Nintendo Offers Wii Internet Channel Free

[Earnest Cavalli]

Nintendo Offers Wii Internet Channel Free

Like so many used car dealers looking to move some 1985 Cadillac El Dorados, Nintendo has decided to add value to its Wii console by offering the Internet Channel for free.

Based on the Opera Internet Browser, the Wii Internet Channel allows Wii owners to surf the 'net, watch YouTube videos and ... who are we kidding? You can use it to stare at porn.

Right about this point all those Wii owners who purchased the Internet Channel for its previous price of 500 Wii Points are feeling a bit ticked that they wasted their hard earned cash.

Nintendo, realizing this might happen, has vowed to offer a free NES title from the Wii's Virtual Console to anyone who already owns the Internet Channel.

According to Nintendo, those NES games should become available sometime in October.

While offering Wii owners access to the internet isn't quite as tempting as the recent price cuts Sony and Microsoft have instituted on their respective consoles, it is something, right?


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[Deathsong17]

Cool, it was pointless charging for something that is inferior to something you can get for free.

 

[MR T3D]

well, shouldn't that feature been free from the begenning?
until one can shove a keyboard in the bottom of the remote, gonna still use the PC to surf.

 

[DrunkWithPower]

Oh Nintendo, your so cute when you try to tempt me into buying your product. And for the record, I'm not buying a Wii until they bring out Dunt Hunt WITH the Lazer Zapper AND orignal graphics.

 

[randomrob]

wow my wii may now actually be of some vague use to me as something other than an object to distract my smaller cousins for 10 minutes every christmas.

 

[Yoshi_egg80]

To believe I actually bought that channel just a week ago. This makes no sense it was free for starters then they put a price tag on it and now this? Make up your minds!

 

[black lincon]

and I was one of the smart ones who got the internet channel when it was free before this.

 

[Quadtrix]

I updated it as soon as I got home, but I'm not a big fan of the idea of having internet browsers on a console in the first place. Such a feature seems to be used mainly for watching videos on the viewer's favorite video streaming site, or perhaps even used in place of an actual computer (though the latter is unlikely). I'd much rather see channels that are built solely for the purpose of streaming video on one's TV as seamless as watching it on a typical computer monitor.

 

[Littaly]

Yupp, it's at least something. Always wanted to try it out so I guess this is good news

 

[GonzoGamer]

and I was one of the smart ones who got the internet channel when it was free before this.

Oh good it was. I know I have it and I know I didn't pay for it. I've probably spent more time on the Wiicade site than on actual wii games; check out dice wars.

I guess I'm smart too but also a bit forgetfull.

 

[thatstheguy]

I wonder if I'll still be able to get the free NES game since I got it when it was free. That would be pretty freggin' sweet.

 

[Ophiuchus]

Well, that's jolly nice of them. Can't imagine I'll get tons of use out of it when the Wii sits right here and shares the same screen as the computer and 360, but free is free so it'd be rude not to get it.

 

[Desert Tiger]

I've got enough porn on my PS3, thanks.

 

[sirdanrhodes]

So... We're basically only going to use this for the iPlayer without moving our computers eh?

 

[0p3rati0n]

I already have the Internet channel and I find it really suckish. Only because it's slow and when your typing a keyboard has to come up for it. So it's a good idea to give something in return if you have the internet channel which you have to pay for. But it should have been free in the first place. The DSi has the web browser for free! But you can't go very far into the internet cause it will take up to much memory in which you'll have to get off. I only use the DSi web browser to update stuff on my website for my profile.

 

[Cryo84R]

So is the Wii internet channel like pokemon golden showers?

And no, I'm never going to let you people forget that Nintendo named a product after piss.

 

[Desert Tiger]

I've got enough porn on my PS3, thanks.

You mean video? Last time i checked only flash drives could be used to play back video with the PS3. Where do you keep your files?

Um, no. Youtube, Flash... hell, even the Escapist videos work on the PS3 browser.

But those obviously aren't the sites I frequent ^_^

Anyway, enough about my masturbation habits - THE THREAD MUST GO ON!

 

[shMerker]

This isn't about selling the console. The majority of Wii owners do not have their system connected to the internet. This isn't surprising since the system is being bought by a lot of people who are not very tech-savvy. Meanwhile Nintendo would prefer people be connected because it allows them to send out firmware updates and reach out through the Nintendo channel. Making the browser free is a move intended to increase the value of having your system connected to the internet, which in turn encourages people to hook it up, or at least call a friend or relative that can hook it up for them.