In a couple of hours, it'll be official, but N'Gai Croal over at Newsweek has the first word on the arrival of WiiWare, which are original downloadable games for the Nintendo Wii.

Yes folks, that's right. Much like Xbox Live Arcade before it, it seems the Wii will also have a similar service, adding to its already impressive line-up of virtual console games by having downloadable games built specifically for the Wii system, which gamers can purchase by using Wii Points.

More importantly, the process of getting good downloadable games means independent devs can also join in on the WiiWare craze by sending in their own ideas and games, which should make for a very robust development atmosphere.

In his talk with Reggie Fils-Aime, Croal also noted some interesting tidbits about how the process of games-making for WiiWare would go. While Nintendo gets to determine how much each game should cost, the games won't be vetted by Nintendo. "Instead," writes Croal, "Nintendo would only check the games for bugs and compatibility," with developers responsible for getting their games rated with the ESRB (and other ratings boards worldwide, presumably).

In any case, we'll get more word in a few hours, so stay tuned. In the meantime, let us know what you think about the coming of Wiiware to the Wii.

Independent developers armed with small budgets and big ideas will be able to get their original games into the marketplace to see if we can find the next smash hit. WiiWare brings new levels of creativity and value to the ever-growing population of Wii owners.