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Nintendo Upgrades Wii Internet Channel By Frederick Lane April 12, 2007 10:59AM     Nintendo's Internet Channel for the Wii, now powered by the full release of the Opera Web browser, has two search engines preinstalled to make it easier to find Internet information on the Wii. Thanks to the Opera update, the Wii Internet Channel now sports better response times along with several new options for Wii gamers.   Related Topics Nintendo Wii Opera Internet Latest News Plasma-TV Ban Could Be Costly Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed Flat PC Shipments Hurt Dell's Stock Ballmer Says Windows 7 Sales Good New Pogoplug 'Cloud' Gets Social After months of beta testing, Nintendo has upgraded its Internet Channel for the Wii console by rolling out a full version of the Opera Web browser. The popular browser has been specifically configured for the Wii and offers users several innovative tools for surfing the Web through the game console. Wii owners can download the browser for free through June 30, 2007, and it will remain free for the life of the system on which it is installed. Users who download the browser after June 30 will be charged 500 Wii points, or $5. In a press release, Scott Hedrick, the executive vice president of Devices for Opera Software, said that the company had focused on usability issues in designing for the Wii. "The Opera-powered Internet Channel for Wii is about making the Web easy to use for anyone, at any age," he said. "We received a lot of user feedback after the Christmas release of the original version, and based on that feedback we have created a browser that is clean, intuitive and made for viewing on the TV." Surfing on the Wii To bring the Web to the Wii, Opera tweaked its popular Web browser in several different ways. The company said that the Internet Channel will now have better response time and improved performance, and that several options have been added, including "new sounds, animations, and loading cursor graphics." The Internet Channel also now has two search engines preinstalled: Yahoo Search and Google. Users can "type" in their queries using an on-screen keyboard, which can also be used to enter Web site URLs in the browser. Some of the irritation of entering Web addresses one letter at a time can be avoided by saving favorite locations as bookmarks, which can be selected much more easily using the Wii Remote. Bringing the Web to the TV One of the features most touted by Nintendo and Opera is the ability to use a TV to view Web content. To facilitate the viewing of Web pages, the Opera software is equipped with a zoom feature, which will enlarge images and text on the screen either automatically or manually. Roger Fils-Aime, the President of Nintendo America, said that "Opera on Wii adds a new dimension and functionality to a video game console system. It is a unique Web experience that everyone can use, and the Intelligent Zoom feature allows consumers to read Web content on the TV from the comfort of their couch." In addition to the zoom feature, the Opera Wii browser takes advantage of the gaming console model by supporting multiple cursors on a Web page. The primary Wii Remote is used to control Web action, while other Wii remotes can use their cursors to point out other content on the page.   Advertisement  Personal Tech 1.   Plasma-TV Ban Could Be Costly 2.   Call of Duty Is Setting Records 3.   Watchmakers Turn to the iPhone 4.   Google Will Caption YouTube Videos 5.   Call of Duty Shatters Game Records Frugal Twitter-Only Device Offered TwitterPeek doesn't need a data plan. Average Rating: Multimedia E-Reader Unveiled Creative Labs prepares Mediabook. Average Rating: AMD Unveils Processor Road Map Emphasis will be on graphics, video. Average Rating:

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