News at Your Fingertips: AP and Nintendo Launch Wii News Channel Across

Americas

Instant Access, Constant Updates

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- As the options for news multiply,

Nintendo is putting a simple solution for straight news right in the palm of

your hand -- in the form of the Wii Remote(TM). The News Channel, free to

Wii(TM) owners, will debut on the console's Wii Menu beginning tomorrow,

Saturday, Jan. 27. Using the international resources of the Associated

Press, the News Channel gives you key stories in multiple categories from

across the country and around the world.

"What Wii has done for video gaming, we hope it will also accomplish for

news," says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "Just by

pointing at your TV screen, you become your own interactive editor,

instantly accessing the latest headline stories, whether they originate in

Kansas City or Kyoto."

"The Associated Press is always looking for innovative ways to expand its

audience for news and information," said Jane Seagrave, vice president and

director of AP's digital division. "The Wii News Channel extends our global

reach even further, on yet another platform, offering our news to people who

otherwise might not see it."

The simple user interface allows Wii owners to spin a virtual globe and

point to the location of a news event using the Wii Remote. Stories will be

listed under headings including Business, Sports, Arts/Entertainment,

Technology and Science/Health to allow users to quickly access information

in the order they want. At any given time, dozens of stories might be

available for each category. In the global view, stories can be grouped by

region instead of category. Icons show which stories have been read, which

stories are text-only and which ones come with news photos. Because Wii

caters to all different ages, the interface allows users to change the size

of the text. By using the "always-on" system functionality of

WiiConnect24(TM), stories will be updated frequently, even while owners are

sleeping.