DS web browser and TV tuner announced
by Dan Choi 
{ Feb 15th 2006 at 3:45AM }
In a press conference scheduled to take place in Japan
today, Nintendo announced that a non-firmware web-browser add-on from Opera and a 1Seg Digital TV Tuner add-on will
be arriving for the DS in Japan. There's no word yet on bringing these add-ons to the West, though Reggie's hinted at it already.The Opera software will release in June for roughly $32. Additional items of note include a May Japanese release date for New Super Mario Brothers (helloooo, import), a budget price for Tetris DS, the announcement of several games like Calligraphy Training DS and a cooking title, footage shown from Children of Mana and Xenosaga Episode 1-2, and "brief talk" concerning games such as Super Robot Wars, Dynasty Warriors, and Winning Eleven Nine (with the latter two titles getting Wi-Fi support).
More photos are available at the DS Advanced page linked via the image above (and the Read link below), as well as from the story on ITmedia and Watch Impress. A brief PR summary on Bloomberg has also been released, but a meaty DS Conference talk with slides (most likely from Satoru Iwata) has been provided on the Japanese Nintendo site here.
[Thanks, Tim, Ryan, Probot, Tim Tong, Justin, yamakiyo, and Badison]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
randomboy @ Feb 15th 2006 4:05AM
Nintendo is not only starting to listen to their fans. they are also delivering. Nintendo Forever.
Jago @ Feb 15th 2006 4:06AM
Interesting...now lets hope that the TV Tuner doesn't meet the same demise that past TV tuner add-ons have meet.
I wonder what the price of the TV Tuner will be and if it is good enough I hope they bring it here to the US.
If the web browser works better then the POS one in my PSP then I may just buy it (if it is brought over here)...plus $30 is pretty damn good deal too.
SoBe @ Feb 15th 2006 4:08AM
Sweet touch screen internet browsing. Shame it's not a firmware upgrade though.
Lineage 2 Fan Art @ Feb 15th 2006 4:42AM
Wow, this is a nice addon. I was wondering how long it would be before they created one for the DS.
Greg2k @ Feb 15th 2006 4:50AM
Finally, a TV Tuner that won't suck ass. I sure hope it's DVB-T compatible when it arrives in Europe (yes, WHEN).
Asz @ Feb 15th 2006 6:06AM
Wow! Opera on the DS? Thats pretty awesome, i'm one of the few users of Opera and I love it. Would be pretty cool on the DS, but i'm not digging the fact that its not a firmware upgrade. Lugging around an extra cartridge shouldn't be neccesary.
AssemblyLineHuman @ Feb 15th 2006 6:18AM
Ha, Nintendo copies Sony for once! =P
And the possible reasons for buying a PSP deteriorate further.
Cdaghostie @ Feb 15th 2006 6:39AM
Two comments:
One, it could be firmware but it would only have the range of pictochat.
Two, nothing saying but the ds could have had a web browser of day 1 Sony just happened to do it first. Also psp doesn't have a tvtuner.
So i guess you could say nintendo copied sony but their ds is kicking psp's a55 anyways.
Range?
btw look at the link the cartridge isn't a gba one its a ds one so its rather small.
ledorky @ Feb 15th 2006 6:49AM
I love the design of the browser. Bottom screen is the full page layout touch where you want to zoom while the upper screen is the zoomed version. Pretty nifty and no need for nasty scrolling.
Don't care for a TV tuner and if you want to watch movies or play mp3s there is a nifty piece of homebrew software called Moonshell that lets you watch mpeg (small too) files at the full DS resolution and play mp3 files.
JonTart @ Feb 15th 2006 6:52AM
I don't think I'll be buying this due to the fact that it is not a firmware upgrade, having to pay for and carry an extra cartridge around for something as basic as a web browser is just plain annoying.
If nintendo were to put some extras on the cartridge though (maybe personal organiser type features or Office type apps) then it might be worth it
in5ane @ Feb 15th 2006 7:00AM
$32 for a quality Nintendo game is OK. $32 for a web browser is a rip off I'm afraid.
JRM @ Feb 15th 2006 7:07AM
#9: not everybody needs a web browser on their DS, some people have devices called "computers". So why add it to the existing firmware?
Also, it might have to do with Nintendo's WIFI philosophy of having different online codes, like they do with their games. so a cartridge is necessary. This is just a guess though.
Leon @ Feb 15th 2006 7:20AM
Digital tv, web browsing, new sleek DS design with a good few wifi games on the way?! Nintendo are kicking ass!
