112-713: The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch , and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS . Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served as the successor to both the Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop . It is also a multitasking application, which means it is easily accessible even when a game
224-541: A DVD . Some companies, such as Bookmasters Distribution, which invested US$ 4.5 million in upgrading its equipment and operating systems, have had to direct capital toward keeping up with the changes in technology. The phenomenon of books going digital has given users the ability to access their books on handheld digital book readers. One benefit of electronic book readers is that they allow users to access additional content via hypertext links. These electronic book readers also give users portability for their books since
336-596: A WeChat account, and the account can only be funded via WeChat Pay . In addition, purchasing downloadable content from other regions is disabled due to the lack of the ability to sign in with a Nintendo Account and the general region locking of the Nintendo Switch for the Chinese market. Nintendo's mainland Chinese subsidiary iQue originally launched the iQue 3DS XL in December 2012 with two digital games pre-installed, but
448-462: A social media app . Now branded as WeChat, the app is one of the "super apps", due to its wide range of functions and platforms, and its over 1 billion monthly active users. On 18 February 2011, Tencent acquired a majority of equity interest (92.78%) in Riot Games , developer of League of Legends , for about US$ 230 million. Tencent had already held 22.34% of the equity interest out of
560-518: A "smart interactive television service" in a joint effort with TCL . In 2015, Tencent launched Tencent Pictures (Chinese: 腾讯影业 ), a film distributor and a production company that creates and distributes films based on books , comic books , animated series and video games . In the same year, Tencent launched Tencent Penguin Pictures (Chinese: 腾讯企鹅影视 ) a production unit focusing on online dramas and minor investments in feature films. It
672-534: A 15% decrease in advertising revenue. The decline was attributed to the pandemic and tighter regulations imposed by the Chinese government. In September 2022, Tencent acquired a 49.9% stake and 5% voting rights in Guillemot Brothers Limited, Ubisoft 's parent company. On 16 September 2022, Tencent took a minority stake in Mordhau studio Triternion. In November 2022, Tencent announced that it would divest
784-462: A 15% stake in Chinese e-commerce website JD.com Inc. by paying cash and handing over its e-commerce businesses Paipai, QQ Wanggou and a stake in Yixun to JD.com to build a stronger competitor to Alibaba Group . On 22 May 2014, JD.com got listed on NASDAQ and Tencent expanded its stake in the company to 17.43% on a fully diluted basis by investing an additional US$ 1,325 million. On 27 March 2014, it
896-590: A 5% stake in Tesla for US$ 1.78 billion, the automotive control systems of which it subsequently successfully performed penetration-testing until 2019. In a "direct challenge to Chinese search engine Baidu ," in May 2017, Tencent entered news feed and search functions for its WeChat app, which the Financial Times reported was used by 770 million people at the time. In May 2017, Tencent surpassed Wells Fargo to enter
1008-596: A 7% stake in lottery technology firm China LotSynergy Holdings Ltd for HKD 445.5 million (US$ 57.4 million). On 23 October 2014, Tencent pitched in $ 145 million for a 10 per cent stake in Koudai Gouwu, a Chinese mobile shopping portal. In November 2014, the company announced a deal with HBO which would give it exclusive rights for distribution in China. On 9 December 2014, Chinese taxi-hailing app Didi Dache announced that it had raised more than $ 700 million in
1120-490: A Nintendo Network ID with a Nintendo Account remained active until March 11, 2024. Previously downloaded content on the Nintendo eShop, among others, was unaffected by the suspension of the Nintendo Network and other Wi-Fi services for the 3DS and Wii U on April 8, 2024. The following types of games, applications and media are or were available to download from the Nintendo eShop. The majority of Wii U , Nintendo 3DS , Nintendo Switch , and select Wii retail releases are on
1232-411: A dedicated CCP member activity area of more than 6,000 square meters. More than 1 million yuan is allocated for CCP activities per year. In 2016, Tencent, together with Foxconn and luxury-car dealer Harmony New Energy Auto founded Future Mobility , a car startup (now defunct) that aimed to sell all-electric fully autonomous premium cars. On 28 March 2017, Tesla, Inc. announced Tencent had purchased
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#17328553038091344-498: A funding round led by Tencent and Singaporean state investment firm Temasek Holdings. On 29 December 2014, Tencent launched the website for WeBank (China) , China's first online-only bank. Trials for the service commenced on 18 January 2015. In 2014, Tencent sued its major competitor NetEase alleging copyright infringement. Tencent used its leverage from the suit to convince NetEase to sublicense music rights from Tencent. The sub-licensing arrangement that resulted then became
1456-488: A gaming platform. Tencent remained the largest video game publisher in the world by revenue, and had a market capitalisation of around $ 475 billion. In the same month, Tencent announced that WeChat reached 980 million monthly active users , and said to be earmarking billions of dollars to amass a catalogue of user-generated content, in competition with YouTube . The company became the first Asian company to cross US$ 500 billion valuation, surpassing Facebook to enter
1568-487: A hardware maker and would have overseen Black Shark's transition into a manufacturer of VR headsets to support Tencent's plans for its metaverse business in the future. Reports initially suggested that Black Shark would be acquired for RMB 2.7 billion (US$ 420 million), although Tencent walked away from the deal due to regulatory scrutiny of metaverse businesses in China. In June 2022, Tencent posted its slowest revenue gain since going public in 2004, partly caused by
1680-597: A hub for Tencent's game development. Aside from Wuhu, another eSports theme park is planned in Chengdu . In June 2017, Tencent became the 8th most valuable company in BrandZ's Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands, signalling its growing influence globally as well as the rise of Chinese brands. Alibaba overtook Tencent as Asia's most valuable company as its stocks surged after the company hosted its 2017 Investor's day. The company has also developed its own voice assistant Xiaowei, and
