Wii Unwraps Gifting

By Geoff Duncan December 11, 2007

Wii Unwraps Gifting

Just in time for the holidays, Nintendo has unveiled a new gifting feature for its Wii Shop Channel. Beginning this week, owners of Nintendo’s Wii video game console will be able to purchase classic games using the Wii Shop Channel, and send them to other Wii owners with whom they’ve already traded Friend Codes. And if the intended recipient already has the game you’re trying to give them, no worries: buyers will receive a message and be returned to the catalog with their wallets intact.

Wii console owners can purchase classic games originally designed for older game systems using Wii Points, an online payment system. In the United States, a Wii Point is equal to $0.01, so a game costing 50o Wii Points is priced at $5, and a game priced at 1,000 Wii Points costs the equivalent of $10.

Nintendo has been rolling out new games for the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. This week’s additions are Pokémon Snap (1,000 Wii Points), originally developed for the Nintendo 64, along with the NES title Ghosts’n Goblins (500 Wii Points) and the NEOGEO game Baseball Stars 2 (900 Wii Points).

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Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

Play these 3DS and Wii U games before Nintendo shutters their online features

Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

In April 2024, Nintendo will discontinue online services across its Wii U and 3DS consoles. While the eShops for both systems were shut down in March 2023, this will remove the online functionality of many apps and games, making gaming on either of these platforms an almost entirely offline experience. As a result, many games on those systems will lose important features and never be quite the same to play afterward. So, you'll need to get some gaming time in by next April if you want to refresh and preserve the memories of playing online on these two underdog Nintendo platforms.
While the aforementioned eShop closures make it impossible to buy new games digitally, plenty of games that you likely already own physical copies of or already had downloaded have online features that won't work properly come April 2024. As such, we recommend you play the following games online before the discontinuation of those services next year.
Kid Icarus Uprising

Kid Icarus Uprising is mostly remembered for its entertaining story, charismatic characters, and odd controls, but it also features a surprisingly fun multiplayer experience in Together Mode. In multiplayer, up to six players can use powerful weapons and abilities from the main adventure in one of two modes. Free-for-all lets players loose on a map, tasking them with racking up the most kills within a set time limit. Light vs. Dark is more complex, as two teams of three face off until enough players are defeated that one respawns as an angel; when that powered-up angel is killed, the match is over.
While far from balanced, Kid Icarus Uprising's Together Mode is one of the most entertaining competitive multiplayer experiences exclusive to 3DS. It can be played locally, using bots to fill in empty spots, so thankfully it won't stop working entirely. Still, it's not easy in 2023 to come across multiple people near you who have copies of Kid Icarus Uprising and want to play. As such, check out this cult classic 3DS game's hidden gem of a mode before praying that the rumors of a remaster eventually become true.
Nintendo Badge Arcade

Gaming

Nintendo is shutting down online services for 3DS and Wii U next April

Mega Man and Mario fight in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U,

Nintendo confirmed it will widely shut down online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games in April 2024, which will be just over a year after it discontinued the Nintendo eShop on those systems.
This deactivation of most of the online services for those platforms was revealed on X (formerly Twitter) and Nintendo's support site early Wednesday. "In early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution," the message says. "We will announce a specific end date and time at a later date. Please note that if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned. We sincerely thank players for using the online services of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software over a long period of time and apologize for any inconvenience."
Essentially, this means that after April 2024, you won't be able to use any online features in things like 3DS Pokémon games or Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U anymore. Nintendo does say in the Q&A section of its support article that people will still be able to play games offline and redownload updates and games from the Nintendo eShop for the foreseeable future. Pokémon Bank will remain unaffected, so it'll still be possible to transfer Pokémon from Ruby and Sapphire all of the way to Pokémon Home. However, SpotPass support and other online-focused applications like Nintendo Badge Arcade will stop working entirely.

Just like the Wii U and 3DS eShop closure that caused a ruckus earlier this year, this move is a blow to game preservation and will forever harm some games not available anywhere else. While it's understandable that Nintendo might want to move on from these systems' dated online infrastructure, it's still a disappointing move for those of us who spent a lot of time playing games offline and online on these systems.

Gaming

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s next booster pass brings Wii and GameCube nostalgia next week

mario kart 8 deluxe booster wave 5 tracks characters

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's next big update, Booster Course Pass: Wave 5, launches on July 12. Nintendo shared a new trailer for the DLC showing off its eight tracks, which includes a few classics from Mario Kart Wii, Double Dash, and more.

Wave 5 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass launches July 12th!