Nintendo Points
Nintendo Points are much like the PlayStation Network Card system and Xbox live. Points are the currency used by Nintendo to download and unlock content for various games. However, they work a little differently to the ones used by the other consoles.
Nintendo Points were originally known as Wii Points. However, the gaming giant changed the name with the introduction of the Nintendo DSi. When you buy the points, you have to choose what system you want to use them on. It can be either the Wii or the DSi. Only in some cases is cross platform compatibility possible but this depends on what region you live in. 90% of the time, the points are locked to one system. So if you buy 2000 points and choose to use them on the Wii, this can’t be undone or used on the other platform.
The points can be purchased through the Wii Shop Channel or through using a credit card. You can buy Nintendo Points Cards, which contain a little number on the back of them. After you’ve scratched away the cover you can enter this number onto your profile online and the points will be added to your account. And again, remember that they can be used on either the Wii shop or the DSi shop. There is also the Virtual Points Card shop, which is just like buying a card on the net.
When you purchase your card, it can only be used in the region in where you bought it. So if you bought it in Japan, you can use it in Japan not anywhere else. This is normal for a lot of consoles though. Xbox Live works in the same way. Naturally the price of the points varies on where you are living; and the prices change from time to time but this is a rough average of what you can expect to pay.
The purchasable content is actually quite unique on the Wii. As with other stores, you can use points to purchase games, extensions, add ons, expansion packs and additional content available for full games. However, Nintendo have decided to reach out to a more retro gamer market and have put up various Emulators for sale. For those who don’t know, an Emulator is a program which is designed to be like a certain console. It’s like downloading an old console onto your current console. If you launch a Super Nintendo emulator, your Wii suddenly becomes a Super Nintendo. Simple! And there is a whole range of options to choose from. You have the Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, SNES, NES Commodore 64, Neo-Geo etc… The games for these vary in price depending on what platform you are using but if you are an avid retro gamer, then this feature should be essential to your collection.
