Here’s some bad news for those who still exclusively stream videos on their Nintendo Wii: You may have to find an alternative soon if you want to continue binge-watching your favorite Netflix shows.
According to The Verge , Netflix has informed its users that Nintendo will be shutting down all video streaming services for the console after January 30, 2019. This means that you only have until the end of January next year to watch Stranger Things and other Netflix videos on Wii.
“Wii is no longer supported,” Netflix announced. “Nintendo will suspend all video streaming services on Wii – including the Netflix Channel – after January 30, 2019.”
The Netflix notification said that Nintendo will suspend all streaming services for the device. This could mean that Wii owners may also no longer be able to stream Amazon Prime and Hulu videos on their console by next year.
While the announcement could be a bit of a bad news for those who are used to watching videos on their console, it is not at all surprising and the move actually makes sense because of the age of the Wii.
The console was sold between 2005 and 2011 before streaming videos became as popular with consumers today. It was also launched prior to the advent of services like Amazon Prime and Hulu.
The announcement came as Nintendo announced that it would be closing down the Wii Shop Channel, which serves as a portal for downloading virtual console games, on January 30.
The Nintendo Switch did not also come with any video streaming app like Netflix and Hulu when it was launched. It also did not have video capture.
When Kotaku asked Nintendo if Switch will support streaming services, the company said that the focus is to create a dedicated video game platform, which explains why video streaming services were not supported at launch.
The company, nonetheless, said that it is considering adding support for video streaming services in the future.
“All of our efforts have gone toward making the Nintendo Switch system an amazing dedicated video game platform, so it will not support any video-streaming services at launch. However, support for video-streaming services is being considered for a future update.” Nintendo said, according to Kotaku.
Netflix did not provide alternatives for Wii users besides pointing them to newer hardware. Those whose TV does not have Netflix built-in, a good option would be to get a streaming device, which would likely cost a fraction of the cost of a 12-year-old Wii.
