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Wii Shop Channel
The Wii Shop Channel allows you to download Virtual Console and WiiWare games, purchase and redeem Wii Points, and obtain other downloads (such as Wii Channels). A broadband internet connection is required.
Click here or scroll down to read Important Notes about the Wii Shop Channel and the use of Wii Points.
What sort of information do you need?
- Points have no monetary value and cannot be redeemed for cash. All points and software downloads are only for use on a single Wii console and are non-refundable and non-transfereable.
- A maximum number of unused Points can be stored on one Wii console.
- Additional hardware accessories may be required to use Wii software downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel and are sold separately.
- Software downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel is licensed to you, not sold.
- When purchasing Wii points through the Wii Shop Channel, do not input any punctuation, such as periods, commas, and apostrophes into the street, city, or county fields. For instance, "St. Clair Ave" would be "St Clair Ave" when entered.
- Wii Points are subject to a User Agreement, which may be viewed by clicking here.
- Points cards are valid for use in the United States and Canada only and Points are only redeemable for downloading software or purchasing goods offered on the Wii Shop Channel.
- If your Parental Controls are set to restrict use of Points, you will be able to purchase Wii Points using a credit card but use of these Wii Points will be restricted by your Parental Controls setting.
Important Notes about the Wii Shop Channel and the use of Wii Points
Accessing the the Wii Shop Channel:
- Ensure that your Wii console is connected to the internet. If you need assistance getting your Wii console online, click here.
- Select the Wii Shop Channel on the Wii Menu.
- If you have not previously access the Wii Shop Channel, you will need to read and agree to the User Agreement. For information on locating the User Agreement, click here.
Purchasing Wii Points
In the Wii Shop Channel you can use Wii Points to download additional features and items, such as WiiWare titles or your favorite classic NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, and TurboGrafx games (subject to availability).
There are two ways to purchase Wii Points:
- Purchase Wii Points through
the Wii Shop Channel:
Using a Visa, or MasterCard, you can purchase Wii Points through your Wii console using the Wii Shop Channel's secure servers. To purchase Wii Points through the Wii Shop Channel:- Access the Wii Shop Channel through the Wii console's Channel menu.
- If this is your first time using the Wii Shop Channel, read the User Agreement and click "I agree" if you understand and agree to the terms. Click "Okay" after reading the Wii Shop description.
- Once on the "Welcome to Wii Shop Channel" screen, select "Start Shopping."
- Click the "Add Wii Points" button.
- Select "Buy Wii Points with a Credit Card."
- Select the amount of Wii Points you would like to purchase. (Please note there is a maximum number of points that can be available on each Wii console.)
- Select the credit card type you would like to use to buy Wii Points. The Wii Shop accepts Visa, or MasterCard.
- Enter the credit card number, expiration date, and three digit security code. Select "OK" when finished.
- Enter your city, state, zip, and county. Click "okay" to continue. Please do not input any punctuation, such as periods, commas, and apostrophes into the street, city, or county fields. For instance, "St. Clair Ave" would be "St Clair Ave" when entered.
- Review the purchase details on the confirmation screen, and select "Yes" when finished.
- Once the purchase is processed, a confirmation screen will appear indicating that Wii Points were added to your Wii Shop account.
- Purchase a Wii Points Card
at a participating retailer:
Many retail stores that sell Nintendo products also sell Wii Points Cards. These cards come with Wii Points already on them. The amount of Wii Points on a card are displayed on the front of every card. For information on redeeming a Wii Points Card, click here.
RedeemingWii Points Cards
Many retail stores that sell Nintendo products also sell Wii Points Cards. These cards come with Wii Points already on them.
To redeem a Wii Points Card:
- Access the Wii Shop Channel through the Wii console's Channel menu.
- If this is your first time using the Wii Shop Channel, read the User Agreement and click "I agree" if you understand and agree to the terms. Click "Okay" after reading the Wii Shop description
- Once on the "Welcome to Wii Shop Channel" screen, select "Start Shopping."
- Click the "Add Wii Points" button.
- Select "Redeem Wii Points Card."
- Scratch off the silver area on the back of the Wii Points Card to reveal the Wii Point Card's activation number.
- Enter the activation number into the space on the screen.
- Select "OK" to continue.
- If you want to redeem the card, select "Redeem".
- Once the purchase is processed, a confirmation screen will appear indicating that Wii Points were added to your Wii Shop account.
> Troubleshooting (Errors, unable to download, etc.)
Viewing Your Available Wii Points
Wii Points are used to download content from the Wii Shop, and are stored on your Wii console.
To view your available Wii Points:
- Access the Wii Shop Channel through the Wii console's Channel menu.
