Nintendo Channel is live.

[Rlan]

Not up in Australia yet, obviously, but I checked anyhow.

When I chose "Australia" (as I was in "UK" before, it's been a while since I've gone on there) It now had the ability to put your "Mynintendo" e-mail in.

But the e-mail slot is like 8 letters long! It's fucked!

VOOOOOOOK!

[WiiRevolution1]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon does not have a purchase option.

Kinda weird...especially since a 1st party title...

Also: it has a purchase button for High School musical!

QUICK! Press it before its sold out!

EDIT: Another mistake I found is that Blast Works has a release date of May 6th when it was delayed to the 20th..

EDIT2: OMG if you click on the Nintendo Channel profile it has a option to buy it from the Wii Shop Channel!

WTF

EDIT3: wow....if you go to the Wii Shop Channel profile it has a option to purchase it from the Wii Shop Channel....WTF

EDIT4:....wow this was so hyped and hardly any posts

Anywayz when I clicked on the "Purchase the shop channel" it said "The software you selected is not available in this country"......

[Estival]

has anyone had a non-nintendo published wii (not VC) title that they could recommend?

NiGHTS Journey of Dreams works. I recommended it.

[AniHawk]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon does not have a purchase option. Kinda weird...especially since a 1st party title... Also: it has a purchase button for High School musical! QUICK! Press it before its sold out! EDIT: Another mistake I found is that Blast Works has a release date of May 6th when it was delayed to the 20th.. EDIT2: OMG if you click on the Nintendo Channel profile it has a option to buy it from the Wii Shop Channel! WTF EDIT3: wow....if you go to the Wii Shop Channel profile it has a option to purchase it from the Wii Shop Channel....WTF EDIT4:....wow this was so hyped and hardly any posts Anywayz when I clicked on the "Purchase the shop channel" it said "The software you selected is not available in this country"......

What the hell is going on?

[WindyMan]

What the hell is going on?

nintendo has figured out online, that's what

[DIrtyWeasel]

EDIT4:....wow this was so hyped and hardly any posts

Well this topic was started 1AM PST / 4AM EST in the middle of the week. It's past the bedtimes of most US GAFers.

[kobashi100]

I have had this channel for a while as have a Japanese Wii. The video function is great but it streams way too slow. The lack of Ram on the Wii must be the reason right. Now I don't bother checking out new vids as a 4min Video ends up taking over 10mins to actually watch.

[DavidDayton]

I have had this channel for a while as have a Japanese Wii. The video function is great but it streams way too slow. The lack of Ram on the Wii must be the reason right. Now I don't bother checking out new vids as a 4min Video ends up taking over 10mins to actually watch.

I've heard a few different people complain in this thread about the channel being slow, but it's quite speedy for me...

[TheGreatDave]

It was like this with the Metroid Prime channel as well. Most the time the videos would stream slowly, then all of a sudden I'd get one that played back instantly, even when viewing it for the first time.

Stranggggge things are happenin' to meeee.
Stranggggge thinggggggsssss.

[Ysiadmihi]

I have had this channel for a while as have a Japanese Wii. The video function is great but it streams way too slow. The lack of Ram on the Wii must be the reason right. Now I don't bother checking out new vids as a 4min Video ends up taking over 10mins to actually watch.

Nothing to do with the RAM. I've watched 20-25 minute streaming videos with no need to buffer on the Internet Channel. The download speeds just suck.

[TwinIonEngines]

I have had this channel for a while as have a Japanese Wii. The video function is great but it streams way too slow. The lack of Ram on the Wii must be the reason right. Now I don't bother checking out new vids as a 4min Video ends up taking over 10mins to actually watch.

I just watched six videos without a single pause, none of them took more than 5 seconds to initially buffer.

[TheGreatDave]

I just watched six videos without a single pause, none of them took more than 5 seconds to initially buffer.

It's just not fair.

This can't be a region thing, right? It's not like I can't get to fucking Nintendo.com cos I'm in the UK.

[Count Dookkake]

Videos play fine for me.

[WiiRevolution1]

eh

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/sys...ntendoInfo.jsp

at the botom:

"Available blocks on wii console will be sent to Nintendo"

QUICK! Every fill up your memory to where you have EXACLY 0 blocks left! Maybe Nintendo will do something then

Also: the voices on videos such as "What is WiiWare" and others are a bit to low....the music usually downs it out :\

[DaBargainHunta]

The channel isn't incredibly fast for me, but it's not unbearably slow either.

I did get frequent pauses during most of the videos I watched, which was annoying. I wish it worked like YouTube where you can pause it at the beginning until it fully loads, but pausing it in this case doesn't make a difference.

I couldn't recommend most of my games either. Hopefully that's something that will improve in the days to come. Seems weird that so many many have been left out. If companies have to buy their way into being listed (as someone speculated elsewhere in this thread), that's terrible and it will only be another handicap against smaller/niche games.

