Wii Message Board

The Wii's Message Board is a service built into the Wii console that lets users view messages from Nintendo, family members, and friends, as well as post memos and send messages.

The Message Board is accessed by selecting the icon on the lower right-hand corner of the Wii Channel Menu labeled with a picture of an envelope.

General Interface
Using the Wii Remote, users have access to a lot of different options within the Message Board.

The space that takes up most of the screen when viewing the Message Board is where letters and messages appear. Users can open up letters by pressing the "A" button, and messages can be moved about the screen by pressing and holding "A" and "B" simultaneously.

Pressing "-" brings the letters and memos from the previous day onto the screen, while pressing "+" brings the letters and memos from the following day on the screen. Of course, pressing these buttons also causes the date to change at the bottom of the screen. If the Message Board is exited when the incorrect date is displayed, the correct date and letters screen will return before the user is returned to the Wii Channel Menu.

There are three circular icons on the bottom of the Wii's Message Board. Starting from the left, they are "Calendar," "Create Message," and "Wii Menu."

Selecting "Calendar" brings up the Message Board's calendar function. More detail regarding the calendar function is below.

Selecting "Create Message" brings up three icons, which, starting from the left, allow the user to write a memo, send a letter, and access his or her address book. Selecting the newly available "Back" button at this stage will bring the user back to the original Message Board screen.

Selecting "Wii Menu" returns the user to the Wii Channel Menu.

Message And Memo Icon Labeling
On the main Message Board screen, messages and memos on the Wii console are displayed.

Memos are labeled with white icons, rectangular icons with rounded edges. The beginning of the body text is displayed on blue line on the icon, and the Mii caricature icon (if applied) is displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the icon. The "tack" "holding" it to the message board is grey and has no significance.

Messages are labeled with sealed, yellow envelopes. The lip of the envelope has "Wii" written on it, and the beginning of the body text appears at the bottom of the icon. If a Mii caricature icon was applied, it appears on the upper left-hand corner of the icon. If a picture was attached, it appears in the upper right-hand corner of the icon. The "tack" that the icon is being "held" to the Message Board bares significance. If it is flashing alternatively between orange and red, then the message is less than six hours old, but if it is only red, the message is over six hours old.

Calendar
Selecting the "Calendar" button in the lower left-hand corner of the Message Board opens up the Wii's calendar.

Selecting a day with the "A" button brings the user to the screen of messages that corresponds to the day selected.

Days labeled with an enveloped icon were days where messages were posted on the Message Board. Days without this icon have no messages currently on them.

Pressing "+" while the calendar is displayed causes the next month's calendar to be displayed, while pressing "-" causes the previous month's calendar to be displayed.

Selecting "Back" returns the user to the original Message Board screen.

Viewing a Message or Memo
Selecting a message or memo with the "A" button on the main screen of the Message Board opens it up for viewing.

While viewing a memo, selecting "Back" returns the user to the main Message Board menu, while selecting the "Trash" button prompts the user to delete the memo. Pressing the "D-Pad" up and down or selecting on-screen arrows with the "A" button allows the user to scroll up and down through the currently on-screen memo.

While viewing a message, pressing the "D-Pad" up and down or selecting the on-screen arrows with the "A" button allows the user to scroll up and down through the message that is currently being viewed. Selecting "Back" returns the user to the main Message Board screen. Selecting "Reply" opens up a message template which, when sent, will be delivered to the Wii of the sender of the message which the user is replying to. Selecting the "Trash" icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen will prompt the user to erase the message that is currently being viewed. Selecting "Quit" at this stage will return the user to the standard message viewing screen, while selecting "OK" will delete the message forever. If a picture has been attached to the message, selecting the picture's thumbnail with the "A" button allows the user to view it at full size.

Posting A Memo
Memos created on the Wii's Message Board are posted directly onto the user's Message Board.

Selecting the "Create Message" button on the bottom of the Message Board's main screen causes three icons appear. Selecting the left-most icon causes the memo template to appear on-screen.

Pressing the "A" button within the lined space labeled "Write a memo" causes the Wii's on-screen keyboard to appear, allowing the user to create the memo's body text. After creating the message, selecting either "Back" or "OK" brings the user to the memo template.

Pressing the "A" button within the placeholder image next to the text "Add a Mii" allows the user to cycle through the faces of any Mii currently saved on the Wii console's Mii Channel's Mii Plaza. The Mii selected essentially serves as a stamp for the memo. Selecting the arrows that appear on the edges of the Mii table or pressing the "+" and "-" buttons allow the user to cycle through the maximum of 10 pages of stored Mii caricatures. Selecting a Mii with the "A" button will add the selected Mii to the memo and close the Mii table, while selecting "Back" with the "A" button will simply close the Mii table without making any changes.