- Once on the "Welcome to Wii Shop Channel" screen, select "Start Shopping."
- Your current Wii Points balance will be displayed in blue, near the bottom of the screen.
> Troubleshooting (Errors, unable to download, etc.)
Controller Requirements for Virtual Console and WiiWare Games
Virtual Console and WiiWare games available for download on the Wii Shop Channel are published by many different companies. Because each console and game can have their own unique controller needs, it is important to understand what the controller requirements are before downloading a game.
When browsing games on the Wii Shop Channel, you can see which controllers are compatible with the game you are browsing. Please make sure you have at least one of the controllers shown when clicking "View Compatible Controllers" on the game's page of the Wii Shop Channel. The following controller icons can appear in the Wii Shop:
 |
Wii-Remote: When
held horizontally, the Wii Remote is a great way to play
NES and other compatible games. |
 |
Classic Controller (sold separately): The
Classic Controller attaches to the Wii Remote and can enable
play for many different game types. |
 |
Nintendo GameCube Controller (sold
separately): Inserting a Nintendo GameCube Controller
or Wave Bird wireless controller into the available controller
slots on the system will enable game play for many types
of games. |
Playing Virtual Console and WiiWare Games
Once you have downloaded a Virtual Console or WiiWare game from the Wii Shop, it will appear as a channel within the Wii Channel menu. Please note that you must have a compatible controller type to play Virtual Console and WiiWare games (click here for more information).
Saving Virtual Console Games or Wii Channels to an SD Card
You have the ability to save your Virtual Console games or Wii Channels to an SD Card. The benefit of doing this would be to free up space in the Wii console's internal hard drive. You can then copy these items back over to the console later should you wish to use them again. Please note that you can only play a copied Virtual Console or WiiWare game on the Wii console it was originally downloaded on.
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How to Copy a Game or Channel to the SD Card:
- Select the Wii button from the Wii Menu, select Data Management, and then select "Channels."
- All of the downloaded channels and games currently on the Wii console will be shown. To scroll through the pages of available channels and games, select the left/right arrows.
- Select the channel you wish to move, then select "Copy." Select "Yes" to copy the channel to your SD card.
Wii Gifting
Wii Gifting is a feature that lets you use your Wii Shop points to send Wii Shop items, such as Virtual Console games or WiiWare software to friends! Your friends will then be notified that you have sent them a gift, which they can then download and enjoy.
- For a basic overview of how it works, click here to visit the Wii Gifting information in our Wii section of Nintendo.com.
- If you need more detailed information, such as step-by-step help, troubleshooting, and frequently asked questions, please use the section below.
| General Information: |
| Basic overview |
| Requirements for Sending/Receiving Gifts |
| How To's: |
| Send a gift |
| Receive a gift |
| Decline a gift |
| Turn gift giving options on/off |
| Using parental controls to set gift giving options |
| Troubleshooting: |
| Can't send a gift |
| Can't receive a gift |
| Gift never arrived |
| Frequently Asked Questions |
| Can I send a gift to anyone? |
| What kind of software can I give? |
| How long does it take for the gift to arrive? |
| > See all FAQs |
Requirements for Sending/Receiving Gifts
| Sender | Recipient |
|
|
- While in the Wii Shop Channel, locate the item you would like to send (such as a WiiWare or Virtual Console game) and select it.
- Select "Gift," and then "OK."
- Select the name of the Wii friend registered in your Address Book that you would like to send the item to, then enter a message and/or attach a Mii, if desired. Select "OK," then "Yes" to send the gift.
- The message "Gift-giving complete!" will appear. Select "OK" to return to the Wii Shop welcome screen.
- If a gift is available, a message will appear when you enter the Wii Shop channel (before the Wii Shop Channel welcome screen), or if you have WiiConnect24 turned on, in your Wii Address Book. Select "OK" to view the game(s) that have been sent.
- Select the desired game, then select "Receive" to accept the gift. If you have Parental Controls on, enter your PIN and select "OK" if prompted (the PIN is only required if Parental Controls are set and the game's rating is higher than the Parental Controls allow).
- Select "OK," then select "Now" to download the game or "Later" if you wish to come back to the Wii Shop Channel at a later time to download the game.
- A message screen will appear. Enter a message and/or attach a Mii, if desired. Select "OK" to send the message, then "OK" again to return to the Wii Shop welcome screen.
- If a gift is available, a message will appear when you enter the Wii Shop channel (before the Wii Shop Channel welcome screen), or if you have WiiConnect24 turned on, in your Wii Address Book. Select "OK" to view the game(s) that have been sent.
