Acts as your TV Guide, more
Nintendo TVii has gone live, so I thought I’d share with you guys how exactly it all works after the little bit of time I’ve spent with it. When you start the application up, it’ll ask for your area code, cable/satellite provider, and your specific channel package so your Wii U can provide accurate listings. This is because TVii is basically a really slick TV Guide, but more on that later.
The next setup pages are similar to how Netflix does things; it’ll ask what your favorite TV shows and films are to get you started. You can also pick what your favorite sports teams are. Now, you’ll want to make sure both your TV and set-top box remotes are properly set up in your GamePad.
Once that is all out of the way, you can now interact with your TV with an expanded remote only available in TVii that is reminiscent of the old rotary phones. On it, you’ll find shortcuts to your favorite channels that you’ve added, TV controls, and a DVR feature that currently isn’t available.
The coolest part is once you’ve added your favorite shows, you can click on the show in your favorites list to see the next time it’ll be on (this works for films as well), and even specifically what episode from what season. From there, you can click which channel you want to watch it on, and it’ll take you right there. It talks about a “Tag” feature, but it appears to only be available for certain things. I imagine it’s something similar to SmartGlass.
You can also find links to Amazon Instant Video to buy or rent if nothing is on soon. There’s a live section that will randomly show you what’s being aired, based on what you’ve been watching and what your favorites are. The clunky grid that everyone already has built in your box is available, but who the hell wants to use that?
Nintendo TVii is a little bit different than what I was expecting, but that was really for the better. From now on, whenever I have something on in the background I’ll also have my GamePad sitting at my desk to use as a TV Guide and a reminder that something is going to be on soon. I love the interface and presentation. As a result, I will likely never use my actual television remotes ever again.
Let us know in the comments what you guys are thinking. Is this something you’ll actually continue to use?
