Nintendo Channel now available in the United States

[Evil Avnovice]

Nintendo has just released the Nintendo Channel. From Gamasutra (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18538):

First released in Japan in November of 2007, the channel has launched with a wide variety of promotional videos, including Wii and DS game trailers and video interviews with personalities like Shigeru Miyamoto, explaining the design behind the company's forthcoming Wii Fit.

Also included is a comprehensive catalog of Wii and DS games both first- and third-party with information, streaming video where available, and a link which re-directs users to the Internet Channel, where they can choose from a number of online retailers including Amazon, Wal-Mart and Best Buy to purchase the game.

The channel also lets users rate and rank titles they have played -- provided they have put more than an hour into the game -- and turns the Wii into a DS demo download station, serving a number of third- and first- party demos including Cooking Mama 2, Crosswords DS, Ninja Gaiden and Brain Age 2.

I will also link to Wii.com (http://www.nintendo.com/wii/channels/nintendochannel) if anyone wants to know more about the Nintendo Channel.

[dr_wily]

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an hour 15 past the post..
...
...
yeah looks like no one cares.

[Entropy Effect]

Pretty cool, I'm looking forward to trying Jam Sessions and Ninja Gaiden tonight.

[trip1eX]

Channel is nicely done. Main screen is a list of videos to watch most of them to do with recently released and upcoming games although there is a Shiggy Interview too that well I guess is mostly about WiiFit.

Volume is controlled with dpad. Click on video to watch full screen. Quality of footage is good. Click more information to find some basic back of the box facts, related games and links to official internet sites.

DS Download stuff is nice. IT's under the Search for Titles button where you can view info from more upcoming/recently released games. Find the DS Demo you want and click it. Then turn on DS and click download to play and download the demo. Pretty sweet although it makes you wonder why you need the Wii in the equation in the first place.

OVerall nice job if want to kick back on the couch and see what's up and coming and avoid some of the hassle of sites on the 'net.

[CapnBob]

It's a neat little application. It's worth a download if only for the DS demo service, but the videos are kinda neat too.

[RMan]

Yea, nothing that impressive for anyone who's spent time on the net, but it's definitely clean and easy to use, I like it. Video quality was good, retrieval speed pretty fast, and no hick-ups or technical issues.

On a side note, watched the Wii fit vid, and something that didn't occur to me before, how well is that balance board gonna act on carpet?

[Jedi Hampster]

I like it simply for the fact that it's a wife selling tool for me. I was able to talk my wife into letting us get wiifit after showing her the video on the wii, and she's playing a demo of the crossword game on one of our ds's right now. This should allow me to increase my gaming library, thanks nintendo :-D

[TheFlyingOrc]

I was also impressed by the "purchase" link when you look at the info for any game. It kicks you out to the internet channel with a choice of several retailers.

[Kamalot]

...
an hour 15 past the post..
...
...
yeah looks like no one cares.

Maybe because everyone is already discussing it in another thread (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50204) on Evil Avatar, or they are actually USING the service. I've spent the good part of my afternoon rating all my games using the unique feedback engine.

It will help people with searches like:

Show me all games for the Wii, DS and downloadable, that are Role Playing Games enjoyed by gamers that have multiplayer.
Show me DS games for casual players that are best enjoyed solo.
Show me games for the Wii, DS and downloadable, that have an online component and are enjoyed by girls.


The feedback and searching mechanisms are very powerful.

[Lance Uppercut]

I really like the DS demo downloads.

[dr_wily]

Maybe because everyone is already discussing it in another thread (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50204) on Evil Avatar, or they are actually USING the service. I've spent the good part of my afternoon rating all my games using the unique feedback engine.

It will help people with searches like:

Show me all games for the Wii, DS and downloadable, that are Role Playing Games enjoyed by gamers that have multiplayer.
Show me DS games for casual players that are best enjoyed solo.
Show me games for the Wii, DS and downloadable, that have an online component and are enjoyed by girls.


The feedback and searching mechanisms are very powerful.

heh i just found it funny
in all my years at EA ive never come across a blank post that old :)

[Variable Gear]

Pretty sweet although it makes you wonder why you need the Wii in the equation in the first place.
You want your DS to connect to your PC? That's not a Nintendo platform.

[Spigot]

Hmm...I wonder if the DS Demo thing would show up on my World Ends With You mingle mode... :)

[Bydo_Empire]

The DS Download service is fantastic - I played through the Ninja Gaiden DS demo twice. It transferred fast, and worked great. Can't wait to try out more stuff.

I have a pretty slow DSL connection, and while there was a little hitching, the videos were good quality and streamed reasonably smoothly.

Rating your games is a fantastic idea, but it only recognized about a third of my games. It says you can only rate games you've played for over an hour, but that wasn't true for me. I only played Super CastleVania IV for about 20 minutes so far and I could rate that, but games like MK: Armageddon and Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam I put in many hours and they weren't on the list. Anyone else see this?

[grognard66]

I like it simply for the fact that it's a wife selling tool for me. I was able to talk my wife into letting us get wiifit after showing her the video on the wii, and she's playing a demo of the crossword game on one of our ds's right now. This should allow me to increase my gaming library, thanks nintendo :-D

When I read the first line of this post I thought Jedi Hampster found a lucrative way to sell wives. Imagine my disappointment when I read on. :D

[Arnage]

On a side note, watched the Wii fit vid, and something that didn't occur to me before, how well is that balance board gonna act on carpet?

The balance board has very wide feet (~7 cm in diameter) which makes it work just as fine on our carpet as on the wood floor next to it. Haven't tested it on any other surfaces, but I don't think any common indoor surface would cause problems with it.

Too bad the channel isn't live over here yet...

[Spigot]

Nice! The DS Download Station portion DOES work with the mingle part of The World Ends With You.

Mwahaha.

[Variable Gear]

Awesome find, Spigot! I'll use that as well for my pins.

[RMan]

The balance board has very wide feet (~7 cm in diameter) which makes it work just as fine on our carpet as on the wood floor next to it.
Good to know, thanks.