WiiConnect24 is a feature of the
Nintendo Wi-Fi ConnectionThe is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS and Wii games. The service is separate to the company's Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop game download services....
for the
WiiThe is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both...
console. It was first announced at E3 2006 by
Nintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel...
. It enables the user to remain connected to the Internet while the console is on
standbySleep mode refers to a low power mode for electronic devices such as computers, televisions, and remote controlled devices. These modes save significant electrical consumption compared to leaving a device fully on and idle but allow the user to avoid having to reset programming codes or wait for a...
. For example, a friend can send messages to another player's town without the other player being present in the game
Animal Crossing: City Folk.
WiiConnect24 is used to receive content such as Wii Message Board messages sent from other Wii consoles,
MiiA Mii is a digital avatar incorporated by Nintendo for the Wii's Mii Channel. After creating them, they can be used as participating characters in certain Mii-oriented games, as first shown in Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Wii Play, and Mario Kart Wii...
s, e-mails, updated channel and game content, and notification of software updates.
WiiConnect24 is a feature of the
Nintendo Wi-Fi ConnectionThe is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS and Wii games. The service is separate to the company's Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop game download services....
for the
WiiThe is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both...
console. It was first announced at E3 2006 by
Nintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel...
. It enables the user to remain connected to the Internet while the console is on
standbySleep mode refers to a low power mode for electronic devices such as computers, televisions, and remote controlled devices. These modes save significant electrical consumption compared to leaving a device fully on and idle but allow the user to avoid having to reset programming codes or wait for a...
. For example, a friend can send messages to another player's town without the other player being present in the game
Animal Crossing: City Folk.
Service
WiiConnect24 is used to receive content such as Wii Message Board messages sent from other Wii consoles,
MiiA Mii is a digital avatar incorporated by Nintendo for the Wii's Mii Channel. After creating them, they can be used as participating characters in certain Mii-oriented games, as first shown in Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Wii Play, and Mario Kart Wii...
s, e-mails, updated channel and game content, and notification of software updates. If the Standby Connect mode of WiiConnect24 is enabled, this content can also be received when the Wii is left in standby mode. While running in standby mode with Standby Connection enabled, the Wii uses about 9.6 watts, compared to 1.3 watts without WiiConnect24.
WiiConnect24 can be turned on or off via the setup interface. If it is on, the user is allowed to enable or disable Standby Connect mode. While the console is in standby, the power LED indicates the current status of the standby connection, red indicating Standby Connect is off, yellow indicating Standby Connect mode is on. If the power button on the console is pressed and held down for three to four seconds, the Wii goes into standby mode with Standby Connect off. If the Wii is cut off from power and power is later restored, it goes into standby mode with Standby Connect mode off and WiiConnect24 will not operate until the console is turned on.
The Wii Optical Drive will glow a neon-blue color when data has been received through WiiConnect24 in Standby Connect mode and, with
firmwareIn electronics and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
3.0 and above, it will briefly flash when the console is turned on. The brightness level of this blue color can be changed via the Setup Interface with the options of Bright, Dim or Off.
When game messages are received with pictures, the player can customize them into the Photo Channel. The player can also send them to other Wii consoles that are sent when you register them. The player can also opt-out of receiving messages from Nintendo.
Functionality
During an interview with the Japanese newspaper,
Nikkei Business Publications, Nintendo's CEO, Satoru Iwata, revealed that the WiiConnect24 could be used for the downloading of demos for the
Nintendo DSThe is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in 2004 in Canada, the United States, and Japan. The console features a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP, with two LCD screens inside—with the bottom one being a touchscreen...
(this was later revealed to be the Nintendo Channel).
According to
Nintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel...
's European micro-site for the Wii, WiiConnect24 can be used to send
SMS- Companies and organizations :* Sabooj Maroon Swapna , a fan club of Mohun Bagan AC in Kolkata, India* Southdown Motor Services, a former UK bus company* Youth Party of Slovenia, a Slovenian political party...
messages "to family members that are out and about", and exchange pictures and messages with other Wii users.
