A Stroke of genius: Welcome to the Mii Channel

For all of those who do not know, Nintendo's forthcoming console, Nintendo Wii, will be featuring built in programs or "channels" that will incorporate a variety of different aspects and expand on the idea of what a game console will be. I was recently pondering the possibilities of these channels and I have taken a real liking to what is known as the "Mii Channel".

With the Mii Channel, gamers will be able to "Create 3D caricatures of your friends and family with the Mii Channel". Let's think about that for a minute. What Nintendo has told me is that in 2 months time, I will be able to duke it out in a virtual world against my friend or even my BOSS! I will be able to take it to the courts against my virtual enemies and have a blast doing it. The ability to put yourself and others in games is, dare I use the word, revolutionary. It will be just as fun making a Mii as it will be playing with one.

Can you imagine the heights that the Mii channel alone could reach? I could be staring in my own game! I could be brawling it out with all of the characters from Super Smash Bros. Imagine the endless innovations that this channel could bring. What other system offers these kinds of innovations? Only Nintendo my good friends.

This is just the beginning also. There are numerous other channels that will allow the casual gamer to really delve deep into Wii goodness. The Weather channel, The picture channel and the forecast channel just to name a few. I think that this could really prove to be the hidden success of the Nintendo Wii and truly make the system stand out from the competition. It is going to be a great year gamers, are Wii ready?!

Don't forget ourfirst podcast!! (itunes has been acting funny but we hope to get it up there in the near future)

Mii oh My; Oh the Possibilities

Does Nintendo realize what they have in regards to their imaginative "Mii" channel. Now I am sure that the creative minds over at the big N had big plans when it decided to incorporate the Mii channel but do you gamers think that the channel will ever reach its ultimate potential?

I ran an article a while back dissecting the brilliance that I have found in the Mii channel and discussed how truly innovative it is and how it could make a huge difference during this generation of video game consoles. By having the Wii incorporate a channel that makes miniature caricatures of friends and family members, opens the floodgates for creative minds and a new genre of games.

I strongly encourage developers to exploit this gem by making games based around this specific Wii channel. Heck, don't stop there; make games that incorporate ALL of the embedded Wii channels. Imagine, if you will, a game that utilized REAL weather that was going on in your local area via the weather channel through your system. How cool and innovative would that be?

If it was a cold snowy day (much like today for us in NY), the game would have snowflakes sprinkling the entire screen during gameplay. Endless possibilities gamers. Do you see where I am going with this? I truly believe that I am only scratching the surface of a mammoth amount of innovation that could truly take place if the developers put their minds to it.

Can anyone say "Mii RPG?" or how about "Mii FPS?" or try this one, "Mii Kart Racing?"

Nintendo hire me now. LOL. What do you guys think? I look forward to hearing from you.

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New Mii Channel to hit April in Japan

The newly announced Mii Channel, where popularity contests are held, will be released on the 29th of April in Japan. No word yet for the North American release, but as always, we will keep you posted.

Discuss in Comments Section:
What do you guys think about this new channel? Do you think it's a nifty idea or does Nintendo need to come up with something else? Let us know!


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A Slew Of Wii Rumors

Here is something to help you get through these slow news days. Fellow blogger Falafelkid has recently posted a slew of rumors that he so nicely translated from the Spanish Website Revogamers. Everything from the successor to the DS, to new VC games are discussed. Enjoy the read below.

GameBoy successor cancelled

Nintendo had been working on the ´Gameboy Advance Next´ which was to become a third pillar (alongside the Wii as a home console and the DS as a portable). The handheld was to feature hardware comparable in power to that of the GameCube.

It was to offer online gaming and downloadable titles, do away with physical media altogether and be compatible with the Virtual Console. Apparently, concerns over media storage and too high a price point caused the project to be scrapped.


DS successor in the works

Nintendo is working on ´Project 3´ which is to become the successor of the DS. It will be a handheld console without buttons. Instead, it is just one big touchscreen, comparable to Apple´s ´iPhone´.


