Wii Forcast, News and Internet Channels all delayed

[Megadrive1988]

http://blog.wired.com/games/2006/11/no_web_browsing.html

Thursday, 16 November 2006
No Web Browsing, News, or Weather for Wii Launch
Topic: Console Games

Wiifew Oh Nintendo, you are sneaky. Buried in the ninth and tenth paragraphs of an otherwise innocuous press release this morning was the easily-overlooked news that the Wii's vaunted Weather and News channels -- as well as the Web browser -- won't be available at launch.

Instead, the Weather and News services will launch on December 20 and January 27, respectively. In the meantime Wii owners will be able to look at the big Weather and News buttons on the main menu and imagine what it'll be like when they're functional.

http://news.punchjump.com/article.php?id=3374

Wii Forecast, News Channels to miss Nov. 19 launch
Published: 6 hours ago; 9:29am PDT
by Marcus Lai

Nintendo on Thurs. said that the Forecast Channel and News Channel for Wii will debut in Dec. and Jan., respectively.

Wii will drop to U.S. retail on Nov. 19.

Part of the Wii Menu, the Forecast and News Channels will allow internet-connected Wii owners to view updated weather forecasts and current news headlines. The Forecast Channel will be online on Dec. 20 and the News Channel will be available on Jan. 27.

The only internet-enabled channel to be available at launch will be the Wii Shop, an online store where users can download games and other items. Initial offerings include classic Virtual Console games that will cost 500 – 1000 Wii Points.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-16-2006/0004476212&EDATE=

The Wii Shop Channel is also where users will go to download the Opera
browser that will let them surf the Internet from the comfort of their
couches on Wii's Internet Channel. More information about the availability
of the browser will be released in the coming weeks.
On Dec. 20, Nintendo will roll out the Forecast Channel. Users will be
able to access free local weather information, which is continually
updated. Users can access worldwide weather information by browsing a 3-D
globe. Weather information will be supplied by Weathernews. A high-speed
Internet connection is required to access the Forecast Channel.
Then on Jan. 27, the Wii Menu News Channel will make headlines with the
latest news from around the world provided by the Associated Press. A
high-speed Internet connection is also needed to access the News Channel.

disappointing, but maybe they're fine tuning it, or just planned to have it ready around the time Wii launches in Japan and Europe. I hope Nintendo doesn't cancel any of these things.

 

[Tagrineth]

Misleading title. Internet will be there right away.

 

[Megadrive1988]

how is the title misleading if the Internet Channel (for using the Opera Browser) isnt there right away ?

the title didn't say WiiConnect24 is delayed.

 

[ninzel]

Jesus Christ,I love Nintendo games and systems,but them not being able to execute stuff like this on time is a turn off.

 

[Tagrineth]

how is the title misleading if the Internet Channel (for using the Opera Browser) isnt there right away ?

the title didn't say WiiConnect24 is delayed.

...

The only internet-enabled channel to be available at launch will be the Wii Shop, an online store where users can download games and other items. Initial offerings include classic Virtual Console games that will cost 500 – 1000 Wii Points.

The Wii Shop Channel is also where users will go to download the Opera browser that will let them surf the Internet from the comfort of their couches on Wii's Internet Channel.

Only the first bit says anything about the web browser channel being locked. these other two quotes suggest the internet will be up, just not news & weather.

 

[Megadrive1988]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6161926.html

Some Wii channels tuned out
Weather and news channels, Web browser won't arrive until after Nintendo console's launch; at least 12 virtual console games online on day one.

When the Wii arrives in stores on Sunday, it will do so without some of its promised functionality. Nintendo today announced that users looking to surf the Web, check the weather, or peruse the news on their Wii systems will need to wait a while.

The Forecast Channel, which will provide users with free constantly updated weather reports from around the world, will go live December 20. Information for the channel, which allows users to manipulate a 3D globe in order to find their forecasts, will be provided by Japan-based Weathernews.

That debut will be followed by the arrival of the Wii News Channel on January 27. Once live, the Wii News Channel will provide users with constantly updated headlines from around the world, courtesy of the Associated Press.

The Wii Web Broswer will also trail the system's launch, though it's not clear by how much. Nintendo only said that more information about the browser's availability "will be released in the coming weeks."

the Nintendo press release

http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=10562
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061116/lath055.html?.v=79

The Wii Shop Channel is also where users will go to download the Opera browser that will let them surf the Internet from the comfort of their couches on Wii's Internet Channel. More information about the availability of the browser will be released in the coming weeks.

re: the Opera web browser won't be available at launch, thus, the Internet Channel which is where you use the browser, won't work at release.

now that the browser / Internet Channel delay has been established, the argument will predictably move to,
"well, who wants to surf the internet on their television anyway, most people have computers for that".


:|

 

[Beafy]

While I don't see any reason for a delay (seriously, how hard can it be to roll out a newsticker and weather forecast? They had like a year to do it...), I don't see the big deal either...

 

[ninzel]

While I don't see any reason for a delay (seriously, how hard can it be to roll out a newsticker and weather forecast? They had like a year to do it...), I don't see the big deal either...

Well they are partnering with other companies for this service. So who knows how they effected the delay.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Is anyone particularly keen for these News and Weather channels? What's wrong with using a web browser and going to sites you already use and trust? Or using Teletext and other TV services? Or reading the paper? Or listening to the radio? Anyone making use of a Wii is pretty much guarenteed to already be capable of getting news and weather on demand in the ordinary course of events. Seeing as Nintendo are including the browser option, I can't see any point to these services other than to create a 'virtual TV network' of channels to satisfy their interface style and concepts.

 

[Zassk]

Is anyone particularly keen for these News and Weather channels? What's wrong with using a web browser and going to sites you already use and trust?

I think the problem is that normal web pages are going to be virtually unreadable in 480p.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Good point. Though I'd have still thought most people would turn to the methods they already use, rather than use Wii channels if the internet isn't available on the machine.

 

[ninzel]

Good point. Though I'd have still thought most people would turn to the methods they already use, rather than use Wii channels if the internet isn't available on the machine.

The advantage of the Wii could be speed and ease of use. The content will be equal so it comes down to interaction.