Technology has progressed a lot since 2011. It was the year that saw the release of both the original 3DS and Wii Family Edition, while tablet sales began to pick up following the stellar success of the first iPad. Booting up Apple's earliest tablet - running on iOS 5.1.1 no less - yesterday, one user received a blast from the past as they attempted to load Netflix on the device only to be hit with a particularly un-Apple message.
Instead of the usual Apple error code, Twitter user @fcbunn found that the now-defunct Netflix app instead prompted the following Wii Shop-based advice:
This disc is no longer supported. To watch instantly, simply download Netflix from the Wii Shop Channel
Now, we can't claim to have any insider knowledge of the inner workings of Apple's helpline, but something tells us that taking your complaint to the Wii Shop Channel probably won't yield the streaming service result you are after. This being said, instead of having to drag yourself through the final 26-hour-apiece episodes of Stranger Things, you would be treated to the Wii Shop's jazzy beats - so every cloud, we guess.
Unfortunately, this Nintendo glitch was quickly fixed, with Bunn today tweeting that the error message had now been replaced by a much more fruitful link to Netflix's supported devices. They also used the moment to make a formal apology to the Netflix developer who had to go back and amend the decade-old mistake.
People on Twitter were quick to attempt to find a reason for the glitch, with theories ranging from the devices' shared web service to a particularly strong thread which claimed Bunn had edited the photo for their own gain - because there's no way that a device running 2011 software could possibly slip up, right?
Whatever the true reason, we think it's safe to say that if this error has made anything certain, it's that the Wii Shop Channel music is once again stuck firmly in our heads.
Have you ever been hit with a Nintendo-themed error on a non-Nintendo product? Boot up the memory banks and let us know down below!
[source twitter.com]
Comments 24
Maybe the wii shop version was just the newest version they had when putting it on the iPad originally so they just used that, and then it never got updated on that iPad
Seeing that error message in the classic iDevice font/style is really funny to me.
That headline is a lot to process.
@Fizza Yeah lol, I was incredibly confused for a hot minute. Thought maybe I had suffered a stroke.
This doesn't bother me.
If I had to guess... I'd say it is because the Wii browser is based on WebKit (Apple-developed web engine for Safari browser) and the web application made incorrect assumptions on the device being used based on browser version information.
My guess is this has something to do with the fact that each device calls its operating system "IOS".
I wonder if the error message on the Wii has been updated too?
@ovasie I don't think that's the case. The Wii browser was indeed based on opera, but opera didn't switch to webkit until 2013. Although I suppose the Netflix app is seperate from the Wii's web browser anyway, so it's possible both versions of the Netflix app have the same back end.
Could be all warning messages are baked into every app…? Very interesting.
There’s no hardware similarities between the Wii’s PowerPC 750/ATi Hollywood chipset and Apple’s A4 SOC.
@ThePizzaCheese Touche. All a inconsequential legacy mess I guess
Did the five second Google thing because I remembered how this makes sense: https://www.computerabuser.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Netflix-Wii-008.jpg
@Aventurier Thank you! I was wondering what that error message was supposed to mean. I have never seen a Netflix disc for the Wii before.
@countzero started as a disc, become a download later
Really want Netflix and streaming services to come to the Switch. I'd like to know that the hold-up was.
@Axecon because you can't watch Netflix on it in handheld mode. It'd just be way too tiny, it'd be incredible disrespectful of everyone involved to watch their art on a screen like that. You miss all the art of cinematography, framing, shot composition, colour grading, camera movement, etc. Because the important part of a TV show or movie is not what happens at the end, but the journey to get there.
There's few people daft enough to watch a movie on their phone, or something. And the switch screen is barely bigger than a phone screen.
Yes you can use it in TV mode, if it's one of the 1 models that have that feature. For every other situation, plus for everyone who has the handheld-only switch, a Netflix app would be completely pointless cos nobody would be dumb enough to try and use their switch to watch things lol. They'd simply just use ANY other device to watch it. Their smart TV, their laptop, their huge tablet, etc. Whatever it is it'll be better than watching on a screen as small and low resolution as the switch's screen. Who's gonna use that app? People will download the app, just to have it, just in case
But everyone who can afford a switch definitely has multiple other devices which are much much better to watch Netflix on than the switch in handheld mode of the Switch Lite/Diet Switch. So all that'll happen is the app will sit there gathering dust
And Nintendo would have to keep spending time and resources and man/womanpower on maintaining this app that nobody uses, constantly updating it, constantly fixing bugs and issues, constantly having to update it every time the main Netflix app has an update that changes the UI or adds new big features etc.
