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No Europe plans for Wii TV guide News

Wii News by Tom Bramwell

4 March, 2008

Nintendo has launched a TV guide channel for Wii in Japan, but Nintendo Europe has told Eurogamer there are "no plans for Europe".

IGN reports that it's called the "Television Friend Channel", costs nothing, and allows you and your friends and family to keep track of programmes up to a week in advance.

If you tag a programme, a little Mii stamp appears on it so people can see what you're watching (so, Dancing With Ice In Their Stars or whatever bollocks Ellie usually references).

The channel will even send out alerts to your phone or email inbox in advance of the show starting.

Perhaps most interesting though, it allows you to use the Wiimote as an actual TV remote, switching from the TV guide to your actual TV channels.

This is evidently more complicated than it sounds, however, as IGN notes that it involves bouncing a sensor bar signal off the wall. Magic.

For the moment the Television Friend Channel is Japan-only, as it uses a local G-Guide service, but it's the sort of thing Nintendo typically rolls out here too.

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DonnieDarko333
04/03/08 @ 10:30
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Do NOE plan anything? I'm beginning to wonder....
AcidSnake
04/03/08 @ 10:31
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Bouncing the signal around? So it'd be the sensor bar which sends the IR command to your TV?
...Makes sense...The wiimote can't transmit...
Smart guys...

Though the Wii would remain powered on then?...If they found a way to make the remote functionality work with the Wii in standby mode I'd see a lot of people using the Wiimote for the TV as well...
Stu
04/03/08 @ 10:36
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Sounds like a waste of time to me anyway.
Waffleaber
04/03/08 @ 10:37
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Useful. Well if you don't have sky+ it is.

The idea of the tv wiimote is interesting, a multi channel display like on the wii home screen would be pretty good. Wii digital tv tuner anybody?
CallousB
04/03/08 @ 10:39
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No real point in having it over here as most people have guides on their sky box/freeview.
Adam_T
04/03/08 @ 10:42
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What do NOE even do all day?
AcidSnake
04/03/08 @ 10:49
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@Adam_T:

"...Money fight!"
scouserfuller9
04/03/08 @ 11:54
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Just a waste of space of memory on your Wii if you have Sky TV.
Pac-man ate my wife
04/03/08 @ 12:13
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Perhaps most interesting though, it allows you to use the Wiimote as an actual TV remote, switching from the TV guide to your actual TV channels.

Well at least that makes sense - I was worried that it would just be a virtual TV listings.

Still not much use to me as I've got a Humax, but if it's free then there's no complaints.
Muddtallica
04/03/08 @ 12:15
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Whatever. Sound like a nice idea cleverly implemented, but it's not something that I can't live without...
seasidebaz
04/03/08 @ 13:35
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no good for me, i don't have any walls
sneetch
04/03/08 @ 23:58
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@seasidebaz

First genuine LOL I've had all day. :)

Comments: 1-12 of 12 in total

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