The skinny on Wii Channels

by Jason Wishnov { Sep 14th 2006 at 12:30PM }

The new interface of the Nintendo Wii is organized into "channels", each containing different services and functions. The English version of wii.com gives a nice summary of the initial channels. Here's what they do:

The Disc channel is simply for playing games based off of optical media, i.e. Wii or Gamecube discs. Nothing fancy here.
The Mii channel allows a player to create his or her own digital avatar. These avatars will most likely be your online "identity", but will also appear in certain software, such as Wii Sports.
The Photo channel is a channel that allows you to view and share digital photos and movies from an external source. The Wii also contains an iPhoto-like functionality, allowing you to touch up, alter, and distort your photos to your heart's content.
The Forecast channel will give you a look at local weather. You can also zoom out in a very Google Earth-esque fashion, and view data for pretty much anywhere in the world.
The News channel is for, well, news. Various topics will be broken down into topical categories for your viewing pleasure. Remember, this and the weather service are free of charge.
The Wii Shop channel is, as expected, the online marketplace for the Wii. You'll mainly be in here buying games for the Virtual Console, but you can also purchase Opera's web browser and whatever else Nintendo decides to charge. Hopefully, extra multiplayer maps and the like will remain free, but we suppose that's up to the publisher.
The Virtual Console channels are the channels that allow you to play games from any of the various systems supported: NES, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis, and the TurboGrafx-16.
The Internet channel allows one to surf the internet. However, this is not free; an Opera browser must be purchased for a currently unknown price. However, the browser supports Adobe Flash, AJAX software, and essentially every feature a major browser should; it's a nice step up from the DS version.
The Message Board channel allows users to post messages on various boards, and send messages or photos directly to PCs or cell phones. This is also the service through which games will be updated and patched.

And there you have it! Looks like we're gonna be doing some hardcore channel surfing when the Wii hits the streets.

Tags: Channel, Disc, Forecast, Internet, Message Board, MessageBoard, Mii, News, Photo, Virtual Console, VirtualConsole, Wii Shop, WiiShop

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Probot @ Sep 14th 2006 2:02PM

A lot of surprising channels here. News and weather? I guess it's important for that non-game audience they're hoping to capture.

I was really skeptical about the avatar builder when rumors about it surfaced. It really did seem like they were just taking a Miyamoto quote out of context. But there it is.

I wonder how long that message board will stay up. If they get out 4 million by the end of the year, that's way more junk posts than I'm willing to look through. I don't even like reading Joystiq comments when they get past 50.

Geoff Baker @ Sep 14th 2006 1:03PM

I wonder if organizing into channels could provide 2 purposes:

1. Everyone can relate to channels (tv) so it is a common and useful organization structure

2. Perhaps is there a TV or streaming video channel in the future... :)

I guess with this new structure anything is possible, just add a channel for it.

DoogieCan @ Sep 14th 2006 1:04PM

Didn't Microsoft Try the Channel thing with the internet when they first moved to Win 95? We have all seen how well that fared, dead as ghost.

Nushio @ Sep 14th 2006 1:05PM

First thing I'll do once I buy Opera is bookmark Wii Fanboy and post something from it.

The S @ Sep 14th 2006 1:07PM

So no music player? Or is it just for the slideshows?

vidGuy @ Sep 14th 2006 1:29PM

I LOVE the channel system. It looks so clean and refined. The Mii Channel kicks serious ass! Go view the video of it at wii.com if you haven't already, it's great!

thrillho @ Sep 14th 2006 1:21PM

dont forget that when you purchase a vc game, it shows up as its own channel for easy access.

Cal @ Sep 14th 2006 1:24PM

All good stuff. The Opera not-so-out of the box is all that really gets to me. I wasn't planning to really use it anyway.

Probot @ Sep 14th 2006 2:02PM

Actually, from reading wii.com, it seems the message board isn't what's explained here. It seems to be a messaging system, used to send others messages, rather than posting them and allowing anyone to respond.