The DS download service is awesome. No idea why they bothered putting up shov like Disney Friends or Jam Sessions, but Ninja Gaiden was a pleasant surprise. Before trying it, I bemoaned the stylus-only gameplay mechanics - but shockingly enough, it actually works brilliantly well.

[Nuclear Muffin]

Looks like there are still some kinks to work out with this channel (Couldn`t recommend quite a few of my games, even including Mario & Sonic!)

OMG, has anyone seen the Sin & Punishment video? Worst player ever (Seriously, the person is so bad that it`s bound to turn some people off of the game :( )

As for download speeds, it`s probably just the channel getting hammered right now, it`ll probably get better over time.

[plank]

This is neat, the DS games demos are really cool. As for the video speed, I never had any problems with it at all.

[later]

eh http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/sys...ntendoInfo.jsp at the botom: "Available blocks on wii console will be sent to Nintendo" QUICK! Every fill up your memory to where you have EXACLY 0 blocks left! Maybe Nintendo will do something then Also: the voices on videos such as "What is WiiWare" and others are a bit to low....the music usually downs it out :\

Great find :)

[TwinIonEngines]

Jam Sessions isn't shovelware. It's not actually a game, and by that I don't mean that it's the sort of game that can be described as a non-game, I mean that it really is not a game. But there's nothing half-assed or shoddy about it - it's of very high quality and sophistication given the hardware it's running on.

[VOOK]

Not up in Australia yet, obviously, but I checked anyhow. When I chose "Australia" (as I was in "UK" before, it's been a while since I've gone on there) It now had the ability to put your "Mynintendo" e-mail in. But the e-mail slot is like 8 letters long! It's fucked! VOOOOOOOK!

I heard something about this happening, but 8 letters seriously? I'll try it out myself later and see what happens and email Nintendo about it. :/

[DaBargainHunta]

Jam Sessions isn't shovelware. It's not actually a game, and by that I don't mean that it's the sort of game that can be described as a non-game, I mean that it really is not a game. But there's nothing half-assed or shoddy about it - it's of very high quality and sophistication given the hardware it's running on.

That may be so, but it still seems ridiculously pointless. The question I asked when I first heard about the concept was "Why?"

The fact that you need headphones to get decent sound is a huge turn-off to me as well. Yes, headphones should enhance the sound, but they're practically a requirement in this case. No thanks.

To each his own though. If you like it, great.

[funkmastergeneral]

So what exactly does this channel do, lets you buy videogames online and DS demos for shitty games? (ninja gaiden notwithstanding)

[Nuclear Muffin]

Jam Sessions isn't shovelware. It's not actually a game, and by that I don't mean that it's the sort of game that can be described as a non-game, I mean that it really is not a game. But there's nothing half-assed or shoddy about it - it's of very high quality and sophistication given the hardware it's running on.

It feels like a homebrew application...

[Stumpokapow]

So what exactly does this channel do, lets you buy videogames online and DS demos for shitty games? (ninja gaiden notwithstanding)

DS demos, video reels of upcoming games, product info pages for the back catalogues of game, and user reviews and recommendations.

[TheGreatDave]

So what exactly does this channel do, lets you buy videogames online and DS demos for shitty games? (ninja gaiden notwithstanding)

That and view trailers for released games, see release dates, etc. It's basically a promotional tool.

[Rancid Mildew]

I'm having no speed issues with video or DS demo downloads though I had to restart my download three times. I'm liking this channel a lot and it's the most useful one yet in my opinion. I hope my Fire Emblem recommendation finds a new fan. The most surprising thing so far is that it's recommendations for me are perfectly accurate though I suppose useless since I know months in advance what I will be purchasing.

The biggest issue so far is storage space. If I keep this as a permanent fixture on my system, I'll have only 482 blocks left along with the VC games I am currently playing. That means I'll only be getting one WiiWare game at launch or maybe even none at all depending on the size. I wish I could delete the Forecast and News Channel.

[DaBargainHunta]

Another thought: Screenshots for the game profile pages would be a nice addition. I'm surprised they'd leave something so obvious out. Hopefully it's coming.

[Pizza Luigi]

Is it possible for an European (Dutch guy, in this case) to get the channel?

[VOOK]

Is it possible for an European (Dutch guy, in this case) to get the channel?

Not unless you have a US Wii, 30th for Euro/Aussie lands.

[TwinIonEngines]

That may be so, but it still seems ridiculously pointless. The question I asked when I first heard about the concept was "Why?" The fact that you need headphones to get decent sound is a huge turn-off to me as well. Yes, headphones should enhance the sound, but they're practically a requirement in this case. No thanks. To each his own though. If you like it, great.

I'm not that into it - but I recognize well made software that's had effort put into its design and construction. Not recognizing the appeal is one thing, but "shovelware" is a pejorative that carries many connotations of poor quality, lazy design and slipshod execution.

