Wii Rally

Since Nintendo and Opera released the final version of the Wii Internet Channel I have been asked many questions regarding the software and how it works. So I decided to take today’s Feature Friday and turn it into a FAQ sheet. If you have any questions that you would like answered please feel free to email them to me and I will track down an answer for you and post it here. I’ll do my best to keep this FAQ updated as new questions come in.

Question: What is the Wii Internet Channel?

Answer: The Wii Internet Channel is a web browser that you can use on your Nintendo Wii console.

Q: Who made the Internet Channel?

A: The Wii Internet channel was made by developers from both Nintendo and Opera software.

Q:What can I do with Internet Channel?

A: Almost anything you can do with a regular PC/Mac/Linux based browser you can do with the Wii Internet Channel. Check email, get the latest news, visit your favorite website, and of course read Wii Rally.

Q: How many versions are there?

A: As of right now there are two versions of the Internet Channel. The first version was the “trial version” which was released in December 2006. The second version was the “full version” of the software and was released in April 2007

Q:How much does the Internet Channel cost?

A: As of right now the software is totally free. Once you buy a Wii that is. It is available from the Wii Shop Channel free of charge until June when it will cost you 400 Wii points.

Q: Does the Internet Channel support Flash?

A: Yes the browser supports Flash 8 and lower. So far there have been no plans announced to include support for Flash 9

Q: Can I restrict what websites the young gamers in my family can access?

A: Kind of. The Wii does have parental controls but they only allow you to enable or disable the Internet Channel itself. The Wii does not allow you to block individual websites.

Q: Can someone use the Internet Channel to access pornographic material?

A: Again kind of. The Internet is full of porn but to get access to most sites you require a valid credit card number. I would say that it is no easier to access porn on the Wii than it is on a computer. Still there is no substitute for parents visually monitoring what their children do online.

Q: Is the Internet Channel secure?

A: Yes. The browser has built in security by McAfee. There was a vulnerability in the trail version which has been fixed in the full version. Seeing as how the Wii OS is very different from the Mac/Linux/Windows I know of no viruses that exist.

Q: Can I play my favorite Flash games using the Internet Channel?

A: Yes! the browser supports Flash 8 and lower. Websites which offer games and other content specifically designed for the Internet Channel are pooping up all over the net.

Q: Where can I get more information about the Wii and the Internet Channel?

A: You can visit www.wii.com , www.opera.com or www.nintendo.com for more info.

Have a question not answered here? Send me an email (mephistar@gmail.com) or by clicking on the Contact Me link located on the Wii Rally sidebar.

Well this has been a long time coming but I thought it was time for the steallar return of Feature Friday today I’m gonna tell you all about the Wii Photo Channel.

First of all your going to need one thing before you even think about trying to fire up the Photo Channel. That one thing being an SD memory card. Why you ask? Because you need a a photo to use the Photo Channel silly. So get yourself a card pop it in your digi cam and then snap a quick pic of your friends, your parents, your pet hippo whatever you like. Once you have a photo put the SD card in the SD memory slot located on the of the Wii next to the disc slot. Alright start up the Wii Phot Chanel and you’re off to the races.

I’ve created a video (with some help of course) which will demonstrate some of the things you can do with the application.

Once you have made a photo you like you can then post it to the Wii Message Board and from there send it to as many of your friends as you like.

Thanks to Lisa for filming and helping me with the video and hosting.

Long time Rally readers probably remember a weekly segment I used to do called “Feature Friday”. I have mentioned recently that it will make its triumphant return some day. That day was going to be today but it has been delayed due to technical issue I am to hoping celebrate its glorious return next week with a special surprise (the reason for the delay). So keep your feed reader locked on the Rally to see what I have up my sleeve.

Bonjour tout le monde c’est Vendredi. C’est temps pour un autre Virtual Console actualisition. Aujord’hui trois jeux de Sega et un de TurboGrafix 16 ce met sure le Virtual Console.

Sword of Vermilion (Genesis 800 Wii points)
Bio Hazard Battle (Genesis 800 Wii points)
Streets of Rage (Genesis 800 Wii points)
Chew-Man-Fu (TG-16 600 Wii pointrs)

Encore je recommander Chew-Man-Fu. On doit cherchez la riz cantonais pour tout le monde.

Hey everyone just thought I would mix things up with a little bit of french for our European brethren. Don’t bother trying to correct it because I know it’s far from perfect and to be honest with you anybody who suggest that I change the spelling tends to get ignored anyway. So Enjoy the language of love.

Meanwhile back at the ranch

I know I haven’t done a Feature Friday in a couple weeks but I’m working on it so sit tight and brace yourself for it’s gracious return soon.

Well by now you have probably heard either from another gaming blog or via one of the 90 submissions to Digg.com that Nintendo’s Wii News channel is up and running. What better way to talk about this new application than by making it the subject of this weeks Feature Friday.

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Well another week has past which means it’s time for Wii Rally’s Feature Friday. This week we will be talking about the Wii’s Forecast Channel.

The Forecast Channel allows you to get a weather forecast for your local area or a vacation spot on the other side of the world. The Forecast Channel gives you a lot of information like wind speed, UV index, temperature and conditions. Now the reality, the Forecast Channel has gotten a lot of flack lately for not being the most up to date. I can see how this would frustrate some users but if we are only talking about a couple of hours or degrees than I don’t see the problem. Do you get angry at your local news caster for being off by a degree or two? I think not.

The Forecast channel has practical gaming applications as well. Madden ‘07 for the Wii uses the forecast Channel to generate local weather for games. Like to play as the Sea Hawks well you might be playing in the rain. If Green Bay is your team, hope you like playing in the snow. This is just one example of how the Forecast channel can be used to provide a more immersive game experience. There is the potential to see this used with other games like EA’s upcoming MLB ’07. Can you say “rain delay”?

Using WiiConnect24 allows the Forecast Channel to constantly update itself and attempt to provide you with the most up to date weather conditions. So whether you want to know what the UV index is in Cancun or just like watching the globe spin check out the Forecast Channel and never miss another sunny day.

Have an Idea for a Friday Feature? Drop a comment or send an email with “Feature Friday” in the subject line.