3DS users and Wii and Wii U users. Four consoles linked together in various formats through virtual console, and native cartridges. But that would just be too much trouble for Nintendo I guess. Their marketing teams have already determined that's not what we want. It's a shame however that Nintendo used to stimulate our imaginations with off the wall products that didn't make much profit but they gave it a chance and we loved the variety. Where did that passion for new interactive experiences go? Sad.

WTF Nintendo WTF?!!

Now I have a question, does this also include the backwards compatibility of the Wii on the Wii U not having wifi?

Come on, people! Move with the time already! This is something that will eventually happen. Microsoft did this, Sony will do this in the future, and Nintendo has settled it. If there is a new online service that's better than the old one, then they should concentrate their efforts and time on the new one instead of the old.

It's uncanny that Mario Kart 8 comes out soon after May 20th... Hmmmmm...

@SuperMarioBros3 @SuperMarioBros3 nintendo uses a strategy whereby they implement lesser content by product and packaging; giving less, and in the process they charge more for that 'less' this is a proven strategy for short term success only. In the history of business, long term revenues have seldom come from giving less value to the customer and asking for a greater value (investment) from the said same customer. Shert term pleasure always equals lng term pain, ie quick fixes don't work.

Shame. I will always remember the good times playing MKDS online.

@Azooooz Microsoft did it in 2010 for the first Xbox. Which is a hell of a lot later.

They should at least have Smash Bros out before doing this. AND MONSTER HUNTER 4.

@Heiki No one knows for sure until Nintendo (or Sony or Microsoft) actually pulls the plug. But I'll likely get into gaming on PCs eventually. If that does happen, then digital gaming will always remain a secondary option, and not the standard.

@unrandomsam Yeah, and Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection was up from 2005 till the day it shuts down, which is a lot longer than I have expected. So it needs a rest.

Looks like the Wii u's relevance shot up from a mere 0 to a 0.5 out of 10

That's kind of sad, I play a lot of Pokemon games, so I use online a lot there. Having moved on to XY, though, I don't really need it anymore, so whatever.

Kind of feels like another situation that could've been prevented by having up to date online services, though.

EA does this to their servers for games that have been out less than two years, forcing you to buy the new game even though it's pretty much exactly the same game as the older version. I don't think this is a big deal.

@Knux what i dpnt get is why your complaining about a free service shuting down. Its free, and cannot be suppprted forever. Everything free must cone to a close. It seems like with nintendo network, they arent going to replace it. And i have my highly thoughs you will have to pay for it in the future. So once we do, you may complain bout that.

TvC and Goldeneye aren't affected. It's only Nintendo titles that are affected. Look at the list.

With the Wii U being backwards compatible I would have thought the Wii servers would have been up the entire lifetime of the Wii U.

Petition for user run servers anyone?

They should atleast leak MK on till MK8 comes out. Between this and the weak VC releases its like Nintendo wants me to spend more money on another consoles games.

@ToxieDogg Really it has been almost 9 years since they established the service? That's a pretty long time; I thought they would have cut it well before then.

@dumedum I guess any publisher using their own servers bypasses this.

@FireHorsePrime Probably due to the huge shift to casual gaming in the gaming market. Back when their first couple of consoles were out, gaming wasn't really a widely accepted pastime. There's also increased pressure from the shareholders to develop for the casual market (back then this market didn't really exist hence less pressure). The shareholders care less about making a good game versus making a game that makes lots of profits (or alleged profits as one of the recent articles covers...$0.99 to increase jump height). If Nintendo went private again (or mostly since it's actually pretty difficult to go back to being private from public) that might change.

@Peach64 You're trying to make out Nintendo are possibly more ruthless than Microsoft? Don't make me laugh, that's nonsense logic.

I'll restate what I said because you're twisting facts to suit your own opinion. The original Xbox Live service started in November 2002, ended in April 2010 7.5 years later. The Nintendo Wifi Connection started in November 2005...and it's still running now in February 2014 and still will be for a few more months. That will make about 8.5 years by my reckoning, and not only that but it will have been over 3 years since the 3DS launched. As for the Wii, well the Wii's been around since the end of 2006 so the Wii's had a good innings with it, and had access to the Wi Fi connection right from the start of it's shelf life

By comparison, the original Xbox was launched late 2001 (early 2002 in Europe) but there was no Xbox Live until the end of 2002, and by 2005 its pretty common knowledge that Microsoft basically killed the original Xbox and had any games in development ported to Xbox 360 instead.

