Wii Votes Channel launches

Nintendo's strategy of wooing nontraditional gamers to the Wii has seen it launch news, weather, and Internet browsing channels on its new console, and now the company has unveiled its fourth offering. The Everybody Votes Channel will poll Wii users worldwide on a variety of topics, and is available for free download from the Wii Shop Channel.

The Everybody Votes Channel features different regularly updated questions which Wii users can vote on. The questions are different for each country, with several worldwide polls running concurrently with the regional ones. Up to six Miis can be "registered" to vote on each console, which will allow different family members to have their own say on any given topic. Polls will run for up to a week, with region-by-region results available within a few hours of the poll closing, according to a statement from Nintendo.

Questions are limited to two different responses. For example, one question asks whether you prefer cats or dogs. Another probing query inquires whether you would rather stay home and relax or go out and party. The interface for voting sees a console's registered Miis standing in the centre of a circular space. To vote, all a user needs to do is drag his or her Mii into whichever half of the circle represents their answer. The Everybody Votes Channel also lets Wii owners suggest their own questions for future use.

A Nintendo spokesman told GameSpot AU that regional questions would be updated three times per week, with worldwide polls updated twice monthly.