Nintendo Wii and DS to lose online play support in May 2014

By Adam Rosenberg February 27, 2014

nintendo wii ds lose online play support may 2014 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo is set to pull the plug for online play on its DS and Wii platforms, an update on the company’s website confirms. The switch gets flipped on May 20, bringing an end to online play, matchmaking, and leaderboards for “many” DS/DSi and Wii games. This extends to the Wii U’s backwards compatibility interface, which effectively swaps out the newer console’s operating system with a Wii main menu screen. You’ll still be able to buy new content via the Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop, but that’s it.

The Wii U and 3DS won’t be affected (other than aforementioned backwards compatibility issues), though this should help keep the public’s focus locked on the newer platforms, which is something Nintendo hass struggled with on the Wii U side. The online shutdown isn’t really much of a surprise. The DS launched in 2004 and the Wii launched in 2006; 8-10 years is a good, healthy run of time for any gaming hardware. What’s more, those devices weren’t built at the start with an eye toward online play.

Head over to the source link for a full rundown of the games affected on each platform.

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Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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