1792-405: A major publisher of science fiction and fantasy books, started to sell e-books DRM-free by July 2012. One year later the publisher stated that they will keep this model as removing DRM was not hurting their digital distribution ebook business. Smaller e-book publishers such as O'Reilly Media , Carina Press and Baen Books had already forgone DRM previously. Online distribution is changing
1904-711: A majority stake in China Music Corporation. Private enterprises in China are required to have an in-firm committee or branch of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) if three or more CCP members are among their employees. In 2016, Tencent's CCP branch was recognized as one of the one hundred best such branches in the country. It provides communications and education platforms including a CCP activity hall, WeChat channel, and an intranet for CCP members where they can take classes related to government and party policies. The Tencent Party Member Activity Center has
2016-460: A minority share in Chinese search engine Sogou.com , the subsidiary of Sohu , Inc. On 15 January 2014, Tencent said it would invest HKD 1.5 billion (US$ 193.45 million) in logistics and warehouse firm China South City Holdings Ltd to develop its e-commerce and logistics business. On 27 February 2014, Tencent purchased a 20% stake in restaurant ratings and group-buying website Dianping for $ 400 million. On 10 March 2014, Tencent bought
2128-575: A model used by other online music platforms in China. On 30 January 2015, Tencent announced that it had signed a US$ 700 million deal with the National Basketball Association to stream American basketball games in China. Later that year, Chinese automaker BYD became the chief corporate sponsor for Tencent's NBA broadcasts. On 21 June 2016 Tencent announced a deal to acquire 84.3% of Supercell , developer of Clash of Clans , with US$ 8.6 billion. In July 2016, Tencent acquired
2240-526: A partnership that will see English-language releases of several popular online Chinese titles. In 2014, Tencent established exclusive in-China distribution agreements with several large music producers, including Sony , Warner Music Group and YG Entertainment and in 2017 it signed a deal with Universal Music Group to stream its music in China. It also entered a partnership with Alibaba Group on music-streaming rights sharing. The deal aims to protect licensed streaming services offering copyrighted content of
2352-479: A period of time, users were able to redeem Gold Points for download codes or discount coupons available on My Nintendo for specific Wii U and Nintendo 3DS titles. Gold Points themselves can still be used to discount any purchases made on the Nintendo Switch. A limited variant of the Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo 3DS family was discontinued on July 31, 2020, for various Latin American and Caribbean markets, as well as for
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#17328553038092464-477: A present follow-up. Many South American and Caribbean markets originally had access to the a limited variant of the Nintendo eShop on both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, whilst Asian markets such as Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates originally had access to a limited variant of the eShop on Nintendo 3DS only. None of the markets listed were ever followed up with any official access to
2576-560: A previous investment in 2008. On 16 December 2015, Riot Games sold its remaining equity to Tencent. Tencent acquired a minority stake in Epic Games , developer of franchises like Fortnite , Unreal , Gears of War and Infinity Blade , in June 2012. That year, Tencent acquired ZAM Network, parent of Wowhead and other websites, from Brock Pierce . Tencent in 2013 increased its stake in Kingsoft Network Technology,
2688-432: A reader can hold multiple books depending on the size of its hard drive . Companies that are able to adapt and make changes to capitalize on the digital media market have seen sales surge. Vice President of Perseus Books Group stated that since shifting to electronic books (e-books), it saw sales rise by 68% . Independent Publishers Group experienced a sales boost of 23% in the first quarter of 2012 alone. Tor Books ,
2800-561: A record HK$ 10 billion share purchase. In March 2024, the firm uploaded its revenue report for the 4th quarter of the year 2023, recording a surprising 7% rise in the fourth-quarter revenue, slightly missing the expected mark. Launched in February 1999, Tencent QQ is Tencent's first and most notable product, QQ is one of the most popular instant messaging platforms in its home market. As of 31 December 2010, there were 647.6 million active Tencent QQ IM user accounts, making Tencent QQ
2912-560: A retailer is the Canadian music chain Sam the Record Man ; the company blamed online distribution for having to close a number of its traditional retail venues in 2007–08. One main reason that sales took such a big hit was that unlicensed downloads of music were very accessible. With copyright infringement affecting sales, the music industry realized it needed to change its business model to keep up with
3024-506: A review consisting of a crescent range of one to five "stars", representing the title's quality. Users can also categorize games by age and gender, and as being suitable for either hardcore or casual gamers. The Wii U had Miiverse integration for user reviews on the Nintendo eShop. On September 13, 2012, during a Japanese Nintendo Direct presentation, Satoru Iwata introduced a new service called Deluxe Digital Promotion (North America)/Nintendo Network Premium (Europe, Australia, and Japan). It
3136-452: A social networking/blogging service integrated within QQ. Qzone has become one of the largest social networking services in China, with a user base of 645 million in 2014. On 10 April 2010, Tencent launched Tencent Weibo , a microblogging service. WeChat is a mobile app with functions such as voice- and text messaging, mobile payment , and a friends-only social network called Moments . It
3248-793: A stake in Tencent's sister companies, such as OLX , VK , Trip.com Group , Delivery Hero , Bykea , Meesho , Stack Overflow , Udemy , Codecademy , Brainly and PayU . Tencent Holding Ltd was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 16 June 2004, and it was added as a Hang Seng Index Constituent Stock in 2008. The company originally derived income solely from advertising and premium users of QQ, who pay monthly fees to receive extras. By 2005, charging for use of QQ mobile, its cellular value-added service , and licensing its penguin character, which could be found on snack food and clothing, had also become income generators. By 2008, Tencent