Selecting "Back" while viewing the memo template will return the user to the selection of icons that are displayed upon selecting the "Create Message" button on the main Message Board screen.

Selecting "Post" while viewing the memo template will cause the memo to be displayed on the Wii's Message Board.

Sending A Message
Messages created on the Wii's Message Board are sent to the registered Wii console of the user's choice.

Selecting the "Create Message" button on the bottom of the Message Board's main screen causes three icons appear. Selecting the center icon causes the Wii's Address Book to appear on-screen if the Wii's internet settings have been set. Otherwise, a message explaining that the settings must be set appears.

By either selecting the on-screen arrows with the "A" button or cycling through the pages with the "+" and "-" buttons, Wii users can explore their personal address book. Selecting a name with black text will allow open the message template, while names with grey text are unselectable.

Pressing the "A" button within the lined space labeled "Write a message" causes the Wii's on-screen keyboard to appear, allowing the user to create the message's body text. After creating the message, selecting either "Back" or "OK" brings the user to the message template.

Pressing the "A" button within the placeholder image next to the text "Add a Mii" allows the user to cycle through the faces of any Mii currently saved on the Wii console's Mii Channel's Mii Plaza. The Mii selected essentially serves as a stamp for the message. Selecting the arrows that appear on the edges of the Mii table or pressing the "+" and "-" buttons allow the user to cycle through the maximum of 10 pages of stored Mii caricatures. Selecting a Mii with the "A" button will add the selected Mii to the memo and close the Mii table, while selecting "Back" with the "A" button will simply close the Mii table without making any changes.

Selecting "Quit" while viewing the message template will return the user to the selection of icons that are displayed upon selecting the "Create Message" button on the main Message Board screen.

Selecting "Send" while viewing the message template will cause the message to be sent to the initially selected Wii user's Message Board. If the message was sent to an email address or a cell phone, it will be received as an email or a text message, respectively.

Attaching A Picture To A Message
To attach a picture to a message, the picture that is to be sent must already be on the Wii's Message Board. If the picture the user wants to send is on an SD Card, the user must select that picture within the Photo Channel with the "A" button, and then select "Post." At this point, the user must then select "Post to the Wii Message Board," and upon doing so, the image will appear on the Message Board within a message.

Once the desired image is within a letter on the Message Board, the user must open the message and select the thumbnail of the image so that it appears larger. At this point, selecting "Send" opens up the Wii console's address book.

The message creating process is identical to the one detailed above at this point.

Address Book
The Wii console's Message Board features an address book that can store a maximum of 100 Wii Numbers, and email addresses (including those of cell phones).

Accessing The Address Book
Selecting the "Create Message" button on the bottom of the main screen of the Message Board causes three icons to appear. Selecting the right-most icon opens up the Address Book.

Navigating The Address Book
Upon opening the Address Book, selecting the on-screen arrows or pressing the "+" or "-" buttons allow the user to flip through the cover (which displays the currently in-use Wii console's Wii Number) and 20 pages of entries. Each entry appears with its nickname and assigned Mii caricature in the address book. If the nickname is displayed in black text, then it has been correctly registered, but if the text if grey, the registration status of the entry is pending. The difference between these two states is that only entries that have been registered correctly and completely are eligible for direct communication with the user's Wii console.

Selecting "Back" will bring the user to the three icons that are displayed when the "Create Message" button on the main Message Board screen is selected.

Selecting an entry within the Address Book opens up a screen with a variety of options and information. The nickname assigned to the entry is displayed at the top of the window, with the entry's Wii Number or email address directly below the nickname.

Selecting either the assigned Mii caricature or generic Mii placeholder in the upper left-hand corner opens up a grid which displays all Mii caricatures saved on the console, all of which can be assigned to an entry. Using the on-screen arrows or the "+" and "-" buttons, the 10 pages of this grid can be scrolled through. Selecting "Back" at this stage simply closes out this grid, while selecting a Mii caricature with the "A" button will assign it to the currently selected entry.

Selecting "Send Message" opens up the message template, in which a message can be constructed that will be sent to the currently selected entry. For more information on sending messages, please look above in the "Sending A Message" section.

