As of today Wii can surf

Mike Bantick
Friday, 22 December 2006 08:40

Opinion and Analysis

Already standing up to play your Nintendo games?  Well now you can adopt a surfing stance and cruise the internet with the availability of Opera browser for the Wii game console.

Joining the Forecast channel for checking out the worlds weather, the Internet channel, as it will be known, finally gives living room surfers a slick interface to use.

Currently in beta, with a final version due at the end of March 2007 the Opera browser is available to connected Wiisters for free until the end of June.  After June 2007 you will be shelling out 500 Wii points for the software.  So, even though the console is currently tough to track down, get one soon if you are interested.

Scott Hedrick, Executive Vice President, Devices at Opera Software is quick to point out the advantages of this new release; “Our software brings the power and reach of the Internet to the hottest video game system available.  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.”

It is also worth noting the great main-stream exposure this will give Opera, currently a fairly distant third in the Browser wars, behind Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Furthermore it will  be interesting to see whather the Wii becomes the target for malware writers in the new year, given there will be no firewall software (apart from any installed on an in line router) to guard against nastily constructed web sites.

Nintendo is continuing to roll out the changes at a faster than expected rate, with the next Wii channel in line; the News Channel, due to go on line late January 2007