The debut of WiiWare, Nintendo’s new game distribution service, gives the revolutionary game console a boost where it was most needed.

Wii’s shortcoming has been its minimal online capability compared to rivals Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which offer much more robust networks for gamers to buy and trade games files and play each other via the Web.

While WiiWare doesn’t bring Wii up to their level, it “is to the video game industry what independent films are to Hollywood,” said Nintendo of America vice president Cammie Dunaway in a statement Monday.

WiiWare offers low-budget games from small-budget developers and innovators. It gives the little guy in gaming the chance to acquire a bigger profile — something the big-name game makers don’t have the time or inclination to provide.

“WiiWare lets developer experiment with new ideas and experiences,” Dunaway added. “Combined with our collection of classic Virtual Console games, Wii provides one-stop shopping for the greatest games of the past, and the future.”

The six games now available in the WiiWare section of the WiiShop Channel and can be purchased with Wii Points. Those games are a kingdom-building simulator called “Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King”; a simple card game called “VIP Casino: Blackjack”; two arcade games called “Lost Winds” and “Pop”; a strategy game called “Defend Your Castle”; and a trivia game called “TV Show King.”

Nintendo says it has about 100 other WiiWare projects in the works. Virtual Console now has more than 200 classic games in its inventory.

Right now, Wii still can’t match the power of its rivals. However, with WiiWare, it offers something they don’t — a bigger playground for both gamers and game makers.