The new YouTube TV interface plays a similar role to sites like moowee.tv, which has been providing a slick Internet Channel Wii-optimised frontend to YouTube (and other video sites) from essentially day one.

I really like this new offering from YouTube; it feels a bit simpler and more reliable than moowee.tv, and switching to fullscreen mode is seemless. It’s quite watchable for some of the higher quality videos. I can see YouTube TV becoming my preferred option for the odd occasion when I want to veg-out on the couch and watch some stupid viral videos.

If you want to check it out without firing up your Wii, you can install the Switch User Agent Add-on for Firefox, and add the User-Agent “Opera/9.00 (Nintendo Wii; U; ; 1038-58; Wii Shop Channel/1.0; en)”. Go to YouTube TV, and you will see the Wii optimized interface in all it’s glory. For the definitive experience, check it out on your Wii.

photo credit: cursedthing

Nintendo’s engineers deserve credit for creating a more environmentally responsible console. Sure the PS3 and Xbox fanboys will never tire of highlighting that the graphics capabilities of their consoles is superior; but it all comes at a cost – a higher carbon footprint (around two refrigerators worth) and a higher electricity bill for every hour of play.

Keep in mind, however, just because the Wii is the best on energy efficiency, every console manufacturer has room to improve …Greenpeace rated the Wii least environmentally friendly compared with Sony and Microsofts offerings, due to the levels of toxic materials in the Wii and Nintendos lack of recycling policy.

Here’s my “environmentally friendly gaming tip” for the day (maybe for the year): help reduce waste and buy secondhand games. Don’t encourage production of more copies of Red Steel or Ninjabread Man “landfill”.

(see also: The power consumption breakdown at Nintendo Wii Fanboy)

This post over at kuro5hin describes the latest Wii peripheral driving Nintendo fanboys and fangirls wild in Japan … the WiiLove.

Of course, this is just a rip-off of an idea already released years ago with Rez on the Sega Dreamcast, but it’s nice to see this style of peripheral being introduced to a new audience.

No info on release dates in North America, Europe and Australia yet.

(ah, it’s a joke, Joyce).

“Club Nintendo” will soon be available to Australian Nintendo fans.

More details at Aussie Nintendo, and The Age Screen Play Blog

Scanning the list of release titles in Japan, I don’t see the WiiWare game I’m looking forward to the most – Pop (by Nnooo). Not to worry; the release titles outside of Japan are very likely to be different.

See the Gamasutra coverage for more details.

Via wiitech.info and Wii Fanboy.

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Not coming to Virtual Console anytime soon (or ever).

Via WiiFanboy and TechEBlog.

The Commadore 64 wasn’t exactly known as the pinnacle of retro gaming, but there have got to be a few decent titles in amongst the dross. I hope they are super cheap.

Via The BBPS.

Blast Works is being adapted from the incredible work of Kenta Cho, and the first post goes into some detail about how they have ‘deconstructed and rebuilt’ his scrolling space shooter TUMIKI fighters to become Blast Works. Looks like Blast Works will enable players to build their own enemies with an in game editor, before blasting them to pieces. I just hope they have managed to maintain the coolness of the original TUMIKI fighers; if so, it should be a solid little shooter … I can’t wait !

(Oh, anyone who hasn’t should play Kenta’s freeware PC games .. they rock so hard it hurts).

I ignored most news about Super Mario Galaxy when I was first released (except for the overall ratings), so as to avoid spoiling the surprise elements of the game … well,  this certainly is a surprise … a glitch in an otherwise pretty polished first-party Nintendo game. Don’t see that often.

There’s a video of the glitch here at NintendoWiiFanboy … I’m just hoping this doesn’t happen next time I work my way back though the level and meet Bowser …