Come this Saturday, Wii owners won't even have to put down their waggle-wand to find out how the Wii has shattered the life of another owner, so long as the Associated Press reports it. In a two-year deal with Nintendo, the Associated Press has agreed to supply the Wii's News Channel with both top stories and photographs from around the world.

The news itself will be delivered much like the Weather Channel -- on an interactive map. Should you want the local news in a specific location, you may simply select it on the map. This must be how god in all her infinite wisdom and five thighs views our world.

The free News Channel (aside from an internet connection, duh) has but one requirement: the Opera browser. So if you plan on shunning all forms of communication to the outside world other than your Wii, you'd better download it now before they actually start charging for it.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Artist/designer David Stubbs and two partners are launching an ambitious site on November 19th, to coincide with the arrival of the Wii, called WiiCade.

The site features Flash games that you can play on the Wii through the Opera browser, and also access via your PC to upload new games or try your hand at designing your own. They should have 15 Flash games up at launch, including two exclusives that feature unique use the Wiimote. Games will auto-fit on all TV screens and are vector based, which should mean no jaggies.

This is one of the first homebrew efforts we've seen for the Wii, and we hope to see a lot more in the coming months. The Opera browser and the Wiimote will hopefully make this an attractive target for homebrewers, and hackers as well.

So bring on the Wiimote FlyS.W.A.T. Flash game, already.