Top 10 ideas for new Nintendo Wii channels
Okay, so we’ve now got the Internet channel, the weather channel (pictured) and the news channel for Wii – although the latter isn’t that impressive yet. What’s next? Nintendo hasn’t revealed its plans, so it’s up to us Wii owners to speculate.
IGN has already had a bash, requesting a Stocks channel, Movie Search and Movie Trailers channels, a DS Demos channel and a Sports Pages channel. So I won’t repeat those. But here’s ten more ideas for new Wii channels.
1. The Music Channel
A bit obvious, maybe, but essential nonetheless. A fully-fledged music channel could basically be a Wii version of iTunes, storing and organising your MP3s, and making it easy to import your CDs. It could also include an online store to buy and download digital songs.
But what would be really cool would be if Nintendo could tie in community features, so you could recommend songs to friends, and create playlists that other Wii owners could see. Maybe your Mii could even frug along to whatever tune you’re playing at the time too. It’s the little touches that count.
2. The Gambling Channel
Not for real money, of course. Maybe just virtual currency or points or something. But wouldn’t it be great if you could play a suite of slick, simple card games against other Wii users, with the spice of becoming a (virtual) millionaire in the process? Perhaps you could then spend them on stuff for your Mii.
Obviously, one good reason why a gambling channel will probably never happen is Nintendo’s family-friendly image, which doesn’t sit well with encouraging gambling, even for fun. But you never know…
3. The Blogging Channel
Part RSS-reader, and part blogging software. A blogging channel would let you post your thoughts to the world, as well as sharing your gaming achievements, photos and whatever other content you have. Obviously, you’d probably need a keyboard to actually type posts, but that’s feasible. It would also make it easy to read other people’s blogs - whether posted from their Wiis or other sources.
Blogging is still a huge growth area on the internet, so there’d be plenty of people willing to do it from their Wii if it was easy enough. Or Nintendo could be really ambitious and launch The Social Networking Channel, and bring in MySpace-like profiles too.
4. The Virtual Console Channel
This is a simple thing, and people have made the point before. But if Nintendo were to launch a bunch of new Wii channels, the interface could get cluttered if you’d already downloaded some Virtual Console games – each of which gets its own channel. Far better, surely, to group all your downloads into one channel?
5. The Wii Demos Channel
Free demos of new Wii games! It’s a no-brainer. Your chance to try them out without having to pay for an official magazine. If Nintendo isn’t already well along the way to launching this, it’d be shocking. It could also have video footage, tips, interviews and so on.
6. The WiiTV Channel
Why would you watch normal TV through your Wii, rather than just turning the Wii off and watching it normally? You wouldn’t. But imagine if there was a customised Wii TV channel. It could combine news, interviews, reviews, and all things Wii, in a rolling one-hour loop which could be updated every week (or even every day, if it was popular). And it could combine professional footage with Wii owners’ own home videos, uploaded via their consoles.
7. The Tips Channel
Strategy guides, videos of experts negotiating that tricky bit deep into Zelda, walkthroughs, hints and tips… Anything that’d help you get the best out of your existing Wii games. Users could vote on the best guides, and maybe even contribute themselves with their best tips.
8. The Shopping Channel
Buy stuff. Through your Wii. Games and accessories, yes, but it could be much bigger than that. You could buy CDs, clothes, books (whatever they are), or anything else that you’d normally buy online.
Okay, so there’s an argument that you can do this anyway via the Wii browser and big sites like Amazon. But it would still be smart to have some kind of dedicated Wii shopping experience, perhaps including all these online retailers. 3D trainers that you can rotate using the Wiimote before deciding whether to buy…
9. The Kids Channel
I don’t necessarily condone the hands-off approach to parenting, but if you could plonk your toddler in front of the TV with a Wiimote in their hands, it’d be nice to have a channel dedicated to them. Cartoons, ultra-simple games, puzzles and colourful floating shapes. Lovely. Be warned, they’d soon figure out how to exit the channel and delete your saved Zelda games, so it’d need watching.
10. The Porn Channel
Okay, so this one’s a bit unrealistic.
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February 12th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
I thought number ten already existed no?