BlackYoshi @ Feb 15th 2006 7:29AM
$32 for a web browser is horrible. I don't pay for full versions on PC, and even the PSP version is free, so why would anyone pay the cost of a brand new game for a web browser?
cotenyc @ Feb 15th 2006 7:29AM
Actually it not being a firmware upgrade is probably much better. This means there will probably be far more room for caching, also it will probably be loaded with some 3rd party support, flash maybe even quicktime and wmp. This is a good thing.
Agent X @ Feb 15th 2006 7:37AM
Some Nintendo DS fanatics used to to bash Sony over allowing non-game applications to exist on the PSP, saying they should be focusing on games and games only...but the shoe's on the other foot now. I suppose these people should now be denouncing their loyalty to Nintendo and ridding themselves of their DS machines, since Nintendo has just proven that they're NOT totally focused on games.
Alex K. @ Feb 15th 2006 7:44AM
"One, it could be firmware but it would only have the range of pictochat."
you don't know ANYTHING about the technology behind the DS.
There just isn't enough space in the firmware memory to actually store the web browser. Nintendo didn't plan for it, plus the only way customers can make firmware updates is by bridging a lead on the motherboard of the DS (through a hole in the battery area.)
Alex K. @ Feb 15th 2006 7:46AM
"Some Nintendo DS fanatics used to to bash Sony over allowing non-game applications to exist on the PSP"
What the fanboys were basing was the fact that the PSP never had good games. Now that the DS has killer games availible for it, Nintendo is announcing other non-game htings for the DS.
Besides, the TV Tuner and Opera browser are THIRD PARTY.
Vinnk @ Feb 15th 2006 8:23AM
" Some Nintendo DS fanatics used to to bash Sony over allowing non-game applications to exist on the PSP, saying they should be focusing on games and games only...but the shoe's on the other foot now. I suppose these people should now be denouncing their loyalty to Nintendo and ridding themselves of their DS machines, since Nintendo has just proven that they're NOT totally focused on games."
And there's the thing. It is totally optional. My DS is still a game machine and only a game machine. I have a laptop for the internet and have no use for this browsing software, but some people do and they can choose weather or not to buy it. Same goes with the Play-yan. If I wanted an all in one device I would use a PSP, but I wanted a dedicated game system, so I went with DS. The cost of this software is about the same price as other mobile versions of Opera (though the Mac and PC versions are free). I don't see the big problem.
fawazr @ Feb 15th 2006 8:26AM
The fact that nintendo 'outsourced' the browser project is a good sign. They stay committed to games and such and wait for a third party to add to functionality. It would be disappointing if Nintendo spent the last year making nothing but firmware upgrades and lackluster feature addons while the library of game titles faltered. I'm iffy about the tv tuner though, but the DS' battery power should make the tuner a nice accompaniment on long road trips. Also, whatever happened to the homebrew attempts to make a firmawre browser and how fast are DS memory cards?
Miharu @ Feb 15th 2006 8:30AM
This is a nice update, now I only want media capabilities on my DS.... With a reasonable price too (I'm not going to pay 225 dollars for that 4 gb thing).
soupbun @ Feb 15th 2006 8:43AM
People don't seem to understand that most likely this is software that's most likely going to appear on a cart, so your paying for the parts, distribution, and maybe even the licensing fee from Opera. also, people have been paying for Opera and other browsers for mobile devices for quite a while now.
I hope this will be the way we can finally get downloadable game content to DS from home, instead of walking up to a stupid kiosk. Especially since it's taking absolutely forever for Sony to do that, but we get a stupid email client from them instead. What were they planning to do with this? Email the content to us? or just provide PSP spam.
DaMadFiddler @ Feb 15th 2006 8:54AM
Actually, I support the idea of the DS as a modular device. I suspected they might try to market it that way back when it was unveiled, but I guess I was wrong. The idea makes sense, though--the core machine is great for gaming, cheap enough to remain affordable, and doesn't clutter stuff up for the core gamer demographic with unwanted features. However, it does have a number of features (such as the touchscreen, WiFi radio, and mic) that can be put to good use in other scenarios, and keeping the GBA slot as an "expansion port" allows owners who decide they *do* want their DS to do something else (portable Internet device, pocket TV, MP3 player, PDA, dictionary, translater, voice recorder, etc.) the possibility of customizing the system to their specific needs, fairly inexpensively.
If they're going to charge that much for the web browser, though, I do think it should include email and IM clients. $30 for a web browser is ludicrous, but $30 for a ocmplete Internet suite is reasonable, given the portability factor.
