Wii Internet Channel with FlashLite 3.1 confirmed!

In my last post regarding Flash on the Wii, I was still looking for a reliable source to confirm that the new browser definitely had support for FlashLite, and it wasn't just a lousy rumor.

I was overjoyed to read the following message in my Wii Message board:

From Nintendo:
The Internet Channel, which allows everyone to easily access and enjoy the Internet, has been updated.

The main updates are as follows:
* Change from Adobe Flash version 7 to Adobe Flash Lite 3.1 (This corresponds to Adobe Flash version 8)
* The Internet Channel is now available to download for 0 Wii Points.

Press start at the bottom right of the screen and you will be able to download the updated Internet Channel from the Wii Shop Channel.

If you previously used 500 Wii Points to download the Internet Channel to your Wii console, at the end of October we will be offering you the opportunity to download, for 0 Wii Points, one NES game of your choice (valued at 500 Wii Points) from the Virtual Console catalog. Details of this download offer will be provided via the Wii Message Board or on Nintendo.com soon.

Nintendo

So, now all I have to do is decide which NES game I would like to download... Hmmm...

On a related note, I find it funny that Nintendo offers one NES game for up to 500 points instead of offering any software for 500 points or just putting 500 points onto your account. In an article I read recently, certain distributors (or something or the other) received rewards for putting offline Wii users online. After 10 rewards, they were granted full access to download and and all NES games they wished.

So why only NES games? My guess is that Virtual Console NES game sales aren't really doing that great compared to many of the WiiWare and newer Virtual Console games, so Nintendo is really pushing to make a greater profit and get those games distributed.

Of course, that's just my educated guess, and I could be wrong...


Time to start developing Wii Friendly games. :)

Wii Internet Channel now supports Flash!

Good news developers! As a followup to my earlier (rather short) post regarding future Flash support for the Wii, it seems as though my hopes have come true (mostly).

I recently was able to get my Wii connected to the internet again, when I stumbled upon a notice that the Internet Channel had a new update available. Curious, I prowled the web for any information regarding this new update. Sadly, I found no official source, however the Internet Channel's Wikipedia page state:

"In addition it updated Flash Player to Adobe Flash Lite 3.1 which corresponds to a full implementation of Adobe Flash version 8 with certain features of Flash 9." -- Footnote: The Wii Browser now Identifies its self as "AFL 9,1,122,0" to Flash applications as can be seen by visiting
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/155/tn_15507.html in the Wii Browser.

So, Flash Lite, that is a great start on Nintendo's part. Sadly, it doesn't contain the fancy 3d features of Flash 10 or even the Vector class I love so, but it is a start.

For people wanting to start developing in FlashLite, it is basically like regular ActionScript, but 'stripped down' missing several libraries. If I can find some time I'll try to track down a list of what classes FlashLite is lacking.

Until then, here are some helpful links for aspiring FlashLite developers:
Adobe's FlashLite FAQ - http://www.adobe.com/products/flashlite/faq/
Adobe's "Getting Started With FlashLite 2.x and 3.0" - http://livedocs.adobe.com/flashlite/3.0/docs/help.html?content=Part4_API_Ref_1.html
And of course, my favorite, the Language Reference, can be found on that same page as listed above.


Also, as a final note, here are a last few Wii/Flash links I have yet to look into which look (at least two of them) promising:

WiiFlash (http://wiiflash.bytearray.org/)
Connects directly to the WiiMote using your computer's BlueTooth connection, and accesses it from Flash through your localhost address. Pretty smart. :) That would be a great workaround for many features not currently available natively in Flash. I seem to be getting "Security Sandbox" errors, but it seems like it's working for other people. Not sure if it works in online games, though.

WiiCade API (http://wiicade.com/home.aspx)
There is supposed to be some sort of support for which allows you to use the "arrow buttons" on the Wiimote as if they were the WASD keys on the keyboard. I'm not sure how they pull it off, and current games look quite crappy and cheap. If anyone has any experience in using this API, please comment.

Wii Opera SDK (http://wiioperasdk.com/)
It looks like a thirteen year old who just learnt how to use FrontPage developed the site, so I can't help but be a little suspicious. I have no earthly idea what kind of support this has, so again, any outside comments are appreciated.