Channels
The following are Wii Menu channels which use WiiConnect24:
| Channel |
Description |
Release date |
| Mii Channel |
MiiA Mii is a digital avatar incorporated by Nintendo for the Wii's Mii Channel. After creating them, they can be used as participating characters in certain Mii-oriented games, as first shown in Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Wii Play, and Mario Kart Wii...
s created by friends can be shared |
November 19, 2006 (with console) |
Wii Shop ChannelThe Wii Shop Channel is an online shop for the Wii video game console that allows users to download Virtual Console and WiiWare games, and new channels. Downloading may require redeeming Wii Points. The channel launched with Wii on November 19, 2006...
|
New games are featured each week on the channel's icon |
November 19, 2006 (with console) |
| Forecast Channel |
Current local and worldwide weather conditions |
December 20, 2006 |
| News Channel |
The latest news articles and headlines |
January 24, 2007 |
| Everybody Votes Channel The Everybody Votes Channel is the Wii Menu channel that allows users to vote in simple opinion polls and compare and contrast opinions with those of friends, family and people across the globe....
|
Polls and results |
February 14, 2007 |
| Check Mii Out Channel/Mii Contest Channel |
Miis can be shared as well as judged on a global scale |
November 11, 2007 |
| Mario Kart Wii Channel is a racing game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Wii console. It is the sixth installment in the Mario Kart series and the second Mario Kart title to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The game was released worldwide throughout April...
|
Can race ghost In video games, a ghost is a feature included in time attack or time trial modes allowing the player to review their previous rounds. In racing games, for example, a ghost car follows the path a player took around the track...
data, view worldwide racingthumb|right|Air racing: Hungarian aerobatics pilot Peter Besenyei at speed in his Extra 300 at an air race in EnglandA sport race is a competition of speed, against an objective criterion, usually a clock or to a specific point. The competitors in a race try to complete a given task in the shortest...
times, view friend list, participate in competitions |
April 10, 2008 (Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
), April 11, 2008 (EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
), April 24, 2008 (AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
), April 27, 2008 (AmericaThe Americas, or America, are lands in the Western hemisphere or New World, comprising the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. America may be ambiguous in English, as it is more commonly used to refer to the United States of America...
) |
| Nintendo Channel |
Allows WiiThe is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both...
users to watch trailers for games and download demoDemo may refer to:*Demo , a song recorded for reference rather than release*Demo , a non-interactive multimedia presentation*Demo , a comic book series by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan...
s and game patches for the Nintendo DSThe is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in 2004 in Canada, the United States, and Japan. The console features a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP, with two LCD screens inside—with the bottom one being a touchscreen...
. |
November 27, 2007 (Japan), May 7, 2008 (AmericaThe Americas, or America, are lands in the Western hemisphere or New World, comprising the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. America may be ambiguous in English, as it is more commonly used to refer to the United States of America...
), May 30, 2008 (Europe and Australia) |
| Wii Speak Channel |
Allows users to leave voice messages on friends' message boards. |
December 5, 2008 (users must have Wii Speak to download) |
The Forecast and News channels require that both WiiConnect24 and Standby Connection are enabled to work; if WiiConnect24 is enabled and Standby Connection is disabled, the channels gives an error upon launch and return the user to the Wii Menu. The reason for this requirement is unclear, as the channels still operate even if the Wii is consistently shut-down fully by holding the power button for four seconds.
Problems
The initial firmware update caused some parts of the console to be inaccessible to a small portion of people who purchased the Wii at launch. Those Wii consoles received constant error codes. For those users it was necessary to contact Nintendo's customer service to replace or repair the console.
In some countries, trying to connect to WiiConnect24 displays a screen stating that the service "is currently not being offered". This can be circumvented by selecting a different country as a location. It is currently unknown what the actual availability map of the service is.
The
PALPAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television encoding system used in broadcast television systems in large parts of the world. Other common analogue television systems are SECAM and NTSC. This page primarily discusses the colour encoding system...
versions of the Wii connected with RGB
SCARTSCART is a French-originated standard and associated 21-pin connector for connecting audio-visual equipment together...
cables continue to send a SCART switching signal when the Wii is in WiiConnect24 standby mode. This occurs with both official Nintendo RGB SCART cables, and any third party RGB SCART cables that carry the SCART switching signal. This problem can be alleviated by disabling standby mode, but leaving WiiConnect24 running.
See also
- Wii
The is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both...
- Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS and Wii games. The service is separate to the company's Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop game download services....
- List of Wii games using WiiConnect24
- List of Wii Wi-Fi Connection games
- PlayStation Network
- Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...