2014 – 2020retired
New Nintendo 3DS
“A modest revision that became a beloved classic — now folding its screens for good.”
“Small games, big ideas, one little channel on the Wii Menu.”
WiiWare was Nintendo's digital download service for the Wii, letting players buy original games and applications through the Wii Shop Channel, which then appeared as new channels on the Wii Menu. It was built as a home for developers with small budgets to release innovative, smaller-scale games without the cost and risk of retail, a companion to the Virtual Console's emulated classics. For a couple thousand dollars a
The service quietly wound down, closing on January 30, 2019, alongside the ecosystem it lived in. It retired as a sibling to the Virtual Console rather than dying in scandal, and it left behind proof that original, odd, small-scale games could thrive on a console people loved.
Spotted something wrong? Every fact on this page traces to a dated source. Fixes make the graveyard better for everyone.
“A modest revision that became a beloved classic — now folding its screens for good.”
“Two analog sticks, one gorgeous OLED screen, and a lifetime of handheld love”
“The shop closed its doors, but the theme song never left our heads.”