The Disc Channel is one of the most basic. It provides a way to use Wii discs that hold games. It’s also backwards compatible with the Nintendo GameCube, so those who have used that system can enjoy their Wii and still take advantage of all that hard-earned knowledge and software from the Wii predecessor.

The Wii Shop is one of the primary gateways to much, much more. Through it, Wii users can acquire all kinds of great software and accessories from Nintendo. Far from a mere marketing tool – though, hey, Nintendo wants to earn revenue, sure – it is a portal that opens up thousands of new possibilities.

One of those possibilities is the Internet Channel. It provides a mechanism to download a version of the Opera 9 browser and use the Wii system to navigate the World Wide Web. Working in conjunction with the Wiimote, users can point-and-click, zoom, and more to access everything the Internet offers with a secure and easy-to-use browser. Using the TV as an Internet monitor has been a goal of gaming and computer enthusiasts for a long time, and now it has arrived.

Many more options open up via the Virtual Console, another channel. This one provides dozens of legacy games that can be used with the Classic Controller, the GameCube Controller, and others. For long-time gamers who remember Nintendo 64 and more – or new ones who want to explore what gaming has offered all these years – it’s a cornucopia of game delights.

The Mii Channel will delight many gamers, young and old. These Nintendo characters extend your gaming fun. They can play a role in dozens of Wii adventures. They can be tailored and kids will find no end of ways to do so.

There are channels for grown-ups, too. The Everybody Votes Channel houses many national polls that give you a chance to have your views counted. The News Channel provides one way to get informed so you can vote wisely. The Wii Message Board let’s you exchange messages to influence friends and family, or just let them know what you’re up to.

When you do, you might want to use the Photo Channel to grab some images out of email or off the SD card inserted in the Wii to display on your TV. Using Wii Internet you can share them via any Internet-based email system.

The Forecast Channel adds one more dimension to explore the world of Wii and beyond. This service provides automatically updated weather reports from around the globe. So, if you’re playing a Wii game with a friend overseas, you can each share what the world is like in your neighborhood.

The Wii system offers much more than gaming, as central as that is to the whole experience. Explore some of them using Wii Channels.

Since it is in essence an Internet connection (that’s where the game updates, messages, and more come from) it relies on underlying mechanisms. One of the more important aspects is the Wii’s built-in Wi-Fi support. Wi-Fi allows the Wii to wirelessly connect to the Internet.

There are a few different ways to support that connectivity. One is to make use of a wireless router you have already in place in your home computer network. If you don’t have that as part of your network design, you can take advantage of the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector. This small device plugs into your computer’s USB port and acts like a mini-wireless router for a system that is hard-wired to the Internet.

Once your Internet connectivity is established, using WiiConnect24 is straightforward. It enables any Wii console to remain connected to the Internet 24 hours per day (hence the name) while in standby mode. In that mode it’s possible to receive the game updates, messages, and more referred to above. Forecast Channel and News Channel both use WiiConnect24 to receive up-to-date information, for example.

There is a potential problem with that feature that has affected some Wii consoles. Wi-Fi connectivity can produce excess heat, the enemy of all electronic systems. In standby mode with WiiConnect24, the Wii uses more power, nearly 10 watts as opposed to just a bit more than 1 watt without it. When the internal temperature becomes too great, chips misbehave, sometimes even suffering permanent damage.

It’s rare, and it’s pretty easy to minimize the probability of that happening.

Early victims of the problem suspected it was WiiConnect24 itself creating the risk. But that’s just a software element and so it can’t produce heat. Others suspected the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) was at fault, since one way the problem shows up is through random darkened pixels on the screen. But that’s a side-effect, not the underlying cause. With the system in standby mode, there’s no way a graphics unit can produce excess heat.

After much research, Nintendo found that the Wi-Fi components inside the console were responsible for the problem for those few systems that experienced it. Fortunately, the cure is straightforward.

