Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is Nintendo's free, easy, wireless online service for the Nintendo DS. It was launched on November 14, 2005 for the release of Mario Kart DS. Players can use their Nintendo DS unit at wi-fi hotspots to connect to the internet, or plug in their Nintendo DS USB Wi-Fi Adapter to their computers and play from there. It has been reported that as of the release of April 2006, over 260,000 players connect through Nintendo Wi-Fi connection daily.

The use of a unique WFC Friend Code for each game can be traded in order to connect with specific a person or persons. This friend code is typically 10+ digit number. While not an obstacle at first, as the number of Wi-Fi enabled DS games grows, it became a source of criticism from gamers. Instead of one centralized handle/code that could be used in multiple games, such as in Xbox live, players are forced to juggle multiple codes and trade them through other means, such as offline or through message boards.

Wi-Fi Enabled Games

 * Mario Kart DS
 * Animal Crossing: Wild World
 * Tony Hawk's American Sk8land
 * Metroid Prime: Hunters
 * Tetris DS
 * Bleach
 * LostMagic
 * Tenchu: Dark Secret
 * Contact
 * Star Fox Command
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
 * Clubhouse Games
 * Open Season
 * Pokémon Diamond Version
 * Pokémon Pearl Version