As you quite rightly point out, Nintendo are a business, they can't keep these services running forever. But I think Nintendo gamers have been given much more of a chance to make use of the Wi Fi Connection (not just with Mario Kart, but also plenty of other stuff like tons of free DLC for the DS Layton games, Inazuma Eleven, Dragon Quest IX etc. for example) than original Xbox gamers were with Xbox Live.

Not only that, but Nintendo online services have been completely free so far, whilst people have always had to pay for Xbox Live. Go figure.

So, does this mean that in-game shops for games like Rock Band 3 and Guitar Hero: Warrioros of Rock will be shut down, too? Does anyone know? If so, I will have to go on a DLC buying binge in the next week or so!

Too bad. I hope one day hacks will allow for games like Mario Kart Wii too work in the future. Never actually played the game online but doesn't mean I don't want to start sometime

It's the Inevitable..Enjoy the last of the Online features and Get over it..Simple as that..

@atomicjuicer I would have been fine with the Xbone DRM (As long as the family sharing could work with my 2 brothers who would buy the most of the AAA stuff I never would). Killing used is something needs to be done anyway it is like a disease all the money is going to middlemen who do nothing of value).

Well it was inevitable. I myself seldom used the Wi Fi on both my DS or Wii. I have always had major problems connecting those devices to the interwebz. Sad to see them go but some of those DS games have been running online for like 9 year!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also found this on IGN and it pretty much sums up everything nicely....

Dang Nintendo's being stupid. The reason no one's buying Wii U is because of MONEY da**it!! All my friends want a Wii U but can't afford it!! This is just making people more & more mad at them which will lead to less & less people buying Wii U!!

@NintendoROCKET Then Get the Money..Simple..

Maybe if more Nintendo console owners actually used the online capabilities, the services would have stayed up a little longer. Outside of like 4 games, there's less than 3000 people actively using the online portion of any Wii/DS game.

@Neo-Geofan uhh I don't know where you're getting the "nobody bats an eye" part because anytime a company announces server shut down of titles, comment sections go ape sh*t over it. Every time.

The first Nintendo DS game with Wi-Fi capabilities came in 2005. The first Wii game with Wi-Fi capabilities came in 2007. So, that's almost 9 years for DS and 7 for Wii. They've had a pretty good run. Why are people freaking out on this? And more interestingly why do I feel that the people complaining the most about it's demise, are the people who always hated on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to begin with?

Mario kart Wii servers have been running for 6 years. Most games keep servers running for 3-4 years. Truly, Nintendo are a bunch of jerks for shutting it down and I have a right to whine and expect them to keep it up forever. /sarcasm

Out with the old wifi tech, in with the new NNID system!
Good for Nintendo!

@Neo-Geofan this. The hyperbole in this thread is beyond hilarious

@wombatkidd They are still selling Mario Kart Wii new - it is not the same as something that has been out of print or only available used for ages. (You can still play UT2004 or Counterstrike online). It would be different if they decommissioned the whole lot as well including the wii shop.

@Senario The new one will be brilliant. (He is a big fan of the very first one).

@ToxieDogg It is not the same. MIcrosoft stopped selling the hardware and games miles earlier.

@Technosphile

you said it....I still play it and there are always players to fight against online and it's a blast. I knew sooner or later the Wii servers will go offline and since I don't have CoD, Goldeneye 007 is my only FPS shooter fix. I will continue to play until the very last day.

@Blizzaga I have Excitebike World Rally but I played mostly the single player mode because no one is online for this game anymore.

@unrandomsam they ARE. All Nintendo WiFi connection titles are being taken down. Anyone who expected them to keep them going forever is an idiot.

I had a good run with games like Mario Kart Wii, Texas Hold 'Em Poker,Tetris DS, The Conduit, Medal of Honor Heroes 2 and Goldeneye 007. Sooner or later, Nintendo is going to shut down the Wii/DS servers and it sucks. But maybe it WILL get some people to go out and buy a Wii U because their NNID servers are up and running.

In a perfect world, they would try to integrate online multiplayer for select Wii/DS titles but this world is far from perfect and Nintendo needs to severely step up their efforts to promote the Wii U. I say....play the hell out of your favorite titles until May 20th....and enjoy every last moment.

