Nintendo Suspending Wii Video Streaming Services Early Next Year

Insert obligatory "Please bring Netflix to Switch!" comment here.

They're really not closing Netflix though, they are just moving it from the Wii to the Switch.

I see that Netflix may be Switching over.

No Issue with me, also not keen on having Netflix on Switch since even a toaster has it(like Skyrim) in any case there's the Wiiu,pc,cellphone,SmartTV, etc to watch series, heck even PS vita if you will.

Oh no....not the Wii....the horror.

Not a big deal, probaly going too the switch

Well, time for all those Wii grandma to upgrade to the next level.....by buying all those unwanted Wii U consoles to repurposed as Netflix boxes.

This really makes me sad, with what could’ve been. The Wii was cut down in its Golden years with a half baked, rushed successor. Imagine if the Wii had lasted out a little longer, and the Wii U had baked in the oven for a few more years- If Mario Maker, Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon were in the launch window.

RIP Wii

To think that Wii from 2007 had more features like Netflix and others than Switch in 2017 😂

Wii really is an amazing system especially if you unlock its full potential 😉

Will Nintendo Life do a «what games to buy» feature before the Wii Shop closes up, eh, shop?

@Sinton Instantly heard your comment in the 1980's shredders voice. Thank you for that

Here in Denmark, the Wii Netflix channel has already been out of commission for over half a year.

It was my impression that this was a worldwide occurrence, and I guess that it will be soon enough, now.

Too bad. It was the least annoying version of Netflix I've ever had access to.

Online services are ending for the Wii. It was bound to happen eventually.

Why? I understand the Wii shop closing, but why does a third-party app need to shut down too?

@Sinton
Would be great with a final assessment of what deals are still worth it.

@Krull
It's a Nintendo supported feature. If Nintendo doesn't want to spend management and QA time on guaranteeing a functional user experience anymore, then the app has to shut down.

This is really gutting for me, netflix on my wii really works for me and my setup. Nothing better than watching through a CRT.

@YANDMAN
If you got a Wii U, your composite/component cables for the Wii will fit snugly in the back of the Wii U as well, and output a fast and furious analog signal.

The Wii U version of Netflix does get on my nerves though.

@Pod My wiiu is set up on an GD tv in another room. My wii runs through my old CRT in my bedroom and its fantastic for watching Netflix on. I also really like the wii version of the program.

I suspect Nintendo is wanting a bigger chunk of Netflix subscribers on the Switch and Netflix is refusing. I wouldn't be surprised if the Wii app somehow requires approval from Nintendo to run or something. It'll be interesting to see if Nintendo plays hardball with Netflix.

I am guessing the Wii U netflix app will still be working? Shutting down for the Wii makes sense perhaps, as it doesn't do HD anyway. But some people will miss it I bet.

I don't think i will use it as i have in UHD on my smartphone butbit should be thrre for those who do want it.

@AlternateButtons You still use your Wii U for Netflix?? Mine kept on freezing and crashing all the time, so gave up and now use my Playstation 3

I like how the Wii from 2006 has more features than the Switch from 2017.

That’s a shame. It sounds like Nintendo are terminating it rather than Netflix. I have my Wii in a second room (my retro corner!) and was hoping it would be used for Netflix when my daughter gets older and may want to watch different stuff to myself and my wife. Looks like that can’t happen now. Boo!

As my retro corner houses a CRT, I’m not sure what other Netflix options I have for a CRT. Maybe a PS3 using composite, that will be a treat for the eyes!

We hope you’ll soon enjoy an even better Netflix experience with additional features on a supported device. Please visit netflix.com/wii for our device list.

Sounds like it's coming!

@koekiemonster : not just more features but more VC games at the launch of the service than Switch will totally have in its lifetime...
(And even when they'll terminate the online features, you can still play them...)

There was a netflix on Wii?! We need one for switch now.

Kinda sucks for people who still use it, doesn't it?

This is very unfortunate because I gave my old Wii to my parents so that they could use netflix on their TV.

Guess they're going to have to switch to a smart TV or suffer HDMI adaptors hooking up to their computers if they want to watch Netflix.

I though all online functionality on the Wii had been terminated by now.

Sounds like it's heading to the Switch, and seeing how Nintendo are the ones ending support for the Wii, it's probably happening sooner than we think.

To be fair, most online fuctionality on the Wii has ended or is due to end. So Netflix going from this system is just the norm really.

I can't wait for homebrewers to bypass the Nintendo Streaming shutdown like they did for WiiConnect24 and Nintendo WFC. That should be fun ^^

@marandahir Isn't a refurbished Wii U 100 € or so nowadays? If so, Wii U can be plugged in via analog, and IIRC Netflix isn't shutting down on that just yet

And you can just keep the Wii's Sensor Bar and Wiimote to avoid having to deal with the gamepad, although I don't remember if you can display the keyboard on screen

This news makes Netflix more eminent for Switch now. Oh how I love how Nintendo trolls us by trickling the other infamous apps out on Switch and dangles that elusive Switch Netflix carrot, just out of reach. Patience now...

this article is a day late (10pm last night).

