Wii News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

A Nintendo modder has created a tiny version of the Wii that actually works. The miniature build is impressive from a technical standpoint, and for fans who enjoy such projects, the pocket-sized Wii creator has shared how it was built so others can recreate it.

Nintendo has announced Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, a new game coming out this July that tests players’ speedrunning skills in NES classics like Super Mario Bros. and Metroid.

The Asus ROG Ally is an excellent PC gaming handheld in its own right: a gorgeous full HD screen and great performance, all in a lightweight and stylish form factor. However, a modder sought to improve upon its design and added an extra screen.

Nintendo 3DS and Wii U servers were shut down almost a month ago, but eight dedicated players who refuse to turn off their systems are, miraculously, still online and holding on to both consoles, beating a record long held by the final Halo 2 superfans. 

Former Nintendo employees have revealed that, despite its public announcement, Xenoblade Chronicles was originally planned to go without a North American release. Xenoblade Chronicles is one of Nintendo's most popular RPG series, with its pedigree allowing developer Monolith Soft to become one of Nintendo's most reliable first-party studios. However, none of Xenoblade's success would have been possible without the very first entry released on the Nintendo Wii all the way back in 2010.

A talented Legend of Zeldafan recently demonstrated their cosplay skills with an impressive rendition of Princess Zelda from Twilight Princess. The characters of the Legend of Zelda series have taken on many different incarnations over the years, and this has naturally inspired players to dress up as them for fan conventions or simply just for fun. One particular popular cosplay source among Zelda fans is Twilight Princess, the 2006 mainline entry that was released on both the Nintendo GameCube and the then-new Nintendo Wii during the transition period between the two systems.

It has been the end of an era for the 3DS and Wii U, but the functionality of the Nintendoconsoles’ games may now be better protected than many initially thought. Considering the widespread repercussions, it is easy to see the recent shutdown of online services tied to the consoles as Nintendo destroying the childhood of many people. However, action has been taken to combat the dire effect that this will have on many beloved games, and save them from their fates.

Earlier this week, the servers supporting online services for all 3DS and Wii U games met their end. Although it's a sad time for anyone who has a place in their heart for the games affected, the community efforts that have followed since are so wholesome that it almost makes the whole thing worth it. Tributes have been flooding in to honor the fallen online modes, and a dedicated subsection of fans are somehow still holding on as the last survivors of the official servers.

While the final days of the Nintendo 3DS might have been a long time coming, that doesn’t take away the sting that comes with the final step of ending a generation of consoles.

The Nintendo Wii U and 3DS stores have recently closed just earlier this week. It was a sad day for many as these consoles were the beginning of an amazing era of video gaming and now it is time to let it go and we begin a new. With the Nintendo Switch, it is one of the biggest and most popular consoles from Nintendo, which has led the company to so many cool things, it is still sad to watch older consoles die.

Yesterday saw Nintendo shutdown their online servers for the Wii U and 3DS consoles, cutting off any and all games from any kind of online functionality. But now Pretendo, the community-created replacement network, has announced a new hackless way of getting back online. No Wii U hacking, no Wii U homebrew, no Wii U custom firmware, just some DNS tweaks to the network settings.

Earlier this week, we saw what was essentially the death of two beloved consoles, as Nintendo finally shut down the online services for both the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, leaving several games either obsolete or without online multiplayer. Games such as the first Splatoon, Mario Maker, Mario Kart, and plenty more were left practically unplayable, or were severely impacted by the shutdown, but it turns out there may be a glimmer of hope for those wanting to jump into a game.

The Pretendo Network, an open-source Nintendo Network alternative, no longer requires a hacked Wii U console. With Nintendo’s servers for the obsolete console shutting down on Monday, the Pretendo Network shared a new workaround that provides (limited) access to its homebrew servers without jailbreaking your dusty old console.

Yesterday was a sad day for 3DS and Wii U players as the online services went down for both of them. This is something that sadly happens with each console as they get older and age, especially with Nintendo – it just seems to always happen way too soon. With the Nintendo Switch already almost a decade old, we knew we’d watch the other consoles fall before a new one could go live, hopefully in 2025.