New Miyamoto IP

Miyamoto is working on a new IP on a similar scale to Zelda. It is codenamed ´The Rise of Darkness´.

It is said to be an online-only title, perhaps an MMO. Miyamoto wants every day to be different in the game. An older rumour on the same site pointed to a game that mixed elements of the real world with science fiction and spritual elements, loosely inspired by Buddhism. Gameplay-wise it was described as mixture between Zelda and Shenmue.


Nintendo developing MMO

More talk about an online game, codenamed ´Project Live´. This sounds very much like an MMO. It is said to be a big city, in which you can kidnap players from another team and leave clues for them to find you. No word on whether this is connected to Miyamoto´s new IP.


Miis used in future games

´Animal Crossing´ on Wii will be based on Miis, ´Mario Party 8´ and even the Wii version of ´Mario Kart´ might feature them, as well.


More channels coming

The next Wii system update will feature both a ´Movie Channel´ and a ´Talk Channel´. No further information is given other than the names. Also, there will be some improvements to the ´Mii Channel´, as far as I can make out.


Brain training may become dedicated channel

Some talk about a game that is based on the Latin phrase ´Mens sana in corpore sano´ (Latin for: ´a healthy mind in a healthy body´). This sounds very much like Braining Training or Big Brain Academy. Apparently, this could become a channel of its own.


Wii mic takes shape

The Wii microphone will plug into the controller, just like the Nunchuk extension.


N64 blockbuster titles coming to VC

´GoldenEye 007´ and ´Donkey Kong 64´ will make their appearance on the Virtual Console this year. Apparently, the contracts between Nintendo and developer Rare work in Nintendo´s favour. It looks as if no other Rare games will become available, though.

Also, ´Star Fox 64´ (aka Lylat Wars), Ganbare Goemon (aka Legend of the Mystical Ninja) and ´Mischief Makers´ will make it to the Virtual Console soon.

Wii Tips and Tricks (Great Read)

Here is a great list of Wii tidbits that you might not know. Huge props to Gonintendo for the find.

· In the Photo Channel, you can catch the evil cat that runs across the screen to get tips! It appears in the Fun option, and you can grab the cat with the A and B button.

· You can have a 194 piece puzzle by holding down the 1 button before selecting any piece amount.

· If you don’t have an SD card and still want to check out Photo Channel, you can e-mail a Jpg to your Wii Message Board. There is a size limit for any mail you send to it - possibly 1mb.

· In Bowling, you can throw your ball into other people’s lanes.

· If you put mp3s in your SD card along with your photos, you can change the background music during a slideshow to one of your mp3s.

· When the messageboard records your play time, if you don’t exit to the Wii Menu before you power off the machine, it records the play time as “other”. If you properly exit to the menu and then shut off it will record it as the correct game.

· You can rearrange almost anything on the wii…like the channels and messages by just holding the A and B

· The plasma burin reduction kicks in the second the wiimote shuts down.

· when you get an e-mail, not only does the disc drive light up and pulsate blue, but your Wiimote sends out a little chirp

· when you’re in the Mii channel and you don’t use the Wiimote for a little bit and your Mii’s start walking around, if you then suddenly use the Wiimote, all the Mii stop and follow the ‘hand’ for about 3 seconds….

· when typing messages, and you need to go back and edit the message(while still typing) instead of deleting letters, just point to where you want to edit to move the type cursor.

· In Wii Sports Bowling, when you press up on the Directional Pad, it will zoom in on the lane. The zoom in sound is the exact same sound from Super Mario 64 anytime you moved the camera.

· Co Op Jugsaw puzzles in wii photos

· You can place the sensor bar upside down and it doesn’t reverse the directions of your movements…

· In wii sports bowling, you can release on the back swing and throw the ball backwards. It scares all the miis behind you.

· Classic controller has analog shoulder buttons. With the GC “click” at the bottom.

Conference Updates! Let the Updates Begin! More Updates!!

We are about an hour out from the American Wii conference! We had awesome coverage and we ask that you stay put and hit refresh because we will be updating ALL DAY! Let's have fun!


