Nintendo's Wii gets twiiked with new fiitures

The Wii is quickly solidifying itself as the gadget that is perpetually making us think, "Hm, I never thought of that, but it's a cool idea." First the whole Wiimote thing, then Wii Sports, then the Opera browser, then the weather and news channels...this is one gaming console that's full of nutty features and add-ons that might seem wacked out at first, but which inevitably catch on in that kitschy Nintendo way.

And Nintendo's far from finished. Rumors are flying about the latest additions to the Wii, and the video game blogs are scrambling to keep up. Word has it that we'll be seeing a text-to-speech tool that will read news and weather headlines to you, Nabaztag-style. Presumably, that means you'll be able to listen to the latest current events while playing Zelda: Twilight Princess. Additionally, there's been talk that the Wii's motion-sensor capabilities may get some extra juice so that the console can tell where you are and where you might be next. That could lead to all kinds of fun stuff, like a feature that can tell when you're en route to the kitchen to load up on Americone Dream and consequently reprimand you for straying from your Wii workout plan.

But then there's another Wii addition that I'm not so sure about. It's a Mii popularity channel, which basically is a kind of Zoolander-style walk-off between two Mii avatars. Um, seriously? Come on, Nintendo, let's leave these size-me-up avatar sexiness contests to Second Life.