As planned, Nintendo Network services have been closed forever for the old 3DS and Wii U from Nintendo, preventing these legendary consoles from being able to reconnect to the internet to play multiplayer games and enjoy the Nintendo online store. But is all lost? Have they disconnected forever? As expected, the scene community has brought a solution.
How to connect a Nintendo 3DS or Wii U to the internet
On April 4, 2024, Nintendo turned off all functionality related to online communications for your 3DS and Wii U, such as online play, downloading updates, etc. This caused the consoles to be disconnected forever, so games like Splatoon, Mario barth 8 o Super Mario Maker They would stop making sense.
But as long as there is community, there is still hope. The solution is called I intend, and as the service itself is defined, it is a replacement free and open source of Nintendo servers that will allow 3DS and Wii U users to continue maintaining online communication even though Nintendo has closed the doors.
Thanks to its open source nature and the fact that it has been developed with reverse engineering, Pretendo servers are completely free and free to use, so online gaming will be possible at no cost.
How to install Pretendo on a Wii U
As you can imagine, Pretendo requires the installation of third-party software on the consoles, so there is no other choice but to make them jailbreak to be able to install external software. It is important to emphasize that Nintendo Online user IDs cannot be imported or rescued, so technically you will have to get a new name to make yourself known on the new network.
At the moment the project continues to be perfected and polished, but there are many games that are already compatible and that continue to improve their performance. Features like Friends on both Wii U and 3DS work perfectly, as does Wii U chat, so you'll pretty much be experiencing the same thing as the original Nintendo service.
To install I intend you need a Wii U or a modified 3DS, and you must copy the configuration file that you can download on their website directly to the SD where you have the loader files in question. The latest and best known for Wii U is Aroma, of which they have a detailed tutorial in the documentation section of Pretendo.
Is it legal to use Pretendo?
Since Nintendo's servers have been shut down forever, there is no chance of a console getting banned for using Pretendo, as the ban couldn't apply to anything. Regarding the service, since it is open source and developed with reverse engineering, there is no danger of a lawsuit from Nintendo appearing to overthrow the project, so everything indicates that it will be a free ecosystem that could last a long time. It is undoubtedly great news to be able to continue supporting a community as large as that of these two consoles.
Source: I intend
Vía: Modern Vintage Gamer