3360-468: A strategic cooperation agreement with Tencent. China's government designated Tencent as one of its "AI champions " in 2018. In November 2018, Tencent Charity Foundation donated RMB$ 1 billion to establish the Xplorer Prize award for outstanding young scientists in areas of basic science and cutting-edge technologies. In October 2019, Tencent began sending out refunds to customers after cancelling
3472-467: A subsidiary of Kingsoft Corporation, to 18%. Tencent previously had a 15.68% stake in the company and raised the stake through a US$ 46.98 million investment. Tencent took part in Activision Blizzard splitting from Vivendi as a passive investor in 2013 and now owns less than 4.9% of the shares as of 2017. On 17 September 2013, it was announced that Tencent had invested $ 448 million for
Nintendo eShop - Misplaced Pages Continue
3584-468: A time. The status of the downloads can be checked on the HOME menu under the "Download Manager". If notifications are activated, a pop-up message will appear in the top right corner of the screen to notify the user that a download is finished. The Nintendo eShop supports user reviews of games, applications, and other media. After an eShop title has been acquired and used for at least one hour, users can then submit
3696-668: A user's request, or "on-demand", rather than allowing a user to store it permanently. In contrast, fully downloading content to a hard drive or other forms of storage media may allow offline access in the future. Specialist networks known as content delivery networks help distribute content over the Internet by ensuring both high availability and high performance. Alternative technologies for content delivery include peer-to-peer file sharing technologies. Alternatively, content delivery platforms create and syndicate content remotely, acting like hosted content management systems . Unrelated to
3808-654: A whole has many major and minor investments in domestic and, since the 2010s, foreign game companies. Other notable investments include Discord ( February 2015 ), Roblox Corporation ( February 2020 ), Lockwood Publishing ( November 2020 ), PlatinumGames ( January 2020 ), Aiming ( December 2014 ), Novarama ( March 2022 ), Triternion ( September 2022 ) Riffraff Games ( March 2022 ), Offworld Industries ( March 2022 ), Bohemia Interactive ( February 2021 ), Payload Studios ( February 2021 ), Playtonic Games ( November 2021 ), Voodoo (August 2020) and Lighthouse Games (July 2023). In April 2009, Tencent launched iTQQ,
3920-422: Is gog.com which has a strict non-DRM policy while most other services allow various (strict or less strict) forms of DRM. Digital distribution is also more eco-friendly than physical. Optical discs are made of polycarbonate plastic and aluminum . The creation of 30 of them requires the use of 300 cubic feet of natural gas , two cups of oil and 24 gallons of water. The protective cases for an optical disc
4032-634: Is a Chinese multinational technology conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen . It is one of the highest grossing multimedia companies in the world based on revenue. It is also the world's largest company in the video game industry based on its equity investments. Founded in 1998, its subsidiaries globally market various Internet -related services and products, including in entertainment, artificial intelligence , and other technology. Its twin-skyscraper headquarters, Tencent Seafront Towers (also known as Tencent Binhai Mansion) are based in
4144-545: Is already running in the background through the system software. The Nintendo eShop features downloadable games, demos, applications, streaming videos, consumer rating feedback, and other information on upcoming game releases. The service was discontinued globally for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in March 2023, continuing only on the Switch. Initially, the two versions of the Nintendo eShop between
4256-431: Is among the largest social media , venture capital , and investment corporations . Its services include social networks, music, web portals, e-commerce , mobile games, internet services, payment systems, smartphones, and multiplayer online games. It operates the instant messengers Tencent QQ and WeChat , along with the news site QQ.com. The company surpassed a market value of US$ 500 billion in 2018, becoming
4368-565: Is disabled while WiiWare software is being played. Prior to the Wii Shop Channel's closure, there were over 450 downloadable games available in North America as of October 2012. Initially all games except LostWinds were published on the Wii U. LostWinds had since been patched and made available for transfer and purchase on the Wii U. It was discontinued in January 2019. DSiWare, for
4480-616: Is disabled whilst DSiWare software is being played. There are over 550 downloadable DSiWare games available in North America as of January 2016. DSiWare games and software on the Nintendo eShop are largely priced near-identically as on the original DSi Shop. Online functionality has been defunct in DSiWare games due to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service ceasing operations as of May 20, 2014. As of March 27, 2023, DSiWare games and apps are no longer available for purchase, coinciding with
4592-416: Is made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a known carcinogen . A general issue is the large number of incompatible data formats in which content is delivered, possibly restricting the devices that may be used, or making data conversion necessary. Streaming services can have several drawbacks: requiring a constant Internet connection to use content; the restriction of some content to never be stored locally;
Nintendo eShop - Misplaced Pages Continue
4704-574: Is the delivery or distribution of digital media content such as audio , video , e-books , video games , and other software . The term is generally used to describe distribution over an online delivery medium, such as the Internet , thus bypassing physical distribution methods, such as paper , optical discs , and VHS videocassettes. The term online distribution is typically applied to freestanding products; downloadable add-ons for other products are more commonly known as downloadable content . With
