Wii Forecast Weather Channel coming on the 20th

[depward]

So says the Wii website:

http://us.wii.com/channel_forecast.jsp

Cool - looks nifty!

[Laner]

um... woohoo?

[denoginizer]

You can check the weather forcast on your Wii !!!!


Umm.......

that's great.........

I guess.

[rrmorton]

That Google Earth meets Civ IV deal looks pretty cool to mess around with... exactly once. 

[depward]

You can check the weather forcast on your Wii !!!!


Umm.......

that's great.........

I guess.

Becoming more and more of a 'negative nancy' each day!

[denoginizer]

You can check the weather forcast on your Wii !!!!


Umm.......

that's great.........

I guess.

Becoming more and more of a 'negative nancy' each day!

Sorry. It's the old age getting to me I guess.

[JCC]

It arrived a day early. It's a cute little feature, and I like the easy way to navigate the world, but I don't really see why anyone would use this instead of their PC. Instead of worrying about news and weather channels, I think Nintendo should be working on the "Demo channel". That would be nice.

[metallicorphan]

hmm,still has no date for the internet channel,but the news channel is 27th january.....i thought the internet channel was gonna be before the end of this year

[metallicorphan]

my mistake,seems like the opera browser beta will be ready 22nd december


http://www.nintendo-europe.com/NOE/en/GB/news/article.do?elementId=IsC-1sqxBzf2X6D1MAbsTCubYmGJRdR9

On Dec. 22, Nintendo and Opera Software bring the Internet to the living room couch with a free trial version of the Opera Web browser. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can download a free trial Opera browser to activate the Internet Channel of the Wii Menu and begin surfing the Web.

“In addition to providing innovative and exciting new ways to play, Wii also offers further services and entertainment for all the family. This newest Wii Menu Channel is just the latest example of how we are doing this” says Nintendo of Europe Marketing Director, Laurent Fischer. “Wii is the perfect console for everyone to enjoy and this is being reflected in the phenomenal sales across Europe. ”

“Our software brings the power and reach of the Internet to the hottest video game system available,” says Scott Hedrick, Executive Vice President, Devices at Opera Software. “Wii’s unique interface adds a new dimension to our browser, making it a useful tool that the whole family will enjoy operating with ease.”

The final version of the Opera browser will be available at the end of March 2007, and will be free for all Wii owners to download through the end of June. After June 2007, the browser will be available for download in the Wii Shop Channel for 500 Wii Points.

The Internet Channel provides an optimal Web browsing experience on people’s home television. The Adobe Flash-enabled trial version of the Opera browser puts the Internet right onto owners’ television screens and lets them browse with ease, enabling them to check sports scores, plot maps or visit their favorite Web sites. Multiple family members can gather around the television to plan a holiday or make online purchases.

The pointing abilities of the Wii Remote allow users to click on links they want to see or to zoom into any part of the screen through the motion of the controller. In addition, the Wii Remote can be used with an on-screen keyboard to make text entry as easy as point and click.

The Forecast Channel, provided by Weathernews which allows users to check out weather information for anywhere in the world using a 3-D globe, is available from today.

The Internet Channel joins the four channels which have been available since launch: Disc Channel, Photo Channel, Mii™ Channel and Wii Shop Channel as well as the newly available Forecast Channel. The Internet Channel, Forecast Channel and Wii Shop Channel are available at no charge, though they require Wii owners to have a high-speed Internet connection. For more information about Wii, visit Wii.com.

time for them to get that USB socket fixed and able to use keyboards!!

[farley2k]

I just want an Internet radio channel.  On my modded Xbox I can listen to Internet radio but neither the 360 nor the Wii have it.

And why not a podcast channel?  I have that on the TiVo.

There are a lot of things they could add which wouldn't require a lot of typing but they pick a web browser?  Heck check out this thread's link - http://www.gamingtrend.com/forums/index.php?action=post;topic=16979.0;num_replies=8- want to type that in with the wiimote?

[Mookee]

On my modded Xbox I can listen to Internet radio but neither the 360 nor the Wii have it.

Tversity or Connect 360 (mac) will let you do it on the 360.

[Zarkon]

Yeah, I'd love to see a Demo Channel, Movie Channel (for trailers of movies -and- games), Video Channel (let's make the video-watching OFFICIAL instead of just homebrew)..

[Lee]

It arrived a day early. It's a cute little feature, and I like the easy way to navigate the world, but I don't really see why anyone would use this instead of their PC. Instead of worrying about news and weather channels, I think Nintendo should be working on the "Demo channel". That would be nice.

When work gets canceled tomorrow (if there is a god, that is ), I will be using the channel to check status of the weather in between gaming. Although, it hasn't been updated for my area in 7 hours.

[Tebunker]

can I sue Nintendo when the weather forecast is wrong?

[CrayolaSmoker]

hmm,still has no date for the internet channel,but the news channel is 27th january.....

Ooh! That's my birthday. Wonder if I'll have a Wii by then...

[Andrew Mallon]

That Google Earth meets Civ IV deal looks pretty cool to mess around with... exactly once. 

The sad thing is that application is probably more graphically intensive than any of Ubisoft's launch titles...

[depward]

I dinged around with it last night and powered it on to look at the forecast this morning before leaving for work.  I like it!  I don't know, I think it's hard to compare the forecast channel to weather.com or some other regular news outlet.  It's fun seeing what the weather is all over the place and interactive with the globe.  I can see the weather where my aunts & uncles live, where Calvin lives, my parents, etc. with just a grab and a spin.

It's nothing extraordinary, but I do think it's pretty neat.

[Bullwinkle]

Does anyone know what's NOT in the internet channel that makes it a beta version?

[Tebunker]

I dunno, maybe they just want to make sure all the kinks are out before the true launch.

I would love to see Nintendo incorporate Google Maps into the whole globe thing, then the Forecast channel would be even cooler.

[rrmorton]

That Google Earth meets Civ IV deal looks pretty cool to mess around with... exactly once. 

The sad thing is that application is probably more graphically intensive than any of Ubisoft's launch titles...

 

I checked it out and decided it may have more use than I originally thought. If only because there are times when I've turned off the computer for the night and I'm playing on the Wii and before going to bed I might see the Forecast Channel and remember to check the 5 day forecast or something. It's a neat perk but bring on some better stuff, Nintendo.

[CeeKay]

[rrmorton]

The ending is tight. And also sweet. 

I used to hate Penny Arcade, but either they've gotten funnier or I've come around.

[metallicorphan]

hmm,still has no date for the internet channel,but the news channel is 27th january.....

Ooh! That's my birthday. Wonder if I'll have a Wii by then...

yup mine too....least i will have something new on the day

[Bullwinkle]

The times on this thing are a little messed up.  On the main page, I frequently get a temperature that was updated at 12:00am, but the forecast and 5-day were updated within two hours.  Current temp doesn't seem right most times, so I really don't think it's updating.  I hope the temps get updated more than every two hours eventually, too.  We have the capability for streaming, constantly updated weather, let's use it.

My other wish is that they could put an accurate current temp on the main Wii page, so you could see the weather at a glance (or better yet, let us choose that or a 5-day forecast).