They’ve just called it ‘The Internet’.
February 14th, 2007 at 5:45 am
Haha, the porn channel was a fantastic end, but seriously though, all great ideas. I especially love the idea of the casino channel and music channel. My favorite part of iTunes is creating and publishing play list, and I could just see my little Mii dancing to some Postal Service right now…
February 20th, 2007 at 3:20 am
movie channel a channel to play movies and why didnt they put that on there in the first place
February 27th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Looks like I’m going to have to practice for number 10 by using two “controllers” at the same time.
February 27th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
What about the nintendo power channel. Have nintendo power excerpt.
February 28th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
you missed DVD channel…
the requirement to watch movies must be filled.
March 22nd, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Just wait until the stupid parents let their babies on the internet channel without knowing theyre just looking wide eyed at naked women…
April 9th, 2007 at 3:04 am
THE DUCK CHANNEL
For all the duck enthusiasts out there.com
April 30th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
i think wii should be able to download ordanry computer programs to the wii channel menu or to the hard drive so you could play more things like runescape or other video files through your wii you should also be able to download msn messenger to your wii menu and you should be able to buy a keyboard/mouse to play more online games that would make the wii at least 10 times better
May 20th, 2007 at 8:47 am
their should be a sports channel to keep up with recent scores and updates
is their a way we can download wii channels through our computers???
June 6th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Skype channel, using the wii mote as a telephone handset, if this is not possible perhaps have a hardware plug-in for the wii mote for the telephone handset.
June 15th, 2007 at 2:03 am
ya internet on wii is bad idea. Parents think wii is all kid friendly but they could be on an online porn site. bad idea.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:43 am
A MSN Messenger channel, to talk on msn.
June 21st, 2007 at 2:37 pm
I like the idea of the wii demos channel and the vitual console channel and a bigger better wii shopping channel. p.s. And could you try and make these two games available on the wii shopping channel. super smash bros. for N64 and diddy kong racing for N64. I think these would be a lot of fun and I think that a lot of people agree with me.
July 20th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
rofl at last one XD
August 12th, 2007 at 4:22 am
well im posting on my wii right now and im a lucky guy that got it free lol but nintendo announced that thay will make more wiiware next year and 1 is check mii out ware you put miis online and show them off but 1 channel i want them to make is mii town ware youre miis live in a city that you create
August 12th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Nintendo shogld make a deal with Sky or something for the Tv channel. Watch your Sky One and stuff, but the channel would cost like 5,000 Wii points, a one-off fee. Then it would kinda be like Freeview…except good.
August 12th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
BTW where i put “shogld” it means “should”. Or “Should Hoe Out Girls Like Dat”…your choice…
August 16th, 2007 at 7:54 am
im on a wii right now posting this, but they should have a channel called wii demand like cable on demand but show everything wii and ds , also dk 64 on vitual console
August 26th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
There should be a YouTube Channel.
- view youtube videos full screen on your tv.
February 9th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
do you know any websites were you can send ideas to nintendo
February 9th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
there should be a channel for nintendo power
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:35 am
i’m addicted to number ten it’s so fun apleading to me!
February 25th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
i think maybe a myspace channel would be cool.also maybe an fm radio channel that can be playing as you do other stuff
March 24th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
How about google earth on wii channel. I would love to show my parents maps of cities and skies in my big tv, then using my small 14inch laptop
March 27th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Nintendo should make a pay-per-view channel. Also, a free internet radio channel would be cool. I think that the Wii internet channel should come with a built-in web blocker, that automatically blocks ANY AND ALL mature content and gambling. The Wii shouldn’t be abused in such a way!!!
I think that a Wii World channel should be created, where you have virtual money, jobs, a family (if you want one), etc, as long as it can be locked under parental controls. “How about Google earth on Wii channel” yeah, that’d be fun.
September 5th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
you should be able to play wii sports online with other people.
They should make a phone channel where you can talk with other people online that you know by buying a wii phone(a accessory that you can buy to put on your wii)
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:50 pm
How about the guitar players channel. How about a channel for actually teaching individuals on how to play guitar for real, not guitar hero. While the game is fun, it is not even close to playing real guitar.