PixlBit

A unique user interface that stood the test of time and provided some fresh ideas about content on a game console.

Others

Video Services:

With the two HD consoles trying to become entertainment hubs in American living rooms, Nintendo had no other choice but to claim they could do just as well.  Offering the same services as the other guys, the Nintendo option is only appealing if you want to watch Netflix or Hulu programming in standard def.  Certainly, rolling out this feature cost Nintendo almost nothing, and for many television shows on those services 480p is perfectly suitable.  You’re fooling yourself if you think "Dinosaurs" would look any better in high definition.  It was probably a good move to add these streaming services to the system for those who only have a Wii, or perhaps for use on the old TV in the den.  These services still work as well as they ever did and are completely reliant on outside companies that charge subscription fees for new content – so there is always new content.

RATING:  Better than a VCR

Wii Fit & Wii Fit Plus Channel:

Installed from the Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus disc, the Wii Fit Channel lets you track and compare statistics like BMI and balance amongst you and your friends without having to boot up the game.  Never has being embarrassed been so convenient!  The channel basically rips out some of the functions you want to do daily with Wii Fit and keeps you from having to switch out discs just to weigh in.  It’s a pretty good idea when the point of Wii Fit is to encourage regular use of the balance board and its exercises.

 

RATING:  Almost essential; does what it should and nothing more

Mario Kart Channel:

Another channel installed from the game disc, the Mario Kart Channel allows you to receive special tournament notifications and compare stats with worldwide racers without putting in the disc.  To actually take part in any of the tournaments, you still have to insert the game and load it up.  Primarily, this channel just gave your Wii a reason to start flashing every few days during the year after the game’s release.  Then suddenly and eerily the flashing stopped when the tournaments disappeared.  The stat comparisons and other features are still present on the channel, but special races and competitions seem to have evaporated. 

RATING:  Good to know where you stand on a time trial bell curve

Rabbids Channel:

If comparing Miis wasn’t enough for you on the Check Mii Out channel, Ubisoft had the perfect solution with the Rabbids Channel.  Similar to the Mii Channel, you could customize the sort-of-famous Rabbids with the utilities in this channel – but to a much more granular level than what you might be used to with Miis.  The channel also let you compare Rabbids with your friends who had also purchased Rabbids Go Home.  If you have a group of friends with whom you have swapped friend codes and all have copies of Rabbids Go Home games … well, HOT DAMN you were in heaven for a while with this thing.

RATING:  Who bought this?

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Title Update Channel:

Getting patches on PC games has been common for years, and soon enough getting updates on PS3 and Xbox 360 games became standard fare too.  But Nintendo still had a reputation to uphold and seemed to think they could continue to release games that would never need such a thing.  This all changed with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword that has a pretty severe glitch that can prevent players from finishing the game.  The bug requires a pretty specific sequence of actions in a late-game quest to be a problem, but nonetheless Nintendo decided it was common enough that it needed a patch and the only way to institute this was through a dedicated channel.  Users can download the channel from the Wii Shop and it fixes the progress-halting bug.  Although inelegant, it was nice that Nintendo found a solution to a pretty big problem, even if it also acted as a rare admission of fallibitlity.

RATING:  Cutely kludgey, but responsible

Metroid Preview Channel:

Early in the Wii’s lifetime, before you could download demos of Wii Ware games – heck, before there was even Wii Ware – they tried distributing a game preview in standalone video form.  Metroid Prime 3 had a limited time only channel that let you download what was basically a flash video player that streamed a trailer from the internet.  The need for this went away with the launch of the Nintendo Channel, and if you happened to keep the thing around all these years it now only tries to connect and then tells you the sad news:  The channel has expired and can be deleted.

RATING:  A YouTube link in an email would have sufficed

Wii Speak Channel:

Apparently, with the purchase of the Wii Speak peripheral you are also given the chance to install the Wii Speak Channel.  This lets you verbally chat with several of your friends in a simulated room with Miis moving their mouths to “match” what is being said.  Being able to judge the channel’s quality or usefulness is pretty difficult since finding another person with the Wii Speak peripheral is pretty damn tough. It sounds sort of neat, perhaps a way to chat with a room full of people over the internet… when Skype is down.  This service is still available if you find yourself in need of a way to socialize through your balloony avatar and actually have a friend who also found a Wii Speak in the clearance bin.

RATING:  Does the Wii Speak pick up sad trombone sounds?

International Stuff We Missed Out On:

There were even other channels that we didn’t get to try here in the U.S.  Ranging from a pretty by-the-numbers BBC viewer to the Japan-only Wii My Room Channel where up to eight Miis could mingle together to socialize and watch videos.  There’s even a channel in Japan that lets you order food to be delivered.  Although it is a bummer we never got a chance to try out every channel out there, it shows some wisdom on Nintendo’s part to not try and hammer services best suited for a certain country into every market.