Wii Menu

For the Wii U Menu, see Wii U system software.
The Wii Menu as displayed in the widescreen (16:9) format.

The Wii Menu (known internally as the System Menu) is the graphical shell of the Wii game console, as part of the Wii system software. It has four pages, each with a 4:3 grid, and each displaying the current time and date. Available applications, known as "channels", are displayed and can be navigated using the pointer capability of the Wii Remote. The grid is customizable; users can move channels (except for the Disc Channel) amongst the menu's 47 customizable slots by pressing and holding the A and B button while hovering over the channel the user wants to move. By pressing the plus and minus buttons on the Wii Remote users can scroll across accessing empty slots.

Pre-loaded channels

Homebrew Channel

The Homebrew Channel, commonly abbreviated as HBC, is a freeware homebrew application loader that was developed to provide a way of easily running unofficial software on the Wii console. Once installed, it appears as a standard Wii Channel on the Wii Menu. When launched, it displays a list of applications found on an SD card or a USB drive. The user then can control and select an application to launch by using a Wii Remote or the GameCube controller. It also accepts application uploads via a USB Gecko or TCP/IP (over Wi-Fi or Ethernet), which allows for quick application testing during development. When first launched from the Wii Menu, the Homebrew Channel will check for updates to itself and automatically download them if the user chooses to do so.

Disc Channel

The Disc Channel allows users to play Wii and GameCube titles from supported Nintendo optical discs inserted into the console.

Wii system updates are required before playing some games, like The Sims 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Doctor Who: Return to Earth, Iron Man 2, and certain Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. When loaded into the disc slot, an icon on the Disc Channel that says "Wii System Update" appears. After selecting the channel, the Wii will automatically update. If these updates are not installed, the games will remain unplayable until the update is installed, as each time the channel is loaded with the game inserted, the update prompt will appear, and declining the update will return the player to the Wii Menu instead of starting the game. (Note: is the only channel that cannot be moved across the Wii Menu without the use of third party tools.) The games which display "Wii System Update" are still playable using the USB Loader or the Backup Launcher on the Homebrew Channel.

Mii Channel

Main article: Mii

The Mii Channel is an avatar creator, where users can design 3D caricatures of people called Miis by selecting from a group of facial and bodily features. At the Game Developers Conference 2007, Shigeru Miyamoto explained that the look and design of the Mii characters are based on Kokeshi, a form of Japanese doll used as souvenir gifts.

A Wired interview of Katsuya Eguchi (producer of Animal Crossing and Wii Sports) held in 2006 confirmed that the custom player avatar feature shown at Nintendo's E3 Media Briefing would be included in the hardware. The feature was described as part of a "profile" system that contains the Mii and other pertinent player information.[1] This application was officially unveiled by Nintendo in September 2006. It is incorporated into Wii's operating system interface as the "Mii Channel". Users can select from pre-made Miis or create their own by choosing custom facial shapes, colors, and positioning. In certain games like Wii Sports, Wii Play, Wii Fit, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Party, Wii Fit Plus, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, WarioWare: Smooth Moves, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Party 8, My Pokémon Ranch, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Strikers Charged, and Guitar Hero 5, each player's Mii will serve as the character he/she controls in some/all forms of gameplay. Miis can interact with other Wii users by showing up on their Wii consoles through the WiiConnect24 feature or by talking with other Miis created by Wii owners all over the world. This feature is called Mii Parade. Early-created Miis as well as those encountered in Mii Parades may show up as spectators in some games.[2] Miis can be stored on Wii Remotes and taken to other Wii consoles. The Wii Remote can hold a maximum of 10 Miis. The Wii itself can hold 100 Miis.

In addition, Mii characters can be transferred from a user's Wii to Nintendo 3DS consoles, as well as supported Nintendo DS games via the Mii Channel. While in the channel, pressing A, followed by B, then 1, and holding 2 on the Wii Remote allows the user to unlock the feature.[3] The Mii Channel is succeeded by the Mii Maker app for both Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.

Photo Channel

If a user inserts an SD card into the console, or receives photos (JPEG) or videos (MJPEG) via email, they can be viewed using the Photo Channel. The user can create a slideshow simply by inserting an SD card with photos and, optionally, MP3 or AAC files (see note regarding December 10, 2007 update to version 1.1). The Wii will automatically add Ken Burns Effect transitions between the photos and play either the music on the SD card or built-in music in the background. A built-in editor allows users to add markings and effects to their photos. Mosaics and puzzles can also be created with this feature. Edited photos can be saved to the Wii and sent to other Wiis via the message board. According to the system's manual, the following file extensions (i.e. formats) are supported: Photos (jpeg/jpg), Movies (mov/avi), and Music (mp3/aac).