It’s never easy saying goodbye, but video game consoles aren’t people, animals or favourite stuffed toys, so why get upset about it? With the closure of the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS online servers overnight, Nintendo has carved another date into their respective headstones, cutting them off from multiplayer gaming and pretty much any kind of online experiences for the remainder of their usable lives. There’s a reason it hurts, but it almost certainly isn’t because you were still playing on them every day. This is the loss of childhood, the loss of communities and the loss of experiences that you still cherish. This is getting older, and let’s face it, it sucks.

It's truly the end of an era for Nintendo fans, as online services for 3DS and Wii U have finally shut down. With it, we say goodbye to online multiplayer for the likes of Splatoon, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Pokemon X and Y, and Xenoblade Chronicles X, with everything shutting off for good at 5pm PT/8pm ET yesterday (or 1am GMT this morning for UK folks). 

Online multiplayer on all Wii U and 3DS games has come to an end, as Nintendo shuts down the servers for good. This makes it impossible to use online functionality in games such as Pokemon X & Y, Splatoon, Mario Kart 8, and Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS - at least while using conventional means.

We knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye. Nintendo shut down the online servers for both the Wii U and 3DS today. This means the end of online multiplayer gaming for both consoles, turning Mario Kart 7 for 3DS and the original Splatoon for the Wii U into single player or couch co-op experiences. The first Super Mario Maker is also effectively dead, as there’s no way to browse for and download player-created levels.

A fan paid tribute to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess by creating an incredible drawing based on the game's major characters and shared their work with other fans on social media. The Zelda fan artist was complimented by their peers for their efforts and attention to detail when designing the background of the artwork.

An official Pokemon account has put together a video promoting the Nintendo 3DS, just hours before the servers are taken down. The video makes no mention of this, simply showing off a Pokemon-themed 3DS at an event this weekend, as if it isn't about to lose access to all of its online functionality.

Super Mario Maker players have finally beaten the fan-made level that was previously thought to have been impossible for mere humans to complete, just two days before Nintendo kills the servers.

Back in October 2023, the announcement was released that the time for the 3DS and Wii U to die is here…and it is quite sad. On Monday, April 8, 2024 Nintendo is shutting down the online servers for both the consoles as they have aged over time, leaving the Nintendo Switch as the last console to have internet connection as of right now.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf players are working together to do everything they need to before Nintendo shuts down the life sim's online servers. 

This is definitely a throwback consideting that the DSi was released back in 2008 in Japan and then 2009 in the US. During the lifespan of the Nintendo DS, DSi, and 3DS which all released at different times they released many different limited addition versions of the handheld console. One of these limited addition DSi consoles was a McDonald’s branded one that is super rare.

Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door is set to release in May, bringing back a beloved game by many. This game will be one that brings back many positive memories to fans who enjoyed the first game on the Wii as well.

Though Nintendo is known for mobile consoles — Game Boy, DS, Nintendo Switch — it’s never really been known as a mobile game developer, i.e., a studio making games for your phone. But that’s not to say that Nintendo hasn’t done so. In fact, you can count the number of Nintendo mobile games on two hands. Since 2016, Nintendo has released eight games that qualify, a strategy that’s tied to the failure of the Wii U.

This adorable Helldivers 2 Wii game doesn't actually exist, but it's so accurate I feel like I've played it. 

Every community-uploaded Super Mario Maker has officially been beaten ahead of the end of the game’s online functionality.

Super Mario Maker players have finally done it - they've beaten every single legitimate level uploaded to the original game before the servers shut down. The catch is that they already achieved victory last week, and they're only now able to celebrate the accomplishment after the creator of the last level standing came forward to reveal that it was a fake.

Ever since it was announced that the 3DS and Wii U's online services would be shut down in April, a dedicated group of Super Mario Maker fans set out on a mission to complete every level in the game that was yet to be beaten. That sounds simple, but levels in Super Mario Maker usually remain unbeaten because they're monstrously difficult, with only a handful of players capable of even getting close to completing them.

