News Channel Launches Tomorrow, Live Now!

Press Release

Wii

January 26, 2007, 7:23 am EST
Total comments: 14

Nintendo announces the News Channel goes live tomorrow in the Americas--even though it is available now!

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.

Talkback

KDR_11kJanuary 26, 2007

Dupe! I blame Zonk.

UltimatePartyBearJanuary 26, 2007

I, for one, welcome our new duping overlords.

KDR_11kJanuary 26, 2007

In Soviet Russia, news stories dupe YOU.

Smash_BrotherJanuary 26, 2007

Don't MAKE me come out there!

*ahem*

I love this channel so far, even though I'll likely never use it. Using the globe to pan over the cities and see the news stores stacked in a region is just too cool.

They should just consolidate the two channels into the "Wii Globe" channel and allow you to switch between weather and news with a button press.

NWR_pap64Pedro Hernandez, Contributing WriterJanuary 26, 2007

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
Don't MAKE me come out there!

*ahem*

I love this channel so far, even though I'll likely never use it. Using the globe to pan over the cities and see the news stores stacked in a region is just too cool.

They should just consolidate the two channels into the "Wii Globe" channel and allow you to switch between weather and news with a button press.

I too love how the stories stack up. I also like how they went above and beyond the call of duty when creating the News channels.

Seriously, I only expected just pages with text and pictures. I didn't expect music, pics you can scroll, a 3D globe and news from across the globe!

This makes me wish that more channels were created. Nintendo truly wants these channels to be more than a mere extra feature.

CalibanJanuary 26, 2007

I like the slideshow option. This channel is awesome, even my dad was like "whoa, how are you getting the news on the TV that has no cable-tv?
", not so surprisingly it is the only feature that interests him, well all he does is watch and read international news.

StrikerObiMike Sklens, Podcast EditorJanuary 26, 2007

I think the news channel is really cool and all, and it's already better than Forecast seeing as it looks like it updates more than twice a year. I also like that the news is via the AP, so the topics are various. HOWEVER, I think it's incredibly stupid that there is no way to put in an RSS feed for other sources. I mean, seriously... RSS is braindead easy and very low-bandwidth and seems to mesh 100% with the entire concept for WiiConnect24. This is the typically stuborn Nintendo only allowing their own content (or content they've approved) onto their own systems.

KnowsNothingJanuary 26, 2007

I hate the layout of the main menu for this channel, but once you get into the actual story it works really, really well. Plus the globe feature is awesome. Thumbsup, I guess.

RSS would be groovy. ALSO, sort of off topic, you should be able to set up a channel in the main menu that brings you directly to a website, without having to open the internet channel first. It really wouldn't save that much time, but a dedicated NWR or digg channel would rock.

MarioAllStarJanuary 26, 2007

Quote
Originally posted by: StrikerObi
I think it's incredibly stupid that there is no way to put in an RSS feed for other sources. I mean, seriously... RSS is braindead easy and very low-bandwidth and seems to mesh 100% with the entire concept for WiiConnect24. This is the typically stuborn Nintendo only allowing their own content (or content they've approved) onto their own systems.

The Internet Channel begs to differ. Nintendo has a 100% open (i.e., uncensored) web browser on their system that allows completely unapproved material to reach your living room. Heck, people have used it to view pornography even. That's right: porn on a Nintendo system.

Nintendo may be in lock-down mode with online gaming, but not with the Wii Channels. I wish there was an RSS option, but I don't think it was taken out to "protect" the kids. It simply wasn't put in there.

SeaBassJanuary 26, 2007

Awwwwwesome channel. Sports section kicks butt and my parents LOVE the WIi

DjunknownJanuary 26, 2007

Its odd we get this ahead of schedule. I was surprised when I got the message that the News Channel was up. Nice the get international news at your fingertips for just about everywhere in the world. Except there was no news in the Sub-Saharan African region. Apparently there's nothing to report over there....

So that's it for now. Aside from the fully featured web-browser due in March, the Wii is complete. What other channels can they add? Will they upgrade the existing channels in the future? What can they do if they did?

KDR_11kJanuary 26, 2007

Nice the get international news at your fingertips for just about everywhere in the world. Except there was no news in the Sub-Saharan African region. Apparently there's nothing to report over there....

No, you only get news according to your region, foreign news are limited to the stuff you'd read in your newspaper. E.g. when I click on Munich the list is full of CSU news, you guys can try clicking on munich and find those. I don't see ANY news stories for Washington.

fropiJanuary 27, 2007

attn: Nintendo

Google Earth channel, please.

BiLdItUp1January 28, 2007

Wow...the news channel is pretty slick, but they have to parse the news items correctly. News about a basketball game in Athens, GA turns up as a news item in Athens, Greece ;]

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