3DS owners outside of Japan will be very jealous, but we should be used to it by now. Thanks to Fuji TV, Nintendo’s Itsu no Ma ni Terebi (otherwise known as “SpotPass TV”) will bring several short format 3D TV programs to the handheld.

Just like its Wii predecessor, the video service is Japan-only at least for now. Hopefully Nintenso will keep it’s promise about Netflix so the rest of us can watch programs.

At GDC 2011, Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aime revealed a ton of info about the 3DS. As far as video content, the news is that the 3DS will get Netflix this summer as well as the ability to pause a video on your handheld and continue watching on your Wii.

We aren’t sure but we assume that you can also do the same with an XBox or PS3 as well. Nintendo is partnering with AT&T to provide free WiFi access at 10,000 hotspots starting in late May. It will also use the SpotPass passive connection feature that works even when no game is in the system and when its in sleep mode, to download new content.

The Guardian is reporting that both ITV and Channel 4, two of the nation’s largest commercial channels, are bringing their video catchup services to the PlayStation 3. The ITV Player and 4OD have had web-based services for some time and now they have both made deals with Sony, who expects their overall traffic to improve by 10 percent.

ITV says they are open to adding their content to “other consoles,” web-connected TVs, and tablets, while Channel 4 has had no luck with Xbox 360 deals and the Wii isn’t for them since it doesn’t support advertising. Sony however is very open to more content and welcomes them.

The PS3 isn’t the only console that will be streaming Netflix disc-free. The Wii is getting in on the action as well! Americans and Canadians will be able to download and install Netflix from the Wii Shop Channel, as long as they’ve signed up for a subscription of $8.99 (C$7.99 in Canada) or above.

Over three million Wii consoles are said to have been hooked up with Netflix since the service launched back in April, and this step should make that number grow even larger, since it makes Netflix more convenient than ever.

As if we needed yet another ebook reader on the market. Well, the DSi XL’s larger display could be good for reading some classics. Nintendo knows that there’s money in the ebook market so they will be offering a downloadable package of ebooks called 100 classic books.

It will hit Wii channels on June 14th for $20. Then you can take a break from gaming to read some actual literature. Maybe some Mark Twain or Dickens. Assuming that they offer anything of that quality anyway.

We Americans are still waiting for the TV Guide Channel that Japanese Wii users have been using for nearly two years and now Variety is reporting that Nintendo has teamed up with several corporate partners for a Japanese pay-per-view service for the console.

Last Saturday, Wii no Ma (Wii’s Room) premiered. It currently has 120 titles, including such blockbusters as episodes of Sesame Street and Pocket Monsters, available from ¥30 – ¥500 ($.35 – $5.63). Titles can also be viewed on your Nintendo DSi handheld.

Word on the street is that the Nintendo DSi may be getting a voice chat channel very soon. Nintendo has denied the rumor, but what would you expect? This is the company that offered up Wii Speak for the Wii.

Chatting on a DSi makes more sense. This sentence is what started the rumor:

To redeem a Nintendo DSi Download Ticket number, such as for the Nintendo DSi Speak Channel, enter the number off the Nintendo DSi Download Ticket in “Settings and Features” off of the main Nintendo DSi Shop page, then select “Nintendo DSi Download Ticket.

Who knew that LG was crushing so hard on Nintendo’s Wii? They have it bad for Nintendo’s console. So bad that it is using the Wiimote concept for its new series of TVs called the Magic Motion Remote Control. It features both the typical channel and volume buttons and can be pointed at the TV to control on-screen menus and games. Probably nothing as cool as Mario Kart.

It also has the ability to place a cursor on-screen which can then be manipulated by movements like a flicking of your wrist. The remote goes on sale next year but LG is undecided as to whether it will offer it as an optional extra, or bundle it with its high-end TVs.

The Nintendo Wii has an Internet connection, which allows players to compete against each other in games online. The Wi-Fi access also allows the user to surf the Internet assuming the own the Internet Channel. The fact that you had to pay for the ability to surf the web on the Wii always bothered me.

Nintendo has announced that it is now offering the Internet Channel free of charge. The channel previously cost users 500 Wii points to purchase. The Internet Channel can now be downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel.

Nintendo has been rolling in the Wii dough for awhile now, but it looks like their cash printing machine may be slowing. According to an earnings report filed today, the Big N posted a 66 percent drop in quarterly operating profit due to “slowing demand for its Wii console and a stronger yen.”

What’s surprising is how fast demand has fallen. Nintendo maintained that it would sell 26 million Wii consoles before the year was out alongside 30 million DS handhelds, so we will see what happens. DS sales have also slowed due to “increased competition in the handheld business from Apple’s iPhone.”

Sure, the Wiimote really upped the ante when it comes to motion control, but only with video games. This conceptual “Remotion” however, from Ryan Sorrell uses motion control with your living room TV. Even if it does look like a futuristic dustbuster.

To adjust the volume, just shake it up and down. Move it left or right to channel surf. Pretty easy and effortless. Plus it will at least force your lazy butt to move around some and burn at least a few calories.

It’s been pretty quiet on the whole Wii video in Japan front, but finally there’s some news. Japanese Wii users will soon be able to try it out for themselves. The service is ready to launch in Japan on May 1st.

It’s being called the “Wii no Ma Channel,” and features advertising from Denstu, both free and paid content. What really caught our eye though, is word that a free DSi app will be launching at the same time. The app will allow you to download video from the Wii to your DS, and do other stuff like download coupons from advertisers, which can be scanned directly from the screen.

It wasn’t so long ago that if you wanted a HTPC, the best you could hope for was a computer roughly the size of your average cable box and a bit thicker. Today there are a number of very small and thin HTPC systems available that are sized more like a Nintendo Wii.

Shuttle has announced a new machine, that is larger than the Wii for sure, but still compact enough to fit into an entertainment center or onto your desk called the X270V nettop. The little machine is designed to run openSUSE Linux and features an Intel Atom processor.

At long last Nintendo is finally doing something about storage. Finally. You can back up titles to SD and now games can be played straight from the cards. The SD Card Menu can be accessed from the Wii System Menu 4.0. That’s the new update that we are getting right now.

It lets the Wii work with memory cards larger than 2GB, maxing out at 32GB. Nintendo is also launching the new Virtual Console Arcade, that gives you all the old arcade titles on the Wii.

We love video games around here. Whether we’re playing the Xbox 360, the PS3 or even an old Atari 2600. We thought we would take a look at the history of gaming consoles from 1972 to the present. You grew up with the vintage consoles, you play the new ones, so take a walk down memory lane and revisit all your favorites from the massive list below.