@MeloMan It's the patience bit that a lot of posters in here fail to grasp sadly. Anyone who has experience of Nintendo over the years knows they remain notoriously tight-lipped until they feel they're ready to divulge information. They're not going to stop being like that just because some impatient manchild on Nintendolife wants everything now...

@Nemodius Terrible, isn't it? It's like the end of the world or something. They were probably chilling at home, out at the pub with mates or enjoying quality time with their families when the news broke.

So all that's left for Wii is Just Dance now.

I was in Target last week,realized they had zero Wii U games but that Wii version of Just Dance was prominent right in the middle of the Switch games.

Good news, Wii Mini owners won't be affected by this. 😂

"Wii Mini owners won't be affected by this."
what evidence is this based on, I have found in everything I have read, that all Nintendo devices will be hit, that's why I didn't say anything until yesterday, I spent a good several hours trying to find out more before jumping through my arse and blindly posting

so any additional information sources would be great, still, I think I'll just go out and get me a $35 Roku

I never got it to get past the loading screen in the first place...

@GravyThief @marandahir Roku is an option for both your cases, starting at $30. One of the models comes with HDMI and standard Composite output cables, too.

It makes sense, there is will be no way for the Streaming services to update the software after Nintendo shuts down the eShop. As others have said, streaming services have become pretty much a standard on just about everything (surprised it isn't part of the Amazon Microwave, watch Man in the High Castle while popping popcorn).

I've used the streaming apps on the Wii U in the past, but honestly it is easier to just use my aging Roku stick (and cheaper to replace).

@Nemodius Wii Mini has no internet capabilities, so the Netflix Channel never worked on it in the first place.

It's kind of sad to see this officially close. The Wii is actually the first machine I ever used to stream Netflix, back in the days when streaming was offered by Netflix as a free addition to the disc mailing subscription (hard to believe that was almost ten years ago). We didn't use it much because the online selection was pretty slim, but there were a couple movies on it that me and the kid watched together (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs comes to mind). Good times. RIP Netflix Channel.

Wii generation was the last time I used a game console to stream Netflix, and I watched a looooooot of bad horror movies through it. My wife and I used it to watch through Twin Peaks for the first time. Quite memorable. Everything ends eventually.

I still have the Netflix disc that they released for Wii many moons ago.

@Krull
That's what I want to understand as well. Does Nintendo have explicit control over all third party apps? Does all third party apps on the Wii depends on Nintendo support for basic functionalities?

Even if I can understand, I'm still not at ease with the idea of taking things that are perfectly functional and then forcing ways to make them non-functional anymore, usually to force people to upgrade and buy new stuff. I mean, if there's a real reason associated with performance (or lack of), then, ok. But this feel like forcing people to move on, even if that's 0,05% of current users.

I'm usually someone who always try to repurpose old gear for something else. An old PC? Could convert that into a file server, a SONOS server, Plex server, or whatnot. It is still usefull. The same way an old Wii could be repurposed to grant an old TV set in the house some basic Netflix capabilities. YEAH, I know a Chromecast is $40, but why should I buy something and spend money when I already have something with all the hardware capable of doing it?

I think that, more than ever, people need to self-educate themselves and be more and more able to turn their old electronics (including consoles) into multipurpose devices to extend their useful lives. Because a lot of business decisions nowadays are turning perfectly fine electronics into doorstops.

And this, indirectly, gives more and more munitions to those who "jailbreak" or hack their consoles to give them an extended life and keep them being useful.

@Yorumi A PS3 and X360 from the same time still connect too. This is just Nintendo doing Nintendo. My DVD player from that era had no internet capabilities whatsoever. That's one of the reasons Wii was popular: It was a cheap streaming device when they were rare and expensive. Actually I had several and none of them did.

Not until BD players picked up major steam did that become a thing. And even then my old Oppo, a very high end one (before Oppo went nuts and started charging OBSCENE money for their players) doesn't connect to current versions of most services...the apps are too old and they've revamped the protocols and security twice since then.

A PC can do it. A supported concole can do it. Most players can't. This is why Roku exists, and why it's cheap, so they can not maintain apps on older versions and you just keep buying new ones.

@Yorumi True, though running a Wii in 2018 isn't much unlike running Windows XP still. Sure that 2006 PC hardware may still run, but you're going to have problems with some apps that require recent APIs and security protocols. I imagine the current push to move to TLS 1.1+ on the server side is a big part of discontinuing all this. XP will be kind of hosed too.

Nobody can act like they are surprised by this, the writing was on the wall.

Darn. I still use it often. Have it in my bedroom, not many devices have netflix and composite anymore

@Sinton Muscle March is the only Wii game you'll ever need.

Nearly every TV sold nowadays is a "smart" tv that has these apps built in. There's a few remaining people out there that probably use an original Wii in their bedroom as a netflix box. Beyond that, 90% of Wii online support has long been terminated. Just the last piece of the eshop (to give people a chance to use their points) and these few streaming services were the last pieces that held out until now. It's probably only a matter of time before support for PS3, 360, and even the Wii U eventually get wound down in the next few years, especially once PS5 and Scarlett launch.

Totally sucks I still use my wii quite often to stream Netflix and Amazon Prime.