@MAB has provided the answer for all you fine folks

I'm not disappointed at all. The only game I played online was Mario Kart Wii, and the new one is coming out. Also, Nintendo isn't messing around about leaving Wii behind ASAP. The Wii U is better, so you might as well scrounge up your pennies and buy one. Have a garage sale and buy a Wii U, people.

@wombatkidd Less than a year ago they stopped selling the Wii. Microsoft stopped selling the original Xbox as soon as the 360 came out. They should have kept it running until they removed the Wii backwards compatibility from the next model Wii U or until they stopped selling the games for a reasonable amount of time. (They still sell both Mario Kart Wii and DS from the official store). That is a scummy thing to do.

@unrandomsam That has nothing to do with anything. you win the non-sequitur award.

@RantingThespian You really know how to hit a guy right in here... Having a nostalgia moment.

@Senario I know, right? I have a few people who I know who watch it (on NL and in real life), and that was what partially pushed me to finally see it. I never really got into it, since the episodes I saw were out of sequence, so it just looked like a weird mess of a show to me. Now thanks to the power of Netflix and a little prodding, I decided to take another shot from the beginning of the newer series... And it was Brilliant! Now to see how this new guy after Tennant works out.

@Aqueous One can hope. I guess I may need to vs you in that before it goes for good.

@wombatkidd Of course it does nobody gives a time something is going to shutdown until they have stopped selling the product.

@Lunapplebloom - Oh it is on and you shall freeze, mwhahahahahaha!

@Undead_terror it seems nobody is reading the entire article. the shop is staying up just the online gaming getting the axe

@Aqueous D:

... Actually, I don't mind the cold so much, so there.

@unrandomsam oh. You're going back and editing your old posts to make arguments you didn't make the first time. No point talking to you any further since you've already made up v your mind that shutting down 10 year old servers is the most horrible injustice in the history of man and are being intellectually dishonest in the way you're supporting your absurd position. Bye.

@Lunapplebloom - Ice cube Luna, here we come!

Wow, this is shocking. Guess I should play some MKDS before it's too late...

Oh crap, better download the rest of those WarioWare D.I.Y Big Name Games when my 3DS gets back from repair.

@One-Winged-Pit what about monster hunter ultimate. it's already on the wii u and selling for a measly 25 bucks on amazon. it also has the largest wii u online comunity.

@faint Well thanks for pointing that out.

@SuperMarioBros3 lol man. grow up

I darn near had a stroke thinking it was the Wiiu. Not cool regardless.

Shoot, almost thought this was ofr all Nintendo sytems.
I guess im ok with it.

@wombatkidd Never removed anything only added. (Apparently that is what is the desirable thing to do on this site I have been told). Even EA gives 12 months notice.

About time. Leaving the Nintendo WiFi Connection services for Wii and DS games running is holding the 3DS and Wii U back. All this leaves is the DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel. The Wii Shop Channel needs to stay up with how terribly Nintendo is handling the VC, but the DSi Shop needs to go. Certain DSiWare games need a price drop (I'm looking at you, Shantae: Risky's Revenge) on the 3DS eShop, but that won't happen so long as the DSi Shop exists because of the points system and other restrictions.

Here's an old ad. How did Nintendo get so bad in the marketing department after this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mml7DOsBS_8

well i really dont care for this i dont use my ds or wii anymore and really guys this was going to happen eventually stop freaking out.

@minotaurgamer
Of course it's free, what do you think I am, STUPID?!
Online multiplayer sells systems and games, in case you're wondering.
The Wii and DS are HARDLY slowing down, at all. it's about sales, isn't it?
Nintendo's still bigger than Sony or Microsoft.
And lastly, if you didn't understand my comment in the first place, don't respond. THAT should be REAL WORLD enough for you.

But it's just not the same, @Shotgunryugan ... it's just not the same...

@faint
If you wanna grow up, son, than don't waste time getting into other people's business.
Just a little life lesson for ya.

So much for GTS Pokemon on Black/White 2. They have only been out for less than a year and a half, and the Wi-Fi is already being taken off. Imagine if that were to happen to X/Y.

@SyFyTy
If quick fixes never work, why shut down a service that's still viable, after 8 years?

As long as they're not killing the Shop Channels and online services, I'm not too affected by it. I've had plenty of memories playing Brawl with friends and forum friends way back in Brawl's heyday but I've long since even bothered using a game's online capabilities on the Wii.