- Select the game you wish to decline, then select "Return" to refuse the gift. Select "Yes" to confirm that you want to return it.
- A message-entry screen will appear. Enter a message and/or attach a Mii, if you like. Select "OK" to send the message, then "OK" again to return to the Wii Shop welcome screen. The sender will receive the message and the Wii Points they used will be returned to their Wii Shop account.
- Select "Go Shopping" from the Wii Shop Channel "Welcome" screen, then select "Settings."
- Select the "Gift Settings" button, then select the "Don't Receive" button (appears if the settings are on) or "Receive" button (appears if the settings are off).
- In the Parental Controls screen of the Wii Settings, select "Other,"
- Select "Yes" when it asks if you want to restrict the use of points.
- In the Parental Controls screen of the Wii Settings, select "Other,"
- Select "Yes" when it asks if you want to restrict Wii Messages.
Wii Shop items (such as Virtual Console and WiiWare games) can be sent to another Wii Console in your Address Book. The other person must be in the same country, and will be given the option to accept or decline the gift.
(If the recipient is unable to receive the gift for any reason, you will receive an error message and the gift will not be sent.)
To see images of this process, please click here to go to our overview information.
Wii Shop items (such as Virtual Console or WiiWare games) can be sent to you by Wii Friends that you have registered in your Address Book. The other person must be in the same country, and you will be given the option to accept or decline the gift. If you accept the gift, you will have 45 days to download the gift before it is returned.
(There is no time limit to when the game needs to be downloaded; the 45 day limit only applies up until the point where you select to receive the gift.)
Virtual Console games that are sent to you as a gift can be declined and the Wii Points will be returned to the sender.
Turn gift giving options on/off
You can select whether you wish to receive gifts from other Wii Consoles from the Wii Shop Channel settings menu.
Using parental controls to set gift giving options
Parents can block the use of Wii Points to restrict other users from being able to download or gift games with a Wii Point cost. This does not prevent downloading or sending gifts if the item has a Wii Point cost of 0.
In addition, Parents can use Parental Controls to block gifts, along with all other communication sent by other users. (There is no way to block gifts without blocking all forms of communication.)
- Can't send a gift
If you are unable to send a gift to a friend in your Address Book, or receive an error message that says that their friend can't receive their gift, please read the following:-
Error Message: "Friend can't receive gift"
- The recipient has never used the Wii Shop Channel
- The recipient already has the game
- The recipient doesn't live in the same country
- The recipient has turned off the ability to receive gifts in their Wii Shop Account
Possible causes:-
Error Message: "Network functionality restricted"
- Parental Controls appear to be set on one or both of the Wii consoles. Because a message is sent along with the gift, the gift cannot be sent while messages are restricted through Parental Controls. The ability to send or receive Wii Messages would need to be temporarily enabled on both Wii consoles. For more information on working with Parental Controls, please click here.
Using the information above, you may want to contact your friend to determine what is preventing the gift from being sent.
- Can't receive a gift
If you receive an error about network functionality, or if you can't even see the gift when you enter the Wii Shop channel, please click here.
If you can see the gift, but cannot download it:
- Parental Controls appear to be set on your Wii console to not allow Wii Messages. Because a message is sent along with the gift, the gift cannot be sent while messages are restricted through Parental Controls. The ability to send or receive Wii Messages would need to be temporarily enabled on your Wii console. For more information on working with Parental Controls, please click here.
- Gift never arrived
If a gift was sent, but the recipient says that it has not arrived, please try the following.
- Recipient Have the Recipient check the Wii Shop Channel on their Wii console. If a gift has arrived, the first screen they will see is a notification of the gift. (Gift messages can also appear in the Message Board, however if the recipienthas WiiConnect24 turned off, they may not see it. Checking the Wii Shop Channel is the best way to tell if a gift has arrived).
- Sender: Confirm that a Wii Shop transaction occurred for the gift in question, but checking your Wii Shop Account Activity. To do this, the sender can go to the Wii Shop Channel, and select "Account Activity" from the Wii Shop Channel main screen. Look through the listed transactions.
- If the transaction is not listed, then the Wii Points were not deducted and the gift was not sent.
- Please try to send the gift again. If there is a record of the transaction and the Wii Points were deducted, please call 1-800-255-3700 so that we may assist you further.
- Can I send a gift to anyone?
Gifts can only be sent to people you have registered in your Wii Address Book and that live in the same region as you do. - What kind of software can I give?
Any software that can be obtained directly through the Wii Shop Channel, such as Virtual Console games and WiiWare titles, can be gifted to a friend you have registered in your Wii Address Book. - Can I give software that I have already downloaded?
