Wii Storage Space

The Wii console has 512 Mb of storage space.

I no longer feel this is enough.

Matt at IGN said a while back that he felt the storage capacity on Wii is no longer adequate.

When I read the article.. I disagreed, because I had not run into this problem.

In the past, all we had to download were Virtual Console games, and a few Wii Channels.

Now though, we have a couple more additions...

• Game specific Wii channels [Mario Kart Wii, and Wii Fit]
• Wii Ware

Wii Ware are new games that you can download directly onto your Wii console. As of this writing, it has only been available 2 weeks or so. Nintendo releases new titles on Mondays.

The first Monday, I had no problems. I downloaded 3 of the released 6 titles, and it was great. This past Monday however, I wanted to download 1 title, but I could not, due to lack of space.

If I still want to download the title, here is what I have to do to clear up space:

1. exit the Wii shop channel
2. go to Wii Options > Data Management > Wii Channels
3. now you have 2 options
   a. you can delete unwanted Wii Channels
   b. or.. you can copy unwanted Wii Channels to an SD card
4. go back into the Wii Shop Channel, and download the title you wanted in the first place

option a.

If you delete Wii Ware or Virtual Console titles, they can be recovered later from the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo has made it fairly easy to find previously downloaded titles[Just go to the Wii Shop Channel > click Start Shopping > and then click Titles You've Downloaded.. you can now re-download them for free]. The Wii Console saves your Wii Channel and Save Data separately, so if you just delete the channel, your save data is still on your Wii console. When you download the channel again in the future, your save data will be there waiting for it [unless you specifically delete that too].

option b.

Option b... move the data to an SD card.

There are a few problems with this method:

1. moving is a 2 step process. First, copy the desired channel onto the SD card. Next delete it from your Wii system memory.
2. Copying to the SD card is reallly slow.
   Example:
   Lost Winds - 258 blocks - 32.2 Mb on SD card[according to my Mac]
   7m 50s - time to copy from Wii to SD card
   55s - time to copy from SD card to Wii
   55s - time to download from Wii shop channel
   note - this is with an internet connection that tested:
   9749 kbps download, 481 kbps upload
   also, this does not include the time it takes to load up the Wii Shop Channel, and navigate to the proper area
   5.7s - time to copy from SD card to MacBook
   8.9s - time to copy from MacBook to SD card
   My guess is the reason it takes so much longer to copy the file from the Wii to the SD card is because the Wii is performing some sort of encryption on the data. This is only a guess though.
3. The SD card could get lost.

One good thing about option b is the fact that you don't need to have an internet connection to retrieve your archived games.

After thinking about it for a minute,

My current recommendation, for those needing more space, is this:

Delete Virtual Console titles, and Wii Ware to make room.

When you want those titles again, just re-download them for free from the Wii Shop Channel.

The only caveat here is that your Wii needs to be connected to the internet to re-download.

A few options Nintendo has to correct this problem:

1. Modify the Wii console to give it more storage space.
   Advantage: an easy and seamless solution.
   Disadvantage: costs consumers more $$, if you already have a Wii, you will feel sad..
2. Update the Wii software to allow use of SD cards, USB flash drives as a seamless extension of the internal storage.
   This seems like a good idea, but it does require extra [although it is cheap] purchase by the the consumer of said SD/USB flash memory. Also, I'm not sure if there would be any dip in speed while using this external memory. There are other problems with this method... for example.. what happens to channels that are on the screen when you take out the SD card?
3. Update the Wii software with new functionality as follows.
   This is the least disruptive, and I would think, the easiest item to implement.
   It also goes back to a more Nintendo/Apple-esque feel,
   Just an idea.. may need some tweaking.
   Add a little filing cabinet icon to the Wii channels main screen.
   When you click on this icon, it will show you all the software that you have purchased, and can download onto your console [an added bonus would be to make this list searchable by name or other criteria]. If you want to delete a channel, let's say LostWinds, just drag the channel into the filing cabinet. Really, all this does, is delete the channel, but it makes it feel like you are filing it away. If you ever want to get it again, just click on the filing cabinet, and select Lost Winds. It will download in the background [Wii connect 24] and will show up in your channels when it is ready.
   
   Also, a mini version of the above described functionality should be available in the Wii Shop Channel. This will allow you to clear off space for new titles while you are still in the Wii Shop Channel.

