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(AFP) – Gamers breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday after the end of a network outage that affected Nintendo's online games, with internet-based systems under increasing pressure from people staying home over coronavirus.

“The issue with our network services has now been fixed. Thank you for your patience!” tweeted Nintendo on its European Twitter account, with similar messages posted on its other accounts.

The hours-long outage affected its online games but also its e-shop, which was offline for a shorter period.

Nintendo has not specified the reason for either outage, which came after other online game systems including Microsoft's Xbox Live dealt with problems related to increased demand.

The outage affected people using the popular Nintendo Switch console as well as its 3DS and Wii U models.

Nintendo's original Switch console, a hybrid that can be used for handheld play or hooked up to a screen at home, has become a huge global seller.

It is entering its fourth year. Last September, Nintendo also launched a scaled-back, cheaper version of the console, called Switch Lite, which is a strictly handheld device. Its sales have also been solid.

Online there was despair at the outage, which comes as people around the world find themselves confined to their homes to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

“Only a few days into the coronavirus self-isolation and Nintendo servers are already down… oh dear god,” tweeted one frustrated user.

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