JPEG files can be up to 8192x8192 resolution and in baseline format.[4] Video data contained within the .mov or .avi files must be in an OpenDML compliant MotionJPEG use some variant of this format for their videos.[5] Photos, even high resolution ones, are compressed and decreased in resolution.[6]

Photo Channel 1.1

Photo Channel 1.1 is an optional update to the Photo Channel that became available on the Wii Shop Channel on December 10, 2007. It allows users to customize the Photo Channel icon on the Wii Menu with photos from an SD Card or the Wii Message Board. It also allows playback of songs in random order. The update replaced MP3 support with support for MPEG-4 encoded audio files encoded with AAC in the .m4a extension.[7][8]

Wii owners who updated to version 1.1 can revert to version 1.0 by deleting it from the channels menu in the data management setup. Consoles released after December 10, 2007 will come with the version 1.1 update pre-installed, and cannot be downgraded to version 1.0.

Wii Shop Channel

Main article: Wii Shop Channel

The Wii Shop Channel allows users to download games and other software by redeeming Wii Points, which can be obtained by purchasing Nintendo Points cards from retail outlets or directly through the Wii Shop Channel using MasterCard or Visa credit cards online. Users can browse in the Virtual Console, WiiWare, or Wii Channels sections for downloads. A feature to purchase downloaded software as gifts for others became available worldwide on December 10, 2007. Additional channels that were not released at the console's launch are available for purchase in the Wii Shop Channel. These include: Internet Channel, Everybody Votes Channel, Check Mii Out Channel, Nintendo Channel, Netflix Channel, and the Japan-only Television Friend Channel. Currently all downloadable channels are free of charge.

Forecast Channel

The Forecast Channel allowed weather reports and forecasts to be shown on the console from the Internet via the WiiConnect24 service. The Forecast Channel displays a view of the Earth as a globe (courtesy of NASA), with which users can view weather in other regions. The user can also spin the globe. When fully zoomed out, an accurate[9] star map is visible in the background. (The Big Dipper and the constellation Orion are easily recognizable, for example.) The Forecast Channel features include the current forecast, the UV index, today's overall forecast, tomorrow's forecast, a 5-day forecast (only for the selected country you live in), and a laundry check (Japan only). The Forecast Channel first became available on December 19, 2006. Certain games like Madden NFL 07, Nights: Journey of Dreams, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games can use the Forecast Channel to simulate weather conditions depending on the player's region.[10]

There are slight variations of Forecast Channel versions in different regions. When viewing weather conditions in Japan, a different set of weather icons is used. Additionally, the laundry index is only featured in the Japanese version.[11]

After the August 6, 2007 update, the Forecast Channel shows the icon for the current weather on the Wii Menu. Long neglect of this channel will result in the icon not appearing, although the set time is longer than that of the News Channel.

The Forecast Channel is not available in South Korea.[12]

Like the four other Wii channels, the Forecast Channel was discontinued on June 28, 2013 after being active for seven years.

News Channel

The News Channel allowed users to access news headlines and current news events obtained from the Internet.[13] News articles are available on a globe view, similar to the Forecast Channel, and as a slide show.[14] The content is automatically updated and viewable via WiiConnect24 with clickable news images supported.

The News Channel became available in North America, Europe, and Australia on January 26, 2007. Content is in a variety of languages provided by the Associated Press, which currently has a two-year contract to provide news and photos to Nintendo.[15] Canadian news is submitted by the Canadian Press for publication. Japanese news is provided by Nippon Television and the Mainichi Shimbun. European news is provided by Agence France-Presse.

Starting with the August 6, 2007 update, the News Channel shows a news ticker in the Wii Menu. However, not visiting the channel for a period of time will result in the ticker not appearing, until the channel is viewed. A December 20, 2007 PAL region update increased the number of news feeds to the channel, sourced from a larger number of news resources and agencies, providing more news that is available per country.[16]

As with the Forecast Channel, the News Channel was not available in South Korea.[12]

Like the four other Wii channels, the News Channel was discontinued on June 28, 2013 after being active for seven years.

Get Connected Video Channel

The Get Connected Video Channel (or alternatively known as the Wii + Internet Channel) is installed to Wii console units manufactured in October 2008 or later. It contains an informational video specifying the benefits of connecting the Wii console to the Internet, such as downloading extra channels, new software, Virtual Console titles, and playing games over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

The Get Connected Video Channel is the only pre-installed channel that takes up spare internal memory, and the only channel that can be manually deleted or moved to an SD Card by the user. The channel takes up 1,180 blocks of memory, which is over half the Wii's internal memory space. The large size of this channel is likely due to the fact it is available in multiple languages; three videos in the U.S. versions, and six videos in the PAL versions. Upon connecting to the Internet and running the channel, the user will be asked if they would like to delete it. It cannot be redownloaded or restored upon deletion.[17]

The same video presentation contained in the channel can also be viewed on Nintendo's official website.[18] Furthermore, several gaming stores such as GameStop carry this channel in their Wii stations.

