At last! After months of being offline, the Wii Shop Channel is back up and running. No one knows why this has happened now.
With the Wii Shop Channel back up, and the DSi Shop also running, you might be thinking that you can start buying games again.
Not so.
Unfortunately, while the unexpected downtime has unexpectedly ended, the status of game provision has not. The situation remains – almost certainly permanently – that only previously purchased software may be downloaded.
It’s not ideal. But, the fact that both services were offline for so long and has probably discouraged a lot of potential upset.
In the meantime, if you have downloads to make from either service, it would be a good idea to make it happen sooner rather than later. Nintendo has previously stated that the Wii Channel would close “at some point” while Wii U and 3DS users only have access for “the foreseeable future.”
While we can hope for a third party server solution once those times have passsed, it isn’t very likely to happen. At this point, however, you’re probably running homebrew software on your Nintendo Wii anyway, so hopefully the Wii Shop Channel being back up is just a pleasant piece of news while your hardcore Wii gaming continues unaffected by anything…
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.