Ten Nintendo Wii Channels Gamers Would Love To Have

With the recent release of the Netflix Channel on Wii, many gamers are finding themselves wondering what other useful applications or channels could appear on the Wii console. Previously a disc was required to stream Netflix movies to the Wii, but now the service is even more convenient. What other services, apps, or channels could the Wii really use?

1. The Friend Channel

The Nintendo Wii has a number of awesome games with online multiplayer- Super Smash Brothers Brawl, The Conduit, Monster Hunter Tri, Battalion Wars 2, Mario Strikers Charged, Animal Crossing: City Folk, and many others. Still, it lacks an app for simply checking to see what friends on your Wii list are currently online doing. While the Wii Speak Channel somewhat achieved this, it really didn't have enough features to be considered a substitute. It would be much easier to hop online for a match in Samurai Warriors 3 or Goldeneye 007 if you could see which of your friends are on and playing it.

2. The Mii Social Channel

While Home comes across as a pitiful attempt to emulate the success of Miis and the Sims, a Nintendo-oriented social hub with Miis as the centerpiece could be an awesome addition to the Wii menu. Imagine chatting with friends, decorating your own home, and displaying in-game accomplishments in your friends. A sort-of, exclusive Facebook for Wii owners.

3. The DVD Channel

This one has been heavily requested. At one point Nintendo teased gamers with the possibility of an eventual release of a DVD-compatible Wii, but no such developments have occurred. We know from Homebrew efforts that the Wii can play DVDs- why not have an official release?

4. The Wii Casino Channel

This is more a personal interest. As a lover of virtual gambling titles and games of chance, a Casino Channel would be a lot of fun. Betting virtual coins and winning digital Nintendo items could get quite addictive. Slot machines, card games, roulette, and all other sorts of casino-styled games could be implemented along with Mii and Wi-fi support. The Wii needs more free, time-killer channels!

5. The Wii Arcade Channel

The Arcade scene has been all but absent from gaming these days. A revival on the Nintendo Wii alongside the Casino Channel could make leisure gaming a go-to feature for the little white box. Motion-controlled original or revived arcade games could be a great pastime for Wii owners looking for a fun diversion between big releases. A nice selection of fighting games, light-gun shooters, parlor games, and racing games would be great. Personally, I'd love to see a casino-styled & arcade-styled pair of channels release for the Nintendo Wii- like any site that hosts free mini-games, this could be a hit.

6. The Organizer Channel

This little app could function as a editable calendar, diary, calculator, sketch book or memo pad, address book, and an e-mail service. As a bonus, it could be Wi-fi enabled to offer horoscopes and the current weather- through connectivity with the Weather Channel. A day-planner channel would be easy to develop and very useful for everyday use. I'd certain appreciate it.

7. The Nintendo DS Player Channel

One of the few disappointing aspects to the Nintendo DS has been the fact that it hasn't followed previous Nintendo handhelds' trend of being playable on TV screens. A Wii Channel that would allow you to project the top screen of your DS onto the TV would be, put simply, awesome. Imagine playing Pokemon SoulSilver or Jump Superstars on the big screen!

8. The Spectator Channel

As someone who has been addicted to SSBB's Spectator Mode, I can say that a Wi-Fi Spectator Channel would be a great feature. Similar to the Nintendo Channel, it could stream footage of Wi-fi gameplay across a multitude of titles .I'd certainly love to kickback and view the occasional race in Excitebots: Trick Racing or relax to some Endless Ocean: Blue World.

9. The Game Data Channel

I love statistics- especially when it comes to gaming. I love knowing how many hours I've played a game or how many times I've played it. While the Nintendo Channel does a great job of recording those two stats, there are a few issues. Not all Wii games can be found on the Nintendo Channel. I know I've clocked in over seventy hours in Godzilla Unleashed, Phantom Brave: We Meet Again, and DBZ: Tenkaichi 3- yet they are nowhere to be found on there. The Game Data Channel would be a source of all the general information and stats collected over your library of games.

10. The Club Nintendo Channel

This is my final idea for a Wii Channel- one devoted to Club Nintendo. Here you could take surveys to earn coins, register games, redeem coins for prizes, and browse the inner mechanisms of Club Nintendo from the convenience of your own couch. I'd enjoy voting in polls and being kept up to date on the latest Nintendo news. Not enough gamers know about Club Nintendo and this is the perfect way to get the word out!