The channel is also available in multiple languages. Unlike the other channels, the video in the channel is not translated digitally, but is presented in multiple dubs, which means there are multiple copies of the same video in a single channel. The language of the video is presented is respectively according to the Wii's language setting. Available languages are English, French, and Spanish in the U.S. versions; English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Dutch in the PAL version. The availability of multiple dubs is a likely factor that contributes to the large size of the channel.

Internet Channel

Main article: Internet Channel

The Internet Channel is a version of the Opera web browser for use on the Wii by Opera Software and Nintendo.[19] On December 22, 2006 a free beta version (promoted as "Internet Channel: Trial Version") of the browser was released.[20] The final version (promoted as "Internet Channel: Final Version") of the browser was released on April 11, 2007 and was free to download until June 30, 2007. After this deadline had passed, the Internet Channel cost 500 Wii Points to download.[21] though users who downloaded the browser before June 30, 2007, could continue to use it at no cost for the lifetime of the Wii system.[22] An update (promoted as the "Internet Channel") on October 10, 2007[23] added USB keyboard compatibility. On September 1, 2009 the Internet Channel was made available to Wii owners for no cost of Wii Points[24] and updated to include improved Adobe Flash Player support. A refund was issued to those who paid for the channel in the form of one free NES game download worth 500 Wii Points.

The Internet Channel uses whichever connection is chosen in the Wii settings, and utilizes the user's internet connection directly; there is no third party network that traffic is being routed through. It receives a connection from a router/modem and uses a web browser to pull up HTTP and HTTPS (secure and encrypted) web pages. Opera, the Wii's web browser, is capable of rendering most web sites in the same manner as its desktop counterpart by using Opera's Medium Screen Rendering technology. For most Internet users, the Wii offers all of the functionality they need to perform the most common Internet tasks.

The software is saved to the Wii's 512 MB internal flash memory (it can be copied to an SD card after it has been downloaded). The temporary Internet files (maximum of 5MB for the trial version) can only be saved to the Wii's internal memory. The application launches within a few seconds, after connecting to the Internet through a wireless LAN using the built-in interface or a wired LAN by using the USB to the Ethernet adapter.

The Opera-based Wii browser allows users full access to the Internet and supports all the same web standards that are included in the desktop versions of Opera, including CSS and Java. It is also possible for the browser to use technologies such as Ajax, SVG, RSS, and Adobe Flash Player 8 and limited support for Adobe Flash Player 9. Opera Software has indicated that the functionality will allow for third parties to create web applications specifically designed for the use on the Wii Browser, and it will support widgets, standalone web-based applications using Opera as an application platform.[25]

Everybody Votes Channel

Everybody Votes Channel allowed users to vote in simple opinion polls and compare and contrast opinions with those of friends, family, and people across the globe.

Everybody Votes Channel was launched on February 13, 2007, and is available in the Wii Channels section of the Wii Shop Channel. The application allows Wii owners to vote on various questions using their Mii as a registered voter. Additionally, voters can also make predictions for the choice that will be the most popular overall after their own vote has been cast. Each Mii's voting and prediction record is tracked and voters can also view how their opinions compare to others. Whether the Mii is correct in its predictions or not is displayed on a statistics page along with a counter of how many times that Mii has voted. Up to six Miis can be registered to vote on the console. The channel is free to download. Each player can make a suggestion for a poll a day.

Like the other four Wii channels, the Everybody Votes Channel was discontinued on June 28, 2013 due to Nintendo shifting its resources to its next generation projects. Unlike the other discontinued channels, Everybody Votes Channel remains accessible with users able to view the latest poll data posted, albeit the channel will never be updated again.

Check Mii Out Channel

Main article: Check Mii Out Channel

The Check Mii Out Channel (also known as the Mii Contest Channel and the WatchMii Channel), is a channel that allows players to share their Miis and enter them into popularity contests. It was first available on November 11, 2007. It is available free to download from the Wii Channels section of the Wii Shop Channel.

Users can post their own Miis in the Posting Plaza, or import other user-submitted Miis to their own personal Mii Parade. Each submitted Mii is assigned a 12-digit entry number to aid in searching. Submitted Miis are given 2 initials by their creator and a notable skill/talent to aid in sorting.

In the Contests section, players can submit their own Miis to compete in contests to best fit a certain description (e.g. Mario without his cap). After the time period for sending a Mii has expired, the user has the choice of voting for three Miis featured on the judging panel, with ten random Miis being shown at a time. Once the judging period is over, the results of the contest may be viewed. Their selection and/or submission's popularity in comparison to others is displayed, as well as the winning Mii and user.