Selecting "Change Nickname" opens up a window that displays the currently selected nickname. Pressing the "A" button within the area opens up the Wii's on-screen keyboard, which allows the user to edit the entry's nickname. Selecting "OK" after accessing the on-screen keyboard brings the user back to the display of the entry's nickname, and selecting "OK" on this screen confirms the changes to the nickname, while selecting "Back" cancels the changes. Both options return the user to the previous entry information screen.

Selecting "Erase" deploys a prompt in which the user is asked if he or she would like to erase the currently selected entry from the Address Book. If the user selects "Yes," the entire entry will be permanently erased from the Wii's Address Book, while selecting "No" closes the prompt.

Selecting "Back" will return the user to the Address Book itself.

At any point while browsing the Address Book, selecting "Register" will allow the user to synchronize his or her Wii console with a variety of devices.

The Registering Process
To begin the registration process, the user must select the "Create Message" button on the main Message Board screen, and then select the right-most icon of the three icons that appear. Upon opening the Address Book, the user must then select "Register."

The user will then be presented with a choice between "Wii" and "Others." To register another Wii console's Wii Number, select "Wii." To register a standard email address or that of a cell phone, select "Others."

Registering A Wii Console
Selecting "Wii" causes a window to pop up to enter the new entry's Wii Number. Selecting the white space with the "A" button opens up an on-screen keypad in which the number can be entered. When complete, selecting "OK" closes out the on-screen pad and selecting "OK" again continues the registration process.

A field to enter a nickname for the new entry will now appear. Selecting the white space with the "A" button will open up the Wii's on-screen keyboard so that a nickname can be selected. The maximum characters that may be used are 10. Selecting "OK" will close out the on-screen keyboard, and selecting "OK" at that stage will continue to the next step of the registration process.

The next window displays a generic Mii caricature placeholder image with the text "Add a Mii" next to it. Selecting the placeholder image will open up a grid of Mii caricatures to select from that can be assigned to the new entry. Cycling through the 10 pages of the grid is accomplished by selecting the on-screen arrows with the "A" button or by using the "+" or "-" buttons, and selecting. Selecting "Back" will close the Mii grid. This portion of the registration is optional, as it is not required that a Mii caricature be assigned to every entry. Selecting "OK" will then complete the first portion of the registration process, and a reminder window will appear explaining what has just happened as a result of this registration.

At this point, the data entered will appear in the Address Book with grey text. To complete the registration process, the Wii entry who was just registered on one Wii console must register the user back. After a few minutes, the registration process will be complete, and the new entry's text in the Address Book will be black, and messages and other data can be exchanged between the two Wii's.

Registering A Standard Email Address Or A Cell Phone
Selecting "Others" causes a window to open in which an email address can be entered. Selecting the area of white space with the "A" button causes the Wii's on-screen keyboard to appear, allowing the user to assign a standard email address or a cell phone's email address to the new entry. Selecting "OK" closes the on-screen keyboard, and selecting "OK" at this stage progresses the registration process.

A field to enter a nickname for the new entry will now appear. Selecting the white space with the "A" button will open up the Wii's on-screen keyboard so that a nickname can be selected. The maximum characters that may be used are 10. Selecting "OK" will close out the on-screen keyboard, and selecting "OK" at that stage will continue to the next step of the registration process.

The next window displays a generic Mii caricature placeholder image with the text "Add a Mii" next to it. Selecting the placeholder image will open up a grid of Mii caricatures to select from that can be assigned to the new entry. Cycling through the 10 pages of the grid is accomplished by selecting the on-screen arrows with the "A" button or by using the "+" or "-" buttons, and selecting. Selecting "Back" will close the Mii grid. This portion of the registration is optional, as it is not required that a Mii caricature be assigned to every entry. Selecting "OK" will then complete the first portion of the registration process, and a reminder window will appear explaining what has just happened as a result of this registration.

At this point in time, the data entered in the registration process will be stored into the Address Book, and the entry will appear in grey text. In order to complete the registration process, the user of the device that was registered must reply to an automatically sent automated email that is sent to the email address specified at the end of the registration process. After the reply has gone through, it will wind up on the Wii user's Message Board, and the new entry will have been completely registered, and thus, will be listed in the Address Book with black text.

Games that use the Message Board

 * Wii Sports and Wii Play - At the end of the day, the message board tells you all the progress you've made.
 * Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - You are able to post the pictures you've taken in Corruption on the message board, and will allow you to edit them or send them to friends.
 * Super Mario Galaxy - In Super Mario Galaxy, the Mailtoad will often times send letters to the Wii Message Board alerting you that Luigi has gone missing. If you happen to save him, he'll once again send a letter thanking you for saving him