Reducto ad absurdium (ie. taking an argument to its utmost extreme and unlikely end) is often used as the last resort of those who do not wish to recognize degrees of possibilities between extremes, windbane. Please do not use it.

The Shop Channel works "well enough". The interface isn't pissing off the majority. The features are sufficient for most users. The release schedule is plenty fast enough for the majority as well. Why should they change it to pander to a handful? That sort of behavior is what leads countless industries into oblivion or near-oblivion.

windbane said: Mike: the average Wii user doesn't even know Wiiware exists. They don't count. M$ should add a browser because their competition with in the console realm is terrible.

How do you know what the average Wii user does? If the console is online, the shop channel promotes WiiWare. And by looking at the average player online in Mario Kart, i have to say that we are not talking about people who play a lot.
It's the same thing as saying that the average PS3 user doesn't know PSN exists or average 360 user doesn't know Live exists.

For people who want new games, there's the boxed games and WiiWare, so i don't really see the point here. Virtual Console is for the "retro" games.

And i didn't get your point about BC, Wii has 100% BC with its predecessor, a thing that PS360 lags behind. Virtual Console does expands the BC to NES, and even outside the Nintendo consoles, up to C64.

And as for the WiiConnect services, instead of movie downloads, it offers news, weather forecasts, and quite a lot of other fun stuff, which has the same purpose as the movie downloads; offer something for the non-gamers.

@People: Would someone care to explain what is the problem with FC:s? Don't know how to input digits? The only problem i see, is that game specific codes doesn't allow you send messages through message board.
The thing that's great in FC:s is, that i'm able to use whatever name i choose to (except for Hitler) in WFC. Not some random nick with random number behind it.
But since there are the game specific codes, you should be able to share your code through WFC to find company at your skill level (for example in MKWii, rated by your race rating).

Maelstrom just posted a new article which actually covers the online subject quite nicely. It's about halfway down, in the section about Nintendo's "third shield".

http://malstrom.50webs.com/shield.htm