Wii owners who are connected and have activated the Wii Shop Channel will be able to download a free beta version of the Opera browser to activate the internet channel of the Wii menu and begin surfing the web.
The final version of the Opera browser will be available at the end of March 2007, and will be free for all Wii owners to download through to the end of June 2007. After June, users who haven’t already downloaded the Opera browser can go to the Wii Shop Channel to download it for 500 Wii Points.
The internet channel provides an optimal web browsing experience on consumers’ home televisions, Nintendo claims. The pointing abilities of the Wii Remote allow users to click on links they want to see or to zoom into any part of the screen through the motion of the controller. In addition, the Wii Remote can be used with an on-screen keyboard.
This newest Wii Menu channel provides yet another feature to draw non-gamers in, commented Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.
The internet channel joins the four already-live channels: Disc Channel, Photo Channel, Mii Channel and Wii Shop Channel. The Forecast Channel also goes live on December 20, 2006 and provides current and future weather information that can be accessed using a text list of cities or by using the Wii Remote to zoom in on a 3D interactive globe.