While Nintendo’s February Direct Partner Showcase included a few unexpected games, nothing was more surprising than the return of Epic Mickey. The Nintendo Wii adventure is something of a cult classic among Disney fans thanks to its unique painting hook and some clever 2D levels that pay tribute to classic Mickey Mouse cartoons. Though it’s beloved by some, reviews at the time were mixed due to some clumsy Wii-era motion controls and a poor 3D camera.

Have you ever wanted to play some of the video games you grew up with? There’s nothing like taking a trip down memory lane with our 8-bit heroes of yesteryear, but not everyone has a classic console hanging around to re-experience these titles with. Fortunately, we live in a world of console emulators, which means you won’t have to spend precious weekend time trying to find a PS2 or SNES at that indie game store that’s 25 miles away.

It's a rather sad time to be a Nintendo fan nostalgic for the 3DS and Wii U era of games. In less than three weeks, the online servers for all games on the consoles will be shut down for good, making an enormous number of online modes for fan-favorite games unplayable forever.

Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot has discussed the company's strategy of experimenting with generative AI, as detailed in today's announcement of NEO NPCs — a new prototype project from Ubisoft designed to let video game characters respond with custom responses to players' speech input.

Video game consoles such as the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox are among the many items players can make in. The viral browser game challenges players to create new elements from basic building blocks. Crafting the three consoles is rather complex and they all have different starting points. However, it’s also a great opportunity to expand your library with useful elements.

A devoted The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword player has managed to collect 99 of every Treasure and Bug within the game. The 2011 action-adventure game whisks players back to the earliest point in the franchise's timeline, showcasing a story before the establishment of the Kingdom of Hyrule. The innovative Zelda game featured a major departure from older games, using the Wii Motion Plus attachment to give players direct control over Link's sword and items. Now, one player is showing off an impressive collection of items gathered in the game.

The title of "hardest Mario level ever made" will be a topic of debate for far better platformer players than me, but one very strong contender looks like the final roadblock for the Super Mario Maker fans who are rushing to beat every single level before the servers go down.

Nintendo has not yet announced whether its next console — which we’re calling “Switch 2” for now — will be backward compatible. Its silence on the issue doesn’t signify anything, necessarily, since it hasn’t made any public comment about the console. But it has to be backward compatible, right? There’s no way Nintendo’s engineers can release a console in 2024 without backward compatibility… can they?

While Mario has become the face of Nintendo, and perhaps video games as a whole, it’s important to remember that it was in a Donkey Kong game that he really became an icon. Since then, our beloved ape has bounced between being friend and foe of the plumber, as well as broken free to star in his own series of games with an expanded cast of friends and enemies. It’s been a long time since we’ve been graced with one of his banana-fueled adventures, so we decided this was as good a time as any to look back at Dinkey Kong’s legacy and decide which of his many solo efforts stand as the best.

The original Super Mario Maker will effectively shut down in April, and a group of players is racing against the clock to beat every single level before the servers go offline.

In the seven years since its release, the Nintendo Switch has become a beloved piece of hardware. Not only is it Nintendo’s best-selling console, it’s one of the most popular consoles of all time. It’s also the console that boosted Nintendo’s reputation after the poor reception of Wii U. In 2021, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé, looking back on the Switch, said it was a “make or break” console for Nintendo.

Until the Switch, the Nintendo Wii was the most successful console that Nintendo ever had, with over 101 million sales. Part of what made the console so good was the number of high-quality games the system had on it from both Nintendo and its third-party developers. Whether rocking out to the iconic gameplay of or enjoying Mario's foray into the universe with both and its sequel, the Nintendo Wii's catalog of games is pretty impressive.

Over three decades after it was first released, cult classic NES Metroidvania Ufouria: The Saga finally has a direct sequel, and it's doing things a little differently.

For some people, the best controller to use with a Nintendo Switch is the company’s own Switch Pro controller. It has unbeatable battery life sailing beyond 40 hours per charge, and it’s comfortable to use. Personally? I love it. The worst thing about it? It costs $69.99, more than the cost of most new Switch games. Plus, it doesn’t have as many cool features as Sony’s DualSense that sells for the same price.