NOTES:

time to download LostWinds from Wii Shop Channel

1212kbps down, 388kbps up

1:21.5 until hit first block

1:07.0 until hit second block

1:09.4 until hit third block

:22.5 until the download complete screen is seen

4 minutes total

9749kbps down, 481kbps up

23.7 until hit first block

13.6 until hit second block

13.7 until hit third block

5.9 until the download complete screen is seen

55 seconds total

new Belkin router

Bottom line [the top line in this post.. but anyway..]:
I bought a new router because my old would was incompatible with Nintendo WFC/Nintendo DS.
The new one did not work either.
I am gonna document some stuff about my experience hoping that the next person who googles this info while shopping in wal-mart will see this post. :D

I just bought a new wireless router.

It is the Belkin F5D7230-4 ver 5000.
Firmware Version 7.01.06

I found a posting that the ver 4001 of this model works with the Nintendo DS wi fi connection, so I thought ver 5000 would work as well..

I have not been able to get it to work.

First of all, I set up the router on my computer.
I do know a good bit about computers, but I don't understand all the ins and outs.

As instructed, I connected the modem directly to my computer.
I then ran a setup CD from belkin.
This program looked at my connection,
told me to connect my router,
configured my router,
and that was it.
Pretty easy set up and it seems to work fine.
[I was able to load web pages from computers that were wirelessly connected and wired to the router.]

[side note:]
Just for fun, I reset the router to factory defaults and tried to set it up manually..
For some reason, the light on the router that indicates an internet connection would not light. After messing with the router settings for a while, I still could not get it to work. Please note that the light that indicates a connection to the modem is lit.

On the router's default settings, the DS is able to detect and test the connection without any problems.

On Mario Kart DS, when I tap Nintendo WFC Match, it says "Connecting to WFC... Please wait a moment..." for 73-74 seconds. It then gives me a black screen that says "You were disconnected from Nintendo WFC. Press the A button to return to the menu. Error Code 61070.

sometimes I would get this, or other 60000-69999 errors
i believe when i would the the 61020 error, the time would be about 10 seconds.
I also got error code 61010.

Nintendowifi.com says:

Error Code: 60000-69999

A communication error occurred during connection to the servers. Please try again later. If the error continues to occur, please go to our general troubleshooting information by clicking here.

Wow.. how generic is that?
From what I have read online, these codes seem to indicate that the router is having trouble connecting to Nintendo WFC. I plan to swap this router out for a ver 4001 today.

On a positive note I was able to walk around my house with 2-3 bars while trying to connect to Nintendo WFC. This belkin router also has improved range over the D-Link DI-524.

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving.

I am gonna eat at grandma's today.

Then I am probably gonna pay some Zelda 4 Swords on Gamecube with my girlfriend and friends.

I can't wait for Animal Crossing for DS. It is gonna rock. December 5.. or earlier if I win that IGN contest.

I have been playing MarioKart DS. It is pretty fun. I am not a big fan of racing games, but I enjoy MarioKart. The online component is also very fun. There is something cool about playing against other people you know [or at least think... duh duh duuuuuh] are real. I keep losing, but it is still fun.

This is a pic that Caree made this morning... it is that time of year...

Technorati Tags: thanksgiving, Animal Crossing:Wild World

Close calls

11:53 in with 40% on Metroid Prime 2:Echoes
---
While playing today, I had a couple of what you might call 'close calls.' I assume that most regular gamers know what this feels like.
My first today was in one of those puzzles where the goal is to get an item, but there is a timer running. If you don't get the item soon, then the timer will run out, and you will have to go back and reset it, and it's just a major pain. Well I was trying to get this item [via the double-bomb jump, which I am not so good at], and I got it at the last minute. It's an exhilarating feeling.
What was even more exciting was this. I was heading into a boss battle from the looks of things. I was low on energy. Because of the construction of the level, I couldn't go back. Luckily there were some little creatures I was able to shoot and get items from. This gave me some energy, but I still wasn't feeling secure. Well I get into the boss battle, and I'm kinda having a hard time. I am successfully doing damage to the boss, but I can't do it reliably every time I try, and it seems like every time I do try, I get damaged pretty heavily by the boss. Well it gets right down to it.

The boss has little life left, and I literally had 2 units of energy.. not 100 energy containers.. 2 single units.. It came down to it, and I nailed the shot and killed the boss, and it was awesome.

