Gaming The Wii Relaunch

[LightyKD]

Anybody interested in working on a relaunch campaign for the Wii? I have been thinking about this for a while and I would really love to be able to use my art skills for such a project. I'm already working on two Android games but Nintendo is my gaming heart and I would love to make a new "homebrew marketplace" and spearhead a few Wii related projects. For a successful relaunch I think a few elements need to be worked on

- Homebrew Marketplace
I'm sure that the community will want to come up with a catchy name

- New Web Browser
* Something similar to the built in Android Browser mixed in with the control and navigation of the Opera Browser. We might never get good flash support but it would kick ass if there was a way to stream video in the way the Skyfire web browser does. I know it can be done. Before Orb went premium happy, you used to be able to watch Hulu-free from the Wii using their site.

- New Apps
* We have a Twitter client and WiiMC but proper YouTube, Google+ and Facebook would be awesome!
* Notifications linked to the Wii Message board

- Homebrew Games
* Speaking of Homebrew Games, if anyone want to take a stab at doing a PC port, this is a wiki page of games with released source code.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Commercial_video_games_with_freely_available_source_code

NOTE: This is not some crazy list of demands so don't flood this thread with "do it yourself post". I just want to see what the community thinks of something like this. What do you think is needed to keep the Wii alive as a platform for its fans?

 

[jonthedit]

I'd help but I have no knowledge of Wii Programming.

Edit :
Sounds like a good idea. I'm willing to spread news and possibly donate to host a contest

 

[Clarky]

while i'll give you an A for effort I reckon the Wii has earned it's right to rest now. Seeing as we are in the age now where even the Nes can get a new game I am sure the Wii will get to that spot too. As for the web browser, I reckon that would be too much work for little reward as most devices have a web browser of some sort.

 

[LightyKD]

I've been thinking about a Market design for a while. Everyone seems to be doing tiles these days and I don't want to copy/paste that idea. I like the Design of the Nintendo Channel but things need to be unique.

 

[loco365]

- Homebrew Marketplace
I'm sure that the community will want to come up with a catchy name

I like the idea, make an alternative to the Homebrew Browser.

- New Web Browser
* Something similar to the built in Android Browser mixed in with the control and navigation of the Opera Browser. We might never get good flash support but it would kick ass if there was a way to stream video in the way the Skyfire web browser does. I know it can be done. Before Orb went premium happy, you used to be able to watch Hulu-free from the Wii using their site.

I would kill for a better web browser than the piece of shit that Opera has on there.

- New Apps
* We have a Twitter client and WiiMC but proper YouTube, Google+ and Facebook would be awesome!
* Notifications linked to the Wii Message board

I like this idea. Very much so.

- Homebrew Games
* Speaking of Homebrew Games, if anyone want to take a stab at doing a PC port, this is a wiki page of games with released source code.

http://en.wikipedia....ble_source_code

That would be interesting to see, tbh. Ports are nice to have.

I'd definitely support a project like this. The Wii is dying slowly, but something like this would be fun to watch.

 

[Rydian]

The thing about skyfire and such is that they're not client-side. They rely on a computer acting as a server that streams the data through. So somebody would have to pay for the bandwidth all the video streaming all the users will be doing (and that's assuming the servers are freely-operated).

 

[LightyKD]

The thing about skyfire and such is that they're not client-side. They rely on a computer acting as a server that streams the data through. So somebody would have to pay for the bandwidth all the video streaming all the users will be doing (and that's assuming the servers are freely-operated).

Agreed and something like this would not be easy to do. I wonder what it would take to "hack in" to Skyfire's protocol. Of course I say this not as some expert or something so by all means, anybody with better ideas, feel free to share your techno-babble with me

 

[Rydian]

That would be a federal offense. A homebrew like Skyfire would need to use it's own servers and connections for the Wii, and I don't know of anybody willing to do that. Now, it would, on the other hand, be possible to do it from each user's PC, but then that'd likely tie up the computer being used as well, in which case you might as well just get a GPU with some sort of video-out that you can hook to the TV and avoid all the potential lag, if a computer is going to be tied up doing it.

The best you'll probably get is somebody hacking together support for certain video sites one-by-one (hacking youtube's API into a v7-compatible player, etc), but then you run into the issue of it only working for sites the person who did it cares about... though perhaps it would be done like it was on the PSP, where the section of the code that actually grabs the video files from a site would be interpreted from text files in a directory (not compiled in), so other users could add support for other sites.

 

[TripleSMoon]

I'm not sure what the point of this is, honestly. The Wii is still around (heck, the GameCube was around in GameStop until this year, and it's still pretty easy to get), and will be around commercially for a long while, and there's already a hacking/homebrew community that's quite strong. Not trying to be mean, I'm just saying it seems like you're trying to launch a campaign to do something that's already been done, just with slightly more ambitious ideas.

 

[LightyKD]

I'm not sure what the point of this is, honestly. The Wii is still around (heck, the GameCube was around in GameStop until this year, and it's still pretty easy to get), and will be around commercially for a long while, and there's already a hacking/homebrew community that's quite strong. Not trying to be mean, I'm just saying it seems like you're trying to launch a campaign to do something that's already been done, just with slightly more ambitious ideas.

After Epic Mickey 2 comes out the Wii will be dead. Nintendo (and we all know how much I love them), unlike Sony has a VERY bad habit of murdering their last gen console. At least the PS1 and PS2 were allowed to die a natural death once their successors were born (Last PS2 release I remember was last year). Hell, we haven't had a system update in what, one, maybe two years. We MIGHT get one last update for the sake of Wii to Wii U transfers but that will be mostly a security update. The Wii has network capabilities and damn good hardware for indy projects. People complain about the lack of connectivity on he Wii but the Wii overall was one big puzzle that people were too afraid to put the pieces together (for fear of their preconceptions being shattered).

