After the surprise release of the Nintendo Channel today, we decided a video walkthrough was in order. So we've gone ahead and hooked up our fancy schmancy video equipment to get you this direct-feed footage of the Channel at work. Hopefully it'll help some of you determine whether or not this Channel is worth your download. Personally, we think it is.
Watch as we check out the many informative videos available, as well as the plethora of DS demos on tap.
One person has apparently created a hack for the Wii, allowing for the transport of the Virtual Console games from one system to another. As you can see in the video above, the process does not look all too difficult, however there is room for discrepancy. The video was uploaded to YouTube by user dannyml, and merely says "Hacked The Virtual Console." And there is a noticeable lack of seeing the copied game run for us to be comfortable labeling this as believed.
Update: To clarify, the Wii Shop Channel update applies to Wiis in North America, as upon checking our own Shop Channel, we found the above screen. It just so happens a European stumbled upon it.
As you all know, we're getting set to get Wii Ware up and running on our Wiis. Upon that beautiful day, in which we're sure the sun will shine through the clouds and engulf us all in warm rays of light, many Wii owners will be trying to duck and dodge all of that sunshine while downloading games through Wii Ware. Those of us in North America won't have to flee for our lives from the sun until May.
But we digress. European Wii owners will likely find out (either through reading this or by checking their Wii) that the Wii Shop Channel requires an update. And with Wii Ware on the horizon, it's likely this update is in some way a part of that. Actually, forum-goers at NeoGAF report that Nintendo confirms it's in preparation for the launch of Wii Ware. Others even commented about a "guide-thing in the lower right corner of the shop."
Well, for those of you who have their Wii sitting in a dark room, all alone-like, you may have noticed what appeared to be an other-worldly blue glow emanating from the darkness within said room. No, it isn't aliens coming to take you to the future we all dream of, where Donkey Kong is president of the world and we all live on a diet entirely made up of our enemies, ala Kirby. Instead, your Wii has received an update!
This latest update, which brings the Wii Menu to version 3.2, now adds a minor feature to the Disc Channel. Once a game disc has been loaded into the console with an update on it, there will be a notification streaming across the Disc Channel, much like how the Wii Shop Channel now streams release information for Virtual Console games.
Minor update, we know, but we're more concerned about this possibly putting an end to those "Twilight Hacks" the kids have been going crazy over. Someone want to get on that and check for us?
Update: Our very awesome and very attractive (seriously, are you single?) readers have pointed out in the comments that the update does not kill the "Twilight Hack" exploit. Also, some folk at NeoGAF are confirming this to be true. So get back to playing Tetris already!
If your Wii was -- or still is -- all aglow with the soft blue light of hope, it's probably because the Check Mii Out channel has been spifferized and updates are available for download. It's nothing huge, alas; this update is designed to streamline the channel for a better user experience (and a safer one for parents), but if you're a fan of the Mii contests, it's like a little ray of sunshine just for you.
So what's changed?
It's now easier to find Miis you've put up in the Posting Plaza.
When viewing a particular Mii Artisan's profile, there is now an option to show all Miis posted by that Artisan.
If you leave in the middle of judging a contest, upon your return, the Miis you selected previously will be retained.
Parental Controls are now fully supported in the channel. Users may choose to block the exchange of "user-generated content" from t he main system settings, and when this function is engaged, the Parental Controls PIN will be required to access the channel.
You can now view 500 popular Miis at a time in the Posting Plaza instead of only 50.
When searching for a particular Mii, the number entered is not lost if no results are returned, which makes it easier to re-enter or correct mistakes prior to a second search.
If this all sounds great, go forth and get your download from the Wii Ware section of the shop channel!
During the same conference call with Reggie, the notion for online features in Virtual Console games came up. And, like a huge megaton hammer, Reggie came crashing down on the notion with enough force as to completely shatter each and every dream we'd ever had, from ridiculous to surprisingly plausible. It's a shame, because it wouldn't be that hard to give us something so small as online leaderboards.
For those of you looking forward to updates to these past titles, much like the norm on the Xbox Live Arcade, grab a box of Kleenex and sit with us. It's just not going to happen. It's okay, cry. Let it out. We're here with you, doing the same.
The new update is pretty self-explanatory, but for all of you out there who don't have a Wii or might be away from yours, we figured a nice stroll through the update would brighten your day. So, hit up the video above and see how one hooks up a friend with a Virtual Console game on the Wii.
Sure enough, we got online to do our usual video wrap-up post when we discovered that the Shop was down. We tried our best to beat the buzzer, but sure enough, our luck is lacking. So, we're going to keep an eye on the store and when it goes back up, we'll do the feature, so be sure to keep an eye out tonight. If you aren't able to hang about late, then be sure to check in the morning.
It was a big day for Nintendo fans. Not only did we get some greatannouncements out of a surprise conference in Japan, but we were greeted by the friendly blue glow when we were able to tear ourselves away from said news and actually look at our beloved consoles.
