Forecast Channel
| Forecast Channel | |
 | |
| Version | 0.7 (7) |
|---|---|
| Title ID | HAFA, HAFx |
| Type | General channel |
| Installed from | System Update |
| Peripherals |   |
Forecast Channel allows weather reports and forecasts to be downloaded onto the console from the Internet via the WiiConnect24 service. Since the official servers for this were discontinued on June 28, 2013, RiiConnect24 has since bought this back.
The data files are RSA-2048-SHA1 signed, and the LZ10 compressed content begins at 0x140. A Kaitai file documenting the file structure can be found here: forecast.bin and short.bin, and code used by RiiConnect24 to download forecast data and generate files is available here.
Description
The Forecast Channel displays a view of the Earth as a globe (courtesy of NASA), with which users can view weather in other regions. The user can also spin the globe. When fully zoomed out, an accurate star map is visible in the background (the Big Dipper and the constellation Orion are easily recognizable, for example). The Forecast Channel features include the current forecast, the UV index, today's overall forecast, tomorrow's forecast, a 5-day forecast (only for the selected country), and a laundry check (Japan only). The Forecast Channel first became available on December 19, 2006, one day earlier than previously advertised. Certain games (like Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games and NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams) can use the Forecast Channel to simulate weather conditions depending on the player's region. The channel is also well known for its peaceful music. The music also is time-sensitive, 2 different tracks (one for local music and one for globe) play for daytime and nighttime.
Region Variations
There are slight variations of Forecast Channel versions in different regions. When viewing weather conditions in Japan, a different set of weather icons is used. The Japanese icons were originally going to be used for all regions, but Nintendo of America (NOA) requested that more life-like icons be used. NOA also requested that the current weather conditions be displayed on the start-up screen. Nintendo of Europe requested that specific icons be made more distinct, such as the storm clouds so that it would be possible for the user to tell if an area is getting rain, snow, sleet, hail, or thunderstorms. Additionally, the laundry index and pollen count were only featured in the Japanese version.
System Menu 3.0 update
After the August 6 update, the Forecast Channel shows the icon for the current weather in the Wii Menu. Like the News Channel, long neglect of this channel will result in the icon not appearing, although the set time is longer than that of the News Channel.
Trivia
- The Forecast Channel was developed by nearly the same team that designed the Photo Channel and News Channel.
- During the development of the Forecast Channel, a thunderstorm disconnected Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Japan.
Region without the Forecast Channel
The Forecast Channel is not available in South Korea.