MenuDo was a revival of the DS/DSi lineup and if people were still on it it would have been the go to place for DS/DSi gamers in this community. I feel that this community can do better. Over the past six years I have seen many sites dedicated to bringing Nintendo WiFi gamers together that look like stuff Nintedno would do. A offshoot Wii only community "sponsored" by GBATemp would kick a hell of a lot of ass! Think about it. A message board with Mii editor for avatars, a WiFi connection listing and a Wii Channel (or forwarder channel via the Internet Channel). Couple that with a new "store/market" for Wii Homebrew and this system will be kicking ass for the next few years. Imagine gaming on your Wii and having your smart phone or tablet next to you connected to this "community" where you could pull up game maps, walkthroughs or just chat with people playing the games you play. Sounds like Wii U huh? It can all be done on this system as well.

 

[TripleSMoon]

After Epic Mickey 2 comes out the Wii will be dead.

I was talking about mainstream availability (commercial sales, used Wiis at GameStop, etc). And besides, Nintendo said that the Wii would co-exist alongside the Wii U for a while after the Wii U's release (no idea how long).

 

[LightyKD]

After Epic Mickey 2 comes out the Wii will be dead.

I was talking about mainstream availability (commercial sales, used Wiis at GameStop, etc). And besides, Nintendo said that the Wii would co-exist alongside the Wii U for a while after the Wii U's release (no idea how long).

Not sure how long you have been gaming but they ALWAYS say that their last system would coexist with he current one only for it to die a painful death. I think the Game Boy Advance was the longest time a Nintendo system lasted alongside the current gen of that time. IMO Game Boy Micro killed the GBA. By that time, most people I knew (and I was working in a Game Crazy at that time) were going, "WTF?" Hell, think we only sold 2 units and one of them ended up being refunded so that the person could buy the Famicom Edition unit Back to the topic. I just think that there is a bunch of wasted potential and I hate seeing that.

 

[TripleSMoon]

Not sure how long you have been gaming but they ALWAYS say that their last system would coexist with he current one only for it to die a painful death. I think the Game Boy Advance was the longest time a Nintendo system lasted alongside the current gen of that time. IMO Game Boy Micro killed the GBA. By that time, most people I knew (and I was working in a Game Crazy at that time) were going, "WTF?" Hell, think we only sold 2 units and one of them ended up being refunded so that the person could buy the Famicom Edition unit Back to the topic. I just think that there is a bunch of wasted potential and I hate seeing that.

I've been gaming since 1995. And personally, I don't see why it matters whether it's kept alive "officially" or not, since we know the likes of GameStop will CONTINUE to sell it for another 5 to 6 years. But I understand what you mean by wasted potential.

 

[Taleweaver]

NOTE: This is not some crazy list of demands

I disagree on this.

 

[jonthedit]

I'm not sure what the point of this is, honestly. The Wii is still around (heck, the GameCube was around in GameStop until this year, and it's still pretty easy to get), and will be around commercially for a long while, and there's already a hacking/homebrew community that's quite strong. Not trying to be mean, I'm just saying it seems like you're trying to launch a campaign to do something that's already been done, just with slightly more ambitious ideas.

Please do tell of how to get a GameCube.
I can't find one anywhere anymore

 

[TripleSMoon]

Please do tell of how to get a GameCube.
I can't find one anywhere anymore

You're in the USA, right? Well, GameStop stopped accepting GameCube trade ins in April of this year. If you're lucky, you'll find one leftover in GameStop, but I doubt it. But you can easily find one on Amazon or Ebay for cheap, or else at retro game shops like Play'N'Trade or Packard's Games.

 

[JoostinOnline]

I don't know why people always suggest web browsers for homebrew, like it's something people could easily make. Think of this:

Web browsers are made by giant corporations that have hundreds of people working on them every day. They are the result of years of work. Development continues because they make money off of them.

Now you want a few people to do the same thing, in their spare time, and for no money at all, with the exception of a little pocket change people toss in their direction every few weeks.

 

[LightyKD]

I don't know why people always suggest web browsers for homebrew, like it's something people could easily make. Think of this:

Web browsers are made by giant corporations that have hundreds of people working on them every day. They are the result of years of work. Development continues because they make money off of them.

Now you want a few people to do the same thing, in their spare time, and for no money at all, with the exception of a little pocket change people toss in their direction every few weeks.

Actually I made a thread years ago about modifying the Internet channel, which is still probably the better way to go. If we can simply get it to tell the interwebz that it's the native android browser and not the Internet Channel, a lot of sites might actually display better. I'm fairly doubtful of ever seeing the Wii run Flash Lite 4.0 but hey, these things are a start towards a more "modern" browser.

 

[LightyKD]

Preview of the type of UI that I think should be used for a new Homebrew Market

Main Page

App Download Page

Obviously, he artwork is not complate but I just wanted to show off something. I would really love to see a re-model of the Homebrew Browser that's exactly like or very similar to this setup. I don't see a need for a complete tear down but a revamp and re branding would be a great way to start this campaign. Also, it would be cool if indy devs had a money initiative to support such a relaunch. Maybe a password system in which

-User pays dev via Paypal or dev's preferred payment system
-Dev emails user a password for their download
-User goes to market to "purchase" their download using the password to initiate their download.

I really think that allowing indy devs to get paid for their original homebrew creations is something that could really fuel the community. I also think that homebrew games should not surpass the $5.00 mark unless it's a game that really utilizes the power of the console. OK I'm done talking. I'm sure someone has an opinion.

 

[Deleted_171835]

We already have something similar.

http://wiibrew.org/w...omebrew_Browser

But charging for homebrew is a bad idea. It should always be free and if the dev really wants extra cash, have a donate option available.