Though I say that, but there's been reports that it's Netflix themselves who don't want their app on the switch, rather than Nintendo being the ones who refused. But it's probably a bit of both. Nintendo wanted the app, but they didn't want it very badly, because of the aforementioned work it'd take to maintain it. So probably they were only willing to have the app on there if Netflix themselves would do the bulk of the work in maintaining it (or preferably ALL the work) and Netflix refused that specific part, not refused in general. They're fine with having their app on consoles if the company making the console does a big chunk of the maintenence work on it, even if not all of it, like with Sony and Microsoft. But Nintendo didn't wanna do that, presumably, and so both sides couldn't come to an agreement. Nintendo always seem to like to think they're special or exceptional among console manufacturers and software producers. As if they're more important than Sony etc. They're not. But they think they are. Which is why they do things like never have discounts on games even if they're like 5 years old already. Breath of the wild is still full price lol
@Fizza Seriously! Every few words in the headline caused a brain reboot
@Fizza ikr i cant wrap that around my head lol.
@AnorakJimi You know the 3DS had a Netflix app right? The Switch in handheld mode is a big quality and size improvement to that. It also was a thing on the Wii U GamePad.
I also would caution against assuming that "everyone" has access to something better. I can totally see someone such as a child having just a Switch on hand.
@AnorakJimi my TV is 10 years old, so all the SmartTV stuff has stopped working years ago. I had a FireTV stick that was annoyingly slow and often crashed. The Chromecast I use now is a bit better but requires a smartphone to work.
The Switch on the other hand boots up very fast and the existing apps work pretty well. So it's my main way to watch YouTube and Crunchyroll on the TV. If it also had Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon I wouldn't need the Chromecast at all.
Has anyone tried checking the original Netflix disc error on the Wii to see if it got unintentionally changed (or maybe intentional) to this new error message?
@AnorakJimi
You do know the Netflix app works on Smartphones, right? Plenty of people use theirs to stream content, and the Switch even for a small tablet is still bigger than most. 7" is plenty big enough for a decent viewing ratio, no "disrespect" whatsoever. Certainly not anymore so than playing games.
Unless you're the guy carrying around your smart phone, tablet/laptop, and Switch everywhere there's a Niche for it.
Its the lack of mobile internet holding the Switch back here. You're reliant on wifi unless you want to pay extra for a hotspot, making the "pick up and go" aspect practically useless for streaming.
If the majority of Switch owners use it in handheld mode, which I would imagine Nintendo has data for, then that's probably why Netflix doesn't consider it worth supporting.
I don’t even know what to say. Like at all.
I still watch my Netflix via floppy disks.
It’s still loading.
@AnorakJimi Screen has never been an issue, I mean YouTube & Hulu works just fine. True, literally everyone has another device that runs Netflix (smart TV, laptop, firestick, illegal website, etc), but having it on the Switch would be so nice. I'd also love for there to be a way to read e-books on the device too (I know there are some apps but it is very limited like streaming services).
The Switch really feels like it has the potential to be the ultimate handheld machine, even 5 years after launch. Being that it is handheld, there are some compromises (like screen resolution or WIFI connection) but you are never going to get the 100% experience because you are sacrificing it for the travel aspect. The form factor of the Switch has yet to be beat, as it's larger and more comfortable to use than a phone but still small enough to feel truly portable unlike the Steam Deck.
I assume a lot of the hold-up goes back to probably Nintendo. The focus of the device is for gaming first, then other applications second. This is also one reason how Nintendo keeps the price of the device fairly low. If you compare the device to an iPad (or general tablet), it crushes the gaming potential on those devices and still has a better form factor with the control setup. But the iPad and similar devices have better infrastructure for video streaming and alternative app use. Right now, the Switch is fulfilling it's niche in gaming but imagine if it could be so much more.
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