wiispeak-channel
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Wii Warm Up: Speak up
The Wii Speak Channel is finally out and enabling voice chat between people who didn't feel like buying Animal Crossing. Some of you have probably put it through its paces by now. What's your opinion of the Channel? Does it feel weird to talk at your TV? Are you being spammed with voice messages from your jerk friends? Is this functionality something that could help justify the cost of the mic? Or is it just another channel that will get deleted for a Space Invaders Get Even mission pack? Ever since it was revealed back at E3, WiiSpeak has been the talk (both good and bad) of the town. Check out our hands-on time with the device, as well as the details you may have missed on the WiiSpeak Channel. Plan on picking one up? Then you might want to check out Game Night, where you'll surely be able to chat with your fellow Wii lovers in the future.
Hiii! Demonstrating the Wii Speak Channel voice message process [update]
The Wii Speak Channel is out in Europe today, as is the actual WiiSpeak microphone. A helpful early adopter named Butulino has taken video footage of the "Canale Wii Speak" in action, so the rest of us can see what we have to look forward to ... whenever Nintendo of America gets around to offering the channel oh, hey, right now! As a bonus, you can also see some guy's friend code.This video shows the channel's voice message capability, through which short (10 seconds or less) clips can be recorded and sent to Wii friends' Message Boards. Cleverly, the Channel allows you to bundle a picture with a message, so you can take a picture of that stringfish you caught in Animal Crossing and send it with a taunting message about, you know, how your friend has yet to catch a stringfish.The Channel also allows users to warp their voices, in a feature similar to one found in the DSi's sound functionality -- which further cements the connection between the DSi's features and UI design and the Wii Menu.[Update: it's up in North America! Nintendo almost succeeded in completely suppressing news of an available service, but not quite!][Via GoNintendo] Ever since it was revealed back at E3, WiiSpeak has been the talk (both good and bad) of the town. Check out our hands-on time with the device, as well as the details you may have missed on the WiiSpeak Channel. Plan on picking one up? Then you might want to check out Game Night, where you'll surely be able to chat with your fellow Wii lovers in the future.
Preview Wii Speak Channel and a puppy with these screens
Thanks to the Japanese launch of the Wii Speak Channel, we can now see a bit of a preview of what's coming up for the rest of us (tomorrow in Europe, ??? in North America) in the world of talking at our TVs. Nintendo has opened their Wii Speak Channel page, featuring screenshots of the Channel's features, like the "puppy" feature in the screen above!Well, actually, it's the photo sharing feature, which allows photos loaded from an SD card to be shown during chat. Also pictured: the Channel's voice message function, which allows players to record voice messages for Wii Friends and send them to the Message Board. This results in a text message on special a Wii Speak Channel background with the note "This message was recorded by your friend using the Wii Speak Channel." We always get an Animal Crossing vibe from special "stationery." If you'd like to see more of this Channel, a video is also available at the Japanese site.[Via Famitsu] Ever since it was revealed back at E3, WiiSpeak has been the talk (both good and bad) of the town. Check out our hands-on time with the device, as well as the details you may have missed on the WiiSpeak Channel. Plan on picking one up? Then you might want to check out Game Night, where you'll surely be able to chat with your fellow Wii lovers in the future.
Yes, you can get the Wii Speak Channel ticket when you buy a used microphone
It's hard to believe that so much controversy could be stirred up by the Wii Speak Channel. Chances are that, had the shocking Wii Download Ticket scare not happened, none of us would have cared much about it. After a statement from Nintendo that didn't quite answer a Edge finally got a point-blank answer from Nintendo on the subject of the eligibility of owners of used WiiSpeak mics to get Download Tickets. Good news!"Any consumer who requires a Wii Download Ticket after purchasing a pre-owned Wii Speak Accessory may contact their local Nintendo Customer Services department, where they can request a Wii Download Ticket for the Wii Speak Channel for free." You can't get the Channel for use with your WiiSpeak on a friend's Wii, and you can't get a Ticket for use with a third-party mic peripheral. But hey! Nintendo isn't nefariously penalizing used sales like we all assumed! Ever since it was revealed back at E3, WiiSpeak has been the talk (both good and bad) of the town. Check out our hands-on time with the device, as well as the details you may have missed on the WiiSpeak Channel. Plan on picking one up? Then you might want to check out Game Night, where you'll surely be able to chat with your fellow Wii lovers in the future.
