No web browser, news or weather channels for Wii launch

Nintendo's Wii will launch across the US this weekend, but the console will be without web browsing capabilities and two of its proposed Channels.

The Wii News Channel, due to display worldwide headlines and stories from The Associated Press, will not launch until January 27 2007, while the Forecast Channel, the access to weather reports from around the globe, will arrive this side of Christmas on December 20th.

Still without an official launch date is the Wii's web browser, developed by Opera Software and free to download until June 2007. Nintendo has said that more details on web access for the Wii will be announced in the coming months.

However, perhaps the most important aspect of the console's online capability is the Wii Shop Channel, which will be accessible from launch, allowing consumers to download Virtual Console titles.

Nintendo has revealed that 12 classic titles will be available to download on day one, including the NES version of Donkey Kong, SNES favourite SimCity, Sega's Megadrive Sonic the Hedgehog and the N64's Super Mario 64.

More Virtual Console titles will be made available every Monday following launch, with 30 due by the end of the year.