Man the Wii sure is getting updated a lot lately!

[hulkster]

well metroid is sweet  so that will tide me over for now. 

id love to get bioshock and stuff and but yeah..um...my 360 red ringed and im waiting on another console...which will probably tank on me as soon as i get it in.

[lcddream]

it's the last day of september, I wonder if there will be an update or announcement....

[RTSDaddy2]

I've been waiting for the blue light to hit off and on all day - so far nothing.  There better be an announcement as to what happened if no updates....I'm finding teasing by any corporation right now to  be getting pretty old.   

[hulkster]

well my wii is currently in the "meh" state.  i didnt finish metroid, although i think im really close.  i got my xbox back, and needed to be halo 2 in 4 days before halo 3 came out so i knew what fight i was actually supposed to finish.  halo 2=meh, same old same old.  halo 3=much better single player, multiplayer better, more options and stuff.  good game.  im hooked. 

[RTSDaddy2]

Blue light hit today - but I swear I've found nothing of use save two things I hadn't noticed before:

1) VC had two new releases, but both had previously only been available in Japan
2) Nintendo is offering those of us who bought our Wiis early free versions of the "Wii Jacket" that they are now including with the new systems....gloves to help protect the Wiimote if dropped or flying aroound, etc. (edit: this was via Wii Mail).

Does anybody know if the region free thing with the VC was supposed to be the big deal?  I grant  you it does open up a lot of games, but seems little to get excited about when I relate it to all the buildup in that video.

[RTSDaddy2]

Yet another update today - Internet Channel and Everybody votes are updated; Wii system upgrade to 3.1, and according to the wiimail, USB keyboards are now useable (check nintendo.com for which ones) with this release.

Of FAR more interest, I'd like to know if anybody else is seeing this next part.  I decided today to delete the MP: Preview channel from my Wii, so I went into the Wii setting /Wii Channel section.  When I did, though there is no new channel appearing on my menu, there is obviously one coming  for it....a white channel block appears with a huge "?" in the center of it.  You point to it and all that appears are three more ?

Apparently we are getting a new channel soon, but no notice of what joy (or disappointment) it may hold.

[patrickl]

Thanks for the heads up, I switched off my WiFi router so I didn't notice.

USB keyboards? Why not Bluetooth keyboards?

Finally Everybody Votes is working for me again. I kept getting some weird network error (while the network obviously was working fine since I downloaded the channel) I think I was able to use it once and then it broke.

[RTSDaddy2]

Nintendo was not specific, but the Wiimail indicated there was a problem with the previous update and Everybody Votes working together in harmony.  As to the USB vs. Bluetooth - your guess is as good as mine.  For me, I"m just glad to know we can stop trying to type with the wiimote....the last time they updated that it wasn't horrid, but damn it still was a pain in the butt compared to using a keyboard.

[patrickl]

They only mention a Logitech keyboard though

[RTSDaddy2]

POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT - NEWS FROM GOOGLE NEWS NOT VALIDATED, BUT INTERESTING! Read no further if you'd rather be surprised!
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I just saw online, via Googling DS News, where they are planning to allow those of us with both Wii and DS units to soon download DS demos from home, via the Wii.  Could we also soon see Wii Demos on the same channel?  Not a new idea, as XBox owners apparently already have this, but certainly a welcome one in my book!

[Samstag]

Why would you use a Wii to download DS demos when the DS has wireless?

[lcddream]

There is no way to connect to the internet for the ds with it's firmware...you would need a game or software to do it.

The wii will act like a download station that they sometimes have at game shows or stores.

[ChadTower]

I thought the DS does have net gaming capability... does it not have general net access?

[RTSDaddy2]

I guess I (once again) didn't do a great job of explaining what I'd found....and right now I'd still count it just as "rumor" and not "fact," because I've found nothing else.

 lcd has it right....instead of going to - say, Wal-Mart, for example - and downloading a demo game to your DS there, supposedly you will be able to do so from home, using the Wii as a download station.

[Samstag]

Apparently Nintendo announced this yesterday at a conference in Tokyo, so it's official.

I'm still wondering why you need a Wii when the DS already has the wireless hardware.  Maybe this is just the first step in making sure everyone with a Wii buys a DS, and vice versa?

Edit: Well, maybe not official, as every english site reporting it as fact seems to be using dsfanboy.com as a source.

[RTSDaddy2]

I do (finally) see your point Samstag...one does wonder, I suppose, why you couldn't just download the DS demo via your wireless link.  Beats me...when I stopped to really think about it, it didn't make much sense.