More Metroid

6:25 elapsed; 19%
The game is still fun.
I had a really fun boss battle today.
I also had a little bit more morphball puzzle action. I can't seem to get the bomb jump down reliably. I dislike how it limits you to 3 bombs.. :[
I also opened an art gallery, I believe by scanning 40% of the items.. cool.

Metroid Prime 2 Echoes

$37.88 on sale 'til Saturday at Target
I can't believe a title like this is going this cheap this close to launch... so take advantage of it!
3:06 and 13% in, I'd say for the most part I pretty much agree with some other reviews I've read.. that is to say if you liked the first, you will like this. I like scanning stuff and getting random data on it [especially the humourous bits], and in this game, you can easily see items you have already scanned.
[this post was sent via email yesterday but did not post]

Random DS thoughts/observations

I've had my DS for a few days now. I've got 42 stars in Super Mario 64 DS, and have beat Feel the Magic XY XX on normal difficulty.
Super Mario 64 DS:

• Using the touch screen as a control mechanism on Adventure mode is a pain. Using the D-pad works ok in huge areas where you don't need much control, but can be a pain in areas where more fine control is needed.
• When using the d-pad to walk, and holding down Y to run, I will usually just hold down Y constantly. The only problem with this is, if you have stopped for a minute, and have been holding down Y, as soon as you touch the d-pad, you jet off really fast immediately. This can easily lose you a life if you weren't anticipating it.
• Some of the mini-games are really fun. I love the one where you draw trampolines for Mario to jump off of. Simple?-yes. But it is a perfect example of a cool control mechanism for the DS. It looks like Yoshi's Touch and Go will have more of this cool type of control.
• Super Mushroom... Being big in this game is so cool. Running around flattening enemies, signposts and those logs that stick out of the ground is a blast. 1-up 1-up 1-up

Nintendo DS:

• When the system initially boots up, the "Touch the Touch Screen to continue." message will appear then fade away. This happens a total of 59 times, about once per second. After the 59th time, the system will automatically go to the time/calendar screen. From the time you press the power key to the time the system goes to time/calendar, a little less than 64 seconds elapse. Coincidence?
• As the clock ticks from second to second it generally slows down compared the clock on my computer. About once every 2 minutes, the clock will skip ahead about a second, and appears to re-sync with the computer clock.
• Start the system with a DS Card and GBA Game Pak inserted. If either is removed during the time screen, the DS will freeze. Re-inserting the games does not un-freeze it.
• Removing Super Mario 64 DS during play freezes image on the screen and the system stops responding.
• Removing WarioWare,inc. Mega Microgame$ [AGB] during play freezes the image, the system stops responding, and odd sounds come out of the speakers.
• If you remove an AGB Game Pak after pressing "Start GBA game." and then re-insert it before the Game Boy logo goes away, the game seems to boot normally.
• The clock ticks louder than normal on the 60th second in any given minute.
• The clock chimes on the 60th minute in any given hour. The chime sounds similar to the sound that plays in PictoChat when entering and leaving chat rooms.
  

PictoChat

• You can enter data to transmit wirelessly either via an on-screen keyboard[Keyboard Panel], or a drawing directly on the screen [in the Input Board]. The input board has can hold 5 lines of text. The message that shows up in the Message Display[where it goes after it is transmitted] will resize depending on the size and location of the input. The message box that you send will appear in one of 5 different lengths.
• PictoChat will not allow you to send a blank message, however if you draw a small amount directly under the end of the bar where it displays your nickname, your input will be hidden, and the message will appear blank.
• The Pen set on thick uses a paintbrush that is a square with a side length of 2, on thin it is a square with a side length of one.
• The Eraser set on thick uses a paintbrush that is a square with a side length of 4, on thin it is a square with a side length of one.
• I mentioned earlier that the send messages will be 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 units long. The Message display area seems to be capable of holding from 287-397 lines of message [I have done several tests on this, but it takes so long to do the test that I have not been able to verify results or send different types of messages and see if it makes a difference. I have an idea for a program and a simple computer interface that would allow the computer to do most of the test, but I don't really want to hack my DS up until I can get another one.]. This includes the "PICT:)CHAT" and the "Now entering [Chat Room letter]: [nickname]" messages.

AudioBlogger

Hi. DS launch was today.
Here is the link to an MP3
of me talking about DS/launch/etc.

Hopefully I will post more tomorrow...