Wii - Timeline
Wednesday13th Mar 2019
News Nintendo On Introducing New Hardware, Giving Players "That 'Wow' Moment"
"Even among our developers there are often doubts!"
Amongst the many things that make Nintendo truly stand out in the gaming world, perhaps the most obvious is its approach to hardware design. Where others aim to offer the most powerful systems on the planet, serving as a one-stop platform for all of one's entertainment needs, Nintendo has taken a...
Monday4th Mar 2019
Video Mario Kart Wii Mod Doubles The Number Of Characters In Every Race
More racers, more fun
If 12 racers in Mario Kart wasn't already infuriating enough, how would you feel about 24? A video game modder named MrBean35000vr has been able to get 24 karts up and running in Mario Kart Wii. As he explains in the above video, his mod can handle between 24-29 racers, but the game crashes when 30 or more karts are added...
Monday25th Feb 2019
Random This Grandma Has Played Wii Fit Every Day For More Than 10 Years
Hardcore
You won't be surprised to hear that we're rather fond of video games here at Nintendo Life, with many of us boasting frankly ridiculous playtime hour totals on some of our favourite games, but not one of us has ever managed to achieve the levels of dedication shown by this grandma. Shared by Super Rare Games boss George Perkins, the tweet...
Wednesday30th Jan 2019
News So Long Wii Shop Channel, And Thanks For All The Games
Closing down after more than 12 years
Today sees the discontinuation of the Wii Shop Channel, an online service for the Wii which has hosted a wonderful and quirky collection of digital games since December 2006. Back in September 2017, Nintendo announced that the Wii Shop Channel would be closing in 2019. The closure would mean that players would...
Thursday17th Jan 2019
Random What Ever Happened To The Queen's Golden Wii?
The truth revealed
Just under a decade ago, publisher THQ released Big Family Games, a Wii title which hoped to follow in the famous footsteps of Wii Sports with its own family-friendly, motion control minigames. If you haven't heard of it before, that's likely because it never reached those high levels of success, but there's a rather comical PR...
Reminder The Wii Shop Channel Closes This Month, Here's What That Means For You
Redownload your games ASAP
On 30th January, all online services for the Wii including all functions associated with the Wii Shop Channel will be closed down. That means you have exactly two weeks to get all of your Wii-based affairs in order. Of course, Nintendo has now released two new home consoles since the hugely popular Wii first launched back...
Wednesday2nd Jan 2019
News This Custom Game Boy Cartridge Turns Your Old Handhelds Into GameCube And Wii Controllers
Play Virtual Console with a real Game Boy
Ever played an old Game Boy classic on the Wii's Virtual Console and thought, "hey, this is great, but it still doesn't feel quite like it used to in the good old days"? Well, this custom cartridge could well solve that dilemma as it allows players to use any Game Boy system as a controller for your GameCube...
Video This Pocket-Sized Portable Plays GameCube And Wii Games
But you can't buy it
Portable Wii consoles aren't a new thing – we've seen one that fits inside a coat, lest we forget – but few fan-made mods come as elegantly packaged as this one. The PiiWii Pocket is the creation of YouTuber Shank Mods, and uses actual Wii internals rather than emulation. It comes with a suite of controls, internal cooling...
Sunday23rd Dec 2018
Random Humanoid Cats Discovered In Korean Version Of Super Paper Mario
Unused levels also uncovered
There's apparently been a recent and slightly odd discovery in the Wii release, Super Paper Mario. It's all tied to the 2009 South Korean version of the game. YouTube channel GamingIntus, which was able to sift through the files, found unused levels and content that had no resemblance to anythin
Wednesday28th Nov 2018
Standard definition Groose it is!
Over the last few days, the Nintendo community has been bubbling with excitement (or in some cases, mild indifference) over the idea of an HD re-release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword on Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately for those who wanted to see it happen, however, it would appear that no such project is in...
Friday9th Nov 2018
News Nintendo Suspending Wii Video Streaming Services Early Next Year
The end of an era
Netflix recently sent out an email notifying users Nintendo will be suspending all video streaming services on the Wii - including the Netflix Channel - at the end of January 2019. Here's the full message below, courtesy of a post on Reddit: Unfortunately, Nintendo will suspend all video streaming services on Wii—including the...
Wednesday31st Oct 2018
Four lists, forty great games
While much of the attention has unsurprisingly been given to the Switch, Nintendo's recent avalanche of financial data has also given us an updated look at sales across other recent systems. We wouldn't blame you for thinking that these consoles mustn't generate any software sales these days, but with Mario Kart Wii...
News A Decade Later Mario Kart Wii Has Now Sold 37.14 Million Copies Worldwide
Speeding ahead
Nintendo's latest financial results have revealed the Switch has now shifted 22.86 million units worldwide. The system has done so well, it has already outsold the lifetime sales of the GameCube. While revenue for the company is predominantly coming from its new hybrid device released early last year, there's a certain...
Sunday28th Oct 2018
Random Japanese Auction Reveals Wii Remote Prototype For The GameCube
Paving the way
Over the years, there have been plenty of prototype Nintendo systems, controllers and accessories publicly revealed. If you think you've seen them all, perhaps not. Ars Technica reports how a recent listing on a Japanese auction site has shed light on a rare Wii Remote prototype designed for the GameCube. The controller sold for...
Sunday21st Oct 2018
News Ubisoft Shutting Down Online Services For Older Just Dance Games On Wii And Wii U Next Month
No more dancing
This year's Ubisoft conference at E3 revealed Just Dance 2019 was on its way to the Wii and Wii U. Despite the success of the Switch, the older Nintendo systems have remained relevant enough for the French publisher to continue releasing its latest entries in the series on. While it's been a good run for these systems over the...
