A Neat Wii Mod

As I have mentioned before, many of you are probably disappointed that the Wii Disc Slot LEDs aren’t always illuminated. Well, be depressed no more, for a neat little group called SICKmods has figured out a neat way for your Wii to glow most of the time in unique ways. Check out their demo video:

More information from SICKmods.

Wii Classic Controller Avaiable at Amazon

If you have been waiting to purchase the Classic Controller, now is your chance! As of 9:33 PM MST, I received an e-mail from Amazon.com saying the Classic Controller is now in stock. I am heading to bed now, so I won’t be checking Amazon.com again until 12 PM MST. So, if the Classic Controller is sold out when you click the link, post a comment. It should be interesting to see how long it takes for the Classic Controler to sell out.

Update:
The Wii Nunchuck is also available! No such luck for any of you who want a remote, though.

Update #2:
I just checked Amazon.com, and the Nunchuck and Classic Controller are sold out once more. I am not quite sure when they sold out, but I checked Amazon at 3:24 AM MST, so sometime before then. I checked Amazon on Christmas Day, and at that point they still did have some left. I am pretty surprised that the Nunchuck and Classic Controller were in stock for longer than a day.

Wii Internet Channel Trial Version Now Available in the US

I just checked the Wii Shop Channel, and there it was, right on the front page – the Internet Channel Trial Version. I haven’t used it too much, all I have done so far is I logged into WordPress and wrote this entry. The Browser seems to work nicely, though. WordPress and my blog loaded quickly. However, as I was writing this, my Wii did experience a full system freeze. But, it is a trial version, so it can’t be expected to be perfect.

Happy Wii browsing!

Beta Version of the Opera Browser for the Wii Avaiable for Download Friday

What a treat! Nintendo just released the Forecast Channel on Wednesday, and now, only two days later, a beta version of the Opera browser (Internet Channel) will be available. Here is the press release from Nintendo:

FREE OPERA INTERNET BROWSER CONNECTS THE WORLD TO WII

Starting Dec. 22, Beta Version Lets Users Surf from the Comfort of their Couches

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 19, 2006 – Nintendo’s wildly popular Wii™ home video game system not only revolutionizes how people play games, but it also entices new people into the world of gaming. On Dec. 22, Nintendo and Opera Software bring the Internet to the living room couch with a free beta version of the Opera Web browser. Wii owners who are connected and have activated the Wii Shop Channel can download a free beta version of the Opera browser to activate the Internet Channel of the Wii Menu and begin surfing the Web.

“This newest Wii Menu channel provides yet another feature to draw non-gamers in,” says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “All kinds of people already have discovered that Wii is like nothing they have ever tried before, and our red-hot sales reflect this public enthusiasm.”

“Our software brings the power and reach of the Internet to the hottest video game system available,” says Scott Hedrick, Executive Vice President, Devices, at Opera Software. “Wii’s unique interface adds a new dimension to our browser, making it a useful tool that the whole family will enjoy operating with ease.”

The final version of the Opera browser will be available at the end of March 2007, and will be free for all Wii owners to download through the end of June 2007. After June, users who haven’t already downloaded the Opera browser can go to the Wii Shop Channel to download it for 500 Wii Points.

The Internet Channel provides an optimal Web browsing experience on people’s home television. The Adobe Flash-enabled beta version of the Opera browser puts the Internet right onto owners’ television screens and lets them browse with ease, enabling them to check sports scores, plot maps or visit their favorite Web sites. Multiple family members can gather around the television to plan a vacation or make online purchases. The pointing abilities of the Wii Remote™ allow users to click on links they want to see or to zoom into any part of the screen through the motion of the controller. In addition, the Wii Remote can be used with an on-screen keyboard to make text entry as easy as point and click.

The Internet Channel joins the four already-live channels: Disc Channel, Photo Channel, Mii™ Channel and Wii Shop Channel. The Forecast Channel goes live on Dec. 20 and provides current and future weather information that can be accessed using a text list of cities or by using the Wii Remote to zoom in on a 3-D interactive globe. Weather information is provided by Weathernews. The Internet Channel, Forecast Channel and Wii Shop Channel are available at no charge, though they require Wii owners to have a high-speed Internet connection. For more information about Wii, visit Wii.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.

Forecast Channel Goes Live (one day early)

For those of you who have your standby connection turned on and an internet connection, you may have awakened this morning to see your slot light pulsating. Go to your message board and you will find a note from Nintendo! This note announces the launch of the Forecast Channel, and gives you a picture you can play with in the Photo Channel. After you update, you will see the spot for the Forecast Channel on your Wii change from a dull gray to a nice blue.

Before you all start posting about the title of this post, yes, I do realize that it is the 20th already in some parts of the globe. Namely, Nintendo’s home, Japan.

Broken Sensor Bar Solution #2

I mentioned before that there is a way to fake the Sensor Bar using any kind of infrared remote. There is another option, however, which I just discovered. In some areas of the Wii (the Wii Menu, disc channel, message board, options, and maybe other channels), you can use the Classic Controller instead of the Wii remote for the pointer. Some games will work without the Sensor Bar, too. Wii Sports will let you use the the d-pad on the remote instead of the pointer, and there is an option in Twilight Princess to use the control stick on the nunchuck instead of the pointer, just to give some examples.

I unplugged my sensor bar during my testing, so this will definitely work for you if you do have the Classic Controller. It is a little quirky, though. For example, sometimes it would let me use the Classic Controller to select options in the Home Button menu, and sometimes it would not. I tried plugging GameCube controllers into every port, and sadly, that would not work to move the pointer. So, if your sensor bar is busted and you have the classic controller, great! You will be able to use most functions while you wait for a replacement sensor bar. If not, oh well, the other solution works at least well enough for you to get into the disc channel.