4816-536: Is the most popular social mobile application in China and some overseas Chinese communities, for instance, Malaysia . As of 2017, WeChat has been unsuccessful in penetrating major international markets outside of China. Tencent publishes video games via its Tencent Games division of Tencent Interactive Entertainment. It has five internal studio groups under it: TiMi Studio Group , LightSpeed Studios , Aurora Studio Group, Morefun Studio and Next Studio. Outside of companies subsidiary of its game division, Tencent as
4928-518: Is under the Online Media Business Unit at Tencent and works closely with Tencent Video . On 21 March 2012, Tencent launched Tencent Comic , and would later become China's largest online animation platform. In September 2017, Tencent has announced plans to introduce Chinese online comics to every market around the world, with the first being North America . It will be working with San Francisco -based digital publisher Tapas Media ,
5040-584: The Home Menu and Nintendo eShop to access and purchase Virtual Console games, respectively. Virtual Console games on the Nintendo 3DS can be suspended and users can also create save states anytime. Functionality is available to display the games at native resolution. Games for the Game Boy , Game Boy Color , Game Boy Advance (for Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors only) NES , SNES (New Nintendo 3DS exclusive), Sega Game Gear , and Turbografx16 (Japan only) were available on
5152-532: The Nanshan District of Shenzhen. In December 2023, architect Büro Ole Scheeren unveiled the latest helix-inspired design of Tencent's new global headquarters in Shenzhen. Known as Tencent Helix, it will accommodate more than 23,000 employees across nearly 500,000 square meters. Tencent is the world's largest video game vendor , as well as one of the largest companies in the world by market capitalization . It
5264-451: The Nintendo 3DS family . Add-on content includes downloadable content (DLC) or microtransactions to augment existing games with new features, and patches. This content can both be free to download or purchasable. Add-on software can be added to both downloadable and physical games, and be purchased either individually or via in-game stores. As of December 6, 2011, a system update upgraded
5376-618: The Nintendo DSi handheld game console , has been available for the Nintendo 3DS since June 2011, when the Nintendo eShop was first introduced. With a few exceptions for certain games or applications such as Flipnote Studio , the majority of existing DSiWare software is available for download on the Nintendo 3DS through the Nintendo eShop. Similar to using Nintendo DS software, DSiWare can be optionally viewed in its original resolution and Home Menu functionality, SpotPass, StreetPass, Auto Brightness (New Nintendo 3DS only) and 3D Functionality
5488-532: The SAMR 's requirements on giving up exclusive rights. This comes after the company recently withdrew the merger application for antitrust review and refiled it after SAMR told the company it could not complete the review of the merger within 180 days since its first filing. Tencent's plan to take search engine Sogou private was approved by the SAMR. Tencent later announced too its intention to take DouYu private, in part due to
5600-489: The Wii Shop Channel and the DSi Shop services, which use Nintendo Points for purchases, the Nintendo eShop lists prices in the appropriate regional currencies (e.g. United States dollars and euros ). Accounts can be funded using either credit cards or prepaid cards purchased in stores. In China, the Nintendo eShop was opened on December 10, 2019, via Nintendo Switch units distributed by Tencent . Users can only log in with
5712-428: The Wii U and Nintendo 3DS were independent of each other. Whilst this remains largely true, after the implementation of Nintendo Network ID for the Nintendo 3DS, users that register the same ID account between both systems (currently at one time per console) can share a combined funds balance, home address, saved credit and debit card information, wish list entries, and (formerly) linked Club Nintendo accounts. With
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#17328553038095824-641: The automotive industry . It is also collaborating with L'Oréal , the world's largest cosmetics company, to explore digital marketing under the Joint Business Partnership (JBP) agreement. According to a report by Sina Tech in October 2017, Tencent employed over 7,000 members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that CCP members took a leading role in the development of WeChat. "With over 7,000 CCP members, accounting for approximately 23% of
5936-404: The 13 deals cited in total by the SAMR, each carried a fine of RMB 500,000 (US$ 78,700) and Tencent received a total fine of RMB 4.5 million (US$ 710,000) for its involvement in nine deals. On 11 January 2022, it was announced that Tencent was in talks to acquire Xiaomi-backed Black Shark , one of the largest gaming smartphone makers in China. The acquisition would have been Tencent's first in
6048-524: The Chinese government's regulations to curb online gaming cost Tencent $ 46 Billion in Market Capitalisation. Later, on 27 December 2023, the first of trading after the Chinese government vowed to make improvements to the proposed gaming rules, the firm's stock rose by 5%. Also in December 2023, Tencent accelerated the pace of buybacks , increasing the pace of daily purchases to about HK $ 1 billion (with an average of HK$ 375 million per day) and made
6160-622: The Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt reversed the lower court's decision and ruled against Nintendo in December 2021, stating that its policy still violated the EU consumer's directive, as "the prerequisites for the right of revocation were not met, as the download made available after the pre-order did not yet contain any usable game." Digital distribution Digital distribution , also referred to as content delivery , online distribution , or electronic software distribution , among others,
6272-574: The IPs you signed, your art direction would not change, and so on. Now it's the opposite extreme: we can put something up on Steam, deliver it to people all around the world, make changes. We can take more interesting risks.[...] Retail doesn't know how to deal with those games. On Steam [a digital distributor] there's no shelf-space restriction. Since the 2000s, there has been an increasing number of smaller and niche titles available and commercially successful, e.g. remakes of classic games. The new possibility of
