Wii Ware
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section. Once the user has downloaded the game or application, it will appear in their Wii Menu or SD Card Menu as a new channel. WiiWare is a companion to the Virtual Console, which specializes in emulated games originally developed for other systems instead of original games.
WiiWare is being promoted as an avenue for developers with small budgets to release innovative, original, and smaller-scale games without the cost and risk of creating a title to be sold at retail (akin to Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Store). The development kit costs around US$2000 and developers need to be licensed with and approved by Nintendo. According to Nintendo, the "remarkable motion controls will give birth to fresh takes on established genres, as well as original ideas that currently exist only in developers' minds". Nintendo will handle all pricing options for the downloadable games.
Like Virtual Console games, WiiWare is purchased using Nintendo Points. However, unlike Virtual Console games, instruction manuals are stored on the Wii Shop Channel itself.
On November 4, 2009, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed in Q&A session that they are planning to test downloadable demos for a select few WiiWare titles, starting in Japan later in the month. On November 16, five WiiWare demos were released for the American Wii Shop Channel, with these later being released in Europe. The demos were available to download until January 31, 2010. More recently, another six demos have become available to download. On January 12, 2012, all 50 WiiWare demos were re-released and are now available in North America.