Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

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Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

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Basic data

developer Nintendo
Publishing year November 25, 2005
category Online service
License EULA
German speaking Yes
Others Listed on May 20, 2014Template: Infobox software / maintenance / other
www.nintendo.com/games/wifi

The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (short: Nintendo WFC ) was an online service of the Japanese video game and console manufacturer Nintendo . This made it possible to compete against other players in selected DS and Wii titles over the Internet.

On February 27, 2014, Nintendo announced that the service would be discontinued on May 20, 2014. From then on, many Wii and DS games no longer had online functionality. The shop functions and existing video-on-demand services were not affected.

The successor to the online service is Nintendo Switch Online .

General

With the appearance of Mario Kart DS on November 25, 2005, Nintendo offered players the opportunity to play online in a professional setting for the first time. Since then, the games catalog has been steadily expanded.

On both consoles, the Wi-Fi connection options are limited to online gaming, the other Internet capabilities are marketed separately. On the Wii, the name WiiConnect 24 is used for this.

Nintendo itself offers the service for free and would like to keep it that way in the future. The manufacturer also pays special attention to the fact that DS players can access the service from anywhere, not just from home. In Germany, Deutsche Telekom's hot-spot network is used for this .

The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was discontinued on May 20, 2014.

Access

The "Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector"

Since both consoles have WLAN capabilities, most of the access to Nintendo's online service is wireless. An adapter for wired LAN is also available for the Wii , which connects to the device via USB .

There are three options for the wireless connection:

  • Via an existing WLAN: The Nintendo DS only supports WEP encryption, which is considered unsafe . The DSi basically also supports WPA and WPA2 , but these encryption standards can only be used with newer games. WPA can be used with all games on the Wii.
  • Via the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector . This is connected to a Windows PC connected to the Internet via USB. However, he is no longer distributed.
  • Via public hotspot: Nintendo has signed contracts with hotspot providers in numerous countries. In Germany, Deutsche Telekom is currently offering free access with its T-Home and T-Mobile hotspots.

Nintendo Wii and DS can each store three connection profiles, one for home use and two for different public hot spots. The DSi supports a total of six profiles. The configuration of the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector is saved independently of these profiles.

Community functions

Since the user is represented by the hardware address of his console, the freely selectable nicknames can be assigned several times. The initially envisaged function of providing a profile for each user, which can then be viewed on the Nintendo website, has not yet been implemented.

In addition, each player can maintain a list of contacts (also: buddies ). This “friends list” contains a limited number of contacts that can be expanded via a kind of trust system: Each game gives the owner a twelve-digit “friend code” that both parties have to exchange. With DS and Wii there is a friend code per game, with the Wii there is also a 16-digit code for the console's message function.

The implementation of further community functions lies with the developer of the game. Some developers provide numerous options on their websites, such as B. Highscore lists are available.

There is also a clan scene in the Wi-Fi Connection , whose members compete against each other in numerous (unofficial) leagues and other games.

Nintendo Network

The Nintendo Network is the online system for Nintendo 3DS , Wii U and Nintendo Switch , which among other things enables extended community functions. One of the first games to make use of the Nintendo Network is Mario Kart 7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jenna Pitcher: Nintendo killing Wi-Fi Connection service for DS and Wii May 20. Polygon, February 27, 2014, accessed February 27, 2014 .
  2. ↑ Online connection. Retrieved on February 16, 2020 (German).
  3. ↑ Andreas Sebayang: Nintendo DSi: WPA support not in old games. In: Golem.de. November 19, 2008, accessed July 26, 2009 .
  4. ↑ Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector. In: Nintendo Wii Customer Service. Nintendo of America, accessed July 26, 2009 : "The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector has been discontinued until further notice."
  5. ↑ http://www.nintendo-online.de/news/9658/das-nintendo-network-erklaert/

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