Earlier this week, Nintendo officially shut down the online services for both the Wii U and the 3DS. Fortunately, fans have already developed a workaround for one of these systems. The developers behind ‘Pretendo' have been hanging on to a private Wii U exploit for years, which can allow owners to restore online functionality to their system without jailbreaking. 

Pretendo is a fan-made Nintendo Network replacement, allowing online functionality to be restored to the Wii U. It isn't a full restoration, as there are certain things that are simply out of Pretendo's control, like digital store access. However, a good number of multiplayer titles should remain accessible online with Pretendo running on a Wii U.

Thanks to a private exploit that the developers have been hanging on to, Pretendo can now be installed on a stock Wii U, without any custom firmware or homebrew software, however, the SSSL exploit is only available for Wii U versions on firmware 5.5.5 or higher. Certain apps that use their own SSL libraries are not supported, like the YouTube app, or the Wii U version of Watch Dogs.

You can find Pretendo's full blog post on this, along with a setup guide if you'd like to return online access to your Wii U, HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The fact that this can be done without any custom firmware should make it a compelling method for enthusiasts looking to retain their Wii U's functionality. 

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