At least they've kept it this long! and hopefully more people will be able to move to the Wii U and enjoy some MK8 and SSB4

It will be sorely missed.. kind of. Was dead to me once tri went offline anyways. Will always be fond of my time spent playing CoD on Wii online though.

@gatorboi352 said: "Maybe if more Nintendo console owners actually used the online capabilities, the services would have stayed up a little longer. Outside of like 4 games, there's less than 3000 people actively using the online portion of any Wii/DS game."

Holy crap! We totally agree on something!

Yes, there are a few notable exceptions like Monster Hunter Tri and Mario Kart Wii...but almost all the big titles and sleeper hits on the Wii were primarily focused on single player, or local multiplayer.

Everybody freaking out...just stop. Here's my opinion: It kinda sucks that they are shutting down the servers, but It's not really a big deal. Many of the games on that list just have online leader-boards.

One last point: People please read the article. The Wii shop, updates, and DLC appears to still be available.

As far as the Wii menu on the Wii U console? The announcement wasn't really detailed, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

@SuperMarioBros3 It isn't really viable anymore. Both DS and Wii sales have slowed to a crawl. Retailers have phased out DS games (Black 2/White 2 being the exception), and it took less time to do that than it took for them to phase out GBA games, which were still sold in bulk 4 years after the DS released.

Keeping the Nintendo WFC for DS and Wii games alive is holding back the 3DS and Wii U. Why buy a Wii U for Mario Kart 8 when the online in Mario Kart Wii still runs just fine?

Nothing last forever....Deal with It!
DS/Wii are outdated... -_-

As hackable as the Wii and DS are, it's not outside the realm of possibility for third party servers to host online matches after Nintendo turns off theirs. The Sega Dreamcast (it's STILL thinking...) has had some success in hosting PSO sessions on private servers a decade AFTER the official servers went offline.

@SanderEvers does this mean MKDS will be playable online on the 3ds?

@Lunapplebloom

To be honest that last scene with Tennant always chokes me up. I'm actually a huge Doctor Who fan, and not just of the new series. I started with watching reruns of the show on PBS in the 90s (thanks to my mom). Tennant is actually tied for my favorite incarnation of the Doctor with Tom Baker's 4th Doctor.

I am sure you will love Matt Smith's Doctor, he's my 3rd favorite (with Peter Davison's 5th Doctor being my 2nd). It was really sad to see him go last X-Mas, but I am excited to see what Peter Capaldi (a life long Who fan, like Tennant) will do with the character.

Hey, if you ever want to talk about Doctor Who, I'm always up for it.

Apparently, this is the real reason the DS and Wii's online is getting shut down

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/631516-wii-u/68679524

Due to extended sleep deprivation, it took me several read-throughs (and minutes of panic/sadness) to comprehend that Nintendo was only discontinuing wi-fi connection for the older systems and not the current consoles.

Go to bed, dumb dumb.

@CrazyOtto

Hmmmm, interesting......
Now if we can only get more people in the gaming press to back up this source, we might have something.

@CrazyOtto

Yep that is apparently the situation. It was discussed in Neogaf thread and still right now to an extent.

What most people don't realize that Nintendo Wifi (being archaic and all) was run by Gamespy not Nintendo themselves.

However Gamespy was sold to Glumobile over a year ago and they apparently were centered around controversial decisions of shutting down servers without warning so they can extort higher fees. If this happened with Nintendo, its likely Nintendo didn't want to deal with more BS on their part.

Although Nintendo officially stated they wanted to free up resources for MK8 and new Smash, I believe the Glumobile debacle probably played a role in this.

And yes this whole server shutdown is awful. Pokémon communiies, MKwii, and Project M probably the most affected. Most others not so much unless you are talking Layton puzzles.

Does it affect to third party games like Goldeneye or Last Story? or is it only Nintendo first party games?

@RantingThespian No that's ok. It just really gets me in my soft spot. Your story sounds fascinating though. I've been considering starting from the very beginning once I see the rest of new series on Netflix and Hulu Plus. Even if everything may look dated, every great series comes from somewhere, and I'm always willing to take a look at where it began.

@RantingThespian & @Senario David is really one of a kind in the role so far to me. Luckily, I'll still get to see him one last time for the 50th.

