Wii Shop Channel
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| Developer | Nintendo |
|---|---|
| Type | Online shop |
| Launch date | November 19, 2006 (Wii) November 18, 2012 (Wii U) |
| Platform |
Wii Wii U (Wii Mode Only) |
| Website | Official Website |
The Wii Shop Channel is an online shop for the Wii video game console that allows users to download Virtual Console games, WiiWare games, and additional channels. Downloading may require redeeming Wii Points. The channel launched with Wii on November 19, 2006. Available software is currently organized into three sections: Virtual Console, WiiWare, and Wii Channels.
Presently succeeded by the Nintendo eShop, the Wii Shop Channel remains accessible on the Wii U console via Wii Mode, supporting the download of most WiiWare titles, as well as most legacy, Wii-based Virtual Console titles, consequently allowing users to continue purchasing/downloading many Virtual Console titles that are yet to be available via the Nintendo eShop.
Wii Points are the currency used in transactions on the Wii Shop Channel. Wii Points may be obtained by either redeeming Nintendo Points Cards purchased from retail outlets or directly through the Wii Shop Channel using a MasterCard or Visa credit card.
In 2008, Club Nintendo in Europe began offering Wii Points in exchange for "stars" received from registering games and consoles on the website.
The Virtual Console allows users to download classic games from past video game consoles. There are currently over 300 games available in North America and, as of December 31, 2007, over 10 million games have been downloaded worldwide. All games are exact replicas of the originals with no updated features or graphics, with the exception of Pokémon Snap which was updated to allow in-game pictures to be posted to the Wii Message Board. New games are added weekly at 9 A.M. Pacific Time every Thursday (previously every Monday) in North America, Tuesdays in Japan and South Korea, and Fridays in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Consoles include both Nintendo systems, such as the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Nintendo 64, and non-Nintendo systems, such as the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega Master System, PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, MSX, Neo Geo and Commodore 64 (Europe and North America only). Each system has a base starting price for games on that system. All titles currently range from 500 to 1200 Wii Points.
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