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Nintendo to kill off certain Wi-Fi Connection features in May

The company will no longer support online play, matchmaking, and leaderboards for many Wii, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo DSi games.

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Some Wii games will no longer work on Wi-Fi Connection starting in May.
Some Wii games will no longer work on Wi-Fi Connection starting in May. Nintendo

Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection, a service the company hoped would improve its standing among online gamers, will soon be wiped out.

The company on Wednesday announced that on May 20, certain online features in Wi-Fi Connection will be removed, chiefly online play, matchmaking, and leaderboards for many Wii, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo DSi games. Nintendo was quick to point out, however, that offline play will still be available.

Online play is not being affected on the Wii U or Nintendo 3DS. However, Wii mode, which allows users to play older titles on the Wii U, as well as playable DS games on the 3DS, will not be playable online.

The move is not so surprising. Nintendo's online push now centers mainly on the company's newer hardware. Like many other online service providers -- most notably Electronic Arts -- Nintendo needs to periodically eliminate features and support to ensure the quality of its current stable of supported titles.