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Wii Points
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wii Points is a payment system that Nintendo uses for its Wii console through the Wii Shop Channel. Consumers can purchase points by an online credit-card transaction or by purchasing a Wii Points card at retail stores. These points may then be redeemed on downloadable games and other content in the Wii Shop.
On December 8, 2006 Nintendo Europe confirmed that Star Points, which people collect when they buy Nintendo games in Europe will soon be able to be used to buy Wii Points. It was announced on January 9, 2007 in a Nintendo Europe press release that Wii Points will be available for purchase in "smaller increments" than the currently available 2,000 Wii Points card.[1] On December 7, 2007 (almost a year after the intial announcement), the Wii Points Card Shop was launched, albeit unofficially.[2] Wii Points are available to purchase in 100, 300, 500 and 1000-point increments and cost 400, 1200, 2000, 4000 Star Points respectively; this equates to a conversion rate of 4 Star Points for 1 Wii Point.
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Wii Points are used to purchase a variety of items on the Wii Shop Channel, which is divided into two sections: the Virtual Console for older games, and the Wii Ware (Wii Software in the UK) section for things like the Opera Wii Browser, although Opera could be downloaded for free until June 30, 2007.[3][4] Wii Points are redeemed through the Wii Shop channel. There is a concealed panel on the back of the card which, when scratched, reveals a code. The code is then entered on to the Wii Shop channel and the requisite number of Wii Points are added to the user's account. Points can also be purchased directly through the Wii Shop channel using a credit card.[citation needed]
A 2,000-point Wii Points card is available in the USA for around US$20, or for €20 in Europe and £14.99 in the UK[5]. Wii Points can be bought from retailers or purchased online directly from Nintendo. When converting from Wii Points to American dollars, 100 Wii Points equals one dollar. President and Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime has stated that 2,000 Wii Points will cost about $24.99 Canadian[6]. Pricing was also given for Wii points in Japan, with 1,000 points being exactly equivalent to ¥1,000 ($8.46)[7]. Prepaid cards in Japan will be made available in multiples of 1,000, 3,000 and 5,000 points, with the 5,000 point card coming bundled with a classic controller[8]. In all other regions, there are only 2,000 point cards. Wii Points cards are region-specific and are not transferable to different regions.
| United States | Canada | Japan | Australia | Eurozone | United Kingdom (when bought online) | United Kingdom | Mexico | Chile | Sweden | Singapore | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Wii Points | USD 1.00 | CAD 1.00 | JPY 100 | AUD 1.50 | EUR 1.00 | GBP 0.70 | GBP 0.75 | MXN 10.00 | CLP 1000.00 | SEK 9.2 | SGD 1.90 |
| USD Equivalent | $1.00 | $1.01 | $0.85 | $1.24 | $1.35 | $1.39 | $1.49 | $0.90 | $1.91 | $1.44 | $1.24 |
| EUR Equivalent | €0.74 | €0.83 | €0.63 | €0.92 | €1.00 | €1.03 | €1.11 | €0.66 | €1.42 | €1.07 | €0.92 |
| GBP Equivalent | £0.50 | £0.56 | £0.43 | £0.62 | £0.68 | £0.70 | £0.75 | £0.45 | £0.96 | £0.72 | £0.62 |
| JPY Equivalent | ¥115.27 | ¥130.79 | ¥100 | ¥144.93 | ¥158.94 | ¥163.61 | ¥175.25 | ¥105.15 | ¥224.33 | ¥168.25 | ¥144.88 |
Currency conversion correct at 2007-10-10.
The starting prices of the Virtual Console games depend on what system for which the game was originally developed. Some titles will cost more (or less) than these base prices[6]:
| Original Format | Default Price |
|---|---|
| NES/Famicom | 500 Wii Points |
| SNES/Super Famicom | 800 points |
| N64 | 1,000 points |
| Sega Genesis/Mega Drive | 800 points (600 in Japan) |
| TurboGrafx-16/PC-Engine | 600 points |
| Neo-Geo | 900 points |
| MSX (Only in Japan) | 800 points |
The Internet Channel uses a version of the Opera browser. The final version of the browser became available on April 11, 2007 and was free to download until the last day of June. After this period the browser became 500 Wii Points to download.
Starting in early 2008, Nintendo will allow developers to release software on the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo will not decide the price of the software, and instead let the third parties choose a suitable price for their software. This is similar to Xbox Live Arcade, and the PlayStation Network store.[9]
- ^ Europe buy Wii points with stars. Kotaku (2006-12-08). Retrieved on 2006-12-08.
- ^ Europeans Can Now Trade Star Points For Wii Points. Kotaku (2007-12-07). Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
- ^ Opera (2006-12-22). Play with the Web: Opera browser now available for download on Wii. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-03-23.
- ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-09-26). Wii Surf for Free. IGN. Retrieved on 2006-11-20.
- ^ Virtual Console: Secrets exposed. Computer & Video Games (2006-11-03). Retrieved on 2006-11-20.
- ^ a b Live at Nintendo's NYC Wii press conference. Engadget (2006-09-14). Retrieved on 2006-11-20.
- ^ Jenkins, David (2006-10-11). Nintendo Briefing Talks Wii Games, Points Pricing. Gamasutra. Retrieved on 2006-11-20.
- ^ バーチャルコンソール - Ｗｉｉ (Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved on 2006-11-20.
- ^ WiiWare announcement. Nintendo.
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|---|---|
| Hardware | Wii Remote · Wii Balance Board · Wii Points · Wii launch · Wii System Software |
| Wii games | Wi-Fi Connection games · WiiConnect24 games · WiiWare games |
| Virtual Console | North America · Europe · Australia · Japan |
| Online service | Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection · WiiConnect24 |
| Wii Menu | Everybody Votes Channel · Internet Channel · Mii · Check Mii Out Channel |
| Wii Series | Sports · Play · Music · Fit · Chess |