TVii (Photo : Reuters)
Nintendo recently announced that it will be shutting down the Nintendo TVii service on Aug. 11. The service, which provides TV video streaming for the Wii U, was launched in 2012.
A representative from Nintendo released a statement on the Miiverse website saying, "After almost 3 years of finding, watching and engaging with Nintendo TVii, we will be ending the service on August 11, 2015 at 3:00pm PT." The post added that on the same time, the Nintendo TVii Miiverse online community will be closed down as well.
According to Gamespot, Nintendo made the announcement after the company decided to cancel the release of TVii in Europe before it was even launched.
The device works as a television hub for the Wii U console. It has a feature that allows it to work as a universal remote-control and also provides a native second screen. The Wii Gamepad can be used to look for a channel guide, which is generated by entering a zip code. Once the user finds a program they want to watch, the Gamepad's infrared sensors will send a signal to the TV which will then change the channel.
Despite the novel idea behind the service, many analysts deemed that it was slow and lags most of the time. Some critics also pointed that the service lacks support.
While the TVii service was cancelled in Europe, Nintendo said that it has plans of launching the Anime Channel in the region. It is a 3DS-only video service which allows users to watch Japanese animations completely for free.