Despite the name, few systems are designed to be on 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Those (like PCs and Macs) have special software, fans, and more  that help reduce heat. The heat is produced by the chips themselves as electricity passes through them all day. The Wii, too, has a fan and vents to expel heat and cool the components, but they have to be allowed to work properly. Keeping your Wii in a well-ventilated area with none of its vents covered or too close to a wall can head off problems before they occur.

If that doesn’t do the trick as you can detect by touching the side of your Wii and finding it excessively hot to the touch, external cooling fans are an option. In the worst case, which isn’t very bad after all, just completely power off your Wii once in a while. Daily power-off is rarely needed, but that’s an option, too. The Wii boots up quickly.

Once you’ve established your WiiConnect24, you’ll be able to get updates for Animal Crossing, Big Brain Academy, Mario Kart, and many more games. You’ll be able to tell that your feature is working by the yellow color of the Power LED (red means off). Once you receive updates the Wii Optical Drive will glow blue and/or flash depending on your firmware level or what sort of data has been received.

The Nintendo Wii is a video game console that makes use of revolutionary motion-detecting technology to allow people to play video games without using a traditional controller. Instead, Wii players use the Wii remote, among other Wii devices, to play the game of their choice. There are a wide range of games available for the Wii so all ages and skill levels can play on it. You can also use the Wi-Fi to link up with people around the world to play and develop your gaming skills when no one else is around (hint!).

People enjoy playing with the Nintendo Wii because it involves player interaction. Players use the Wii remotes to actually simulate playing tennis, baseball or boxing. Or, they might use a wireless steering wheel to direct their car while playing a racing game. The Nintendo Wii really allows players to bring their imaginations into their game playing, giving them a more satisfying experience.

The Nintendo Wii is truly a family oriented video gaming system. Mom and Dad can go head to head in a bowling match while the kids compete on the race track to win the latest race. The Nintendo Wii gets the family off their rearends and up and moving as they participate in various games.  In fact, you can challenge the family to a golf tournament, tennis match or bowling marathon. The fun is endless!

The added benefit of a Nintendo Wii is the recently-released Wii Fit platform. Designed to provide a fun workout, the Wii Fit will help you get in shape. The weight-detecting platform senses your motions while you exercise to specific Wii Fit workouts. The exercises tend to be pretty simple… pushups, leg extensions, yoga poses, running in place, hula hooping, balance games, etc… As you progress, you gain more games and longer workouts for the ones you’re already doing. This is a plus as it makes your workouts more varied.

The Nintendo Wii is truly the first, and only, video game platform that the whole family can enjoy. Get a Nintendo Wii for your family for the holidays this year and you’ll be sure to see an increase in quality time with your family in the upcoming year!

What’s most appealing about the Wii is that it is designed for family use. The Nintendo Wii forces you to move while you play. If you want to sit still while playing this system it will be difficult to do, so burning extra calories while you play is almost a given with this unit.

The movements you have to do to make these games work are almost life-like motions so it makes it more fun. The included boxing and tennis games really can give you a great workout as you can compete against the computer or a friend next to you. The bowling game is very close to actual bowling with the motions you have to do to make it work. The Nintendo Wii offers a whole new realm to gaming.

An improved gaming lineup is another big plus of this unit. When the unit first came out there weren’t many games available for just the Wii, but now its selection rivals the Xbox and Playstation systems. More and more game companies are having games created for the Wii. The Wii also enables people to play GameCube games on the system which also has a huge selection as well, and old GameCube games can be found for an extremely low cost online.

Probably one of the greatest features of the Nintendo Wii is that it allows you to purchase and download old games from the regular Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and the Nintendo 64 systems. With this one unit you can play games from five different systems, and can also relive your childhood days of playing the original Mario Brothers or other original games.

The Nintendo Wii is not just for boys who like shooting aliens. There are lots of activities that make it simple and fun for the whole family, from very young to very old. This is truly one system that is totally worth the money, and something you need to get for your entire family.