Nintendo Network

The Nintendo Network is an online gameplay network which acts similar to 's and 's. It is the second network created by Nintendo after the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (which launched during the release of Mario Kart DS). It has been made to provide online play for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U compatible games. It was announced on January 26, 2012 and became available later that year. Unlike Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, which focused on specific functionalities and a largely de-centralized environment, Nintendo Network originally aimed to establish a central platform where various services available through the network for consumers are connected; examples include user accounts and Miiverse. While Nintendo Network offers similar features to the previous service including online gaming and digital purchases, more features have been added, like downloadable content (DLC) for specific games, patching, and user account control.

Nintendo dropped long term plans for Nintendo Network after establishing their partnership with DeNA, which helped them develop the single sign-on Nintendo Account system, My Nintendo, and other online services that function beyond Nintendo's own hardware.

Pre-announcement
On January 20, 2012, an image of 's box art was shown showing a "Nintendo Network" icon in the corner of the box.

Names in other languages
Nintendo Network