How to Play the Wii Online With Friends

A Nintendo Wii, a broadband Internet connection and certain Nintendo Wii games let you play against your friends from various far-flung locations using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. When players decide to play against friends remotely, the Wii console establishes the connection, allowing players to meet virtually. In some games, players compete against others in real time, in others, players can chat or, for instance, send each other videos. As of 2009, seven games allow players to join each other virtually: Animal Crossing: City Folk, Battalion Wars 2, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Strikers Charged, Pokemon Battle Revolution, Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Wii Music. Each has its own procedures to pursue online play.

View the main Wii menu screen.

Make sure your Wii is connected to the Internet through a broadband connection. You can check this on the WiiConnect24 screen, which you find by choosing the Wii icon on the bottom of the menu screen, choosing the wrench (Wii Settings icon), then scrolling through the settings to get to the WiiConnect24 option. Use the Wiimote to make the selections.

Put a Wi-Fi enabled Nintendo Wii game disk into your Wii console.

Select the game on the main menu, then follow the directions enclosed in the package on finding your friend code. If you no longer have the game instructions, visit Nintendo.com to find instructions. (See the Resource section.)

Record your code.

Ask each friend you want to play with online for their friend code, which they will find using the same procedure you did.

Give each friend your code.

Follow the directions included with the game (or visit Nintendo.com for instructions) to register each friend's code.

Read the information that came with your game to see what online play features are available and, if necessary, set up a time online to play against or with friends.