Over the last several days, starting on March 16, users have reported that the Nintendo Wii Shop Channel has remained inaccessible globally on both the original Wii and Wii U’s Wii menus. Additionally, the Nintendo DSi Shop is giving users similar issues.
Nintendo hasn’t provided official information about these outages, leaving fans and users of the older hardware hoping this is just an unexpected problem that will be resolved and not the sudden removal of all functionality.
The only use for the Wii Shop Channel is to re-download previously purchased content or transfer data from the Wii to the Wii U, with Nintendo having discontinued the store portion of the channel on Jan. 30, 2019.
The same goes for the DSi Shop, which was discontinued even earlier on March 31, 2017. Both services were succeeded by the Nintendo eShop, which is also being taken offline for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U in March 2023.
Users trying to access the Wii Shop Channel are being met with “Error Code: 209601” telling them they can’t connect to the server. Meanwhile, the DSi Shop pops “Error Code: 290502,” which specifically deals with wireless interference.
In its messaging for the discontinuation of the 3DS and Wii U eShops, Nintendo noted it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates and enjoy online play on both systems. The messaging didn’t make a note of whether the company will inform players when it does cease all operations in regards to those platforms.
This was also the case with DSi and Wii Shop, where Nintendo only specified that the services that would still be accessible would remain available for “the foreseeable future” and did not provide a specific date. The company only confirmed it would share more details at a later date.
Unfortunately for players, the error codes users are getting could mean Nintendo has pulled the older software offline entirely and didn’t inform its users, either accidentally or intentionally. Fans likely won’t know until Nintendo provides a future update on the situation.
Update May 21, 2:10pm CT: More than two months after initial reports of both the Wii and DSi Shop Channels being inaccessible globally popped up, Nintendo has no information regarding the services.
Previously, Nintendo told Kotaku that both the Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop were undergoing maintenance and an update would be provided “at a later date.” However, in a statement provided to GameXplain, the company said it has “nothing to announce on this topic.”
Whether this means maintenance has run into severe errors that are keeping the servers offline or Nintendo decided to pull the plug on both platform’s shop channels, which were only up to allow for redownloading software since purchasing had already been discontinued, is still up in the air. And until Nintendo provides an actual answer, it is unlikely fans will see the shops return.