The Check Mii Out Channel sends messages to the Wii Message Board concerning recent contests. Participants in certain contests can add their user and submitted Mii to a photo with a background related to the contest theme. This picture can then be sent to the Wii Message Board.

This channel became discontinued on June 28, 2013.

Nintendo Channel

The Nintendo Channel (also known as the Everybody's Nintendo Channel in Japan) allows Wii users to watch videos such as interviews, trailers, commercials, and even download demos for the Nintendo DS. In this capacity the channel works in a similar way to the DS Download Station. The channel provides games info pages and users can rate games that they have played. A search feature is also available to assist users in finding new games to try or buy. The channel has the ability to take the user directly into the Wii Shop Channel for buying the wanted game immediately. The Nintendo Channel was launched in Japan on November 27, 2007,[26] in North America on May 7, 2008,[27] and in Europe and Australia on May 30, 2008.[28] The Nintendo Channel is updated with different Nintendo DS demos and new videos every week; the actual day of the week varies across different international regions.

An updated version of the Nintendo Channel was released in Japan on July 15, 2009,[29] North America on September 14, 2009, and in Europe on December 15, 2009. The update introduces a new interface and additional features, options, and statistics for users to view. However, the European version is missing some of these new additional features, such as options for choosing video quality. In addition, a weekly show known as Nintendo Week began airing exclusively on the North American edition of the channel, while another show Nintendo TV, is available on the UK version of the channel.[30]

The Nintendo Channel and the other 4 channels were discontinued on June 28, 2013.

A few shows appeared on Nintendo Channel and are no more than 20 minutes long:

Nintendo Week

Main article: Nintendo Week

Nintendo Week is a show on the Nintendo Channel. The hosts are Gary and Allison, but other co-hosts appear as well like Dark Gary, Daniel, and others.

Ultimate Wii Challenge/New Super Mario Bros. Wii Challenge

The Host are David and Ben. They try to beat each other's time in Nintendo Games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Kirby's Epic Yarn. In a few episodes, Ben and David Work Together to levels of a few games.

Discontinuation

It was announced on April 12, 2013 that the News, Forecast, Check Mii Out, Everybody Votes, and Nintendo Channels would close permanently on June 28, 2013, as Nintendo terminated the WiiConnect24 service which these channels required, and shifted their resources to their next-generation projects.

Additional channels

These channels are those that can be acquired through the usage of various games and accessories.

Wii Fit Channel

Wii Fit allows users to install the Wii Fit Channel to the Wii Menu. The channel allows them to view and compare their results, and those of others, as well as their progress in the game, without requiring the game disc to be inserted.

The channel is essentially a stripped down version of Wii Fit. It allows users to view statistics from the game including users' BMI measurements and balance test scores in the form of a line graph, as well as keep track of the various activities they have undertaken with a calendar. Users are also able to weigh themselves and do a BMI and balance test with the channel once per day. However, if the player wishes to do any exercises or play any of the aerobics games and/or balance games, the game prompts the user to insert the Wii Fit game disc.

Mario Kart Channel

See also: Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii allows players to install the Mario Kart Channel on their Wii console. The channel can work without inserting the Mario Kart Wii disc into the console, but to compete in races and time trials the disc is required. The use of the Mario Kart Channel allows for a number of options. A ranking option lets players see their best Time Trial scores for each track and compare their results to those of their friends and other players worldwide, represented by their Miis. Players will have the option of racing against the random or selective ghosts, or improving their results gradually by taking on the ghosts of rivals, those with similar race times. Users have the option to submit these times for others around the world to view. Players can also manage and register friends using the channel and see if any of them are currently online.

Another feature of the channel are Tournaments, where Nintendo will, on a regular basis, invite players to challenges similar to the missions on Mario Kart DS. Players are also able to compare their competition rankings with other players.[31]

Jam with the Band Live Channel

The Nintendo DS game Jam with the Band supports the Jam with the Band Live Channel (known as the Speaker Channel in Japan) that allows players to connect their game to a Wii console and let the game's audio be played through the channel.[32][33] The channel supports multiple players.[34]

Wii Speak Channel

Main article: Wii Speak

Users with the Wii Speak peripheral are able to access the Wii Speak Channel. Users can join one of four rooms (with no limit to the number of people in each room) to chat with others online. Each user is represented by their own Mii, which lip-syncs to their words. In addition, users can also leave audio messages for other users by sending a message to their Wii Message Board. Users can also photo slideshows and comment on them. The Wii Speak Channel became available in North America and Europe on December 5, 2008. The Wii Speak Channel is succeeded by Wii U Chat, which is standardized for the Wii U console.

Rabbids Channel

A channel created by Rabbids Go Home. When the game is started up for the first time or when the player goes to the player profile screen, the player may install the Rabbids Channel, which will appear on the Wii Menu after downloaded. Players can use the channel to view other people's Rabbids and enter contests.