6384-419: The Nintendo 3DS in December 2013, only five transfers between Nintendo 3DS systems were permitted. The limit on system transfers has since been permanently waived. As of August 2024, the Nintendo eShop is available in 46 markets: Certain markets originally had official access to a variation of the Nintendo eShop at one point, but Nintendo had discontinued the service in those markets for certain reasons without
6496-490: The Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch. Various games, which may be sold as retail games in some regions, might be released as download-only software in others for various reasons, such as cost-effective localization. 3D Classics is a series of NES/Famicom , Arcade , Mega Drive/Genesis , Master System , and SG-1000 games remade with added 3D visuals and updated features, although the overall graphics retain their original art style and appearance. These are exclusive to
6608-400: The Nintendo 3DS, becoming required for downloading free demos from the eShop. Software updates, more commonly known as patches , have been available on both Nintendo 3DS, since April 25, 2012, and Wii U, since November 18, 2012, via a system update. These system updates gave the ability to patch downloadable and retail releases, through both the Nintendo eShop and HOME Menu. These patches have
6720-515: The Nintendo eShop free of charge. This series was exclusive to North American Nintendo 3DS consoles. Nintendo Show 3D released its last episode on March 28, 2013, two years after the North American release of the original Nintendo 3DS. Japan exclusive news video conferences hosted by Satoru Iwata . The Nintendo eShop offers a wide range of downloadable video content for the Nintendo 3DS . These videos are mostly offered in 3D and are downloaded to
6832-682: The Nintendo eShop, Nintendo Channel and YouTube where users can watch all the latest news, reviews and previews of Wii , Wii U , Nintendo DS , Nintendo 3DS and Virtual Console games. The show's original name and format was called Nintendo TV . The show ended sometime in 2014 before the Official Nintendo Magazine ceased publication. Nintendo Show 3D was a video gaming online show produced by Nintendo and hosted by Jessie Cantrell. It featured video previews and footage of upcoming and recently released Nintendo 3DS retail and downloadable games. Episodes were released every two weeks on
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#17328553038096944-455: The Nintendo eShop. The first was New Super Mario Bros. 2 , launched on the Nintendo 3DS eShop alongside its retail release in August 2012. A system update in March 2013 allowed players to transfer save data from a physical version of a game to a download version. Any video game company, particularly independent video game developers, may publish via the Nintendo eShop as download-only software for
7056-467: The Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern markets. A limited variant of the Nintendo eShop on Wii U was also discontinued at the same day for said Latin American and Caribbean markets. As of that date, the ability to download, redownload, and update any software became unavailable, and games using the eShop were also affected. The ability to purchase, download, and play new content on the Nintendo eShop for
7168-425: The Switch eShop by having the user click an acknowledgement checkbox that waived their rights to refunds. NCC argued this violated the EU's Consumer Rights Directive 2011 as all pre-orders must be able to be refunded. Nintendo cited that under the directive that offering the checkbox to waive this right was valid. The German Federation of Consumer Organisation ( Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e. V. , or VBEV) took
7280-570: The Virtual Console library available on the original Wii was also available on Wii U through the implementation of the console's Wii Mode and Wii Shop Channel , to access and purchase Virtual Console games. Wii Virtual Console games cannot be controlled using the Wii U GamePad , though the current versions of the system software support displaying Wii Virtual Console games on the GamePad screen as if playing any other Wii game. The Nintendo 3DS used
7392-462: The Wii U Menu and Nintendo eShop to access and purchase Virtual Console games, respectively. Virtual Console games on the Wii U can be suspended and users can also create save states anytime. The GamePad is only compatible with these games through Off-TV Play . Select games from the NES , SNES , Nintendo 64 , Game Boy Advance , and Nintendo DS libraries were available for purchase on the eShop. Most of
7504-552: The Wii U Nintendo eShop would receive ten percent of the price back in points, which could be exchanged for eShop credit on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS eShop. Points could be exchanged for eShop credit through March 31, 2015. The program was discontinued on April 1, 2015. The service was never fully implemented beyond its promotional period. The My Nintendo program features a similar concept for anyone who links their Nintendo Network ID to their Nintendo Account profile, and users could earn Gold Points via any Nintendo eShop purchase. For
7616-531: The Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS was discontinued for the rest of the world on March 27, 2023, with the ability to add credit cards ceasing by May 23, 2022, followed by the inability to add funds by August 29 of the same year (except for users who linked their Nintendo Network ID with their Nintendo Account, who could add funds until March 27, 2023). Redeeming download codes for the systems were extended to April 4. Redownloading previously purchased content, updating and free themes will remain available. Merging funds left on
7728-497: The above, the term "digital distribution" is also used in film distribution to describe the distribution of content through physical digital media, in opposition to distribution by analog media such as photographic film and magnetic tape (see: digital cinema ). The rise of online distribution has provided controversy for the traditional business models and resulted in challenges as well as new opportunities for traditional retailers and publishers. Online distribution affects all of
7840-426: The advancement of network bandwidth capabilities, online distribution became prominent in the 21st century, with prominent platforms such as Amazon Video , and Netflix 's streaming service starting in 2007. Content distributed online may be streamed or downloaded, and often consists of books , films and television programs , music , software, and video games. Streaming involves downloading and using content at