In the meantime, CLICK HERE NOW! and watch some amazing Wii footage! Game ON!

Update #1- Reggie says date, price, how many units, and title information is all on the way. Exciting times my friend exciting times!

Update #2- A staggering 4 million units worldwide with the US being biggest shipment

Included in the box: Harware, cables, sensor bar, 1 Wii remote, 1 nunchuck controller.

Wii Boxing, Wii Bowling, Golf, Baseball, and Tennis all on one - Wii Sports packed into Wii box! When was the last time this happened.

The Legend of Zelda TP & Excite Truck on launch day!! Excited truck is a nice surprise.

Activisions launch titles: Trauma Center at launch, Madden 07 NFS:Carbon at launch, Elebits, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, Metal Slug Anthology, RRR, Red Steel - All launch titles…more on that list as well. (IGN).

Quick News before Wii Conference - People who are unsure about Capcom's dedication to the Nintendo Wii should take notice. The company has now confirmed that its immensely popular Sengoku Basara / Devil Kings series is coming to the new platform. (cubed3)

Update #3- There are different "channels" associated with Wii. Some are related to weather, message boards ETC. Below is a report from Gonintendo:

Mii channel shown in which you create character profiles. Bill Trinen is creating Samuel L Jackson. Mii characters can be transferred to Wiimote so you can take them with you. Wii games can use character profiles, such as Wii Sports.

Wii Photo channel shown - Take your SD card and plug into your Wii. Massive amounts of thumbnails shown. NoA slideshow being run. Fun things to do with photos, puzzle scramble, doodle, and more.

Wii Weather Wii News Wii Messageboard quickly discussed. Send messages to pc users, cellphones through Wii Messageboard channel.

Is anyone else freaking out?!?!?!?

Update #4- Wiimote and nunchuck sold seperatly. Wiimote- 39.99, Nunchuck- 19.99.

**More Updates**- Zelda on day 1 for Wii, in December for Gamecube. The Nintendo Wii will connect online via wireless or wired connection.

Update #5- Nintendo is putting a strong emphasis on the Wii channels. They want the user to use these channels every day. I cannot wait to see this stuff in action!

Update #6- Metroid Prime 3 is now a 2007 title

The first online game in Japan is Pokemon Battle Revolution - in Japan at launch - US shortly after. I cannot wait to play my first Pokemon ONLINE!

Wii will only be available in White initially.

And that's all she wrote! Conference Done, pictures to follow.

Click here and watch the American Conf. video.



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The Dust has Settled, but Wii Have Just Begun!

Wii channels- Nintendo- simply brilliant. Head over to Wii.com, now up and running, and you'll see what I mean. There is a forecast channel, a Mii channel (which allows you to make caricatures of you and your family and a news channel just to name a few. With Nintendo Wii being online all the time, these channels will update automatically on the fly in real time. Talk about Innovation! By placing these simple tools, or programs we will call them, I can definitely see every member of the household utilizing the full potential of the Wii.


I am getting an "i-podish" feel for the system and I am loving every minute of it. Wii channels are reminiscent of Apple's own widgets. Be sure to head to Wii.com and check out the newly redesigned page. Explore the site and they will show you video of how each one of the "mini-programs" works on the system. The menu setup is truly intuitive and seems very easy to navigate through each and every menu.

Nintendo never ceases to amaze me. I can honestly say that they did deliver at this conference. I truly feel that this is what we have been waiting for for so long. We have finally received a price point, and a release date. Some small surprises were sprinkled throughout the keynote also which helped Nintendo hit this one out of the park. What do you guys think? Leave one in the comment section.

Also- I would like to personally thank each and every one of you who stopped by last night and early today. Yesterday we had over 1000 visitors at the site and it is only going to get better. Call me "small time" but I was filled with glee to see how many people came here for the coverage. A real "Thank you" is extended your way and we appreciate all of you guys. Game ON!

**Also there is a new poll up and running- be sure to vote on what you think about Nintendo's choice of price for the system!!