- “Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is simple to use. Beginning with free access… we have removed one of the major barriers that have kept people from going online to play games.”
- —Reggie Fils-Aime, Oct. 18, 2005 Press Release
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (abbreviated as WFC) was Nintendo's free online matchmaking service that was used by the Nintendo DS, Wii, and Nintendo DSi. It began on November 14, 2005, on the same day of Mario Kart DS's release, making it the first Nintendo WFC-compatible game. The first Super Mario Wii game that had Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection compatibility was Mario Strikers Charged.
Instead of using user accounts, Nintendo used Friend Codes for games such as Mario Kart DS. Friend Codes were automatically assigned to a game when it connected to Nintendo WFC for the first time, and each Friend Code is unique, so two game units cannot have identical Friend Codes. While each game made different use of the system, there are typical options for Wi-Fi enabled games, such as being able to play against others worldwide or using the same regional version of the game.
As announced on February 26, 2014, the system was terminated on May 20, 2014 due to the shutdown of GameSpy servers.[1] Prior to its shutdown, Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii were the most popular games on their respective systems. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was succeeded by the Nintendo Network, which will be shut down in early April 2024, on members of the Nintendo 3DS family and Wii U, and Nintendo Switch Online for the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector
The Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector is a device that connected Nintendo hardware to the Internet, through the user's Microsoft Windows computer and an available USB port.[2] This is particularly useful for players without wireless routers or home routers using the WPA or WPA2 wireless security standards, when the Nintendo DS and games are only compatible with WEP.[3] This excludes Nintendo DSi enhanced titles, such as Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, but requires the player to be playing on a Nintendo DSi. The Nintendo DS, Wii, Nintendo DSi, and Nintendo 3DS can connect with the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector, but the Wii U cannot.
Super Mario games that used WFC
A handful of Super Mario games utilized this feature.
Nintendo DS
The following Nintendo DS games is in order of releases.
- Mario Kart DS
- Tetris DS
- Wi-Fi Taiō Yakuman DS (Japan only)
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
- Diddy Kong Racing DS
- Itadaki Street DS (Japan only)
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
- WarioWare: D.I.Y.
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
Wii
The following Wii games is in order of releases.
Super Mario game gallery
Nintendo DS
Wii
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ニンテンドーＷｉ－Ｆｉコネクション Nintendō Wai-Fai Konekushon |
In Japanese, "Wi-Fi" is written as: ワイファイ |
| Chinese | 任天堂Ｗｉ－Ｆｉ連接 (Traditional) 任天堂Ｗｉ－Ｆｉ连接 (Simplified) Rèntiāntáng Wúxiàn Wǎngluò Liánjiē |
In Chinese, "Wi-Fi" is written as: 無線網絡 (Traditional) / 无线网络 (Simplified). |
| Korean | 닌텐도 Ｗｉ－Ｆｉ 커넥션 Nintendo Wai-Pai Keonegsyeon |
In Korean, "Wi-Fi" is written as: 와이파이. |
| Spanish | Conexión Wi-Fi de Nintendo |
|
Trivia
- Yoshi's Island DS originally was going to have Wi-Fi capabilities, but the feature was scrapped for unknown reasons.
References
- ^ Termination of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Service for Nintendo DS / DSi and Wii Software. Nintendo UK. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/wfc/en_na/customersupport/downloadUSB.jsp
- ^ Nintendo DS and wireless security compatibility (WEP & WPA). Nintendo. Retrieved January 1, 2018
External links
- North American website (Internet Archive: Wayback Machine)