Downloadable channels

Virtual Console Channels

Main article: Virtual Console

Virtual Console channels are channels that allow users to play their downloaded Virtual Console games obtained from the Wii Shop Channel. The Virtual Console portion of the Wii Shop Channel specializes in older software originally designed and released for home entertainment platforms that are now defunct. These games are played on the Wii through the emulation of the older hardware. The prices are generally the same in almost every region and are determined primarily by the software's original platform.

WiiWare Channels

Main article: WiiWare

Functioning similarly to the Virtual Console channels, WiiWare channels allow users to use their WiiWare games obtained from the Wii Shop Channel. The WiiWare section specializes in downloadable software specifically designed for the Wii. The first WiiWare games were made available on March 25, 2008 in Japan.[35] WiiWare games launched in North America on May 12, 2008,[36] and launched in Europe and Australia on May 20, 2008.[37][38]

The WiiWare section is being touted as a forum to provide developers with small budgets to release smaller-scale games without the investment and risk of creating a title to be sold at retail (somewhat similar to the Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Store). While actual games have been planned to appear in this section since its inception, there had been no official word on when any would be appearing until June 27, 2007, when Nintendo made an official confirmation in a press release which revealed the first titles would surface sometime in 2008. According to Nintendo, "The remarkable motion controls will give birth to fresh takes on established genres, as well as original ideas that currently exist only in developers' minds."

Like Virtual Console games, WiiWare games are purchased using Wii Points. Nintendo handles all pricing options for the downloadable games.[39]

Television Friend Channel

The Television Friend Channel allowed Wii users to check what programs are on the television. Content was provided by Guide Plus. The channel had been said to be "very fun and Nintendo-esque".[40][41] A "stamp" feature allowed users to mark programs of interest with a Mii-themed stamp. If an e-mail address or mobile phone number would have been registered in the address book, the channel could send out an alert 30 minutes prior to the start of the selected program. The channel tracked the stamps of all Wii users and allowed users to rate programs on a five-star scale. Additionally, when the channel was active the Wii Remote could be used to change the TV's volume and channel so that users can tune into their shows by way of the channel.[42] The Television Friend Channel launched in Japan on March 4, 2008. It was never launched outside Japan, as most countries, unlike Japan, have a guide built into set-top boxes and/or TVs.[43] The Television Friend Channel was succeeded by the now-defunct Nintendo TVii, which was standardized for the Wii U console.

The channel ceased operations after June 28, 2013.

Digicam Print Channel

The Digicam Print Channel was a channel developed in collaboration with Fujifilm that allowed users to import their digital photos from an SD card and place them into templates for printable photo books and business cards through a software wizard. The user was also able to place their Mii on a business card. The completed design would then sent online to Fujifilm who printed and delivered the completed product to the user. The processing of individual photos was also available.

The Digicam Print Channel became available from July 23, 2008 in Japan.[44]

The channel ceased operations on June 28, 2013 as Nintendo shifted resources to the development of other Nintendo services.

Today and Tomorrow Channel

The Today and Tomorrow Channel[45] became available in Japan on December 2, 2008, and in Europe, Australia, and South Korea[46] on September 9, 2009. The channel was developed in collaboration with Media Kobo and allows users to view fortunes for up to six Miis across five categories: love, work, study, communications, and money. The channel also features a compatibility test that compares two Miis, and also gives out "lucky words" that must be interpreted by the user. The channel uses Mii birthdate data but users must input a birth year when they are loaded on to the channel. This channel was never released in North America.[47]

Wii no Ma

Main article: Wii no Ma

A video on-demand service channel was released in Japan on May 1, 2009. The channel is a joint venture between Nintendo and Japanese advertising agency Dentsu. The channel's interface is built around a virtual living room, where up to 8 Miis can be registered and interact with each other. The virtual living room contains a TV which takes the viewer to the video list. Celebrity "concierge" Miis occasionally introduce special programming. Nintendo ceased operations of Wii no Ma on April 30, 2012.

Demae Channel

A food delivery service channel was released in Japan on May 26, 2009.[48] The channel is a joint venture between Nintendo and Japanese on-line food delivery portal service Demae-can. The channel offers a wide range of foods provided by different food delivery companies which can be ordered directly through the Wii channel. A note is posted to the Wii Message Board containing what had been ordered and the total price. The food is then delivered to the address the Wii user has registered on the channel. It is only available in Japan.

BBC iPlayer Channel

Wii access to the BBC iPlayer was interrupted in April 9, 2008, when an update to the Opera Browser turned out to be incompatible with the BBC iPlayer. The BBC chose not to make the BBC iPlayer compatible with the upgrade. This was resolved on November 18, 2009 when they released the BBC iPlayer Channel, allowing easier access to the BBC iPlayer.

