News At Your Fingertips: AP And Nintendo Launch Wii News Channel Across Americas

January 26, 2007

News At Your Fingertips: AP And
Nintendo Launch Wii News Channel Across Americas

Instant Access, Constant Updates

As the options for news multiply,
Nintendo is putting a simple solution for straight news right in the palm of
your hand-in the form of the Wii Remote™. The News Channel, free to Wii™ owners,
will debut on the console’s Wii Menu beginning tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 27.
Using the international resources of the Associated Press, the News Channel
gives you key stories in multiple categories from across the country and around
the world.

"What Wii has done for video gaming,
we hope it will also accomplish for news," says Nintendo of America President
Reggie Fils-Aime. "Just by pointing at your TV screen, you become your own
interactive editor, instantly accessing the latest headline stories, whether
they originate in Kansas City or Kyoto."

"The Associated Press is always
looking for innovative ways to expand its audience for news and information,"
said Jane Seagrave, vice president and director of AP’s digital division. "The
Wii News Channel extends our global reach even further, on yet another platform,
offering our news to people who otherwise might not see it."

The simple user interface allows Wii
owners to spin a virtual globe and point to the location of a news event using
the Wii Remote. Stories will be listed under headings including Business,
Sports, Arts/Entertainment, Technology and Science/Health to allow users to
quickly access information in the order they want. At any given time, dozens of
stories might be available for each category. In the global view, stories can be
grouped by region instead of category. Icons show which stories have been read,
which stories are text-only and which ones come with news photos. Because Wii
caters to all different ages, the interface allows users to change the size of
the text. By using the "always-on" system functionality of WiiConnect24™,
stories will be updated frequently, even while owners are sleeping.