In response to the latest channel to the Wii Menu I wanted to start a discussion about present day and future channels for the Wii.
The ones that currently are in place are as follows:
Wii Channels
These channels are preloaded onto every Nintendo Wii that is purchased. There is no need to update or download anything to use these immediately.
Disc Channel
This channel serves as the gateway to Gamecube and Wii games. It will play specially programmed music when a Wii game is in and the channel is selected.
Photo Channel
Here you can take images from a SD Card slotted in the Wii and do the following: Modify, View, Send (to others, even Wiis). Also, when you watch the images in a slideshow you can add a background theme to it from either a preloaded sound gallery or from tracks on your SD Card.
Mii Channel
Create and gather up avatars of you and your friends here. This is where you can also see Miis that have been allowed to mingle from your friends' Wii. Wii Parade shows each of those Miis in a procession that moves from the top of the screen to the bottom.
Wii Shop Channel (requires Internet Connection)
Go shopping with the Wii for all of your Virtual Console and Wii Shop needs. Here you can visit the Virtual Console inventory which contains those retro games that have been added from the various companies in business with Nintendo. You can purchase a game using Wii Points which can be purchased from brick-and-mortar stores in 2000 point increments or from this channel by using a credit card. If you purchase a Points Card then you need to enter the card's code here to get it to connect with your Wii's account.
Virtual Console games cost between 500 and 1000 points (or approximately between $5 and $10 USD).
Finally, you can visit the shop to download special content such as Wii Channels or future releases from third parties in the Wii Ware Section.
Update Only Channels
These channels are only available to those Wiis that have been upgraded with the latest firmware by connecting to the internet.
Forecast Channel (requires Internet Connection)
When you select this channel when you have a successful connection to the internet and after you have set up your region information, the current weather forecast will be displayed. It only updates twice a day though so it may not be accurate. However, when you enter the channel then you are treated to a larger amount of information such as UV index and the 5-day forecast.
Also you can go to the global view which displays a large globe with small icons displaying the current weather in areas around the world. If you zoom out you can see the world at a glance and choose any icon for the current weather, although you won't get in-depth information other then the current and nightly weather forecast. The world itself can be manipulated to spin really fast by grabbing it, and flinging the remote to the side before letting go. Apparently the constellations in the sky also reflect the star's actual heavenly positions.
News Channel (requires Internet Connection)
This channel when entered reveals a list of topics for the news. Selecting one will display the latest news recieved from either the Associated Press or Goo and each will tell you with an icon if they are: New, Map Attached, No Map Attached. The map attached icon means that there is a point on the virtual Earth where this news is tied to, and when you view the news it will be shown to the right of the report.
You can also choose the News Slide Show option in order to get news headlines at a glance. After a set amount of time (that can be adjusted with the 1 and 2 buttons) the next news headline is shown. If the headline is tied to a specific part of the world then the globe will be shown in the background and that location will be highlighted.
When you view the news there is a universal zoom option with the + and - buttons that allows you to increase and decrease the text size, although this is less effective in Slide Show mode.
Wii Shop Channels
These channels are only available by going to the Wii Shop Channel and downloading them from the Wii Ware or Virtual Console sections of the shop. Thus they are slightly less accessible then the Update Channels. Currently only the Wii Shop Channels cost nothing to download.
Virtual Console Channel (requires Internet Connection, Wii Points)
By going to the Wii Shop Channel and purchasing a Virtual Console game, your Wii points is decreased, your Wii internal memory is decreased, but you get an arguably sweet game out of it. After you have done so then the game is displayed as a single channel in your Wii Menu. Selecting it will display the game's art along with the number of players it supports. This channel supports a single save state which means you can go back to it from wherever you left it off, and the same kind of save states that the game originally had.
Internet Channel (trial version) (requires Internet Connection)
Powered by Opera. This internet browser starts you off at an entry screen with a choice of either entering a web address, viewing your favorites, or a third option. When you are viewing a web site there is a guide bar at the bottom of the screen with the Back, Forward, Favorites, Reload, and Internet Channel Home buttons, and by selecting the Favorites button you will be able to save the currently displayed web site. The favorites section is displayed in thumbnail form so that you can see at a glance what the content of the favorite is.
Everybody Votes Channel (requires Internet Connection)
By registering a Mii you are able to participate in two-answer polls to decide the outcome of various questions. The questions are divided up into local and worldwide sections and have a time limit attached to them of up to six days. When you go to answer a question you also have the option of making a prediction on what the popular vote will be. Getting the prediction right will increase a status attached to your Mii that measures how in touch you are with the people around you and worldwide.
Discuss what you think the future holds for the Wii Channels and how much you like the current channels!
Posts
Dogs won, flowers won.
My accuracy = 100%
I'll tell you about mine when my Wii connects back up with the internet
Hehe.
edit:Oh and I have the same score as Arctic.
They could also make it an update of the disc channel I suppose.
If Wii doesn't use DVD and couldn't easily be updated to play them, then nevermind.
*Who would you rather see in SSB:B: Sonic or Mega Man?
*When playing shooting games, which viewpoint do you prefer: First-person or third-person?
*Is the Wii your first video game console: Yes or no?
*Do you prefer 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional games?
*Which non-Wii console do you prefer: Xbox 360 or Playstation 3?