Welcome back to Download That!, GameSpy's new column covering the good, bad, and awful of downloadable console games. While we haven't yet decided whether to cover PlayStation to PSP games in this column, if you, the readers, really want to know if a port of Wipeout to your PSP is worth a go, let us know. That said, the past two weeks have seen mostly average content coming to Virtual Console, and a classic PlayStation title making its way to Xbox Live Arcade. There's other stuff that we should get out of the way first, though.

You Can't Spell "Wi-Fi" without "Wii," Right?

After I posted my problems with downloading Zelda: Ocarina of Time in the last issue, I got a few helpful e-mails from readers, and others who've griped about Nintendo's not necessarily awesome Wi-Fi. While I haven't had time to fiddle with my router settings, I did manage to get Ocarina downloaded the day after the first article ran. It was awfully slow to get (an hour compared to the few minutes it took Fearless Leader Bryn-tendo to get Super Mario 64), but eventually, I got it, and it runs well. So, retroactively, thumbs up for Ocarina.

For those of you experiencing issues, we got a variety of responses. Bob Mullins suggested buying the Wii LAN Adapter, which solved his frustrations for $25.


Bryan Roesner says,
"I agree wholeheartedly with you about Wii's inability to hold a stable connection. I must leave my Wii on my fireplace mantle to even get a partial connection with my router that is on the floor directly above it. I do wish Nintendo would admit to a problem and offer a fix. How about GameSpy running an article asking how many people are satisfied with the way their wireless works?"
That'd be ripe for Bryn to tackle in "Mii and You," wouldn't it?

However, Thomas Masheder writes in with a solution:
"...I am writing to you is in regard to your Nintendo Wi-Fi woes. There is a common problem that occurs when your router is set on channel 6 that causes your Wii to suffer from severe (at times) interference. Most older routers use channel 6 as the default and this could be causing the problems you described in your article, brand new routers seem to have realised that channel 6 is prone to interference and have the default channel set to 11.

It is a little-known problem that the channel can affect the quality of your Wi-Fi connection. I would be very happy if this information can help you in your quest to play Zelda (a most worthy occupation), also I would be ecstatic if you decided to pass on this information to your reading public and in the process help a number of people around the world who perhaps would also be having similar troubles. The more people who can play Zelda the better."
I've been too busy to try it, personally (although my router is fairly new), but hopefully this solves the woes of readers such as Bryan.

Now, onto the best of the rest...