Friday5th Oct 2018
Random Modder Builds Fully Functioning Nintendo Wii Inside A Breath Mint Tin
"It's the worst thing ever"
We've seen some pretty crazy stuff over the years here at Nintendo Life, but we genuinely think that this might just slide its way into the top spot of our 'random, crazy, but absolutely wonderful' list. A hardware modder going by the name of Shank has seemingly managed to squeeze a fully functional Wii into an Altoids...
Friday3rd Aug 2018
News Mario Kart Wii Will Soon Be Playable On The Nvidia Shield In China
Will Wii emulation ever come to Switch?
You may well be aware that a number of Nintendo's first-party Wii titles have been ported to the Nvidia Shield in China as part of the two companies' growing friendship, with several classics already being available. Now, it looks like Mario Kart Wii is about to drift its way into the action, too. During...
Party like it’s 2008
On the same day we find out about Nintendo applying for an Endless Ocean trademark, the Australian Classification Board reveals Ubisoft's 2008 Wii title Sports Party is making its way to the Switch at some point in the near future. Originally released on the Wii a decade ago, Sports Party features nine...
A surprise catch
Take a moment to reflect on the Nintendo Wii generation and you’ll likely remember Wii Sports, Mario Kart Wii and perhaps even Wii Fit. One title made available early on in the system's life that didn’t get as much attention was the scuba diving game Endless Ocean. Originally released in Japan as Forever Blue
Tuesday31st Jul 2018
Video “Beta" Version Of Bowser’s Castle Uncovered In Mario Kart Wii
A technical mouthful
Mario Kart Wii introduced many new features to the long-running series including motorbikes and 12 racers on-track at once. While the exploitation of the 'wheelie' mechanic was rife back in the day, generally the Wii version is still looked upon as a memorable entry in the series thanks to its online play, accessible nature and...
Sunday22nd Jul 2018
Parent Trap I Really Miss The Nintendo Wii
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson remembers the good old days of waggle
Parents are notoriously bad for being sentimental. Whether it’s watching Monty Python, playing Tetris on the Game Boy or buying sweets by the ounce, I often catch myself getting more excited about introducing my children to the things I loved from my childhood than actually...
Monday11th Jun 2018
News Ubisoft Confirms Just Dance 2019 For Nintendo Switch, Wii U And Wii
Take your pick
It may well be the one announcement you can always rely on from Ubisoft's E3 conferences, but we're happy to bring confirmation that Just Dance 2019 has been confirmed for Nintendo Switch, Wii U and Wii. Last year's edition also released for all three consoles, so we're not surprised to see it spread across the platforms, but there's...
Saturday9th Jun 2018
Video Let's Revel in Nintendo's Best E3 Moments from History
It's mostly 2004, we're not going to lie
Nintendo has had a mixed bag of E3 moments. High and low points are to be expected, and as we've already looked at some of the more embarrassing instances, we thought in the run up to E3 2018 it was time to take a more positive look at things, to bring balance to the universe in an arguably more constructive...
Friday8th Jun 2018
News Just How Good Is The Nvidia Shield Wii Emulator, And What Does It Mean For Switch Owners?
Digital Foundry finds out
Nvidia and Nintendo are pretty cosy right now, thanks to the fact that the former is supplying the very capable internal technology for the best-selling Switch console. The two firms are such fast friends that Nintendo has allowed Nvidia to launch a series of Wii classics on its Android-based Shield console, which is based...
Monday16th Apr 2018
Video Here's What Happened To The Grinder, A Wii Horror Shooter Lost To Development Hell
Left for dead
Back in the mid to late '00s, some third-party developers were doing their best to put the under-powered Wii through its paces. The Conduit developer High Voltage Software was one of those studios, which doubled down on its console exclusivity with Left 4 Dead-esque horror shooter, The Grinder. It became one of the most...
Monday26th Mar 2018
News Here's How The Nvidia Shield Port Of Mario Galaxy Handles The Lack Of Motion Controls
Retro-fitting the past
Super Mario Galaxy touched down on the Nvidia Shield in China recently as part of a deal which will see other Wii classics come to the set-top box in that region. As we all know, Galaxy made good use of the Wii's motion-sensing controller to deliver fun gesture-based gameplay - something that is impossible on Nvidia's...
Monday12th Feb 2018
Video 9 Mario Games We Wish had Never Existed
Pesky plumber
Mario's been in countless fantastic games over the years, but to say our favourite portly plumber has a spotless record is an outright lie. Usually at the hands of another studio, Mario's been the figurehead of some truly awful video games over the years. That doesn't mean they can't be enjoyed for what they are, of course, but...
Wednesday31st Jan 2018
News Valve's Gabe Newell Once Met With Nintendo About A "Joint Project"
"This was like probably seven years ago. It was super casual"
Gabe Newell's son Grey has revealed that the Valve boss once met with Nintendo in Japan to discuss a joint venture between the two companies which sadly went nowhere. Speaking on a stream with Valve News Network, Grey casually revealed that he once got the chance to play Super Mario...
Reminder Time To Purchase Wii Shop Points Is Running Out
They'll be gone soon
A few months ago, Nintendo made the expected announcement that it would begin the process of shuttering the Wii Shop Channel, following on from the DSi shoppe which met a similar end. Now that all other online applications for the Wii have been discontinued, those who still purchase games on the Wii Shop have until January 31st,...
Tuesday9th Jan 2018
Soapbox Why You Should Consider Catching Big Air With Wii's Excite Truck
If you still have access to a Wii or Wii U, that is
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on a wide range of topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this edition, Dave Letcavage discusses his somewhat recent introduction to the divisive Wii launch game Excite Truck, and makes a case...
