May 12th is looking to be a big day in the US with WiiWare and the Nintendo Channel both said to launch together.

Nintendo America has announced that two very anticipated features for the Wii will be available for download on the same day. WiiWare will allow consumers to download new original games, applications and expansions straight from the Shopping Channel using Wii Points as currency. The Nintendo Channel will offer trailers, reviews and DS demos of current and upcoming titles. Demos are downloaded straight to the Nintendo DS and will stay stored on the unit until it is switched off.

An interesting feature allows the public to submit their own reviews on games including WiiWare titles so long as they’ve played for over an hour according to Nintendo of America's executive vice president, Cammie Dunaway.

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime mentioned that by allowing users to submit reviews, it will be a way for others to get a feel of what each game involves since WiiWare titles do not have playable demos.

The Japanese version of the channel which launched last November includes web streamed video interviews of game designers talking about their creations, one of which involved Shigeru Miyamoto commenting on Wii Fit.

The Nintendo Channel and WiiWare titles will be available for download from the Shopping Channel on May 12th in the US and sometime that month in Australia, most likely on seperate days.