Staff Writer
Are you a big fan of last generation Nintendo titles such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart DS or Pokemon Black and/or White? Then we have some unfortunate news:
Nintendo has elected to shut down online services for both the Wii and the DS as of May 20th, 2014.
The announcement was originally made via the Nintendo Japan website, and was later confirmed by Nintendo Australia’s website as well,
“As of May 20th, 2014, the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service will be discontinued and it will no longer be possible to use online features of Nintendo DS/DSi and Wii software such as online play, matchmaking and leaderboards.”
Representatives from Nintendo have since confirmed that the decision will affect online services worldwide. On their website, they have also assured consumers that certain channels will still be accessible after the shutdown occurs:
“The Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop will not be affected however, and will continue to be accessible after May 20th.”
Last year, the gaming giant revealed their plans for the “Nintendo Network” which now acts as a dedicated online service for users of both the 3DS and the Wii U. This has been stated as the primary reason for the discontinuation of the DS and Wii’s Wi-Fi capabilities, as Nintendo intends to focus on increasing sales of the Wii U, which has not met sale expectations thus far.
Per Nintendo’s president, Satoru Iwata:
“We failed to reach our target for hardware sales during the year-end, when revenues are the highest,”
Late in 2012, Nintendo also announced plans to release a stripped-down and more affordable version of the classic Wii console: the Wii Mini. The revamped gaming platform would be priced at $99.99 to account for its lack of online play as well as the absence of backwards compatibility. Sorry, Gamecube fans.
Many fans are decrying the decision as not only cruel, but foolish on the part of Nintendo. The Wii and DS remain popular consoles with dedicated players still utilizing their online play. Considering the Wii U’s lack of success thus far, it can be argued that eliminating Wi-Fi capability for Nintendo’s prior generation of consoles may put off lingering fans, doing the company more harm than good.
What do you guys think? Was this a smart business decision on the part of Nintendo, or the beginning of a huge backlash against the company?
Read the complete list of affected Nintendo titles here.
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