No. If you want to gift something that you already have on your Wii console, you will need to spend your Wii Points on the item to send as a gift. - How long does it take for the gift to arrive?
The gifted software will quickly become available for download in the other person's Wii Shop Channel. If the person receiving the gift has WiiConnect24 turned ON, they will also receive a gift message on the Wii Message Board. - Can I specify the date to send the gift?
Once you confirm to deduct the Wii Points, the gift is sent right away. If you wish to send it on a particular date, you may want to wait until that date to send the gift. - Can I send the same gift to more than one person?
Yes. However, the gift cannot be sent to more than one person at the same time. You will need to spend the needed amount of Wii Points on each gift. - What happens if I send a gift that the other person already has, or if I send the same gift twice?
When you select the person in the Wii Address Book that you wish to send the gift to, you will receive a message letting you know that gift cannot be sent. - How can I confirm the gift was received?
You can confirm the status of a gift you have sent by checking the Account Activity section of your Wii Shop Channel. The "Type" column will indicate if the gift has been sent, received, or returned. - Can I cancel a gift that I have sent someone?
No. If you want the transaction cancelled, you will need to contact the person you sent the gift to and ask them to not accept it. - How do Parental Controls affect sending and receiving gifts?
- If the gift giver has a restriction on the Highest Game Rating Allowed, they can only send software with the allowed game ratings.
- If the gift giver is restricted on the use of Wii Points, they will need to enter the parental control password when sending a gift.
- If the gift receiver has a restriction on the Highest Game Rating Allowed, they will need to enter the parental control password to accept the gift.
- If the giver or receiver has a restriction set for online user-to-user communication, they will not be able to send or receive gifts.
- Can I download a gift that has been sent to me if I haven't received the gift message yet?
Yes, when you access your Wii Shop Channel, you will be notified that a new gift has arrived. Select the "Accept" button to download the gift. - What happens if I choose to not accept the gift and select, "Do not accept" on the receiving screen?
A refusal message is sent to the sender and the amount of Wii points used to purchase the gift is credited back to their Wii Shop account. - What happens if I never accept the gift?
If you do not accept the gift within 45 days of its being sent, the gift transaction will expire and the amount of Wii points used to purchase the gift is credited back to the sender's Wii Shop account. - My Wii's internal memory is full. What should I do if I want to accept the gift?
When the gift is received, you can choose to download it right away or at a later time. If you decide to download it later, you can do so at any time at no Wii Shop points cost to you. - Can I exchange the gift I received for a different one?
No. - I received a gift and I'm being asked to accept it when I try to go into the Wii Shop Channel. How do I access my Wii Shop without deciding whether or not to download a gift that has been sent to me?
If you have been sent a gift, you will need to either accept or not accept it before being able to access your Wii Shop Channel. If you accept the gift, you can then choose to download it now or at a later time. - What can I do if I don't want gifts sent to me?
If you do not wish any gifts to be sent to you, select "Settings" from the top menu of the Wii Shop Channel, and then "Gift Settings." On this screen, you can select to never accept gifts.
- Access the Wii Shop Channel.
- Select "Settings" from the list of options.
- Select "Remove Wii Shop Channel Account."
- Access the Wii Shop Channel through the Wii console.
- Select "Settings" from the list of options.
- Select "Link Your Club Nintendo Membership."
- Enter your Club Nintendo account's Username and Password.
- Click "Link" to complete the process.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Please scroll down to read the Wii Shop Gift Giving FAQ
Erasing Wii Shop Account
Note: You should format your Wii Shop Channel and Wii console's system memory prior to selling or otherwise transferring your Wii console to any third party. (For information about privacy and the protection of your personal information, click here.)
To clear information from the Wii Shop Channel, including records of your transactions and rights to download software:
Once completed, all information will be erased.
Linking a Club Nintendo Account to a Wii Shop Account
Linking your Club Nintendo account to your Wii Shop account as several benefits, such as automatically registering any downloaded Virtual Console or WiiWare games.
In order to link a Club Nintendo account, you must first create one on Nintendo.com. Please visit club.nintendo.com for more information about Club Nintendo and to sign up (if eligible).
To link a Club Nintendo Account to a Wii Shop Account:
Games or downloads that appear as "Updated" on the Wii Shop Channel
Occasionallyyou may find some Wii Shop Channel downloads, such as a particular Wii Channel, listed with the text "updated." This means there has been a change made to the actual item. Updates can be anything from fixes of known issues, to added features or other improvements.
Users who have already downloaded the item before the update was posted can simply re-download the item at no additional cost in Wii Shop points. Please note that downloading an updated Virtual Console or WiiWare game will not affect any previously saved game data, such as progress through a game or high score.