While exciting on the face, though, today's update ends up being less than thrilling. Much-needed keyboard functionality came to the Opera browser, but it's still limited, and the Wii remote must be used to navigate through text boxes. Take the average search form as an example; at the computer, most of the time, you can type in your search terms and hit enter -- or at the most, tab to the search button and then hit enter. No such luck with the Wii's browser. It's more like this:
Navigate to text box with Wii remote
Enter text on keyboard
Navigate to enter/search button with Wii remote
Profit. Very slow and awkward profit, but better than a poke in the eye with ye olde sharp stick.
Seems that some of the users at the official Nintendo forums are reporting some post-update problems that vary from system to system. How about our dear readers? Any message issues, mysteriously non-working Wiimotes, or even glitching VC games? The forum reports make things seem pretty bad, but we haven't discovered any problems. All our controllers work, and we've successfully sent messages post-update, and even tested some keyboards. But what about you?
We're not sure how someone decided to randomly plug in a keyboard after yesterday's update and test it, but bless the little buggers at NeoGAF who gave it a shot -- because it works! Before you start turning cartwheels, however, know this: keyboard support seems limited. We tried an older Micro Innovations keyboard we used to use with the PS2 first, and it was a no go -- but a newer Apple USB keyboard worked like a charm for messaging and in the Wii Shop channel (but apparently nowhere else). We can only guess the Wii wanted to match. We must say, however, the cord length required some moving-around of things on our cluttered game stand and typing in an uncomfortable standing position. Still, this update bodes well -- if a future update brings keyboard functionality to the Internet Channel, things could get very interesting indeed.
We could complain all day about the new digital clock that came with this morning's 3.0 firmware update for the Wii, but it really seems foolish to gripe about a such an inconsequential detail. So, much like with the system's name change or the children we've mistakenly fathered, it'll just have to be something we learn to live with.
The big improvements for this version upgrade are additional navigation options for the Shop Channel and shorter loading times when bringing up channels. Also, according to a few incoming reports, the console's fan now runs while in WiiConnect24 mode, addressing rumors of Wiis overheating when left in standby. Check past the post break for the complete list of updated items, and let us know what you think of all these new bells and whistles!
For those not compulsively checking the official Smash Bros. website daily for bare snippets of information, we here at Wii Fanboy have decided to perform the service of coalescing tidbits into tidbigs. Over the past week, a few interesting details have surfaced.
Most of the reveals are item-based: you may now move freely with projectile weapons (finally!), and as detailed earlier here, the new "Gooey Bomb" item was unveiled. The most interesting new item, however, is the Smash Ball, which activates character-specific "Final Smash" attacks. Mario's is entitled the "Mario Finale" attack, which unleashes a spread-fire explosion attack, and we've seen Link's Triforce blade attack in an earlier video. Since most competitive Smash Bros. players contend without the randomizing effect of items, it'll be interesting to see if this affects higher-level gameplay.
Also unveiled are some of Pit's (of Kid Icarus fame) attacks, which include a controllable arrow of light and limited flight capabilities (most likely the Up+B special). Brawl looks like it's coming together nicely ... do you guys agree?
TG-16 Virtual Console game Military Madness, though a bit of a cult-favorite, has been plagued with numerous bugs since release. Scrolling glitches galore have caused many a gamer many a problem, but Hudson has taken advantage of this crazy new idea that's been rolling around these days: updates.
Yes, a wonderful "update" button will greet any owners of the game who journey to its page in the Wii Shop Channel, and a glorious button it is. This technically opens up the possibilities of adding new functionality to games already released on the VC ... Wi-Fi enabled Mario Kart 64, anyone? We can dream, right?
And you know what that means ... new games! Unfortunately, it looks like Nintendo has one hell of a hangover (we can't blame them, we were up till 6 AM ourselves), and they only managed to spit out two rather inauspicious titles: Baseball and Urban Champion, both for the NES. After five hundred points each, we maintain that both playing baseball and punching someone in the face are both far more enjoyable in real life in Wii Sports.
And by the way, fellow fanboys, Happy New Year! Did your megaton party involve raucous Wii-playing? As you know, there was a more important countdown in Times Square around a month and a half ago, so if you played right through midnight, wish yourself a happy belated 2007 and check the ball-drop on your TiVo. Just kidding. We know you've already erased that to make room for the next episode of Heroes.
If your Wii was -- or still is -- all aglow with the soft blue light of hope, it's probably because the Check Mii Out channel has been spifferized and updates are available for download. It's nothing huge, alas; this update is designed to streamline the channel for a better user experience (and a safer one for parents), but if you're a fan of the Mii contests, it's like a little ray of sunshine just for you.
TG-16 Virtual Console game Military Madness, though a bit of a cult-favorite, has been plagued with numerous bugs since release. Scrolling glitches galore have caused many a gamer many a problem, but Hudson has taken advantage of this crazy new idea that's been rolling around these days: updates.
And you know what that means ... new games! Unfortunately, it looks like Nintendo has one hell of a hangover (we can't blame them, we were up till 6 AM ourselves), and they only managed to spit out two rather inauspicious titles: Baseball and Urban Champion, both for the NES. After five hundred points each, we maintain that both playing baseball and punching someone in the face are both far more enjoyable 