Nintendo will replace lost Wii Speak Channel codes
It seems that Nintendo isn't quite as draconian as we thought about the Wii Download Ticket code accompanying new purchases of the WiiSpeak microphone. Previous statements suggested that there was absolutely no way to obtain a code without purchasing new hardware -- even if you have bought new hardware and require a replacement code.The statement from Nintendo of Europe reads "Any consumer who may have misplaced their Wii Download Ticket number for the Wii Speak Channel or require a new number following a Wii exchange may contact their local Nintendo Customer Services department, where they can request a replacement Wii Download Ticket number."There's no word of secondhand purchases or any other circumstances, but it seems likely that if Nintendo is at all willing to offer replacement codes, the friendly customer service representatives won't be too stingy with Download Ticket codes. Just don't buy a used WiiSpeak expecting to get the free code.
Wii Speak Channel download tied to hardware
MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo opened his review WiiSpeak microphone box and discovered the secret behind the associated Wii Speak Channel: it's a free download, yes, but that download requires the entry of a one-time-use code included in the box. At first blush, this isn't a big deal, because anyone who wants to use the Wii Speak Channel is probably going to have a microphone anyway, right? The problem, as Totilo identifies, is that you can't buy the thing used and expect the channel, because the "Download Ticket" will have been used. And Nintendo won't replace it. The channel won't be available for purchase, or for free download without the ticket. So buy the thing new or plan to chat only in games.
Wii Speak Channel hit by delay
Contrary to what we originally heard, it looks like the Wii Speak Channel won't be launching alongside Animal Crossing: City Folk on November 16th.IGN snapped a picture of the WiiSpeak box, complete with a disclaimer that the Channel (which allows chat outside of Animal Crossing) will actually appear in December. When in December isn't clear, though we know the Channel will be available in Europe from December 5th, so maybe then. Until then, you're just going to have to pick fruit and chat simultaneously. We can probably cope with that!%Gallery-27704%
WiiSpeak Channel dated for Europe
Wii lovers and fans of speakerphones across Europe, the WiiSpeak Channel has been dated for your region. The Channel and peripheral will debut alongside Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City on December 5th, less than a month after North America receives the game and service. Sadly, there's no word on what the bundle will cost you and if it'll be much more expensive than the bundle we're getting in North America. We'd like to think it will cost around the same, but we know how you guys get the shaft sometimes. Ever since it was revealed back at E3, WiiSpeak has been the talk (both good and bad) of the town. Check out our hands-on time with the device, as well as the details you may have missed on the WiiSpeak Channel. Plan on picking one up? Then you might want to check out Game Night, where you'll surely be able to chat with your fellow Wii lovers in the future.
Nintendo announces Wii Speak Channel
As one of the last two announcements for their fall media summit, Nintendo has announced the Wii Speak Channel for use with the Wii microphone (pictured, from E3 2008). According to Cammy Dunaway, up to four people can chat together, and the microphones will come with a coupon to download the channel. Of course, this leads to a plethora of other questions, such as: release date, price (if not buying with the microphone), can a USB mic be substituted, what else can we do with the channel besides speak? We're not holding our breath waiting for answers anytime soon.
Nintendo sneaks Wii Speak Channel announcement out
Nintendo plans to introduce an independent Channel for the WiiSpeak peripheral, planned for release in Japan on November 20. Nintendo of America plans to release the channel stateside on November 16. It'll be a free download with the WiiSpeak.According to NOA's announcement, it works for up to four groups, with each participant in each group represented by a Mii. The Channel allows sending of voice messages and photos. It's simple, yes, but at least people who buy the peripheral outside of an Animal Crossing bundle will have something to do.