And thanks for the heads up. I saw Matt's first appearance episode now, and he's off to a good start. Need to see more before I pass judgement however.

Sure thing though. I'm always up for a little discussion. I think I saw a thread around NL somewhere for Doctor discussion, but can't remember where. I've derailed this topic enough though for myself and you guys with me.

Apparently Nintendo's contract with some third party company that handled the P2P connections is expiring.

I wonder. When online-enabled Nintendo DS games eventually hit the Wii U Virtual Console, how will Nintendo be able to support those games' online features with Nintendo Network replacing the Wi-Fi Connection service?

@Mk_II Did the system come with dust in it? If not, it's not something that'd be covered by warrantee.

Just found the list of Nintendo games that are affected and i've gotta say that now i'm not so cool with it anymore.
The Wii and DS had so many good and unique games that i'd really love to revisit one day. Not being able to play these online with a friend and in some cases having to miss out on some additional content is quite a bummer.
These games would've deserved better.

Good. Regardless of how you look at it, more people are gonna switch to MK8 for this reason. It might not be pretty, but it's the best for all.

All those people who bought the Wii Mini / Mario Kart bundles won't be missing much. As for the rest of us...

@Lunapplebloom
Yeah, the older series is a bit . . . dated. It's like comparing Star Trek and Star Trek: the Next Generation. However, the actors playing the Doctor are much better than the actor who played Kirk (I disliked Shatner in the series, but I learned to love him in the movies).

You may not want to go back to the very beginning of Doctor Who when revisiting the classics. The old series really hit it's stride with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Doctors. Sadly, the series started to take a nosedive during the 6th Doctor's era. I do not blame Colin Baker (the 6th Doctor), but I blame the BBC. The head of the BBC at that time hated Doctor Who, and was looking for ways to get it off the air. It started to redeem itself with the 7th Doctor's last year . . . but then it got the axe. The TV movie in 1996 was alright (the Master's portrayal I think wasn't handled well), but Paul McGann did a wonderful job as the Doctor. Sadly his only other screen time was on the mini episode that was made for the 50th Anniversary. However, he's been doing audio stories as the 8th Doctor for years (which he is still doing).

When it came back in 2005, I was relieved that they weren't "rebooting" it. They were just continuing it. The show reboots itself every 4-5 years, anyways. New Doctor, new companions, new story arcs. It's survived so long because of how it can change and adapt with the times, and the central character keeps changing.

I could keep talking about Doctor Who . . . but I'll stop for now.

Wait, so even playing Mario Kart DS on a 3DS and Mario Kart Wii on a Wii U online won't work??

Bad move Nintendo, ever thought about the millions who own the Wii.

@Pixel-Perfect I understand :/
But hey at least your copy still works, I had to sell all of my Wii games due to it murdering my disks, I fixed the disk reading problem twice(which costed like $80), and it still ended up scratching disks.

Pretty much my Wii is only for VC/WiiWare games now & the internet channel. Sucks considering TvC was one of my favorite fighters & Capcom apparently lost the Tatsunoko side(so no more games of these two pairings in the future, apparently).

At least the Wii Shop Channel is around.

@IceClimbers
I understand that it's natural to 'let go' of a previous generation, in favor of the latest one, but with so little potential for the Wii U, and backwards wi-fi compatibility for the 3DS, there's still room for profit-making, and these two systems are still trying to match the phenomenal sales of the DS and Wii. They NEED to make any extra money they can to stay in competition with Sony and Microsoft, and the fewer options they allow themselves to have, the worse their future looks. The eShop is the greatest example of this.
The worst reason for cancellin Wii wi-fi: there will not be a Smash Bros. Game for MANY months to come, as bad as the online was for Brawl. That will leave a big, gaping hole for Smash Bros. fans everywhere.

@SebCroc Yeah, and that just sucks, BAD.

@SuperMarioBros3 Except they wouldn't be making any profit by leaving the DS and Wii's online up. The DS was discontinued silently last year, while the only Wii model that is still around is the Wii Mini, which can't access the internet. Like I said before, the only major DS game still sold in stores is Pokemon Black 2/White 2. Sucks when it comes to that game as its still relatively new, but this way it prevents users from creating hacked Pokemon on PokeGen and sending them over to X/Y. As for Wii games, people likely already have them.