The BBC had since offered a free, dedicated Wii channel version of their BBC iPlayer application[49] which is only available in the UK. By February 10, 2015, however, the channel was retired and consequently removed from Wii Shop Channel since newer versions are not compatible, and as per BBC's policy to retire older versions as a resource management.[50] The channel had since been succeeded by the BBC iPlayer app on the UK edition of the Wii U eShop, which was released in May 2015.[51]

Netflix Channel

See also: Netflix

A channel released in the United States and Canada on October 18, 2010 and in Europe on January 9, 2012. This channel allows Netflix subscribers to use that service's "Watch Instantly" movie streaming service over the Wii with their regular Netflix subscription fee, and replaces the previous Wii "streaming disc" mailed to Netflix customers with Wii and PlayStation 3 consoles from February–October 2010 due to contractual limitations involving Xbox 360 exclusivity. The channel is free to download in the Wii Channels section of the Wii Shop Channel. The channel displays roughly 12 unique categories of videos with exactly 75 video titles in each category. The TV category can have many seasons of videos (i.e. 15–100 episodes) associated with each title. There are also categories for videos just watched, new releases, and videos recommended (based on the user's Netflix subscription history).

LOVEFiLM Instant Channel

As of 4 December 2012, a LoveFilm Instant channel is available to download in the UK.[52]

Kirby TV Channel

The Kirby TV Channel launched on June 23, 2011 in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The channel allows for viewing of the Kirby TV series for free in limited time.[53] This channel was succeeded by the Nintendo Anime Channel, a Nintendo 3DS video-on-demand app, currently available in Japan and Europe, which streams curated anime or anime-inspired shows, such as the Kirby TV series.

Hulu Plus Channel

Hulu Plus Channel is a channel for Wii,[54] also as announced in Nintendo Updates on Nintendo Channel.[55] Hulu Plus Channel includes classic shows and other Hulu included shows (e.g., Dancing with the Stars and Glee). Currently only available in the United States.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Save Data Update Channel

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Save Data Update Channel fixes an issue in the game The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.[56] This title is the only Wii game to ever receive a downloadable, self-patching service, wherein previous titles with technical issues, such as Metroid: Other M, required the game's owners experiencing said issues to send their Wii consoles to customer service where Nintendo had to manually fix such issues.

YouTube Channel

The YouTube channel allows the user to view YouTube videos on the television screen and has the ability to sign into an existing YouTube account.[57] The YouTube channel, which became available without warning, is currently only available in the North American, UK and Australian versions of the Wii system,[58] with the North American release on November 15, 2012, only three days before the Wii U was released in North America. Google plans to gradually make the channel available on Wii in other countries besides the aforementioned regions.[59] The YouTube channel was initially categorized on the Wii Shop Channel as a "WiiWare" title by mistake, but this was later fixed when the Wii U Transfer Tool channel became available.

Wii U Transfer Tool Channel

This application became available on the Wii Shop Channel the day the Wii U was released per respective region. The only purpose of this channel is to assist transferring all eligible content out from a Wii console to a Wii U console, where the said content would be available via Wii Mode on the target Wii U. The application can transfer all available listed WiiWare titles (initially with the sole exemption of LostWinds for unknown reasons, but the game had since become available for both transfer to and purchase on Wii U since May 2014), all available listed Virtual Console titles, game save data, DLC data, Mii Channel data, Wii Shop Channel data (including Wii Points, conditional that accumulated total does not exceed 10,000 Wii Points on target Wii U), and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection ID data to a target Wii U (albeit now moot since the service was discontinued in May 2014), but it cannot transfer Wii settings data, pre-installed WiiWare/Virtual Console titles (such as Donkey Kong: Original Edition that came pre-installed in the PAL version of the Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary Wii bundle), any game or application software that had been since delisted from the Wii Shop Channel prior to the release of Wii U (such as the Donkey Kong Country trilogy), software that is already available on the target Wii U's Wii Mode, WiiConnect24-supported software and save data (which includes the 16-digit Wii console Friend Code), and Nintendo GameCube save data since the Wii U does not support the latter two. It is possible to move content from multiple Wii consoles to a single target Wii U console, as well as multiple transfers from a single Wii console if required, albeit the last Wii console's content will overwrite any similar Wii data transferred to target Wii U earlier. Due to technical limitations, the channel cannot directly transfer any eligible background data which has been saved on the console's SD card.

The Wii U Transfer Tool Channel features an animation based on the Pikmin series, wherein a visual transfer display of various Pikmin drones would automatically carry the eligible data and software to a Hocotate-based space ship bound for the Wii U. Whilst context dynamic, this animation is not interactive, and only exists for entertainment purposes.

