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Nintendo launched a new Wii Channel in its homeland Japan today according to IGN, called the Television Friend Channel, or Terebi no Tomo Channel, according to IGN. Like the Mii Contest Channel, Everybody Votes Channel, and etc. before it, it’s available for download free of charge.

As you’d expect, the Channel adds a television program guide to Wii, with program information offered up to one week before airing and searches possible by genre and key words. Although it doesn’t matter much to the rest of the world, it covers Chijou Digital, Chijou Analogue, BS Digital and BS Analogue broadcasts.

There’s Nintendo style though, with a ’stamp’ feature allowing you to highlight programs of interest with a Mii-themed stamp, and to be alerted to those highlighted by your friends and family. These are also tracked and the Wii will rate programs out of five stars based on viewer interest.

Some more neat functionality is employed, with the Wii able to send out alerts to mobile phones or email addresses, and the Wii Remote able to operate as a TV remote for channel surfing and volume control. Nintendo achieves this by having the Wii Sensor Bar send out a signal which is magically bounced off a wall and transmitted back to the TV.

Unfortunately, the chances of the Channel making its way to Australia might be slim, with Nintendo of Europe telling Eurogamer that there are “no plans for Europe.”

Source: aussie-nintendo.com

Japanese video games group Nintendo hopes to prise British couch potatoes off the sofa and help them get into shape with the launch of a new version of its bestselling Wii console in the spring.

Video game players are traditionally to be found hunched over their computers but Wii Fit, which will hit European stores on April 25, is designed to give them a proper workout.

With obesity reaching critical levels in the UK, the Wii Fit may provide some people with an enjoyable alternative to visiting the gym. As it is designed to be used in the comfort - and seclusion - of a person’s home, it allows the unfit to get back into shape without the embarrassment of attending exercise classes as a beginner.
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