In fact, if I were working on this, I would release a trio of products: an Internet suite with browser, email, and IM client; a PDA suite with scheduling app, address book, and text editor; and a media suite with MP3/WMA/OGG (hopefully with playlist support) and video playback. Ideally, each of these would be released on a DS cart, and an inexpensive adapter would also be made available for the GBA slot, which would let you store files on CompactFlash or SD, so you could swap them back and forth with your PC. Perhaps even a value bundle with all three and the flash media adapter as a high-end option.
Think about it. It would be a lot more practical (and legal, for that matter) than solutions like the M3 or Supercard, since it doesn't rely on hacks or firmware exploits, and would be *much* cleaner and easier for more casual users. It would also keep all that additional functionality optional, so that people in it strictly for the games can keep their systems "pure," and not have to pay for functionality they're not going to use. The core DS is a great standalone gaming platform, and a line of well-designed expansions could bring in an entirely new market demographic by giving it consumer appeal as a customizable, modular device for those who choose to use it as such.
WizarDru @ Feb 15th 2006 9:28AM
"I don't pay for full versions on PC, and even the PSP version is free, so why would anyone pay the cost of a brand new game for a web browser?"
Well, several reasons. One, because you're doing it on a wireless handheld device. Two, Opera is a full-featured and more mature browser than the PSP's browser. Three, if it offers support for Javascript AND Flash (and maybe other formats), then it's worth it. Especially with the marriage of a web browser and a touch-screen, which is a natural. If it offers a sizable cache and good performance, that's even better.
The TV tuner, however, just strikes me as DUMB. At least the PSP has a nice big screen for it...but for either unit, how often do you see yourself trying to pick up terrestrial TV signals OTA? I mean, handheld TVs have been out for ages...and no one buys them; why would you waste money on such a device for your handheld?
Matt @ Feb 15th 2006 9:40AM
Ok I am an Opera user.
I think this whole thing is sort of ironic since the Nintendo.com website cannot be viewed in the Opera browser.The site tells you to update your website to the newest versions of Firefox, Netscape or IE.
mocax @ Feb 15th 2006 9:50AM
Nintendo always stood by their games-only mantra.
The browser and tv are made by 3rd party companies.
It doesn't make sense for an outsider to have control over nintendo's firmware.
It'll be a totally different story if Nintendo made those devices themselves though....
32_Footsteps @ Feb 15th 2006 9:50AM
I'm coming at this news from two sides.
One, as a DS owner, I'm less than impressed. I could see it working well, but I wonder what's the bother. Do I really need to browse the web everywhere? Not really.
Two, as an Opera user, I think it's great. It's a solid browser that is lean and highly functional. I personally love it when Mozilla users try to convince me to shift by promoting features that Opera has had for years - and with less resources used to boot. I'm glad that the company is getting a boost like this.
Of course, the irony is that Nintendo.com is not optimized at all to work with Opera - it loads kind of funky (though it is still possible to read it on the browser). Wonder if that's going to change very soon.
wizza @ Feb 15th 2006 10:08AM
I just wanted to mention that the TV tuner is not for over the air broadcast television, but for a specific digital television broadcast service called 1seg which is being targeted at mobile users in Japan.
Personally, I think it will do quite well over there. People that aren't interested in gaming, but bought the DS for brain training type games can watch TV on the subway. This is the same country where people read e-books on their cell phones, for crying out loud.
soupbun @ Feb 15th 2006 10:18AM
"This is the same country where people read e-books on their cell phones, for crying out loud."
What about reading ebooks on a mobile? I do that all the time on my Nokia 6630. I finished a Harry Potter book in 4 days like that.
wizza @ Feb 15th 2006 10:26AM
I was just saying because people who are willing to read text off of a display that small would have no problem watching TV shows on their DS. I didn't mean it as an insult or anything.
wizza @ Feb 15th 2006 10:31AM
While the TV tuner and web browser are nice and all, here's what I'm looking forward to (stolen from ign):
03.02: Seiken Densetsu: Children of Mana DS
Square Enix's revival of the Mana series hits the DS on the same day as the DS Lite. We'll point out that Square Enix also got the privilege of releasing Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on the same day as the release of the Game Boy Advance SP.
03.02: Shunkan Puzzloop
Nintendo is also giving the DS Lite launch the expected puzzler.
03.23: Pokemon Ranger
Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon sold a combined 1.41 million copies on the Game Boy Advance and DS last year. This Spring, the DS gets Pokemon Ranger all to itself.
03.30: Xenosaga I&II
Namco remixes the first and second Xenosaga games in one for DS release in late March.
03.30: Contact
Marvelous Interactive won't be letting Namco hog all the light, though, as it's bringing its original action RPG, Contact, to the DS on the same day as Xenosaga. This title features WiFi support.
