Nintendo Releases Final Opera Interent Browser

[Peench]

Wii – Full Opera Internet Browser
By: Peench

While Xbox 360 owners are clamoring for a browser on their console, Nintendo quietly pushed the full version of the Opera Browser for their Wii. It is currently available now for download, though it will only be free until the end of June 2007. So get yourself connected and download the new full version internet channel for your Wii today!

I’ve included a photo walkthrough below of the download process as well as some of the new features. As an overview, some of the new features of the full version Opera Browser for the Wii are:

1. Faster start up time
2. Search button added
3. Text is clear, even when enlarged
4. The tool bar can be hidden to see more of the screen

Overall I think the new full Opera Browser for the Nintendo Wii is robust enough to use every now again when in a pinch, but slow enough not to rely on as your full-time browser. The upgrade process is easy, however, so I recommend that everyone download this update as soon as possible – and definitely while it is free (through the end of June 2007).

In case you missed the message that Nintendo sent you announcing the new internet channel, the first thing you will notice when choosing the Wii shopping channel is the following:



To get the update, you must select Wii options here:



Once in the Wii Options menu, choose the third page and “Wii System Update.”



You will be asked if you want to connect to the internet and perform a Wii System Update. Choose yes.





All you have to do is wait until the blue bar makes it all the way across the screen and your Wii Shop Channel will be updated. You will receive the following note letting you know that there are parental controls available for web surfing access:



Once done you will download the new Opera Browser for the Wii from the Wii Shopping Channel. At the welcome screen you will note the new Internet Channel on the left:



From there choose “Wii Ware”



You will note that Internet Channel is “New” and “Updated.” By clicking on the link you will be ready to download.





You will be asked to confirm the download two separate times. Once after the download screen, and again when it shows you how much the download will cost (free until June of 2007) and how many “blocks” of space it will take up. The yes on each of these screens is in a different location so make sure you check to see what button you are pressing!



You will then be treated to Mario chasing coins and when your download is complete he’ll go crazy (but in a good way) and you will be treated the following screen:



Choose the Internet Channel and you will get the new greeting screen:



You will immediately notice the new “Start Screen”



On the bottom of the start screen you will note the new control buttons. The left and right arrows are for “forward” and “back.” You will recognize the familiar “reload” button and new buttons for “search” “favorites” “enter address” and “home” as well as an informational button “I” for information about a web page (although the information presented is fairly sparse).







I started at the Favorite page:



In addition to the favorites you may have already had “e.g. PreGameLobby.com” the new browser adds a few of its own favorites for you. Having never visited any of these pages, you will see them as simply blank stars like above. Once you visit the pages, however, this screen will show you a mini-version of the site which is pretty cool.



So what about the settings and new features? Well the new browsing bar on the bottom of the screen can be turned off. It is on by default so the first thing you are going to want to do is head on over to your settings and choose “Auto-Hide Toolbar.”



This will give you much more of your screen real estate back for web surfing. Those of you who have used a Windows PC will note that the auto-hide function works the same as the auto-hide function for your taskbar. Your screen will now look like this when you are surfing:



And like this when you move the browser hand to the bottom of the screen:



Other settings that can be adjusted are auto-zoom, whether to use Google or Yahoo! as your primary search engine, delete cookies, adjust display width and you can even set up proxy web-surfing.









You can also zoom in or out with use of the + or – button on your Wiimote. Once you are all zoomed out the screen will look like this:



You won’t be able to read anything, but I guess it is cool to get an overview of an entire site. Notice how the formatting is a little messed up on the right side of the site's main page. Not sure what that is all about. I also noticed that once I zoomed out even 1 or 2 steps beyond the huge zoom, it became difficult to read any of the text on the screen.

For actual surfing, holding down the B button and moving the Wiimote in any particular direction will swing the screen in that direction. It looks like this:



Yes, that is an action shot and no my camera didn’t snap the picture fast enough!

Overall the new full Opera Browser for the Nintendo Wii is an improvement over the temporary Beta version that was initially released. The auto-hide feature of the tool bar as well as the new favorites and search button are welcome additions. Because adding text remains a chore, this should not be a replacement for your everyday web browser. It can, however, be used in a pinch and since it is free until June of 2007, you all should get your download on and grab it right away.

Discuss this new feature HERE.