Updated 25 May, 2012, 6:23 pm IST

Internet Channel For The Wii Out Today

12 Apr, 2007, 6:19 pm IST | by Nikhil Singh |

Opera Software and Nintendo have finally made the full version of their Internet Channel available for the Wii today. The Internet Channel will be downloaded onto any Wii connected to the Wii Shop Channel automatically. If downloaded before June 30th, 2007, the channel will be completely free. Here's what Scott Hedrick, executive vice president of Devices for Opera Software, had to say:

"The Opera-powered Internet Channel for Wii is about making the Web easy to use for anyone, at any age".

"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. Working with Nintendo has been great education for us as browser makers, and has helped us to make a product that matches Wii’s ability to reach across generations and bring enjoyment to all."

Here’s a long list of features the Internet Channel will give Wii owners access to:

• Zoom – The Internet Channel features two types of zoom: manual and automatic. The automatic zoom was first introduced in the trial version and allows users to select a point with the remote and zoom into that point at an auto-detected level. Manual zoom now gives the user the option to zoom the entire page at self-determined intervals. Nintendo also introduces the "outline font" feature which prevents fonts from appearing blurred no matter the zoom level in use.

• Search – A search button has been added to the start page and to the browser toolbar. Choose between Yahoo! Search and Google as preselected search engines. Your selection can be changed at any time, or a different search engine can be used by typing the address of the search engine you wish to use.

• Scroll - To help users understand their scrolling motions, a new scrolling display guide has been added to the Internet Channel that indicates the direction and speed of the scroll. In addition to scrolling by pressing the B Button, users can also scroll by pressing the +Control Pad, for four-directional scrolling. This allows you to scroll the screen without having to point the remote at the TV.

• Ease of use – The Internet Channel now offers more user feedback when surfing. Users will encounter new sounds, animations and loading cursor graphics, creating a more complete browsing experience.

• Multiple cursors - The Internet Channel now displays the cursors of multiple Wii remotes. The primary Wii Remote can control actions on the screen, while the other Wii Remotes can point out interesting content.

• Hide the toolbar - Users are now given the option to display or hide the toolbar in the settings menu. Also, there are new advanced key presses for each toolbar function allowing users to surf with the toolbar off.
- B Button + Left Arrow = Search
- B Button + Right Arrow = Enter web address
- B Button + Up Arrow = Reload
- B Button + Down Arrow = Favorites
- B Button + (+) key = Page forward
- B Button + (-) key = Page backward

• Response time – The Internet Channel now sports improved performance and response time upon start up, when loading the favorites menu and in the toolbar.

Tags: Opera , Wii , Nintendo