Easier to navigate and prettier to boot
Nintendo has rolled out the update that hit the Japanese Nintendo Channel a little while ago to North America today.
The channel now includes a much-improved navigation system, the option to stream "high-quality" video, reworked game recommendation setup, a better statistics presentation and a whole bunch of other reworked things. Another nice touch is that now the Channel icon on the Wii menu screen changes to reflect updates to it, similar to the Shop, Forecast and News channels.
We gave it a good, hard look when the revised channel hit Japan in July, and it seems that those impressions are still spot-on.
Hop on over to the Shop channel to get your update.

1. Jave
14 Sep 2009, 17:28 BST
I definitely love the new look and options. Certainly quite a considerable upgrade.
2. invmat
14 Sep 2009, 17:28 BST
Hopefully in Europe on Friday.
3. Kirk
14 Sep 2009, 17:29 BST
Now if only they would do the same thing with the dreadful Wii Shop Channel so we could see some decent full screen images and even some videos of the damn games they expect us to fork out our hard earned cash for.
Oh and how about some demos too Nintendo!
Isn't it about time already that they caught up with everyone frikin else!
4. Roopa132
14 Sep 2009, 17:31 BST
I want this for Europe,too. But Europe has such a limited offer. Especially since the Nintendo Channel is country bound which means I can't access the UK or US channel and just the stupid German one
5. MrPoo6321
14 Sep 2009, 17:32 BST
Did we get any games today?
6. Machu
14 Sep 2009, 17:34 BST
I'm jealous, hope it appears in blighty soon.
7. Red Yoshi
14 Sep 2009, 17:35 BST
Oh man...i love the look. Hopefully, this update coming this friday or the next few weeks.
8. Jave
14 Sep 2009, 17:58 BST
@MrPoo6321:
Three games came out on WiiWare: Mart Racer, Spaceball: Revolution, and Texas Hold 'Em Poker.
For DsiWare there are two titles: Art Academy: First Semester and Oscar in Toyland.
VC got Crash 'N The Boys: Street Challenge, for the NES.
9. RadioShadow
14 Sep 2009, 18:02 BST
The DS Download games suck compare to the ones Japan have on offer.
10. KnucklesSonic8
14 Sep 2009, 18:15 BST
YES!!!
11. motang
14 Sep 2009, 18:17 BST
Seriously, why Nintendo, why do you always bring to cool updates when I am at work?!? X-o
12. Devil_Hunter_Dante
14 Sep 2009, 18:25 BST
haha i thought they said they wasnt going to update it ? well anyways cool
13. stokley316
14 Sep 2009, 18:27 BST
This is useless, the nintendo channel offers nothing to wii owners, I deleted that stupid channel after I realized the demos were just for dsi owners. I have the Internet if I want too look at new games. Thanks but no thanks nintendo
14. Tony
14 Sep 2009, 18:36 BST
'The channel now includes a much-improved navigation system, the option to stream "high-quality" video"
Thank goodness they addressed that issue
15. invmat
14 Sep 2009, 18:52 BST
@Roopa 132, I changed my country settings to United Kingdom to access the UK Nintendo Channel.
Another reason for me to do this were games which had a Dutch language option, I can't see/play/like/enjoy games when they're in Dutch.
But this option comes with one problem: if you change the language, you mess up your whole WiiConnect 24 settings, so it's your choice.
16. Turkey Brutus
14 Sep 2009, 19:03 BST
Dumb question, but did we get the Internet Channel update in NA yet? I haven't had my Wii online in ages, but if that's available, I want to grab it ASAP.
17. Bring Back Pluto
14 Sep 2009, 19:06 BST
@Chicken Brutus Yeah we got an update....dummy.... internet channel now supports flash 8....the portable one.
Also I wonder if people liked the old Nintendo channel so much that this turns into another "icarian" problem where people refuse to update because of a change.
