Nintendo has published the latest in its series of interviews The Reasoning Behind Wii, where the developers explain the inspiration and ideas that went into the console's development. The latest part discusses the Wii Message Board and Channels, which we've summarized below.
Message Board - It's a system that allows users to post messages and memos on the calendar for everyone in the household to see. It can be used online and offline. Shinichiro Tamaki describes it saying, "It's basically like sticking a message on the door of the fridge." Messages from the game you're playing can also be placed on the Message Board. For example, if you're playing "Animal Crossing", a message like "Concert next Saturday in town" will automatically be posted on the Message Board. Each day also collects your Play History, described below.
Message Board while Online - When online, you can post messages on your Friend's Message Boards. Tamaki gives one example, "Let's say someone buys a new game. When they switch on their console, a question could appear on the screen: "Do you want to let your friends know you have bought this game?" If you select "Yes", the message "X has bought the game Y!" will pop up on your friends' Message Boards. You can send messages like that from within the game, or you can make your own message to send to your friends." Users can also exchange game data or screenshots with other Wii owners as well as send emails to communicate with mobile phones.
Play History - Wii automatically records details of what game was played, when and for how long. Play History cannot be deleted. The idea originated from Iwata's consideration regarding what could be done to stop games from "being regarded with hostility in the family." Through many discussions, the idea of Play History was born so parents can monitor play time. Iwata says the information might prove useful in other ways. He said, "In the future, we could make it possible to plot on a graph how much you've played. Also, with users' cooperation, we could compile data on which game was the most played that year."
Wii Menu Screen Icons - Tomoaki Kuroume explains, "Each Channel icon has its own unique and exciting animation. However, these animations do not necessarily stay the same. Some Channels will have a different animation depending on the circumstances. For example, the icon of the Forecast Channel might show that it is going to be sunny and 28 degrees today, so if you just want to know about today's weather, you can easily tell by looking at the icon."
Changing Channels - Players can use the + and - buttons on the Wii Remote to change the channel. This means users can scroll through the Channels without having to return to the main Menu Screen every time.
Further details on the Channel lineup can be found here.