Mike Bantick
Friday, 12 January 2007 05:40
Opinion and Analysis
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The latest controversy to hit Nintendo’s console is all over the web. Naughty web sites being optimised for the web channel on the Wii, oh no!
It was inevitable, and quick. The Wii, with its combination of popularity, high profile, and beta (we stress, beta) internet channel has been too much of a lure for the seedy side of the internet to avoid.
Late last year
Ars Technica ran a story about an user experience with the Opera powered beta internet channel. His explorations of all aspects of the web via Wii-mote control are interesting.
Quoth he;
“So shortly after getting the trial version of opera on the Wii I went to a free adult site http://www.tiava.com to look at some photos. Yesterday I went back and... well apparently either the site maintainers are Wii enthusiasts or I'm not the only one. The site has added a "Wii friendly" interface for browsing their content. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised the adult industry seems to always know where technology is going, but I'm surprised to see it so quick. The browser hasn't been available but for a week now. “
Now in the New Year, some parent groups are kicking up a fuss about the non-cyber nanny aspect of the browser channel. Because the net access sits on a non-configurable device, as such cannot have parental controls integrated at this point in time, many are pointing their Wii-motes back at Nintendo, with blame in their eyes.
Really this is a ridiculous notion on a number of levels. To begin with, the age old argument that parents are unable to manage their kids on line experience, therefore the tech companies or Government need to, doesn’t stand up.
Parental controls on the latest consoles are a great step forward, and generally – given constraints and mistakes by censorship boards – work well in restricting game content to the kiddies. Direct net censorship via in built browsers, be it gaming consoles like the Wii or mobile devices like the upcoming iPhone, at this point in time, is unrealistic.