18. Vendetta
14 Sep 2009, 19:12 BST
Good upgrade. Just use the D-pad to page back and forth so as not to induce slide-out mayhem trying to point at the L/R arrows. I was trying to use the -/+ buttons, you know, the convention of the Wii Menu et al. but to no avail. Duh. Also, the Channel's icon on the Wii menu updated on the old version, but this one looks better.
19. wanderlustwarrior
14 Sep 2009, 19:13 BST
update seems to be mandatory.
Anyone else having trouble downloading the update for this?
20. Cheezy
14 Sep 2009, 19:35 BST
Finally!!!
21. Egg miester
14 Sep 2009, 19:36 BST
i really like the new nintendo channel update the interface, how it keeps track of all the games you played and for how long/how many times played
22. gameking23
14 Sep 2009, 19:41 BST
I knew this would come eventualy.
23. Stuffgamer1
14 Sep 2009, 19:51 BST
What Egg miester said. I was VERY surprised to see the Internet Channel listed with the most play hours on my system. Followed by Animal Crossing, Twilight Princess, Brawl, and Paper Mario (the VC original). I need to play more Brawl. It can't be bested by a game I got rid of two months after release!
24. Hardy83
14 Sep 2009, 19:56 BST
With the DS download option on the front now, I'm really hoping they push it more... Or at all really. lol
25. nintendo87
14 Sep 2009, 20:21 BST
i love this new look!!
26. Egg miester
14 Sep 2009, 20:26 BST
@stuffgamer1 my two top games were the same i was shocked to see over 800 hours put into internet channel and animal crossings
27. Starwolf_UK
14 Sep 2009, 20:39 BST
@Bring Back Pluto
Since the Nintendo channel has to connect to a specific server to do anything all using an old version will do is bring up a message saying the channel has been updated and maybe even a direct link to it with the Wii shop.
Anyway, can't wait for this to come to Europe to see how "Nintendo's" playtime compares with my calculated playtime.
28. Tails86
14 Sep 2009, 21:02 BST
i like the new update but am not very happy with the little video thing Nintendo Week kinda silly if you ask me but then again they are just pawns in Nintendo's little game of Chess for making people buy there games that one girl doesn't even look like she wants to be there
29. Stuffgamer1
14 Sep 2009, 21:11 BST
@Egg miester: DAMN, that's a lot of time! Both titles were only in the 40-hour range for me. I use my PS3 web browser a LOT more and only had Animal Crossing for two months, is why. And having all three consoles (and both handhelds) tends to result in my Wii getting less use than it might by many around here.
30. lz2009
14 Sep 2009, 21:22 BST
I noticed that Majora's Mask is still not included in the Nintendo Channel.
31. Gavin Rozee
14 Sep 2009, 21:26 BST
So this updated version lets you see your total time on each of your games? Damn, that's awesome.
32. WolfRamHeart
14 Sep 2009, 22:12 BST
Wow, the new Nintendo Channel update is very cool! Great job Nintendo! Hopefully they will update the Wii Shop Channel next.
33. Klapaucius
14 Sep 2009, 22:13 BST
Hopefully this will come out in the UK very soon...
Unless we get that horoscope thing, and every else gets new Nintendo Channel
34. Atlantis1982
14 Sep 2009, 22:30 BST
Alright Nintendo, good job, now combine the Shop Channel into this.
35. vakama94
14 Sep 2009, 22:50 BST
at last!, well i have downloaded already and its really a great step forward from the old nintendo channel
36. Sean Aaron
14 Sep 2009, 23:04 BST
Really the stats thing should have been built-in -- I mean the system tracks your daily play time already, right? Still, very cool and I'm hoping we get it here soon.
Reminds me I need to check the Japanese Minna no Nintendo Channel to look for new things to rate and to see if there's a new Game Center CX episode!
37. Bulbasaurus Rex
14 Sep 2009, 23:29 BST
@stokley316 - The Nintendo Channel is very useful for Wii owners by letting us see cool game related videos that you can't find online. It sounds like a good update. I'll download it as soon as I can.
