Wii Opera browser's final version available

by Alexander Sliwinski on Apr 11th 2007 11:36PM

The final version of the Wii's Opera browser is now available for download. We haven't had a chance to really put the system through the paces, but we're guessing that it has all the details we previously wrote about:

Auto-hide toolbar
Display cursors from multiple Wii remotes (though only Player 1 can actually click)
Favorites page immediately accessible
Improved website compatibility
Improved zoom leaves text crisp at all levels
New and better scroll interface
Search button on the toolbar
Start up time decreased by 5 seconds
URL text (www and com) easily accessible

We'll be testing the final version, along with every other Wii owner, over the next couple of days. The free download of the browser ends in June. After that, late adopting Wii owners will be charged 500 Wii Points ($5 USD) for the browser. So, what do those giving the browser a workout think?

[Thank you to everyone who sent this in]

Tags: browser, opera, wii

Reader Comments (72)

Hey Nintendo.. its 2007.. people dont pay for web browsers anymore.. esp. gimped ones that run at 480p.

@ #1 its not like they are forcing you to buy it.

I think you'd have to be a total dork to browse the internet using a VIDEO GAME CONSOLE! Trust me, computers do it much better.

well the one convenience is that im typing this while in bed. i honestly dont think anyone expects the wii browser to replace a comp. anyways, in the limited time ive been using it has worked far better than the trial version. favor feature is that it allowed me to stretch the browser to fit my tv, so no more black outline.

Hey dukemeiser,

Good to know that you have a screen big enough for everyone in the room to see. The Wii is a social console. I've spent time talking over news and websites that was viewed on the Wii with others as we sit around and chat. Its not all about one person sitting in the dark browsing the net on his Wii.

I only have one problem with the Internet Channel...no music!!!!!!! :(

Otherwise...now I can scratch my arse in bed while I watch some youtube videos...:)

Hey John Doe,

I guess that makes you a dork doesn't it?

@religiousjedi, there's a web site out there, the name of which I can't recall, which lets you open multiple pages at once through tabbed browsing. I'm sure you can look it up, find it, use it, and then leave one tab running some internet radio.

@#1,

Hey Microsoft, it's 2007, people don't pay for online gaming anymore.

Come on. For only 5 dollars, the Wii Internet browser is a great deal. Sure, you won't want to rely on it as your only way to get online, but it's great for checking email, youtube, and as someone else said, "social browsing".

I am thrilled they finally released it!

@ Rubang

well met, sir

So, in RubangLand, no online gaming is better than paying for online gaming? And, yes, 8+ million people are paying monthly subscriptions for WoW right now... so how do you like 'em apples?

Nice one Rubang.

Anyway,
I've downloaded this new browser and so far it's not blowing my skirt up. It's better, but I still have little reason to use it over my pc except for certain flash games. It is kind of cool though, especially because it's free.

Would have like tabbed browsing, but other than that, I like it. Not all things Flash work, but at least YouTube does, which is what I primarily use the browser for.

Internet Channel + Super Paper Mario = teh win

You guys do know that you do not have to ever pay for it if you download it before June. I just downloaded it for FREE.

Wiiminder is what I used for tabbed browsing.

@Ian Von Porter, StarCraft is more fun than WoW. It's also free, and it still gets free updates AFTER TEN YEARS. Come again?

If you're referring to Nintendo's lack of online gaming, let me point to the Nintendo DS, which has free worldwide online gaming. At 40 million sold worldwide (that's more than the XBox and the 360 put together), that's a nice fat target audience to milk for some online gaming. But nope, it's free.

If you're referring to the Wii, Japan already has online games, and they'll be in the U.S. next month.

If you're referring to online gaming in general, StarCraft is still the best RTS in existence. And why pay to play Halo 2 or Gears online when I can play CounterStrike for free. It's the most-played online FPS of all time, it's free to play, and its updates are free. It also has more mods.

@Rubang B

Wow. So that's pretty sweet. 2 games have good, free online gaming. I bet its awesome when you are done playing Counterstrike and you have to call your buddy to set up a game of Starcraft, then call him again to play something else. OR I guess you could have an AIM screen name with just a gaming buddy list. That would work... but wait, alt tabbing out of games f's up the screen sometimes huh?

Any SMART gamer can grab a live subscription for 13 months (yeah thats right, try newegg) for $40... that's $3.33 per month... OMG!!!! Its nice having everything in ONE spot, being able to see what your friends are doing, and if you want to join them in that game...

shut up and go back to play Resistance. Does anyone own another PS3 game honestly?

I love the new UK PS3 ads... "It's a Blu-Ray player... and also can play games!!!"

Sweet Sony.

Wii60 rules.

@ Rubang B

Yeah because friends are so what's happening....

@ Rubang B

Yeah because friends codes are so what's happening....

Sorry for the triple post!