04.06: Tenchu: Dark Shadow
From Software joins Capcom in the quest to come up with clever uses of the letters "DS." Tenchu DS is fully titled Tenchu Dark Shadow and hits in early April.
04.13: Tales of the Tempest
Rounding out an RPG-filled Spring is the latest entry in the Tales series. Namco is making use of full 3D visuals for the game, both for over world maps and battles.
05.XX: New Super Mario Bros.
Closing off the Spring sales season is the first 2D Super Mario game in 14 years. The game's official title in Japan is New Super Mario Bros., in case you were expecting it to change to something like Super Mario Bros. 4. Nintendo also mentioned today that the Famicom Mini (Japanese name for the NES Classics series) version of the original Super Mario Bros. has sold over 1.22 million copies in Japan.
Those are some QUALITY games coming out there. It's funny that after only a little more than a year out, the DS will have more quality games out than the GameCube has now.
Blue @ Feb 15th 2006 10:38AM
"There just isn't enough space in the firmware memory to actually store the web browser. Nintendo didn't plan for it, plus the only way customers can make firmware updates is by bridging a lead on the motherboard of the DS (through a hole in the battery area.)"
While it's true that there isn't enough space in the firmware to store a web browser, bridging the lead is not necessary to update the firmware (remember the firmware update through MKDS?). Bridging that contact is something the homebrew scene does to flash the ds and give it a restore point in case of bricking it.
R0n @ Feb 15th 2006 10:53AM
It's also funny that some PSP fanboys people thought the fall line-up this year had all the best stuff the DS would have to offer.
Rhys @ Feb 15th 2006 11:54AM
I think its brilliant and these are the exact things Nintendo should be concentrating on.
Snake @ Feb 15th 2006 12:15PM
A Web Browser?...A TV Tuner...???
Wifi- Check.
Great Games- Check.
PSP getting dominated- Check.
A WEB BROWSER- CHECK!
TV Tuner- Check. (Obsolete.)
That "4GB MAX Media Player" Thing.- Check.
Different Colors- Check.
DS Lite- OMFG...check, Check, CHECK!!!!
Different Colors- Check. (Although i still own the silver one)
PSP Getting chopped up- Check.
Metroid Prime: Hunters WITH Voice Chat- Yes...Check.
Better Crowd For Nintendo- Check.
All The Nintendo DS Is Missing Now Is Metal Gear Solid.
(No...Not like that BULLSHIT MGS Acid for the [PSP flame]. How dare you Sony?! mixing MGS Action With....with...CARDS??!? WTF!)
Martez @ Feb 15th 2006 1:13PM
Paying for a webbrowser is for suckers. Especially $30. Especially Opera.
Abhinav Kumar @ Feb 15th 2006 1:40PM
Wow. All this downright amazing DS news and its not even E3 yet! Great new lineup of games, 2 new interesting addons and even a launch window for mario! Man tetris will be sweet for $20. I cant wait!!
Cameron @ Feb 15th 2006 6:08PM
I guess for some complaining about the price or are concerned about the performance of the browser due to the DS only having 4MB of RAM, there will be a GBA slot RAM expansion for this web-browser. http://ds-x2.com/index.php?id=4857 I'm sure that is some of the cost right there, I don't know how much extra RAM will be included, though. Maybe this means more plug-ins could be supported.
n3rrd @ Feb 15th 2006 8:24PM
For the people slamming on the browser, think of it this way: You got your gaming machine for a fraction of the cost of the PSP. Now, the people who bought the DS and want some of the "extra features" that are the PSPs main selling point can pick and choose.
It's a neat way of keeping the system cost down but making the features available for the people who desire them.
Now I can have a system boasting a solid game library (released and lined up), and the ability to browse the net, still for a fraction of the cost of the PSP. Good news to me.
If you think the $30.00 is steep, imagine having bought a PSP for these two features: games, and internet browsing. $30.00 isn't as bad anymore, is it?
mike @ Feb 15th 2006 8:35PM
Ha, Nintendo copies Sony for once! =P
And the possible reasons for buying a PSP deteriorate further.
----
WRONG!.. this is OPTIONAL.. and because it's not built into the system, the game system doesnt suffer from 'too many masters'
having a core system with extensibility is the way to go..
why charge higher standard price for features that aren't primary to gaming? cuz sony doesn't care about gaming.. they're trying to leverage movie business...
ThePete @ Feb 15th 2006 10:50PM
Wow--so many haters out there--the browser will suck because:
1)it's expensive.
Uh, $32 is not expensive when you think about all it can do. Sure, PC and Mac browsers are free--but you don't get to go with a PC browser. This is it and if you had to pay for a PC browser, you would--even $32.
