If you found your Wii console glowing with an unearthly blue aura, it means there's a new update. This time it's the Check Mii Out channel, the latest addition to the Wii's family of mostly useless novelties. Basically, it lets you enter your Mii creations into a popularity contest, and rate other submissions from around the world. I downloaded it today and it's a fun little distraction, but really, I wish Nintendo would spend their time and money on more useful firmware updates. I'm still waiting on that SD card storage, or a USB hard drive so I can download Guitar Hero songs.
Nintendo Says 'Check Mii Out' With Creative New Channel for Wii
Free Interactive Channel Lets Users View, Vote for the Best Mii Creations
REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- It's no secret that fans of
Nintendo's Wii(TM) system love their Mii(TM) characters -- those adorably
cartoonish caricatures of friends and family members that can be used in games
like Wii Sports(TM). Some of the more artistic fans have even taken it upon
themselves to make Miis of celebrities, politicians and fictional characters.
Nintendo supports consumers' creative spirit with the Nov. 11 evening launch
of the Check Mii Out Channel. This free new channel can be downloaded from the
WiiWare(TM) section of the Wii Shop Channel by people who have their Wii
systems connected to the Internet.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061011/LAW104LOGO)
"The Check Mii Out Channel lets people show off their Mii creations and
vote on those created by others," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's
senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "It's yet
another way that we're building fun, interactive communities of Wii owners
without charging them extra for the privilege."
In the Posting Plaza, users can submit, exchange or just browse Miis
posted by others in their region or worldwide. The channel offers the ability
to look at a random selection of 1,000 Miis or to see just the current or
all-time favorites. Players have a variety of ways to search for specific
Miis, including by the name of its creator or by a number specific to each
Mii. Once users have found that "special Mii," they can even tag their
favorites or import them to their own Wii systems.
The contest section of the Check Mii Out Channel challenges users to
submit Mii creations to represent a specific person, character or theme. These
could include historical figures (Abraham Lincoln or Vincent Van Gogh),
fictional characters (the Tooth Fairy or the New Year's Baby) or descriptive
themes ("the biggest bully ever" or "the overbearing boss"). Users can then
vote on Miis submitted by others to determine the Mii that best fits the
challenge. Each contest will generally last two weeks: one for creating and
submitting Miis, and the second week for people to vote on the results.
The Check Mii Out Channel is the latest addition to other fun, interactive
informational channels, such as the News Channel, Everybody Votes Channel and
Forecast Channel. Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults
manage the content their children can access. For more information about this
and other Wii features, 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(TM), Nintendo DS(TM), Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo
GameCube(TM) systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.4 billion video
games and more than 420 million hardware units globally, and has created
industry icons like Mario(TM), Donkey Kong(R), Metroid(R), Zelda(TM) and
Pokemon(R). 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 http://www.nintendo.com.