With regards to the headphones issue, this is actually another indicator of the product's high quality. The fact that the DS speakers are inadequate to the demands of the application is a limit of the DS hardware. The capability of the sound chips in the DS exceeds the capability of its output speakers, and the software is using the full dynamic range of the sound chips.

Before you ask, "why not have a mode for the integrated speakers?" let me answer that the only way to do it would be to pre-amp everything up to a higher volume which would kill the sound quality and be useless to the people who would actually want the product.

Who are they? Guitar players who could use something much smaller and more portable than a guitar to compose and record riffs on. Then they can listen to them later when they have their guitar handy.

It feels like a homebrew application...

It's got lots of menus and options... most homebrew isn't nearly as responsive, fast, powerful, configurable or stable as this product.

[Ysiadmihi]

I love how you can view clips of VC titles in this channel, but NOT in the Shop channel

[plank]

I love how you can view clips of VC titles in this channel, but NOT in the Shop channel

And I like how you could view clips of Wii/GC games in this channel, but Not in the disc loading chan....... Oh wait. :/

[Pizza Luigi]

I have a Freeloader :P

But thanks anyway ;)

[MutFox]

Just watched the Miyamoto WiiFit interview. :P

[DeathMonkey]

I won't let me recommend Pro Evolution Soccer 2008! What?!

Which third party games CAN you recommend? I'm unable to give recommendations to many of my third party Virtual Console games either. (I could give recommendation info for Ristar and Gunstar Heroes, but not Sonic the Hedgehog?)

[PolyGone]

I won't let me recommend Pro Evolution Soccer 2008! What?! Which third party games CAN you recommend? I'm unable to give recommendations to many of my third party Virtual Console games either. (I could give recommendation info for Ristar and Gunstar Heroes, but not Sonic the Hedgehog?)

you need to have played them for more than an hour to be able to give recommendations

[botticus]

i found NG to be better than the damn console version, honestly. had lots more fun with it. this game was supposed to suck

You were obviously listening to the wrong people. Those people being the ones that never played it.

Looks like I have something to look forward to downloading tonight! Too bad none of the demos really interest me, but I'll get Flash Focus just to try it out.

[Warren Ellis]

how do you play downloaded ds demos on the ds ?

[Lee N]

The Nintendo Channel must be getting hammered now, streaming videos is really slow.

[neight]

What a pleasant surprise. Did not know this was hitting today. Videos are streaming for me just fine. Ninja Gaiden for the DS was really awesome. I had my reservations about that game. DS demos is a really neat feature here's hoping lots of games get demos.

[Cheez-It]

As many have said, it is *not* slow for everyone. Mine buffer in less than 3 seconds, and haven't had any hiccups whatsoever. It's either your ISP, an issue between you and Nintendo servers, or an issue with Nintendo servers only affecting a select few (I don't know if they use resource reservation, but this third option would only make sense if they reserve bandwidth for each connection, and I connected when it was available, and you connected and it somehow allocated less than the needed amount. My guess is one of the first two issues).

[Atilac]

I hope nintendo releases a harddrive addon. I don't wanna buy a new system!!!

[Mithos]

you need to have played them for more than an hour to be able to give recommendations

That day? Week? Month?

I have played all my Wii games more then 10 hours, only Super Mario Galaxy + Tomb Raider Anniversary showed up in the recommendation menu.

[TwinIonEngines]

That day? Week? Month? I have played all my Wii games more then 10 hours, only Super Mario Galaxy + Tomb Raider Anniversary showed up in the recommendation menu.

Don't know what to tell you, unless some of your historical message board "playtime" data got wiped (posting too many photos to the message board can do this). I just got done filling out a recommendation for Sonic, so it's definitely one of the listed game.

[Lee N]

As many have said, it is *not* slow for everyone. Mine buffer in less than 3 seconds, and haven't had any hiccups whatsoever. It's either your ISP, an issue between you and Nintendo servers

I have a 100mbit connection so it should be plenty fast enough. Though I guess it could have something to do with me living in Europe.

Still, the videos in the Metroid Preview Channel streamed just fine and I imagine that being based on the same technology.

[RBH]

It warms my heart to see so many people enjoying the Ninja Gaiden DS demo.

Buy the game please, b/c it needs all the sales it can get. :(

[Cheez-It]

I have a 100mbit connection so it should be plenty fast enough. Though I guess it could have something to do with me living in Europe. Still, the videos in the Metroid Preview Channel streamed just fine and I imagine that being based on the same technology.

Heh. Yup. Streaming video doesn't mix well with routing via BGP half way across the world (assuming N servers for the US channel which you are accessing are located in the US).

[nincompoop]

Are we not allowed to make recommendations for third party titles or something? Lawl.

[evilromero]

I really don't want to clear room in my fridge.

[Lee N]

Heh. Yup. Streaming video doesn't mix well with routing via BGP half way across the world (assuming N servers for the US channel which you are accessing are located in the US).

It works now though.. so whatever caused the previous buffering - it's fixed now.