Streaming Netflix on Wii goes disc-free

By Aemon Malone Published October 18, 2010

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Last week, Sony announced its plan to bring disc-free streaming to its Playstation 3 console. That update is expected to go live today. Not to be outdone, Nintendo has announced that its own Wii users will be join the PS3 folks in finding creative new uses for their obsolete Netflix discs.

Starting today, Wii owners can install the Netflix application through the Wii Shop channel and start streaming content sans disc. Users will, of course, have to be Netflix subscribers with a plan starting at $8.99 ($7.99 in Canada) to take advantage of the service and have a broadband Internet connection. The application has no additional costs attached.

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With both Nintendo and Sony on board, disc-free Netflix streaming is now available on all three major video game consoles. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 became the first to support it nearly two years ago.

Sony also announced last week that it would be bringing HD video and Dolby 5.1 surround sound to its own Netflix application on the PS3. While Wii owners can rejoice in disc-free streaming, it looks like that kind of HD experience is one that they are going to have to learn to live without.

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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.
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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.
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