It might seem churlish to complain about the quality of the Wii’s News Channel, given that Nintendo has always been very clear that Wii is first and foremost a games machine. But then again, the News Channel could have been a neat and useful addition to the console. In fact, it still could be. Just not yet.

My main problem with the channel can be seen in this stat. When I fired it up this afternoon, there were NO technology stories, and just one Science/Health story. Yet there were 17 business-related articles. There just isn’t enough news on the thing to make it worthwhile – not to mention the fact that the latest story was filed over two hours ago.

Wii’s News Channel isn’t just competing against the internet as a source of news. On the TV itself, it’s up against 24-hour news channels and teletext. And it’s some way behind both of them. Part of the problem is the use of Associated Press as the single news provider, which will hopefully be remedied in the coming months.

Anyone who’s used the internet will be used to getting their news from a variety of sources rather than just one, making the News Channel a backward step. And I’m still surprised there isn’t a separate category for Games News – imagine the appetite among Wii owners for a decent feed of Wii-related stories, both from established news organisations and websites, through to blogs.

At least the interface is good. Using the Wiimote to pick out headlines works fine, as does holding down the B button to scroll through stories. Meanwhile, the ability to switch into the same globe map view as the Weather Channel is a neat trick, although I’m not sure how often I’ll want to roam the world reading news stories by picking out cities on a map.

The text of stories looks good on screen too, and is pleasantly readable – along with the ability to use the + or - buttons to zoom in or out. The fact that the interface works is at least cause for optimism, as Nintendo can sort out the content in forthcoming system upgrades.

Here’s my wishlist. I’d like to see a more personalised channel, with you able to specify what subjects / regions you’re interested in, and have news on those from multiple sources at the touch of a button. I’d like to see the Entertainment category broken out into music, film, games and so on, with more stories in those areas.

And ultimately, wouldn’t it be great if Nintendo could turn the News Channel into a truly mass-market version of Digg, with Wii owners voting on stories they think are interesting, turning it into more of a community. Or you could choose to send stories to your Wii friends – maybe your Mii could deliver them.

As a concept, the Wii News Channel has huge potential. But as it currently stands, it’s a news source only marginally more useful than sticking your head out of the window and shouting across the street. Hopefully Nintendo’s plans for the Channel will match the demands of Wii users.

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 5th, 2007 at 3:27 pm by Stuart Dredge
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