7952-703: The broadcast of NBA games in response to the Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey 's social media comments in support of protests in Hong Kong . In May 2020, Tencent purchased the rights to create System Shock 3 and any further sequels from OtherSide Entertainment . On 29 June 2020, Tencent acquired the video-on-demand service iflix in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia . In September 2020, Tencent picked Singapore as its hub in Asia, joining rivals ByteDance and Alibaba in
8064-462: The conglomerate. Wanda Commercial was renamed Wanda Commercial Management Group. Tencent bought a 5% to 10% minority stake in Skydance Media . On 23 January 2018, Tencent and Carrefour reached strategic co-operation agreement in China. On 15 August 2018, Tencent reported a profit decline in the second quarter of 2018, ending a growth streak of more than a decade, as investment gains slid and
8176-412: The console while it is not in use or when the eShop application is not running. Users upgrading from a Nintendo DSi system can transfer their previous DSiware purchases to the Nintendo 3DS, with limited exceptions, such as Flipnote Studio . A December 2011 update enabled a similar feature allowing users to transfer their purchases between 3DS systems. Before the implementation of Nintendo Network ID for
8288-487: The content owner directly or from third-party services. YouTube , Netflix , Hulu , Vudu , Amazon Prime Video , DirecTV , SlingTV and other Internet-based video services allow content owners to let users access their content on computers, smartphones, tablets or by using appliances such as video game consoles, set-top boxes or Smart TVs . Many film distributors also include a Digital Copy , also called Digital HD, with Blu-ray disc , Ultra HD Blu-ray , 3D Blu-ray or
8400-712: The digital distribution stimulated also the creation of game titles of very small video game producers like Independent game developer and Modders (e.g. Garry's Mod ), which were before not commercially feasible. The years after 2004 saw the rise of many digital distribution services on the PC, such as Amazon Services , Desura , GameStop , Games for Windows – Live , Impulse , Steam , Origin , Battle.net , Direct2Drive , GOG.com , Epic Games Store and GamersGate . The offered properties differ significantly: while most of these digital distributors do not allow reselling of bought games, Green Man Gaming allows this. Another example
8512-457: The eShop itself was never launched for the console in China. The Nintendo eShop can be accessed any time via the HOME menu screen, even when a game is already running, on Wii U and Nintendo Switch. Background downloading is also possible via SpotPass while using any other application on the Wii U or Nintendo 3DS, and while in Sleep Mode on Nintendo Switch. Currently, 10 downloads can be queued at
8624-595: The eShop on Nintendo Switch since 2019, whilst Taiwan does not as of 2023. The Wii U was never officially released in either Hong Kong or Taiwan. In May 2023, Nintendo was obligated to close the eShop on the Nintendo Switch in Russia after more than a year's hiatus due to reasons beyond their control, likely as a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine . The Nintendo Switch eShop is set to close in China on March 31, 2026. Unlike
8736-505: The eShop on succeeding platforms as of present, even if said platforms were officially available. The Taiwanese market has had a complicated history with Nintendo products in the 2010s. The Nintendo 3DS was officially launched in Taiwan, and one time had access to a Chinese variation of the Nintendo eShop which it shared with Hong Kong. Although the Nintendo Switch was eventually officially launched in Taiwan, Hong Kong had gained official access to
8848-750: The eShop. Twenty free NES and GBA games were available to 3DS owners who became eligible in the Ambassador Program (users who logged onto the Nintendo eShop before August 12, 2011, and did not erase their eShop details). Special features in this interpretation of the Virtual Console allowed players to create Restore Points, temporarily saving the game state for use later, and the optional ability to view games in their original resolution accompanied with special borders or templates. Game Boy Advance games can be displayed at their original screen resolution like other Virtual Console games but they do not support Sleep Mode, Restore Points, and Home Menu functionality while
8960-773: The first Asian technology company to cross this valuation mark. It has since then emerged as the most valuable publicly traded company in China, and is the world's tenth most valuable company by market value as of February 2022. In 2015, 2018, and 2020, the company was ranked by the Boston Consulting Group and Fast Company among the 50 most innovative companies worldwide. Tencent has stakes in over 600 companies, and began focusing on tech start-ups in Asia in 2017. TechCrunch characterized Tencent's investment strategy as letting its portfolio startups operate autonomously. Tencent's valuation approached US$ 1 trillion in January 2021 before it plummeted. Tencent Holdings
9072-495: The game is running. WiiWare, for the Wii video game console , has been available for the Wii U since launch day when an update added support for the Wii Shop Channel 's library of WiiWare games. Unlike DSiWare on the Nintendo 3DS, WiiWare software is only available for download on the Wii U through Wii Mode , not the Nintendo eShop. Similarly to using Wii software on the Wii U, WiiWare can only be played in its original resolution, via Wii Mode, and Wii U Home Menu functionality
9184-452: The government's scrutiny of the gaming business weighed on the company. Shares of Tencent fell 3% in morning trade in Hong Kong after the rare drop in quarterly profit was reported, extending a slide that has wiped nearly $ 50 billion in market value from the company in that week. The sell-off dragged down many other Chinese internet stocks as well. On 6 September 2018, Luckin Coffee signed
9296-559: The lead on the lawsuit by December 2018 as Nintendo's European headquarters were located in Großostheim . The Regional Court of Frankfurt ruled in December 2019 for Nintendo, but both the NCC and VBEV appealed the decision. During the appeal, in September 2020 Nintendo changed its pre-order policy to allow refunds for games but only a week before the game is scheduled for release. Despite this change,