Amazon Video

Amazon Video, a video on demand service provided by Amazon.com, was released as a downloadable Wii channel in the United States on January 15, 2013.

Crunchyroll

In late 2014, Crunchyroll released their video app for the Wii's successor, Wii U, in North America. However, believing there are still many actively connected Wii consoles in its twilight years, Crunchyroll had surprised users with dedicated a Crunchyroll channel for Wii as well, launching the app categorized under "WiiWare" on October 15, 2015 in North America.[60] The Crunchyroll Wii channel currently only permits access to Premium account holders to the majority of the prime content.

Wii Message Board

The Message Board allows users to leave messages for friends, family members, or other users on a calendar-based message board. Users can also use WiiConnect24 to trade messages and pictures with other Wii owners, conventional email accounts (email pictures to console, but not pictures to email), and mobile phones (through text messages). Each Wii has an individual wii.com email account containing the Wii Number. Prior to trading messages it is necessary to add and approve contacts in the address book, although the person added will not get an automatic notification of the request, and must be notified by other means. The service also alerts all users of incoming game-related information.

Message Board is available for users to post messages that are available to other Wii users by usage of Wii Numbers with WiiConnect24. In addition to writing text, players can also include images from an SD card in the body of messages, as well as attaching a Mii to the message. Announcements of software updates and video game news are posted by Nintendo. The Message Board can be used for posting memos for oneself or for family members without going online. These messages could then be put on any day of the calendar. The Wii Message Board could also be updated automatically by a real-time game like Animal Crossing.

Wii Sports, Wii Play, Mario Kart Wii, Wii Speak Channel, Wii Sports Resort, Super Mario Galaxy & Super Mario Galaxy 2 use the Message Board to update the player on any new high scores or gameplay advancements, such as medal placements in the former two titles, completions of races including a photo, audio messages, and letters from the Mailtoad via the Wii message board. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros Brawl, Elebits, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Dewy's Adventure and the Virtual Console game Pokémon Snap allow players to take screenshots and post them to the Message Board to edit later or send to friends via messages. Except for Nintendo GameCube games, the Message Board also records the play history in the form of "Today's Accomplishments". This feature automatically records details of what games or applications were played and for how long. It cannot be deleted or hidden without formatting the console itself.[61] Prior to its closure, the Nintendo Channel was able to automatically tally all Wii game play data from the Message Board and display them in an ordered list within the channel.

Subsequent system updates added a number of minor features to the Message Board, including minor aesthetic changes, USB keyboard support and the ability to receive Internet links from friends, which can be launched in the Internet Channel.

Discontinuation

The WiiConnect24 service was terminated as of June 28, 2013, completely ceasing the data exchange functionality of the Wii Message Board for all Wii consoles, whether as messages or game data. However, apparently Nintendo themselves are still able to continue sending some notification messages after that date to any continuously connected Wii consoles.

SD Card Menu

The SD Card Menu is a feature made available with the release of Wii Menu version 4.0. This menu allows the user to run Virtual Console games, WiiWare games, and Wii Channels directly from the SD card, which makes it possible to free up the Wii's internal memory. Applications can be downloaded to the SD card directly from the Wii Shop Channel as well.

When running an application from the SD Card Menu, it is temporarily copied to the internal memory of the Wii, meaning the internal memory still must contain an amount of free blocks equal to the application's size. If the internal memory does not have enough space, the Channel will run an "Automanager" program, which clears up space for the user in one of many ways (selectable by the user).

The manager can place the largest channels on the user's Wii in the SD card, put smaller channels on the SD card until enough space remains to run the channel, clear channels from the left side of the Wii menu to the right side, or from the right side to the left until there are enough blocks to run the channel.[62]

