Nintendo TVii is rapidly approaching its demise, as the company is getting ready to shut it down on Aug. 11.
Many consumers may not even be familiar with the Nintendo TVii service, as it was not one of the most popular services of its kind.
Nintendo launched its TVii service back in December 2012, one month after the Wii U console hit retail availability. The TVii aimed to serve as an interactive second-screen experience designed to work across various platforms, work with cable, satellite channels and on-demand services such as Netflix and Hulu, and offer a social experience as well.
As a reminder, Nintendo TVii enables Wii U users to find, watch and interact with TV content using the GamePad controller of the console. Despite the company's best intentions, however, the service was never a big hit among consumers.
The fact that it had somewhat limited availability, targeting only the U.S., Canada and Japan didn't help much either. It never really took off like it was expected to, so news of its demise is not all that surprising now.
The Nintendo TVii service has been available for three years now, but it will shut down on Aug. 11, 2015, at 3:00 p.m. PT. Moreover, Nintendo will also be shutting down the TVii Miiverse community along with the service.
"We sincerely thank you for all of your engagement within the community and the Nintendo TVii service. We look forward to your contributions within our many other Miiverse communities," the company notes in a new announcement on its Miiverse website.
Nintendo will roll out a system update for the Wii U next month, stripping the GamePad of the TVii functionality. In a FAQ on its support website, Nintendo explains that it wants to focus its resources on other projects now. The company has yet to offer details on what those projects are.
Although Nintendo is shutting down the TVii service and he TVii Miiverse community, other video applications for the Wii U will remain unaffected. This means that Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, Crunchyroll and others such will remain unchanged even after the TVii's demise.