Nintendo has a unique philosophy when it comes to video game hardware, defined by the late designer Gunpei Yokoi as “lateral thinking with withered technology.” The idea is that, instead of aiming for state-of-the-art tech, Nintendo’s engineers use cheaper, mass-produced, less powerful parts, and then produce something unexpected and innovative. The philosophy has led to most, if not quite all, of the company’s biggest successes, including Yokoi’s original Game Boy: the twin-screen, touch-enabled DS; the motion-controlled Wii; and the Switch, a hybrid portable game console born of Nintendo’s realization that low-power mobile chipsets were catching up fast with mainstream gaming tech.

Nikkei has thrown weight around rumors on a Nintendo Switch 2 delay.

An impressive infographic lists the 10 best-selling games on every major Nintendo system since the NES. Nintendo revolutionized the gaming industry with the Nintendo Entertainment System, establishing landmark franchises that still receive blockbuster new entries to this day.

Today's Nintendo Partner Direct included something I don't think any of us had on our bingo cards: a Switch comeback for the cult classic Wii diving series Endless Ocean.

It's been 14 years since Epic Mickey spilled onto the Wii, but now Mickey and Oswald are back and heading for the Nintendo Switch.

A remake of the original Wii exclusive, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed will be available on Switch later this year. Fans have been hoping for a revival of the Epic Mickey game franchise, and this surprise announcement during today's Nintendo Direct has already got audiences buzzing.

Nintendo has announced Epic Mickey: Rebrushed for Nintendo Switch, a remake of the classic Wii game set to launch this year.

Nintendo chose the end of its Feb. 21 Partner Showcase to reveal an unexpected sequel to a half-forgotten series of Wii scuba-diving games. It might have seemed an odd choice, but Endless Ocean Luminous brings back a gameplay style — and, more importantly, a pure vibe — that we haven’t seen in nearly 15 years.

As part of the Nintendo Partner Direct today, THQ Nordic announced that 2010’s Epic Mickey is getting remade in Disney’s Epic Mickey Rebrushed.

Endless Ocean originally launched on the Wii back in 2007. This Nintendo-published scuba diving game sees you exploring the fictional Manaurai Sea in search of treasure while cataloguing all of the aquatic life you come across. 17 years later, the series is finally returning with Luminous for the Nintendo Switch on May 2, featuring multiplayer that supports up to 30 people.

A rather impressive The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess mod has been released in early access, adding online functionality to the game.

An established Nintendo insider has hinted that the company will soon reveal a new Endless Ocean, a scuba diving adventure series originally released on the Wii. The Nintendo reveal will apparently happen at the company's next Direct presentation.

Although rumors regarding a successor console to the Nintendo Switchhave become more common as the Switch presumably nears the end of its lifespan, the latest potential leaks indicate that a prospective Switch 2 launch could be significantly later than fans might expect or want. Released in 2017, the Switch has been a massive success for Nintendo, and a strong recovery from its less successful predecessor, the Wii U. As the Switch approaches the start of its eighth year as Nintendo's main console, however, expectations are growing for the rumored release of the company's next major gaming device.

The Nintendo Switchis one of the best-selling gaming consoles of all time, with a diverse line-up of games attracting every kind of gamer to the console.

Capcom has addressed whether the events depicted in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chroniclesare canon or not. There have been dozens of Resident Evil games released over the years, ranging from main series entries to enhanced ports to spin-offs on various platforms. Capcom has brought Resident Evil to as many gaming platforms as possible since the first game launched in 1996, and that includes the Nintendo Wii.

Even with an expected slowdown in sales in the coming month, nearly seven years into its lifecycle, the Nintendo Switch has continued to move units at an impressive rate worldwide. That, of course, applies to the United States as well, where it has, in fact, surpassed the lifetime sales of Nintendo’s previous highest-selling home console in the region.

The Switch has performed exceptionally well in the US and worldwide.

There was quite a shock for the game emulation community at the end of May, as the planned Steam release for popular GameCube and Wii emulator Dolphin was abruptly cancelled under the looming shadow of Nintendo’s legal opinions. At the time there was some confusion as to whether it was a DMCA takedown notice, an opinion, and a lack of clarity over what this meant for the Dolphin project as a whole, but the team behind the emulator has now explained exactly what happened and what comes next.