2) It's on a cart--what a drag! Gotta carry another cart around with you!!
Dude--take 4 pennies. Make two rows of two. Then take 4 more pennies and place one on each of the first four pennies. That's pretty much the size of a DS cart. So, if you have 8 cents in pennies in your pocket, I think you can spare the room to carry another cart around.
3) The DS is a gaming system--why would anyone want to browse the 'net on it?
Because it's cool and the DS is smaller than a laptop, bright-eyes. And the new DS Lite will be smaller still.
4) It won't come with a full suite of PDA/Media options.
Well, with a connection to the 'net, you can get PDA functions on the web and if you reeeally want media drop some cash on a Play-Yan or a GBAMP/Supercard/M3. The only reason I don't use my DS for video watching is because there is no Mac version of the video conversion software. Well, that and I have a 5g iPod.
Also, anyone who doesn't think it's worth it to watch a TV on the DS hasn't tried it. I've watched hours and hours of movies on my GBAMP. Sure, it's a little pixelated, but what the hell? It's more convenient that buying a whole different standalone DVD player or another $200+ for a PSP. Some of us don't have the money to buy a PSP let alone buy one just so we can use features now available for the DS.
So, just relax folks, nobody's forcing you to buy anything. Finally the DS is superior to the PSP in more ways than just having good games and a touchscreen.
dsub @ Feb 16th 2006 12:43AM
finally...10 years later someone realizes how cool the game gear TV tuner add-on was. This just goes to show once again that the game gear was FAR ahead of it's time. Too bad it was a bit large and ate batteries for lunch.
combatwombat @ Feb 17th 2006 3:12PM
Two words: F4nb0iz sukczor
Other words: I own a PSP and a DS, and the PSP gets used more. It just seems, more complete. The graphics are better, games are fun, it plays mp3 and Napoleon Dynamite.. I mean videos, and I can *borrow* people's WiFi when I'm out ;). But seriously, the PSP is superior. (Cue Ninty fanboys telling me i'm not a H4rdXc0re gamer. Who cares?) Wait, that makes me a FANBOY! NOOOOO... *gurgle*
More words: Holy **** the Game Gear had a TV Tuner? Kind of makes me want to dig mine out again and find a secondhand tuner. But it does devour batteries too quickly to be practical. :(
xinpig @ Feb 18th 2006 2:58PM
#40 If you carry your wallet with you and your ds stick the internet cart in there in one of the cradit card slots(Thats what i do with my carts)
xinpig @ Feb 18th 2006 3:05PM
#40 just put the cart in your wallet if you carry that and you ds around(Thats what i do)
Junixx @ Apr 5th 2006 8:42PM
Ok, i think the DS browser would be pretty good, you know something that NO ONE has metioned is that some people have dial up and cant surf the internet to find news (or anything else) very fast, so if they were on the road they could just walk into a mcdonalds and start surfing the web on their DS
And btw mentioned that Opera will have Javascript and flash support, well heck that already beats PSP's browser bc ive used the psp browser and it cant run Java apps
TaMichael @ May 13th 2006 1:32AM
aye, i ont cur wat yall say but da psp is sexi and i like tha fact it can play movies n music n picz but its web browser suck. im sorry but its horrible. tha ds is "kool" not "sexi" but kool.if the nds had graphics like the psp...it would be sexier. i think nintendo should have spent the lil xtra cash on the ds n made it have better graphicz i think itd be worth it. the psp is sexi in my book but i have a ds and will keep it that way because it has a touch scren, i mean it makes games much better and funner. the graphics of the ds is a huge turnoff though. and whats all this talk ov a $30 web browser being to expensive lmao i mean its $30 its nuthin. and people say the ds web browser is dumb cus u already got one but uh...u kno how u on da comp and u gotta crap all ov a sudden? n u hold it n cuz u ont wanna leave tha comp well jux pick up ya ds n thur u go. sumbody said what if you have dial up, thats what the wifi hub is for. u can call me a noob but wats firmware? i aint a xbox fan or nuttin but wit all this nds and psp...wheres microsoft?
Chris @ May 20th 2006 5:10AM
$32 for a web browser is good for someone who wants wireless internet anywhere in their house (like me)!
bob @ May 20th 2006 5:13AM
So you say the PSP is better? At least Nintendo focus on games more than they do. Sony seems to be focusing little on games, and more on the video and music side of things! THAT is not what a games console is!
not shown @ Jun 5th 2006 6:56PM
I am very excited about internet being on the ds, it kicks sony's a55 since ds's cost less and still will cost less (if the internet cartridge is somewhere around $30). I'm looking forward to this coming out in the US very soon.