[AtomSmasher]

I do (finally) see your point Samstag...one does wonder, I suppose, why you couldn't just download the DS demo via your wireless link.  Beats me...when I stopped to really think about it, it didn't make much sense.

I don't think the DS has a lot of onboard memory to store the demos on, which would explain why they're going through the Wii.

[Samstag]

It uses onboard memory at the kiosks, apparently.  You get to keep the demo until you turn the DS off.

[lcddream]

I'm no expert, but this is how I think it works:

the ds cannot currently be told where to download anything from specifically. it just searches for a local wireless beacon that is serving information it understands (download play) this would come from a download station, another ds or soon the wii.

you would need some special cart that was programmed to specifically access some ip address to download from the internet. remember, when you set up your ds wireless setting you are only giving the software a means to find the internet. a gateway and the dns. The software takes care of connecting to the server. actually I remember there was some software awhile ago,  when people figured out how to transfer demo's downloaded at game shows from ds to rom, that allowed you to use your computer/wireless router as a download station to serve up demos....you had to of course have the flashme installed on your ds.

as far as I know there have been no official firmware updates for the ds, so we're all stuck with what came with it. so while it's possible, unless nintendo decides to issue a new firmware with the new ds's, we are resigned to use the wii or some other download station. after all why would nintendo defeat their own strategy for people to own both a wii and a ds?

edit:here is the instructions for the homebrew download station i mentioned...
http://forums.gametrailers.com/showthread.php?t=29869

[ChadTower]

I bet that if you had a cart that ran a simple DHCP client and a scaled way down web browser in the DS' os it would work just fine.  As you said, the client software is on the cart...

[RTSDaddy2]

Well, I had personally given up on a new channel coming any time soon for the Wii, but the rather lame sounding "Check Mii Out" channel is set to debut tonight, according to google news.

We'll see - it just makes me wonder how long now before all the internet Mii malls shut down.  Apparently this channel will allow users to examine and trade Miis back and forth via wireless. as well as hold contests, etc.  If the contests are fun, I could see some potential, but I'd still rather have the game demo download channel.

It's SUPPOSED to debut tonight (evening of 11/11). I love the Wii and I can't wait for someone to buy me Mario Galaxy, but I just can't get myself excited yet for this channel (although my little girl will love it).

[RTSDaddy2]

As of about 9:30 last night, EST, Check Mii Out had debuted.  It took a LONG time for that sucker to download....I suppose because several million others were doing the same.

Does it have any hope?  Well, perhaps.  It sure is a snoozer right now, but IF they'd tweak it just a little more, let the users suggest some contests (as per create a topic in everybody votes), it might be interesting just to see what folks would come up with. 

For instance, my wife suggested "Mii your favorite band" and challenged me to create a set of ABBA Miis.   Perhaps as a result of winning the contest, the winning creator would get his/her choice of one a) new Wii release,  b) 2000 Wii points, c) Wii zapper / etc.  They could even do this every 5th contest,  make it some grand prize, and have a boatload of people flock to it.

It is what it is - I could think of several other things I would have liked to have seen them done, but hey - today's Super Mario launch day...no need to sweat it too much!  Still a lot to do with the Wii!

[btp2k2]

That latest "Check Mii Out" update broke my internet connection to the Wii!

The damn thing worked fine for about a month, downloaded the new channel and now I get nothing but errors when trying to connect to anything

[RTSDaddy2]

Did you do an update before downloading the channel? Might want to delete it, update, and try again, unless I'm missing what you're telling me in  your post.  No problems with it here, but I'm thinking I did do the update first.  Sometimes that's necessary to make the new channels run.

[Howard_Casto]

As of about 9:30 last night, EST, Check Mii Out had debuted.  It took a LONG time for that sucker to download....I suppose because several million others were doing the same.

Does it have any hope?  Well, perhaps.  It sure is a snoozer right now, but IF they'd tweak it just a little more, let the users suggest some contests (as per create a topic in everybody votes), it might be interesting just to see what folks would come up with. 

For instance, my wife suggested "Mii your favorite band" and challenged me to create a set of ABBA Miis.   Perhaps as a result of winning the contest, the winning creator would get his/her choice of one a) new Wii release,  b) 2000 Wii points, c) Wii zapper / etc.  They could even do this every 5th contest,  make it some grand prize, and have a boatload of people flock to it.

It is what it is - I could think of several other things I would have liked to have seen them done, but hey - today's Super Mario launch day...no need to sweat it too much!  Still a lot to do with the Wii!

It's a nice thought, but unfortunately unless you live in Japan, nintendo doesn't award prizes to it's customers.  Just look at the club nintendo in japan and the lack of one anywhere else.