We were intrigued by not only a comment on the
VC Monday Madness video wrap-up this week, but also the weekly chore (for this blogger, at least) of rearranging Channels and moving content to and from the SD card. The Wii may have some internal memory, but it's not enough for a console that has to download every Virtual Console game.
So, we thought about moving Channels around, which we've affectionately dubbed "Channel surfin'" for ease of conversation. How often do you need to drag stuff around on your Wii? Never? Not the type to load your Wii with content that isn't on a retail disc?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-13-2008 @ 9:05AM
theMediaman said...
I've still got my NES and SNES hooked up to the TV. Who needs VCs? :D
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2-13-2008 @ 9:18AM
natureboy46 said...
I haven't had to move anything of yet - although I did delete the MP3 preview once the game was released. I do think, though, that I've become far more selective in the VC games that I buy because I don't want to go to the trouble of moving them to an SD card.
Nintendo is definitely losing some money from me due to the lack of an external storage device. Yeah, I know I could always delete and then redownload a game but again, that just seems like too much of a hassle to be worthwhile. I don't have as much time to play games as I used to so when I want to play a game I want to be able to access it right away.
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2-13-2008 @ 9:21AM
Ben Mullinger said...
Practically every Monday I have to shuffle stuff around and I'm getting fed up! Its even worse when a N64 or TGX game comes out as they huge. Don't know how I'm going to cope when WiiWare hits!! Come on Nintendo, get a move on and release a hard drive or memory stick we can run these things off direct!!!
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2-13-2008 @ 9:28AM
Phil said...
I gotta be 100% honest: I didn't even know it was possible to drag stuff around on the Wii menu. I still don't know how. I need to find some way to move those ugly grey squares from where I moved something I no longer use onto the SD card. :/
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2-13-2008 @ 1:46PM
sn1per said...
A+B over a channel grabs it, and then you can move it to any empty square you want.
2-13-2008 @ 9:33PM
Avoli said...
I'll be honest, I've had mine since launch, and just learnt it this past Sunday. I was walking by the kiosk at work and noticed someone moved them. O.O I figured out how thanks to having A+B to grab different things in games. Rearranged everything according to system, and now can't find anything.
2-13-2008 @ 9:44AM
Matthew McNutt said...
This is actually why I've been pretty picky about what games I buy. I don't want to max out my memory. That being said, I do shuffle around my channels to keep my favorite stuff on the first screen. So I probably change them around every few weeks. : )
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2-13-2008 @ 9:57AM
Mr Khan said...
I'm with you, i've been limiting my experience because of memory (well, also because of money, if i had bought every game worth buying, i'd be hundreds of dollars in)
2-13-2008 @ 9:58AM
Mr Khan said...
I never shuffle things around usually, my only scheme is that Wii applications (Internet/Check Mii Out/hopefully Wii Ware soon) go on the first page, while VC content goes on the 2nd page
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2-13-2008 @ 6:44PM
TheOverlord#2 said...
Same here...
I keep the main channels on page one, and VC games on page two(A question: I have Metroid(gba), Prime 1 & 3...i was wondering...is Super Metroid worth my 8 bucks?)
(i have 4100 pts...saving points for WiiWare)
2-13-2008 @ 9:36PM
Avoli said...
@ TheOverlord#2
Super Metroid is definitely worth it. I paid $60 for it when it came out, have yet to regret it. I was forever amazed with one line-
'The last Metroid is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace...'
Check out a little bit of it- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls5uo4xidwQ
2-13-2008 @ 10:04AM
Perverted said...
IS it not A+B to move stuff?
I only have the channels that where free, so I don't need to move anything and Wii menu is kinda bare....Until Wiiware there's no need for more storage....All those games your buying basically have a flash based equal on the web or can be emulated on the PC.....for free....
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2-13-2008 @ 10:04AM
ejamer said...
What ever happened to finishing a game and then moving on to something new? Do you guys seriously play that many VC games at one time? Because otherwise there really isn't any reason to have your console filled all the time... and laziness doesn't count as a good reason.
I regularly delete VC games that aren't getting played (only moving the save files to SD card). But I still rearrange channels quite often, so that my "currently active" VC games are close to the front page.
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2-13-2008 @ 11:47AM
JEG said...
People play games for all kinds of reasons...not just to beat the game. I play some games because I want to beat them, some because they are just fun to play again, others because they are fun to play with friends, etc. So I have a lot of VC games that I would prefer to be able to play whenever the urge hits. I shouldn't have to shuffle data around. That is a design flaw.
2-13-2008 @ 10:12AM
3cubed minus 3squared plus1 said...
I only have five VC games so there is no moving around. I just separated them so that that the SNES games are next to each other and so on.
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2-13-2008 @ 10:30AM
saylorsgang said...
I don't have a life so I arrange all my VC games by system, I have some in my SD card I just leave it in all the time so swapping games in and out really a big deal.