3DS and Wii U aren't going to match the sales of DS and Wii. Expecting them to is simply unreasonable. They have a MUCH smaller target audience, especially the Wii U.

@IceClimbers
"3DS and Wii U aren't going to match the sales of DS and Wii. Expecting them to is simply unreasonable. They have a MUCH smaller target audience, especially the Wii U."
Thanks for unintentionally reinforcing my point!

@odd69 How many of those millions actually use the service though? Let's all be honest here, for every Wii owner that played Mario Kart online all the time, there's probably a hundred or more that never bothered. Like all those people who played Wii Sports in old people's homes or the families who just got together to play Just Dance at Christmas or whatever. Same with the DS.

People keep complaining that Nintendo's online service is old, archaic, outdated. But then complain when Nintendo make steps towards sorting it out (the Nintendo Network) and shutting down the old service. Bunch of whiners. How many people really miss the old Xbox Live now? How many people still play PS2 games online now? How many people will honestly care about Nintendo switching this off in a year or so's time?

It was to be expected. Luckily the Wii shop stays intact!

Nintendo still sells Wii today. Thats disrespect to all the customers. Even if most of us don't use the online service it doesn't matter. We should be able to if we wanted to. The cost of running servers till 2020 is minimal to big N compared to their earnings. Well now i believe they are worst than Microsoft and Sony.

@ToxieDogg
The Wii and DS are still Nintendo's most sold and celebrated systems, ever. With as broad and diverse an audience as that, it's really hard to forget about those who helped Nintendo gain the video gaming renaissance it needed. The 3DS can still support DS wi-fi, and the Wii U is doing very badly, especially without a Smash Bros. title for many months after Brawl dies out online.

I'm just going to say it. I pretty much hate the Wii U. I'm a Nintendo fan, but it's a complete flop. The Wii wasn't done when the Wii U came out! Sure, it was dying out, but it wasn't done. I still love my Wii. I literally just played Wi-Fi on it this morning, and on my DSi yesterday. I play the old versions because they're fun! Also, I have ENORMOUS expectations for MK8, since MKW is one of my top 5 favorite games of all time. If they nail MK8, I'll consider buying a Wii U. Otherwise, Playstation 4 here I come... (Since staying on the Wii isn't an option anymore...)

On a side note, the Wii Mini is a f***ing joke. And yet, I've heard stories of people buying it instead of the Wii U. So good job Nintendo, you effectively killed another ten thousand or so possible sales...

@StarDust4Ever The real question is, why would anyone buy the Wii Mini?

@JumpnShootMan Exactly!

So this does mean that playing Wii games on the Wii U won't have the WiFi connection features either?

Oh, boohoo.
I can't play the worst Mario Kart game.
Oh, and Wii U users, you can still play it on the Wii U.
IT'S 10 DAYS BEFORE MK8.

@T900Kassem last I checked, May 30th is a little more than two weeks away. So people who own Wii-U will only have to survive about a week and a half without Mario Kart wifi.

I would like to upgrade to Wii-U but right now it is just not sitting in a good place. 3DS may very well be this old gamers last system purchase. Sorry Nintendo you really didn't move on with us old guys

@Windy I couldn't agree with you more!
The 3DS is the VERY best system I've ever played, because the NES games are on there, Mario 64 DS and Ocarina 3D are on there, the 3DS games are only getting better, and that catalog of DS games porting all the way back to ATARI! This is DEFINITELY the system I'm retiring on!
I'm an old gamer myself, as I started with the NES back in '87.

@domdom87 I know, I know. Literally, right after I posted my comment, I saw that the Wii Shop Channel would be unaffected. I gave myself a Falcon Facepalm.

Does this mean DSi games will not be available on the 3DS eShop?

I wonder if this means games like Phantasy Star Zero will not be able to play online anymore. That will be sad.

@KarateKid1234 No, DSi games will still be available on the 3DS eShop.
@Windy Unfortunately yes, no more Phantasy Star Zero online.

@FullbringIchigo Something else.

Well I haven't played on DS or Wii online for ages. I had some good memories though, like my first online game Mario Kart DS. Brawl's online sucked, so I hope they make it much better in the new instalments. Only thing I'm really going to miss is Mario Kart Wii. Again, haven't played that for almost a year.

@MrPokirby How do you do the cloning glitch for the 5th generation of Pokémon? I've been looking for info on the possibility of one, but I can't find anything.

