Topic: The Nintendo Channel is Out in America

[Kairon]

Free up 248 blocks of memory for the free Wii Channel download and you'll be able to watch streaming video, download DS demos, and even purchase games online.
 http://nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=15913

 Supposedly, the Nintendo Channel was set to launch for American Wii owners on May 12, the same date that Nintendo's WiiWare Service is scheduled to become available. Instead, it appeared for download early this morning. Users will discover a bevy of features in Nintendo's latest offering, but first they'll have to make space in their Wii memory.    

The Nintendo Channel is free to download, but it does require 248 blocks of memory space. Downloading the new service from the Wii Shop Channel takes up only 122 blocks, but users with little free space after that may see an additional message: the channel requires an extra 126 blocks of available memory on top of its install in order to run.    

Upon booting, the channel will first ask users whether they'd like to opt-in to receive commercial messages on their Wii from Nintendo and their third-party partners. Nintendo then offers the user the chance to set up the channel to automatically upload the Wii's daily playtime data. Nintendo explains that this information helps drive some features of the Nintendo channel, such as allowing a user to recommend a game once they've actually played it for at least one hour. If you read the fine print, you'll see that Nintendo will also check how many free blocks of memory space you have remaining on the console.    

Get through that and you'll be immediately started off with a Nintendo Channel Digest video, featuring a brief overview of the latest videos and games to appear in the Nintendo Channel.  The videos page will have game trailers and commercials for Wii and Nintendo DS games, as well as special videos.  One such video is an interview with Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto about Wii Fit.    

In addition to offering users ways to search for games and recommend games they've actually played to other users, the Nintendo Channel also enables the Wii to send Nintendo DS game demos to the handheld system. Currently, the channel offers the following eight demos:    

 
• Brain Age 2 Demo
 
• Flash Focus Demo
 
• Crosswords DS-Crosswords Demo
 
• Jam Sessions
 
• Rayman Ravving Rabbids 2
 
• Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends
 
• Disney Friends
 
• Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
 

   

NWR downloaded and explored the Japanese version of the channel when it was released, so be sure to watch video and read those in-depth impressions here. However, the US version can already claim to have several improvements over its Japanese counterpart. This includes pausing videos with the 1 Button, seeking through videos with the B Trigger, and adjusting volume with left or right on the D-Pad. Certain screen-scrolling interfaces now auto-hide on the right side of the screen, and, if the Wii Internet Channel is installed, game pages will feature a prominent "purchase" button which offers to launch the Internet Channel and bring users directly to a game page with the choice to proceed to any of several major online retailers.

   

One interesting characteristic of the service right now is that it's missing certain games from its directory listings. Some obvious examples we've seen incognito are the original Rayman Raving Rabbids, the Madden NFL Football games, all of Capcom's Wii titles, and Nintendo's own Super Smash Bros. Brawl, none which show up in searches. It remains to be seen whether there is some reasoning behind this, or whether this is merely an issue that will be rectified in time.    

The Nintendo Channel is free to download from the North American version of the Wii Shop Channel right now.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I dunno I can't say I'm impressed with the channel, it seems thrown together and outdated in many areas.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Like Brawl's menu?

[Kairon]

The functionality of it is astounding, but the main menu of top videos is a little clunkier than I expected.

[King of Twitch]

4 times the size of an animal crossing save are you kidding me

[NWR_pap64]

I dunno I can't say I'm impressed with the channel, it seems thrown together and outdated in many areas.

My biggest gripe is that since the channel streams the video it keeps pausing in order to refresh, and with videos like the Miyamoto interview running at 8 minutes its painful to watch.

But video issues aside, the channel is a winner, if only because I try DS demos without having to find a wireless hot spot at a Gamestop.

Not to mention that it looks like it will highlight many WiiWare games, which will help them greatly.

[NWR_insanolord]

Actually, considering that Wii blocks are a lot bigger than GameCube blocks, it's quite a bit more than 4 times the size of an Animal Crossing save. I got it to try it out, and the DS download functionality is cool, but I'll be deleting it until I have a hard drive because 248 blocks is way too much.

[animecyberrat]

I also found it funny that the VC games Info videos are just their in game attract modes/demo videos. Still cool that they managed to put those in there.

[D_Average]

Hey, free DS demos, I'm down.  I've already played a few of them, and its reaffirmed me not buying them, sweet!  (Although I really liked the functionality of Crosswords, the clues were all very generic....I was hoping for more pop culture and history clues)

[mastro]

It works better than I though it would(after initial startup), but I can't help feeling that 80% of the whats in the channel should be inside the VC and upcomning wii ware channel.

But its still nice to have and hopefully Nintendo will take the shop outside of the browser and straight onto the console.

[Djunknown]

Its got potential. I like the high quality video in comparison to youtube's. The recommendation option seems to be missing some key games that I'm playing right now. It knows I've played Mario Strikers Charged, but haven't touched that title since last summer (and traded up for No More Heroes), but yet can't dig up Okami, which is the only Wii game I've been playing for the past month or so....

Its nice to have some of the information coming to you, I got to see what Bloom Blox is about, and hearing Miyamoto(with Bill Trinen) speak is always a plus.

[LuigiHann]

Watch the Professor Layton trailer if you haven't. The animation is great.

I hope they add trailers to more pages, and older DS demos, in addition to new ones going forward. EBA could use a demo, and the Apollo Justice trailer is absent.

[pyrokamileon]

you know I had a hunch that they would release it early, or at least I had a hope..., but then I quickly reassured myself that it wouldn't happen because Nintendo is more known for delaying stuff than releasing early and look what happened?!

God I wish I were home with my Wii right now...

[Crimm]

The first thing I did was watch all the videos related to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness/Time and yelled at the TV how awful "random dungeons" really are.

*Expect that review this week

[animecyberrat]

I had the same problem as you Djunknown, but with VC games mostly. I did find it odd that COD3 wasn't an option when I played that a lot more than Super Paper Mario which was available for recommendation but COD3 was not.


I also found it odd that every singel VC title I have except 2 where available, Space Harrier II and Solomon's Key, I played Solomon's Key for 3 hours straight yesterday and it still didn't show up. Space Harrier II sucks so I don't really mind but Solomon's Key is a good game that needs this option to reach potential buyers.

[NWR_Neal]

The first thing I did was watch all the videos related to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness/Time and yelled at the TV how awful "random dungeons" really are.

*Expect that review this week

Haha! That's exactly what I did too...and I thought you would be doing that as well.

[Crimm]

All the pain of a bad game but long.

The mark is indelible.  I almost felt that if I yelled loud enough I could save those who do not know... who could not know.  I also feel myself getting angry at the Mystery Dungeon display at Circuit City.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Crimm how can you consider giving such (what you describe) a horrible experience a 6! That seems way too high.

[Crimm]

Crimm can you considering giving such (what you describe) a horrible experience a 6! That seems way too high.

Mystery Dungeon?  The review isn't even out yet (and it got lower than a 6)

[GoldenPhoenix]

Crimm can you considering giving such (what you describe) a horrible experience a 6! That seems way too high.

Mystery Dungeon?  The review isn't even out yet (and it got lower than a 6)

Didn't you say in the last podcast you were thinking around 6/101?

[Crimm]

I might have.  At the time the story had just crested, and I was feeling charitable.  It might have been a slip of the tongue too.

Trust me, it got less than that.

[KDR_11k]

@/10?