Am I missing something it does not appear any different after the update. If this is the final why does it still say "trial version"

"If you're referring to the Wii, Japan already has online games, and they'll be in the U.S. next month."

You must be talking about pokemon.. are you 5 years old? Have you already prepped your list of friend codes for the BIG day when Wii gets online?

So, what else is online multiplayer on the wii? .. .. .. hmmm.. that would be NOTHING!

So does this support Flash 8? Or are we still relegated to Flash 7 support?

Whoa whoa whoa, where'd you get the idea I have a PS3? I'm straight up Nintendo mafia bitch. I will cut you up.

@blah

The update just updates the Shop Channel. You need to use the Shop Channel to download the browser just like last time.

I can't help but notice that kids seem to get very cranky when they're up past their bedtime...

Meanwhile, I've downloaded and tested the new browser update with a few simple sites for now, and so far it works great. Everything has been tweaked to perfection, or at least close to it. Now I can finally browse QDB the way I've always wanted to...in bed. Which I should be in right now, as well as some others here.

@blah, the update is just for the firmware. Now you need to go to the Shop Channel and download the full browser.

I loved how LongShotX accidentally wrote "Yeah because friends are so what's happening...." as if he was making fun of having friends.

@JonRoach13, If I want an RTS, I'll play StarCraft. If I want an FPS, I'll play CounterStrike. These are not the only 2 games I own. All my other bases are covered by my 9 Wii games, my 21 DS games, and my 300 NES games.

@Ian Von Porter, The Wii is outselling your precious 360 here in America with ZERO online games. Online gaming is not the battle that decides the console war. Neither is graphics. The regular XBox owned both those battles in the 6th generation and got smoked by the PS2 by about 80 million. The 360 is already online and is expecting no amazing upgrades. The Wii will get a big sales spike when it goes online. This sales spike will leave the 360 in the dust even moreso than it already is. Online gaming won't save Microsoft this gen, just like they didn't last gen.

awww Ian Von Porter seems a bit cranky...guys maybe we should take it easy on the kid...(i think he's sensitive)

I can't see paying for this, but then again 10 years ago people used to pay $20 a month for this... they called it WebTV.

But as a freebee it's pretty awesome.

Hmm... Well, overall, it's a lot better than the Trial Version (and it's still free for a couple of months, folks... Though, I have a feeling Nintendo will eventually drop the idea of charging for it...).

Though, one thing that bothers me about the full version that I don't think was an issue with the trial version is that Flash videos seem a bit choppy with low framerates. I just watched a couple of YouTube videos, and they have a pretty choppy framerate... I hope this gets fixed.

"22. So, what else is online multiplayer on the wii? .. .. .. hmmm.. that would be NOTHING!"

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/03/wii-goes-online-with-mario-strikers-charged/

UK release date: May 25th

You're displaying a bit too much anger there, Ian. Try to calm down a tad, hmm?

@Jonroach13

So ignorance really annoys me. I'm not going to argue with anything you said, except for one thing, because i really don't want to waste the time on you. But about your comment on making an AIM buddy list for games. Have you ever heard of Xfire? Apparently you don't play any PC games cus if you did you would know what Xfire is. Oh, and the best thing is that you can chat with friends using Xfire without having to Alt Tab! God you just irritate me. Oh and to everyone who is bashing the Wii browser cus it isn't as good as using a computer: Nintendo isn't competing with computers, they are just offering you a service and if you don't like it then just don't use it.

I have to say, this new version is far better than the trial... and still free!

My husband and I, along with our neighbor, shopped for furniture online using the Wii. A computer is still better, but this does have its uses.

(posted from Wii)

Does Wii Media Center X work better now with the improved browser?

This wii browser is pretty nice. I'm actually typing out my reply using the wii right now. I have a couple of bookmarks I've checked out, and everything seems to be running smoothly, except for finetune. The folks over there wern't expecting the wii's zoom function i guess, so their current version of the wii player gets buggy when you zoom in and out, but it still works as a media player of sorts.

Xfire is damn near the worst IM program ever designed by man. I mean, the concept is promising but the implementation is atrocious.

Hmm... You're neglecting a major upgrade of the Wii Browser! It's the new icon! Much, much prettier now!

Pretty cool for what it is. Text is blurry when I zoom out. |)

Keyboard support would've been nice. Somebody needs to hack the Wii's firmware and get keyboard drivers out for it ASAP...

If i HAVE to use a console online...i use my PS3 to view webpages, like Joystiq etc. Because the Wiimote is a pain in the butt to type stuff out with i rather you a keyboard, makes it SOO much simpler.

Same thing with the 360, if i have to type out a message i use my keyboard, becaue really...i dont have the patience to use the controller.

But i did give this new web browser a download, but i've used the Trial version...2 times maybe? and i doubt i'll use this much, but hey, its free.

pornotube and 4chan flashes don't work anymore. The browser just lost all it's meaning.