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2-13-2008 @ 11:30AM
vidGuy said...
I organized the channels once on launch day. Since then, I just place new channels near the "category", which is usually system for VC games. I'm not even half way to filling up my local RAM and I have a 512MB card in the Wii ready to go when I run into trouble.
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2-13-2008 @ 11:54AM
JEG said...
I don't understand why Nintendo didn't create a single channel for each virtual console and then have a scroll list of the games you downloaded for play. For example, you would see a single "NES" channel and when you select it you get a scroll list of all of the NES games downloaded.
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2-13-2008 @ 9:40PM
Avoli said...
Now that's one hell of a good idea.
2-13-2008 @ 11:55AM
Neal Eaton said...
I have all of my 'Standard' Wii Channels on the 1st page (with the exception of the Picture Channel...never use it so it's on page 3) and all 6 of my VC 'channels' on page 2.
These are grouped by system...NES, SNES and N64 (2 of each).
I have not deleted anything or moved anything to an SD card...don't have the need to yet. BUT I will likely just delete and download again if needed.
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2-13-2008 @ 12:27PM
Sonic_13 said...
I am currently only using 14/48 channels, so I have needed to move any channels around.
I have moved them, though, for organization (I have all my VC games on panel 2).
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2-13-2008 @ 12:50PM
Gerwurztraminer said...
As with most, I keep the non-VC channels on Page 1. This includes the (updated) Photo channel as I have the channel display image set up with a wedding photo.
All VC games are on Page2 with some on Page3 (total of 15). As of yet, I have not run out of space and the only current title that is tempting me is Paper Mario, which I have plenty of room for and will certainly get once I finish Super Paper Mario.
I'm not too concerned about storage space yet, but I got a Wii-specific 2 GB SD card just in case. (yes I know any SD card should do, but it was on sale, so I figured why not). Although so far I've only used the SD card in my camera.
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2-13-2008 @ 2:08PM
Co said...
Paper Mario kind of let me down to be honest. It's just WAY too damn hard.
2-13-2008 @ 7:46PM
Gerwurztraminer said...
I'll keep that in mind. I really enjoyed The Thousand Year Door so I hope that is to my advantage.
2-13-2008 @ 3:23PM
Eccentric-Servbot said...
I tend to be picky with my VC titles. I rarely try anything I've never played before (Super Metroid was an exception). I'm just sort of holding out for the titles I really really want (Super Mario RPG, Kirby 64, and Earthbound in particular) before I try to experiment with new ones.
As of now, I've only nudged a few slots over into my second page of Wii Channels.
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2-13-2008 @ 4:13PM
DiehlLane said...
I just emulate the older systems on my Wii. I don't want the hassle of buying VC games.
I was interested in getting the internet browser, but i have to buy a MINIMUM of 1000 pts. That's twice what the browser is. I have no need for anything I could get with the other 500 pts.
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2-13-2008 @ 4:15PM
ejamer said...
@JEG
Perhaps you're right; my comment before was rather short-sighted. Some people obviously do want space for 30+ Virtual Console games on their Wii at any one time... something even more likely if several people are sharing one console in a home/apartment/dorm room. But at the same time, I don't think that the limited number of channels can be called a design "flaw".
I still feel that 48 channel slots should be enough for most people. One quarter of those might be taken up by non-VC channels... but instant access to 36 Virtual Console games at any given time isn't so bad. A bigger concern to me is the risk of filling the Wii's limited onboard storage long before the number of free channels is exhausted.
Right now, I've got less than a dozen downloaded games on my Wii, with plenty more that have been played through and then "put away" by deleting them. When I get the urge to play one of those other titles again, I'll wait the 5 minutes to download it again.
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2-13-2008 @ 7:07PM
TheOverlord#2 said...
I have Channels like Internet, Photo(why does everyone hate the channel...you can listen to music, view pics, send pics to friends, and draw like a whiteboard if you copy a picture and make all white), and Shop on page 1
Then all my VC games on page 2(5-6 channels left: Earthbound, SMRPG, WiiWare, etc.)
The great thing about VC is that I have lots of classics on N64 & its still hooked up(w/SSB for some training :D)
and I still have 1000+ blocks left + games i will delete & a 1GB SD Card)
and with Nintendo not releasing any big hits anytime soon(hopefully not), I havnt had to worry about space.
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2-15-2008 @ 12:02AM
Deozaan said...
I still have over 1 full screen of empty slots, but I do move them around now and then as my organizational whims change.
I mostly have Wii Shop, Mii, Everybody Votes, Check Mii Out, and my favorite VC channels (Like Zelda and Metroid games) on the front page, then whatever other VC games on the second (not full) then the Weather, Opera, Photo, and News Channels on third, and then the Metroid Prime 3 Preview channel on the 4th. I don't know why I still have the MP3 Preview channel. I own the game and have finished it and everything...
I've also taken the time to copy all my channels to my SD card just in case I decide to get rid of them some day.
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