Earlier this week, Nintendo pulled the plug on online services for the Wii U, rendering multiplayer features and other online functions unusable for the console.

Following this, the fan-made Nintendo Network replacement Pretendo announced that their service will now be usable for players without needing to modify their Wii U console. According to their official blog, Pretendo’s new “SSSL”, a “private SSL exploit for the Wii U”  will allow users to “connect to Pretendo Network from a stock Wii U, with no homebrew or custom firmware at all.”

What this means is that Wii U owners who follow the instructions for setting up Pretendo will be able to restore some online functionality to the console and games, although full functionality is still very much a work in progress. More details can be found on their official website here.

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