38. taffy
15 Sep 2009, 00:08 BST
I doubt Europe will get the upgrade, the Nintendo channel is awful over here. They haven't changed the demos on the DS download in ages and the video updates are wowful to say the least
39. Super Smash Bros. Fan1999
15 Sep 2009, 00:15 BST
I saw the update and so far, it's awesome. Thanks NOA for doing something right, which you rarely do directly.
40. beastman93
15 Sep 2009, 01:22 BST
Pwnsome. Nintendo Channel's been needing this for awhile.
41. Rum Rapture
15 Sep 2009, 01:56 BST
I hope it does come to Europe on Friday, though it'll be stupid timing, because from Saturday, I don't think I'll be able to get my Wii online! Oh well... Hopefully I'll get to see the new channel before I go
42. Odnetnin
15 Sep 2009, 03:53 BST
Now we're talking.
43. Chatham
15 Sep 2009, 06:43 BST
Runs a little better too, yay!
44. mjc0961
15 Sep 2009, 07:07 BST
"This is useless, the nintendo channel offers nothing to wii owners, I deleted that stupid channel after I realized the demos were just for dsi owners."
What? I downloaded plenty of demos to my DS Lite before I had a DSi. They should work fine on any DS.
Very nice update. Much more organized and better video quality. Good job on this update Nintendo. Now get something like this going for the Wii and DSi Shop channels/whatever.
45. Stuffgamer1
15 Sep 2009, 11:29 BST
@mjc0961: Oh, I forgot until I saw you post here that I'd said I was going to make sure you knew when this update released! Oh, well, I guess you found out anyway, huh?
I'd like to know why they added the ability to rate your retail DS games, but I saw nothing about rating DSiWare titles. Is that just not possible, or did I miss something?
Also, why the heck is the Nintendo Channel still missing 91 VC games? They should update the damn thing already!
46. redflicky
15 Sep 2009, 12:46 BST
=)
47. MrPinguy
15 Sep 2009, 12:46 BST
@13. stokley316
The demos work on ANY DS...
even the first model.
48. Tony
15 Sep 2009, 16:15 BST
I'm pretty happy with the update. We still need more videos of newer VC releases and this would have been a great opportunity to incorporate a coming soon list for downloadable titles. I still have some hiccups when watching videos but overall everything is nicer with better background music. Did you know my most played title is Animal Crossing:City Folk? You do now
49. Roopa132
15 Sep 2009, 16:19 BST
thanks @invtman 15. didn't know you could do that. And I just got my Nintendo Newsletter since yesterday we have the Nintendo Channel Update, too
50. Rapadash6
15 Sep 2009, 18:46 BST
Nice update overall. The weekly Nintendo show is a bit on the corny side but reminds me of all those promos from back in the SNES days, like the Donkey Kong Country video sent out to Nintendo Power subscribers. Informative but I felt a bit like a tool watching it. At least the co-host, Allison, is super cute, so it's not all bad.
One thing I'm curious about is if videos will remain on the server, or if they are only on there for a limited time like in the past. I noticed if you look up a game it has a huge list of videos that don't show up on the main page. It would be nice to have a kind of perminent resource to refer to if I'm ever curious about a game. That alone would make this pretty much the most useful channel yet.
51. emiru69
16 Sep 2009, 01:01 BST
I just can't see any video since the update. My internet connections is quite fast and all the videos have delayed (every few seconds the video stops).
52. rjejr
16 Sep 2009, 15:11 BST
Visually it's a plus (haven't tried using he D-pad yet but it sounds like a much better option, thanks for the info) the time played list is in a good spot, I like knowing beforehand how long each video will be. No negatives on the update except the usual "what could have beens" - Wii or WiiWare demos the most obvious. And can I please please please Nintendo give you more of my money and let me buy Wii points for less than $10 a pop. Here's a clue - you have many games at 500/600/800 points, make $5 the minimum, duh.
53. motang
19 Sep 2009, 16:54 BST
The new Nintendo Channel is 100x better than the old one!
54. luigiman2
23 Sep 2009, 22:57 BST
I wish I could have the Nintendo Channel, but I dont know how to get it.
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