Online

Online Multiplayer

To play Wii games online, you'll need to have a high-speed Internet connection at home to take advantage of the system's built-in Wi-Fi. (Please see Nintendo's support site for more information and tips on setting up your router.) Once you have your Wii connected, and you have games that use Nintendo Wi-Fi such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, you can connect either by using an in-game option to search for random opponents online, or connect directly with your Wii-owning friends by swapping friend codes. Friend codes are generated as a combination of your Wii hardware's unique Wi-Fi Connection ID and the ID of the copy of the game you're playing. In order to play online, two Wii owners must share and save each other's friend codes to their profile, which will then make online play and chat available once both players are online. According to Nintendo, this feature has been added to the Wii (and to the Nintendo DS as well) for privacy purposes.

Buy & Download Games Online

The Wii Shop channel provides access to Virtual Console games as well as WiiWare software programs developed specifically for the Wii. The Wii Shop uses its own Wii Points currency system similar to the one Microsoft uses for the Xbox 360. You can buy points online with a credit card through the Wii Shop, or you can buy prepaid Wii Points cards in retail stores. The conversion rate is approximately 100 Wii Points to the dollar. Most games and applications go for less than 2000 Wii Points. The Wii Internet browser, for example, will set you back 500 Wii Points.

Please see the games list for suggestions on where to start with downloadable games for the Wii.

Netflix

The Wii supports Netflix streaming in the form of a free disc, which you can request directly from Netflix and then activate online. Once your disc is loaded, you can stream movies online without having to deal with any DVDs or having to mail anything back.