E3 2006: Opera browser also on Wii

Wii News | Surf the web on your couch using the remote.

Opera has confirmed that they will follow up their DS browser with one for Nintendo's new home console, the Wii. Previous efforts to put the internet on TVs have been patchy at best, usually because of clumsy interfaces or the necessity to purchase a special keyboard and mouse. But with the motion sensing laser pointer-like Wii controller as standard, this one just might have a chance at being useful, especially for pages specifically designed to be browsed by the Wii.

"Nintendo is clearly a visionary in leading the gaming industry into the new era in gaming" said Opera CEO, Jon von Tetzchner."We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Nintendo, and work with them to deliver the best gaming experience on the Wii console and the Nintendo DS(TM)." A Nintendo spokesperson called the Opera browser "an exceptional addition to both the Nintendo DS and the Wii console."

Opera's browser for DS is scheduled for release in Japan in a few weeks as a separate product, but will the Wii version come pre-loaded? No launch date was announced, so more as we get it!

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13 Comments

Qbert

6 years ago

It'll be very hard to type without a keyboard...

sonicwired

6 years ago

Maybe you can write the letters in the air using the remote.

Sin Ogaris

6 years ago

Or perhaps they'll release a keyboard peripheral to plug into the bottom of the remote.

David

6 years ago

Voice recognition? The remote has a microphone...

Infested Jibbs

6 years ago

DS connectivity, where the lites touch screen acts as a keyboard?

Cerebral

6 years ago

Or perhaps plug in a USB keyboard into one of the ports at the back.

InvivnI

6 years ago

Some sort of on-screen keyboard even, though that would be hardly ideal.

admeister

6 years ago

probably plug in a keyboard in the USB port, I would say. What are they for, otherwise?

Hyperworm

6 years ago

Great news, methinks.

Probably won't be as useful as a DS browser, but it's certainly a welcome addition.

Wii's gonna be running 640x480 though, right? And I thought we were finally getting to the point where I could design for 800x600 and up

As for typing, an on-screen keyboard would be too awkward (buttons too small probably? maybe they could get round that), writing would get tiring, voice recognition is never 100% perfect... I think USB keyboard is the way to go.
A gesture-based system or a different on-screen pointing mechanism that isn't a keyboard would also be interesting to see.

sonicwired

6 years ago

Hyperworm wrote

A gesture-based system or a different on-screen pointing mechanism that isn't a keyboard would also be interesting to see.

Can you say, Minority Report.

Gtpod

6 years ago

sonicwired wrote

Hyperworm wrote

A gesture-based system or a different on-screen pointing mechanism that isn't a keyboard would also be interesting to see.

Can you say, Minority Report.

Surely it wouldn't take much programming to get the windows to move like they do on that; t'would be cool as.

Also;

sonicwired wrote

Maybe you can write the letters in the air using the remote.

That was my immediate thought when I saw the news, I'd love to see this happen, but...

David wrote

Voice recognition? The remote has a microphone...

... Would be so much cooler.

themak

6 years ago

GTPod wrote

Surely it wouldn't take much programming to get the windows to move like they do on that; t'would be cool as.

Said the manager to the programmer immediately before he took his own life.

Hyperworm

6 years ago

sonicwired wrote

Hyperworm wrote

A gesture-based system or a different on-screen pointing mechanism that isn't a keyboard would also be interesting to see.

Can you say, Minority Report.

Oh man.

There are so many cool things they could do with the interface

and probably won't in the name of simplicity

I really don't understand why we haven't seen any screenshots of the Wii/Virtual Console interface yet. Surely a simple thing like that should have been finished by now?