I heartily agree with CNash -- keyboard support is desperately needed. Also, Nintendo/Opera had a GOLDEN opportunity to upgrade Flash capability in the final version of the Internet Channel. Having greater-than-Flash v7.0 would allow watching episodes of many of our favorite TV shows online (posted on ABC.com, Fox.com, etc.) and could extended the Wii's miniscule media center abilities, but we are stuck with watching Flash v7.0 videos only on the IC. I can live with it, though, because as most everyone is pointing out, the IC upgrade is FREE (for now) and really isn't bad at all for casual surfing from the couch.

Does anyone know why this app, and just this app, could not be shoved out in 720p over the component cables? I understand why games cant be pushed at this res, the gpu is just not ready for that, but pushing out this over a higher res should not be an issue right? Is it a hard coded limitation of the Wii?

Its much better than before, and
@dukemeiser PC may do web browsing much better, but this is brilliant is when your computers wrecked and you need to find out how to fix it. (Fixed Windows 3 times already using my DS!)

loyal readers go to sites they like best too bad Joystiq was second behind google ^.^;
anyway while it was loading i was scrolling i got almost to the end and Alert message: Out of memory, would you like to reload the page. Yes or no? sry guys your website and all its pictures(yep all roughly 25 of those jpgs) made the wii crash...get a computer and firefox is what i think, at least until nintendo adds mp3 support for the internet channel(like that will ever happen)

It's so interesting to see that everyone rants about the shitty flash support. Start complaining to Adobe! I've read the Opera forums where the developers themselves admitted they wanted to do better flash support but Adobe just says "Nah we don't like the idea of more platforms running flash that we have to support". In addition to owning a Wii I am a Linux user and therefore I'm screwed² think about that for a while. There should be a new open standard replacing flash thats what I say.

It's definitely true that the new browser has worse flash support (choppy videos here too) but for an affordable machine like that it's still alright. I can't understand the people ranting against the Wii's browser capability ... you can't run a computer for 250 bucks that plays games that well and has Bluetooth motion controls and still gets updates regularly. Stop thinking about your own darn inconveniences and start realizing the potential of new internet participants that such a browsing experience can create.

"I think you'd have to be a total dork to browse the internet using a VIDEO GAME CONSOLE! Trust me, computers do it much better."

Yeah...I mean who wants to goof off and watch streaming videos on a 32" television in their living room?

Oh wait, everybody.

@ChrisM ...what?

@meister

I'm glad you're here. I am so sick of whining about a free feature on a $250 tv console. The internet channel is now much more polished, faster, and intuitive. And the thing is free. Youtube still looks great on it (better than on a pc) and it can be a helpful tool in families with one computer when another person wants to check their email. Interesting fact about HD: did you know that the majority of people don't have HD and when they do get it they notice that 480p widescreen is not that much worse than 720p. Do you think Nintendo didn't see that HD will become the new tv standard in 5-7 years?

| 1 | 2 | Most Recent | Next 50 Comments

Sorry, you must be logged in to leave a comment.

Breaking News

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days

Vita 'UMD Passport' won't be offered in US 220 comments
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning review: A tempting fate 153 comments
David Jaffe leaves Eat Sleep Play, layoffs hit developer [Update] 107 comments
Don't call it a remake: Final Fantasy X is a 'remaster,' to be clear 95 comments
Battleship movie adapted into FPS by Double Helix 93 comments

Wii Opera browser's final version available

Reader Comments (72)

Posted: Apr 11th 2007 11:39PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 11th 2007 11:41PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 11th 2007 11:42PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 11th 2007 11:49PM luca108 said

Posted: Apr 11th 2007 11:50PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 11th 2007 11:53PM religiousjedi said

Posted: Apr 11th 2007 11:53PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 11th 2007 11:57PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 11th 2007 11:58PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:00AM arrrgh said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:08AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:11AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:13AM booticon said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:13AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:14AM Sponge said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:16AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:33AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:39AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:39AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:40AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:46AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:47AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:47AM WhatIsThatThing said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:55AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:55AM CubeGuy said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 12:59AM Asok said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 1:07AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 1:18AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 1:26AM arrrgh said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 1:28AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 1:33AM BPMOmega XBL PSN Steam said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 1:53AM teejaykay said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 2:33AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 3:46AM Shogan said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 3:47AM jp007 said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 3:56AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 5:24AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 5:52AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 6:50AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 7:06AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 7:14AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 7:34AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 7:37AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 7:41AM fragmit said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 7:56AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 8:12AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 8:16AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 8:31AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 9:35AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Apr 12th 2007 9:44AM (Unverified) said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

Double Fine Kickstarter passes $1 million in under 24 hours, breaking yet another record

Featured Stories

The Joystiq Show - 024: Kingdoms of Double Fine

Shank 2 review: Refined brutality

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier brings information warfare to the front

The most popular postsin the last 7 days

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days