Starting tommorow on the 22nd of December, all highspeed internet Wii owners should be ready to download the free testing version of the Wii Opera Browser, which is utilized as another Wii Channel. The Opera Browser will be comparible to Opera 9. However, it will more than likely be changed so that it will be comfortable to see on a television set.
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When I first played that Super NES, I did not even know what the internet was. When I first logged on to the internet, I would have never have thought to mix it together with game consoles. However, seeing it unfold as the Wii has, I think that a new period in gaming is beginning to unfold.
2 Comments to “Get Ready for Internet on the Wii”
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-Me-
posted on 21/12/06 at 23:18
Official Nintendo Press release:
FREE OPERA INTERNET BROWSER CONNECTS THE WORLD TO WII
Starting Dec. 22, Beta Version Lets Users Surf from the Comfort of their Couches
REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 19, 2006 – Nintendo’s wildly popular Wiiâ„¢ home video game system not only revolutionizes how people play games, but it also entices new people into the world of gaming. On Dec. 22, Nintendo and Opera Software bring the Internet to the living room couch with a free beta version of the Opera Web browser. Wii owners who are connected and have activated the Wii Shop Channel can download a free beta version of the Opera browser to activate the Internet Channel of the Wii Menu and begin surfing the Web.
“This newest Wii Menu channel provides yet another feature to draw non-gamers in,” says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “All kinds of people already have discovered that Wii is like nothing they have ever tried before, and our red-hot sales reflect this public enthusiasm.”
“Our software brings the power and reach of the Internet to the hottest video game system available,” says Scott Hedrick, Executive Vice President, Devices, at Opera Software. “Wii’s unique interface adds a new dimension to our browser, making it a useful tool that the whole family will enjoy operating with ease.”
The final version of the Opera browser will be available at the end of March 2007, and will be free for all Wii owners to download through the end of June 2007. After June, users who haven’t already downloaded the Opera browser can go to the Wii Shop Channel to download it for 500 Wii Points.
The Internet Channel provides an optimal Web browsing experience on people’s home television. The Adobe Flash-enabled beta version of the Opera browser puts the Internet right onto owners’ television screens and lets them browse with ease, enabling them to check sports scores, plot maps or visit their favorite Web sites. Multiple family members can gather around the television to plan a vacation or make online purchases. The pointing abilities of the Wii Remoteâ„¢ allow users to click on links they want to see or to zoom into any part of the screen through the motion of the controller. In addition, the Wii Remote can be used with an on-screen keyboard to make text entry as easy as point and click.
The Internet Channel joins the four already-live channels: Disc Channel, Photo Channel, Miiâ„¢ Channel and Wii Shop Channel. The Forecast Channel goes live on Dec. 20 and provides current and future weather information that can be accessed using a text list of cities or by using the Wii Remote to zoom in on a 3-D interactive globe. Weather information is provided by Weathernews. The Internet Channel, Forecast Channel and Wii Shop Channel are available at no charge, though they require Wii owners to have a high-speed Internet connection. For more information about Wii, visit Wii.com.
The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wiiâ„¢, Nintendo DSâ„¢, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCubeâ„¢ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Marioâ„¢, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zeldaâ„¢ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at http://www.nintendo.com.
Limpit
posted on 22/12/06 at 18:45
woke up this morning to my Wii blinking at me… switched it on to find a message from Nintendo to download the trial version of the browser, so I did!
Not had time to play with it yet, and very busy getting ready for my xmas trip, but I might get chance later so I’ll let you know how it went (if -Me- doesn’t beat me to it!)
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