I bought the wii and got wifi just so my son could play online with friends,how can they take that away? if it came with that ability isn't that false advertising?

@AltDotNerd yes itll stillwork it wasright there in the article..

@Spanjard Because no one want to upgrade (ahem...downgrade) to a Wii U

I swear if they end Nintendo Wifi for Wii I will sell my Wii and its 20 games I have,move on Sony and never look at a nintwndo product again

I never realized how popular Goldeneye was till reading these comments they never advertised a bond game till then amd that proves that TV advertising works

I wish they would of kept Mario Kart Wii able to play online...The times I had playing it against other people online :'). What I am angry about, is Just Dance 2014 being released on the Wii with ONLINE features, that will probably (I haven't gotten an answer about what will happen to it from the company that makes the game yet) be useless. They shouldn't of included online features for the Nintendo Wii and made it cheaper for that reason.

If only Nintendo had announced the termination of Nintendo Wi-Fi before Christmas.

It seems 2014 is the year for everything ending. First Windows XP support (nothing to do with Nintendo but oh well) and now the subject at hand (I'm not writing the long sentence of what it is again)

@SyFyTy
do you feel any diffrent now knowing the reason why they shut it down was becuse gamespy whos servers they used went out of business and that it will affect hundreds of games not on nintendo consoles?

@jacobdude actualy it's an upgrade. i have both. my wii is collecting dust lol.

@bunnynuts gamespy went out of business. thses were the servers ninty was using. it affected hundreds of games not on nintendo consoles. look it up.

This is all about money....I had hoped they wouldn't jump on the bandwagon like Xbox and Sony, but they have. We put up our Xbox and brought out our Wii so our grandkids could use it for games but mostly for the channels. Netflix, Youtube and Amazon....Oh well, not going to extort any more money out of us..... will just buy another Roku!!!!!!!!

And to agree with all the OLDIES out there...........Don't care for the online features.........do not want a hand held, tiny screen, and They have ruined Zelda making it a fight format instead of adventure........moving on to Sony

Does no one care about 007 Goldeneye? We need to petition this and not let them shut down the servers! Ugh...

Nintendo list of games affected
http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/gameslist/en/games-wifi.jsp

Hey Nintendo Life,
I think you should post an article on the front page and keep it there for a couple of weeks explaining exactly why Nintendo WiFi was disconnected. This article is leading people to think that it was to boost sales for the WiiU and Mario Kart 8. Did you look into this matter at all? It seems that you have just made an assumption and ran with it.

Well... This sucks! because not only do people loose all of there achievements from online play, but for some games there is no interest for playing the game offline, so now the 50$ game that was bought is going to waste because I have no ambition to play the game anymore seeing as I can't challenge myself against actual people, I now have to play against the computer made players, so now if I want to play an online version of the game I have to go buy a 300$ wii u system plus another game and work my way back to achieve all the points that I got from the wii version, while my wii sits there collecting dust.

Why are people angry I don't know for every one but anyone playing pokémon diamon/pearl/platinum, heart gold/soul silver or black/white is rightfully upsetcause they rely on wifi for trading. I am gettingrrefurbished 3ds not because of this but so I cwn play alpha sapphire. Would I like wii u yes am i getting 1 anytime soon no. This plan will primarily backfire not way to increase sales. I am Nintendo fan girl so sucker who will eventually own it however I am very careful with my money so don't need newest stuff asap I just boight wii last yr. I have no reason to consider wiiu atm.

I will never buy a nintendo device again due to this! and certainly won't upgrade, played online with my favorite games for years and suddenly it isn't possible anymore, now i have a worthless device and can throw away my favorite games. have had several nintendo consoles but this was my last one.

What about all the pokemon fans out there? Without trading and battling the game gets bland and boring. Oh well time to look for an alternative.

1 is there a way to bypass this
2 Why the frock would they do this
3 I'm depresed

;-; I must be the unluckiest Pokemon fan ever... I got Soulsilver a week ago, get addicted to it easily, beat trainer Red after a few days, but find out that it has been 2 years (or so) since the Soulsilver and HeartGold/DS servers have been shut down.. That means I have not and will never expierence what SS/HG wifi was like . I know that OR/AS servers are still up, and I play it once in a while, but It doesn't feel as fun as what SoulSilver/HeartGold online, would of felt like for me.. Rip..