9408-484: The main purpose of fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs and improving usability or performance. Patches can also be downloaded while using other applications via the systems' Download Manager. Virtual Console ( バーチャルコンソール , Bācharu Konsōru ) , sometimes abbreviated as VC , was a specialized section of the Nintendo eShop that allowed players to purchase and download games and other software for Nintendo 's Wii U and Nintendo 3DS consoles. The Wii U used
9520-582: The majority of its US$ 20.3 billion stake in Meituan through a dividend distribution to shareholders, in part due to China's earlier regulatory crackdown on tech giants. In January 2023, OpenSecrets reported that Tencent spent over $ 6.3 million lobbying the U.S. federal government after coming under greater regulatory scrutiny in 2020. By January 2023, Tencent had sold its share in Tesla. Majority owned subsidiary China Literature acquired Tencent Animation and Comics in December 2023. On 22 December 2023,
9632-534: The race to reinforce their presence closer to home after complications in India and the United States. Lazy Audio was acquired from Shenzhen Lanren Online Technology Co for 2.7 billion yuan in January 2021. In July 2021, China's antitrust regulator formally blocked Tencent's plan to merge China's top two video game streaming sites, Huya Live and DouYu , after it had failed to come up with sufficient remedies to meet
9744-424: The rapidly changing technology. The step that was taken to move the music industry into the online space has been successful for several reasons. The development of lossy audio compression file formats such as MP3 could take 30 MB for a typical 3-minute song and bring it down to 3 MB without any serious loss of quality. Lossless FLAC files can be up to six times larger than an MP3 while, in comparison,
9856-478: The release of the Nintendo Switch version of the Nintendo eShop, the balance stored on a Nintendo Network ID can be shared or transferred to a Nintendo Account to be spent on the Nintendo Switch. The eShop stores a record of all downloads and purchases, allowing users to re-download previously purchased software at no additional charge, provided the software is still available on the eShop. Downloads can be started immediately, or they can be queued up and be pushed to
9968-554: The restriction of content from being transferred to physical media ; and the enabling of greater censorship at the discretion of owners of content, infrastructure, and consumer devices. Decades after the launch of the World Wide Web , in 2019 businesses were still adapting to the evolving world of distributing content digitally—even regarding the definition and understanding of basic terminology. Tencent Tencent Holdings Ltd. ( Chinese : 腾讯 ; pinyin : Téngxùn )
10080-471: The rise of music streaming services . In 2017, physical formats overtook downloading again for the first time in six years, but despite the vinyl revival and CDs holding its own, the physical formats account for only 11% revenue as of 2023, while streaming services are dominant with 84% of the US industry. Many traditional network television shows, movies and other video content is now available online, either from
10192-451: The same song might require 30–40 megabytes of storage on a CD. The smaller file size yields much greater Internet transfer speeds. The transition into the online space has boosted sales, and profit for some artists. It has also allowed for potentially lower expenses such as lower coordination costs, lower distribution costs, as well as the possibility for redistributed total profits. These lower costs have aided new artists in breaking onto
10304-404: The scene and gaining recognition. In the past, some emerging artists have struggled to find a way to market themselves and compete in the various distribution channels. The Internet may give artists more control over their music in terms of ownership, rights, creative process, pricing, and more. In addition to providing global users with easier access to content, online stores allow users to choose
10416-408: The second quarter 2016 financial report, the stock price rose by 6.2% in the Hong Kong stock market, and the market value reached US$ 429 billion. Tencent became the second Asian company after Alibaba Group to surpass US$ 400 billion market cap. Tencent has also created an alliance to its own AI self-driving program, similar to Baidu's Apollo Project , recruiting numerous industry players in
10528-550: The service to feature downloadable demos of retail games and eShop games. Developers have the option to limit access to demos, such as limiting the number of plays available to the user. When the number of plays reaches zero, the demo cannot be opened. The first paid demo was released in Japan on August 4, 2011, and free demos were further released in Japan on December 27, of the same year and in North America on January 19, 2012. As of December 9, 2013, Nintendo Network IDs were implemented onto
10640-400: The songs they wish instead of having to purchase an entire album from which there may only be one or two titles that the buyer enjoys. The number of downloaded single tracks rose from 160 million in 2004 to 795 million in 2006, which accounted for a revenue boost from US$ 397 million to US$ 2 billion. Downloading peaked in the US in 2012, after which it started falling due to
10752-487: The structure of the video game industry . Gabe Newell , creator of the digital distribution service Steam , formulated the advantages over physical retail distribution as such: The worst days [for game development] were the cartridge days for the NES. It was a huge risk – you had all this money tied up in silicon in a warehouse somewhere, and so you'd be conservative in the decisions you felt you could make, very conservative in
10864-616: The system's memory through SpotPass . On the Nintendo 3DS, many of these videos are offered in autostereoscopic 3D ; on the Wii U, only 2D high definition videos are available. The exact content available varies by region. Nintendo Unleashed was a video gaming online magazine published by Future Publishing for Nintendo Network . It is produced by the team behind the Official Nintendo Magazine and features video reviews and previews and footage of upcoming and recently released Nintendo games. Episodes are released monthly on
10976-524: The system's storage. To produce and distribute these short films, Nintendo partnered with companies such as Breakthru Films, Black Box Productions, Atlantic Productions , Ka-Ching Cartoons and DreamWorks Animation . The Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) filed suit against Nintendo in February 2018, asserting that the eShop's policy on pre-order refunds violated European consumer law. As the NCC outlined, while European law requires digital storefronts to provide refunds on pre-orders, Nintendo bypassed this for
