Wii Connect 24

The Wii never sleeps!

Connect...

WiiConnect24 is a feature of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for Nintendo's Wii that was announced at E3 2006. It will enable some of the system's features to work while the console is on stand-by; for example, a friend might be able to visit another player's town and leave that player messages in Animal Crossing without him or her being present.

The service will also be used to distribute content such as software patches and updated game content while not in use (no specific content has been confirmed at this time). At the E3 2006 Nintendo Conference, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata described Wii as "the system that never sleeps." Although no definite details were provided, it was said that the standby mode would require very little electricity, about the equivalent of a miniature lightbulb.

There has been some skepticism about WiiConnect24, due to potential holes in security; and some have suggested unplugging the system from its power source to disable the feature.

Despite developers' expressed interest in the service, as of August 2006, no title has been confirmed to have functionality with WiiConnect24.

The following are titles whose developers have expressed interest in implementing features to take advantage of WiiConnect24:

* Animal Crossing Wii
* Pokemon Battle Revolution
* Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
* Wii Sports
* Rayman Raving Rabbids
* Far Cry: Vengeance
* Monster 4x4 World Circuit

Functionality

During an interview with the Japanese newspaper, Nikkei Business Publications, Nintendo's CEO Satoru Iwata revealed that the WiiConnect24 could be used for the downloading of demos for the Nintendo DS.

"Let's say your Wii is connected to the Internet in a mode that allows activation on a 24-hour basis. This would allow Nintendo to send monthly promotional demos for the DS, during the night, to the Wii consoles in each household. Users would wake up each morning, find the LED lamp on their Wii flashing, and know that Nintendo has sent them something. They would then be able to download the promotional demo from their Wiis to their Nintendo DSs.