Alongside WiiWare Comes the Originally Named Nintendo Channel

WiiWare won’t be the only significant addition Wii owners in the U.S. get next month, as the Nintendo Channel (formerly Everybody’s Nintendo Channel) will launch with WiiWare. Certain aspects of the two services will actually be integrated, such as the ability to read or write reviews of WiiWare games. (Although you’ll need to have spent at least an hour playing the game in question to be an eligible author.) This will be the only way of really sampling WiiWare games without heading to your favorite game website or message board, as there’s no plan for demos of any of the games. I’m not convinced that Wii owners will be too keen on typing out useful reviews with the on-screen keyboard, though.

The new channel will be a free download from the Shopping Channel next month, and will offer up release lists for upcoming Wii and DS games. And you’ll also be able to finally download demos of DS games, which you can then send over to your DS. The demo will remain on your DS until the next time you turn it off.

The video above is Game|Life’s look at the Everybody’s Nintendo Channel from when it launched in Japan last November. It should give you an idea of what to expect from the new channel.

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