Nintendo Wii users surely get the bulk of their entertainment from actual video games on the console, but there’s a bizarre and wonderful little feature in the Photo Channel: the Help Cat. When using the Photo Channel’s “Fun” section, a little Help Cat saunters onto the screen in the upper right corner. If you need help using the Photo Channel, you have to catch the Help Cat using the Wiimote. It’s basically a mini-game you play in order to get help — and you have to be fast, since the Help Cat is on the move!

This interaction is delightful, provided you don’t need help right now. It makes the process of getting help engaging and fun, adding a playful touch to what is normally a totally utilitarian operation: clicking the Help icon.

You can watch a movie of the Help Cat in action (QuickTime format), or read Cabel Sasser’s blog post describing the Help Cat (scroll down a bit to the Help Cat section) for more information. For User Interaction geeks, here’s an extensive post on Interaction Design of the Help Cat.

Even if you’re not a Help Cat fan, you might enjoy WiiKitty.com, which is exactly what it sounds like — photos of cats with Nintendo Wii systems. (Note for readers: apparently the plural of “Wii” is “Wii systems,” not “Wiis” or “Wiii” as I would have guessed.)