System updates

The Wii is capable of downloading updates to its core operating software. These updates may include additional features, patches/fixes, or support for newly released channels. When an update becomes available, Nintendo notifies users by sending a message to their console. Updates are included with certain Wii games, both requiring one to be fully updated in order to play and providing the update should one lack the necessary internet connection.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kohler, Chris. "Confirmed: Wii Hardware Stores Player Caricatures, Profiles". Wired. Archived from the original on August 26, 2006. Retrieved June 3, 2006.
  2. ↑ "Wii Channel Breakdown".
  3. ↑ "Wii to DS Connection Found in Mii Channel". Cubed3.
  4. ↑ "File types compatible with the Photo Channel". Retrieved January 16, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Known Compatible Devices – Movie Files". Retrieved January 16, 2007.
  6. ↑ IGN: Wii Thoughts and Suggestions
  7. ↑ "+writeTitle()+". Web.archive.org (2007-12-13). Retrieved on 2013-08-23.
  8. ↑ Nintendo – Customer Service | Wii – Photo Channel
  9. ↑ "Us.Wii.com – The Global Wii Experience Website in English". Nintendo. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Madden NFL 07 (Wii)". CNET. November 19, 2006. Retrieved February 14, 2007.
  11. ↑ Us.Wii.com – The Global Wii Experience Website in English
  12. 1 2 Silliconera: Wii launches in South Korea on April 26 with even cheaper Virtual Console games
  13. ↑ "News Channel". Nintendo. Archived from the original on March 12, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2006.
  14. ↑ Woodward, Curt (January 25, 2007). "Wii gamers to get online news service". Nintendo. Retrieved January 25, 2007.
  15. ↑ "Wii news for gamers". CNN. January 25, 2007. Archived from the original on January 28, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2007.
  16. ↑ GoNintendo » Blog Archive » Wii News Channel updated- What are you waiting for?
  17. ↑ http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/channelsWiiInternetVideo.jsp
  18. ↑ Wii Official Site - Enhance Your Wii. Nintendo.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-23.
  19. ↑ Wii will be using the opera browser Console Watcher
  20. ↑ The Opera browser for Wii launches just in time for the holidays
  21. ↑ Nintendo of Europe press release
  22. ↑ Opera Press Release
  23. ↑ Corey Faller. "New Wii firmware update, brings Internet Channel perks". N-Sider.
  24. ↑ Matt Martin. "Nintendo now offering Wii Internet Channel for free". GamesIndustry.
  25. ↑ "Second quarter 2006 Financial Presentation" (PDF). Opera Software. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2006.
  26. ↑ "DS demos on your Wii in Japan". Club Skill. November 27, 2007. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007.
  27. ↑ Nintendic » Nintendo Channel dated for US, WiiWare integrated
  28. ↑ "Nintendo announces Q2 release schedule". Nintendo. April 24, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
  29. ↑ みんなのニンテンドーチャンネル – Wii
  30. ↑ Thomas East. "ONM launches Nintendo TV". ComputerAndVideoGames.
  31. ↑ Nintendo – News – Going global with Mario Kart Wii
  32. ↑ Randy Nelson. "Nintendo: Wii 'Speaker Channel' for blasting Band Bros. sequel". Joystiq.
  33. ↑ "Pump up the volume and Jam with the Band!". Nintendo of Europe. April 13, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  34. ↑ Touch-DS.jp – 大合奏！バンドブラザーズDX
  35. ↑ Gamespot
  36. ↑ Adegoke, Yinka (February 20, 2008). "UPDATE 1-Nintendo rolls out Wii fitness game product". Reuters. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  37. ↑ Nintendo of Europe (April 24, 2008). "Nintendo announces Q2 release schedule". Retrieved April 24, 2008.
  38. ↑ nintendo.com.au – News from Nintendo
  39. ↑ "Nintendo's WiiWare Paves the Way for Fresh Games, Cool Consumer Experiences". Nintendo of America. June 27, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  40. ↑
  41. ↑ N-Europe: News: No Wii Price Cut & A New Wii Channel
  42. ↑ John Tanaka (March 2, 2008). "TV Guide Hits Japanese Wii". IGN. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  43. ↑ Michael Kanellos. "Will the Wii be a set-top box?". CNET.
  44. ↑ ニュースリリース：2008年7月23日
  45. ↑ Free Today and Tomorrow Channel launches for Wii
  46. ↑ "Wii Channels" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  47. ↑ "Hands On Nintendo’s Fortune Telling Channel". Siliconera.
  48. ↑ "Wii Channels" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  49. ↑ "Dedicated BBC Wii Channel, Looking into Games Development". Cubed3.
  50. ↑ http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/tv/console/wii/nintendo_wii_closing
  51. ↑ McFerran, Damien (2015-05-28). "BBC iPlayer Finally Arrives On The Wii U eShop". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  52. ↑ "LOVEFiLM on Wii Launch". Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  53. ↑ "Kirby TV Channel Available on Wii – Kirby set to be the latest star of the small screen". Nintendo Australia. June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  54. ↑ Hulu coming to Wii and 3DS
  55. ↑ Nintendo Updates (October 21, 2011)
  56. ↑ "Attention: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – About the Song of the Hero Quest after meeting Levias". Nintendo Australia. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  57. ↑ "Wii Channels - YouTube". Nintendo. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  58. ↑ "YouTube finally makes it to the Wii". Wii.MMGN.com. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  59. ↑ Darby, Matt (2012-11-15). "YouTube app now on Nintendo Wii in the U.S.". Official YouTube blog. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
  60. ↑ Luster, Joseph (2015-10-16). "Crunchyroll App Now Available on Nintendo Wii". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  61. ↑ "Reasoning Behind the Wii". Nintendo. September 14, 2006. Archived from the original on December 9, 2006. Retrieved September 14, 2006.
  62. ↑ Lucas M. Thomas. "The Wii Update You've Waited For". IGN.

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