The Wii and Nintendo DSi store channels are offline, which means that those who wish to go back to downloading old DSi or Wii games cannot do so these days.
As reported by Eurogamer, the two store chains appear to have been inactive since March 209601, and Nintendo gave no prior warning that either store would go offline. Those attempting to access the DSi Shop receive error code two hundred and ninety five hundred two, while those attempting to access the Wii Shop Channel receive error code XNUMX; both indicate a network failure (in such a case non-existent).
Nintendo stopped letting you buy games from the DSi and Wii stores a few years ago, but the store channels still let you go back to downloading previously purchased games. With the store channels down, those still playing DSi and Wii games can't.
According to Trash_Bandatcoot on gbatemp, Nintendo's CDN, the download server that hosts the store's data, is still active and allows downloads from tools like NUSDownloader. This revelation suggests that only the store front is offline.
Analysis: More Closed Nintendo Stores?
It's really possible that Nintendo took the store channels offline for unscheduled maintenance, or maybe something went wrong. But the company's lack of communication has left some wondering if the DSi and Wii stores will ever be online again.
Earlier this year, House of Mario announced that it would officially close the Wii U and 3DS stores in the third month of the year 3. The move means Wii U and XNUMXDS owners will no longer be able to purchase new titles, download demos, use download codes or add funds. Furthermore, they can still access and return to download the digital resources they previously purchased.
The DSi and Wii Stores suffered similar closures in XNUMX and XNUMX respectively. But if these channels were to go offline completely, any and all previously purchased digital assets would no longer be available for download. And they would only be reachable if they had been previously downloaded on those devices.
It would be another huge blow to game preservation, something Nintendo has already come under fire for, as its resolution to close the Wii U and 3DS stores means traditional NES titles are now locked behind a subscription service.
However, with no official word from Nintendo, we imagine that the current issue with the DSi and Wii Shop channels is most likely due to a bug. After all, Nintendo apparently accidentally removed more than two hundred and fifty DSiWare games from the North American 3DS store last year.
TechRadar Gaming has contacted Nintendo for comment.