From the official site:

"Users can leave messages for other family members on a calendar-based message board. They also can use WiiConnect24 to send messages to people outside the home as well."

unreal mccoy @ Sep 14th 2006 1:41PM

Re: Disc Channel

Maybe Matt from IGN was right: DVD playback looks to have been canceled. Bummer. I thought the Wii made a sexy little DVD player.

peregirne @ Sep 14th 2006 1:42PM

So in response to the Joystiq article about Wii not having DVD playback (which has way too many comments for anyone to be actually heard) what do you guys think is the likelihood of Nintendo releasing a DVD Playback channel? The Wii has a DVD drive, and while commercial DVD movies are currently "unsupported" to save cost, couldn't the PowerDVD or Nintendo themselves just release software that would decode and play the disks?

I think the "channel" concept has a lot of potential, if things like that are really possible. Now i can only hope that Nintendo follows Microsoft's XNA and opens the API to armature developers like myself - can you imagine plug-in support akin to Firefox on your Wii? that'd rock out loud.

Parker @ Sep 14th 2006 2:00PM

Usually I leave the pedantry up to all the other know-it-alls around here, but I guess this time I'll open my big fat mouth.

Adobe Flash. They bought out Macromedia.

That's all, sorry to be like that. Looking forward to Opera on the Wii though. Hopefully it won't cost an arm and a leg.

jedda @ Sep 14th 2006 2:18PM

"The Photo channel is a channel that allows you to view and share digital photos and movies from an external source."

Anybody know if this external source can be another computer on your network? Also, any word on what video codecs will be supported? Maybe there could be an eventual media channel for purchasing content that would playable though both the wii and on you DS. That could be cool..

Pixelantes Anonymous @ Sep 14th 2006 3:42PM

The most interesting thing about this is that if you read between the lines there seems to be a possibility to add more channels in the interface as new services come along.

show cars @ Sep 14th 2006 4:05PM

So many channels.

Draracle @ Sep 14th 2006 4:09PM

The Mii is great, I can think of so many cool ways to impliment the Mii into online and ingame Avatars. Especially if you could take your Mii into Wiiville/Miiville and meet other Mii's and then play games together. The whole system would be a suedo-MMORPG. But I'm just dreaming...

Mabui @ Sep 14th 2006 4:36PM

We have to pay for Opera browser now? Wasn't that supposed to be packed in with the Wii, for free? So, Nintendo drops future DVD playback, and the opera browser and than just squeezes in under 250 with Wii sports packed in! Hrm.. kinda expensive in my opinion, for what you're getting.

AzaMcWazza @ Sep 14th 2006 7:34PM

Opera browser will be free until June 2007 (To North Americans at least)

Hope the same goes for Australasia

Mr. Khan @ Sep 14th 2006 5:35PM

I definitely saw this somewhere, and it must've been a typo, but it was confirmed that Opera would be free to download before June 2006

Perhaps they mean June 2007, and it'll be free for us Early Adoptors

person @ Sep 19th 2006 12:43AM

I like the channel Idea it is easy to relate to for non gamers. Maybe Animal crossing Wii will be online and use your Mii avatar.

Has anyone noticed that they have still yet to reveal the specs, maybe that could be why the price is above what many expected/hoped.

D @ Sep 14th 2006 8:41PM

If the Wii browser supports flash, couldn't people taylor make free flash games for the wii. Plus you could play all the mouse based flash games too.

matt @ Sep 14th 2006 10:34PM

Where are you guys hearing about Opera being free till June 2007? Haven't seen this anywhere. Doesn't really bother me too much, if I really want to use the browser I'll pay for it. The one thing that excites me about the browser is that it supports Flash (no idea how well though). I'm a Flash game developer, and I would LOVE to play some of our mouse-driven games using the Wiimote instead!

And I'm really loving the Mii Channel. I wonder if Nintendo will let third parties tap into the Miis to put into their games (ala Wii Sports and Wii Play).

Can't wait to get some Animal Crossing messages in my WiiMail! Whenever that will come out..

slacker @ Sep 14th 2006 11:31PM

all i want to know is how much is the opera browser software...

that will determine whether i ever purchase gamecube V2.

Probot @ Sep 14th 2006 11:41PM

1up is stating that the Opera Browser will be free for download until June 2007. Their source is the official Japanese page.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3153671

I can't read Japanese so I don't know if they're right. And since that info isn't on the American page, there's no way of knowing if it'll carry over for this region as well. It's likely it will though, since it makes sense.