11088-531: The top 5 list of the world's biggest firms. In January 2018, Tencent and The Lego Group , the world's largest toy company, teamed up to jointly develop online games and potentially a social network aimed at children. It also launched its first unmanned shop in Shanghai . Tencent led a US$ 5.2 billion investment in Wanda Commercial , together with JD.com , Sunac and Suning Group , to acquire shares in
11200-497: The total workforce, and more than 60% of whom are core technical personnel, the number of CCP members at Tencent is increasing by nearly a thousand every year. In Tencent, a leading internet company, CCP members are becoming the main driving force in shaping the company's development direction." In November 2017, Tencent revealed that it had purchased a 12% stake in Snap Inc. in the open market, with plans to help establish Snapchat as
11312-466: The traditional media markets, including music, press, and broadcasting. In Britain, the iPlayer , a software application for streaming television and radio, accounts for 5% of all bandwidth used in the United Kingdom . The move towards online distribution led to a dip in sales in the 2000s; CD sales were nearly cut in half around this time. One such example of online distribution taking its toll on
11424-467: The unsuccessful merger, but also due to lacklustre business performance and disagreements over strategy among company executives. Tencent is currently the largest stakeholder in DouYu with a 37% stake. On 17 December 2021, Tencent announced it had acquired Slamfire Inc. and its subsidiary Turtle Rock Studios , the developer behind Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood . In January 2022, reports emerged that Tencent
11536-477: The world's largest online community at the time. The number of QQ accounts connected simultaneously has, at times, exceeded 100 million. While the IM service itself is free, a fee was being charged for mobile messaging as of 2006. Tencent also created QQ International, which is an English version of QQ that allows communication with mainland accounts; QQi is available for Windows and macOS. In 2005, Tencent launched Qzone ,
11648-568: The world's top 10 most valuable companies. Tencent has also entered an agreement with the Wuhu City Council to build the world's first eSports town in the city, which comprises an eSports theme park, eSports university, a cultural and creative park, an animation industrial park, creative block, tech entrepreneurial community and Tencent Cloud's data center. The site will be used for the education and accommodation of future eSports players, as well as hosting national eSports events and serving as
11760-528: The worldwide closure of the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS. The Nintendo eShop offers a wide range of video streaming applications, which correspond to third party streaming services. Some of these services' applications are available for download on Nintendo 3DS and are preinstalled on North American Wii U consoles, such as Netflix , Hulu , and Amazon Prime Video applications. These streaming services are available independently from Nintendo Network services. Additionally, some videos can either be downloaded to
11872-452: Was a loyalty program similar to PlayStation Plus offered on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Gold on Xbox Live . Consumers who purchased the Wii U Deluxe Pack in North America, or the Wii U Premium Pack in Europe and Japan, would receive a free two-year subscription to this service which lets Wii U owners receive points for each digital purchase. Members who bought games and apps through
11984-588: Was announced that Tencent had agreed to pay about $ 500 million for a 28 per cent stake in South Korea's CJ Games. On 27 June 2014, Tencent announced that it had agreed to buy a 19.9 per cent stake in Chinese e-commerce website 58.com (WUBA) Inc. for $ 736 million. On 17 April 2015, Tencent announced it bought an additional $ 400 million worth of shares, rising its stake in the company to about 25%. On 16 October 2014, via its wholly held subsidiary Hongze Lake Investment Ltd, Tencent announced that it had bought
12096-634: Was in the midst of discussion to acquire Rovio Entertainment , the developer of Angry Birds . At the same time, Tencent introduced its mini-programs feature that allows smartphone users to access mobile apps across the globe on WeChat without downloading them. In July 2017, Tencent bought a 9% share in Frontier Developments , the creator of the Elite: Dangerous and Planet Coaster franchises; as well as developer for Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 & 3. In August 2017, after Tencent announced
12208-471: Was one of the major tech conglomerates to receive a fine from the SAMR for failing to report their merger and acquisition (M&A) deals in advance. According to China's antitrust law , official approval is required before the completion of a M&A deal if the combined annual revenue of all entities involved is at least RMB 10 billion (US$ 1.57 billion), and at least two entities have at least RMB 400 million (US$ 62.7 million) in annual revenue. Of
12320-459: Was provided to it by venture capitalists . In February 1999, Tencent's messenger product OICQ was released. Shortly after, Tencent had the client's name changed to QQ; this was said to be due to a lawsuit threat from ICQ and its owner AOL . The company remained unprofitable for the first three years. South African media company Naspers purchased a 46.5% share of Tencent in 2001. As of 2023, it owns 26.16% through Prosus , which also owns
12432-535: Was ranked 35th on Forbes Global 2000 2023 list. Tencent was founded by Pony Ma , Zhang Zhidong , Xu Chenye, Charles Chen and Zeng Liqing in November 1998 as Tencent Inc , in the Cayman Islands . The name "Tencent" is based on its Chinese name Tengxun (Chinese: 腾讯 ), which incorporates part of Pony Ma 's Chinese name ( Ma Huateng ; 马化「腾」) and literally means "galloping fast information". Initial funding
12544-528: Was seeing profit growth from the sale of virtual goods . In June 2007, Tencent established its charity foundation, becoming the first Chinese internet company to do so. While Tencent's services have included online gaming since 2004, around 2007/2008, it rapidly increased its offerings by licensing games. While at least two, Crossfire and Dungeon Fighter Online , were originally produced by South Korean game developers, Tencent now makes its own games. On 21 January 2011, Tencent launched Weixin ( 微信 ),
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