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Confirmed: Wii Opera Browser Free until June 2007

wii.ign.com — In addition to supporting flash (making this a step up from the DS browser), the browser uses the Wiimote to zoom in and out. The browser will normally cost money, but Nintendo will make it available for free download until June of 200[7].

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  • motang, on 10/12/2007, -3/+28That is good hear, so it won't come with it but we can download it for free. Excellent, thanks Big N.
  • slimthps, on 10/12/2007, -57/+8Why would you have to pay?

    PS3's will be 100% free.
    • bnoj13, on 10/12/2007, -9/+37But you forgot that PS3's won't have an innovative controller for easy scrolling, typing, and zooming, not to mention the reliable Opera brand name.
    • slimthps, on 10/12/2007, -46/+10You forgot that PS3 will support my keyboard and mouse.
    • mabba18, on 10/12/2007, -4/+29...you hope.
    • whirlwind12, on 10/12/2007, -1/+33the PS3 is also going to be three times as expensive for the actual console
    • Magnum, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8I think you both forgot that with the price of the PS3 compared to the price of the Wii, you'll still save money throughout your whole lifetime if you get the Opera browser. :-p

      Edit: Aw nuts... Whirlwind beat me to it...
    • Sandwiches_Time, on 10/12/2007, -4/+56After dishing out $700, I'd sure as ***** hope the software would be free.
    • mt066, on 10/12/2007, -1/+29damn do we have to debate this every time a wii article comes out??
    • jblfireball, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17fanboys... they can be so much fun :-D
    • Frankie4Fingers, on 10/12/2007, -12/+5PS3 will never come out, lol.

      Actually when the PS3 does come out, M$ will have made so much money off of the 360 that Sony won't really have much market share left.
    • moochfish, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2Since when was paying $400 more considered "free?"
    • nreynolds, on 10/12/2007, -4/+13OK, what the guy said was stupid. But so are everyone else's comment (that got me dugg down right there). The ps3 isn't $700, it's $500-600 (the $500 isn't crippled in any way). The ps3 is twice (not thrice) the price of the Wii.
    • Dragular, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16WOO! As a Sony fanboy, I'm glad you pointed that one out for me. The PS3 will come with a free web browser! IN YOUR FACE, REST OF THE GAMING COMMUNITY! Ha Ha Ha! Finally, after laying down $500-$600, I'll have the ultimate gaming machine! Ok, so, I won't be able to afford games for a while, THAT'S OK, BECAUSE I'LL HAVE ACCESS TO THE ENTIRE INTERNETS, FOR FREE (Internet Subscription Fees May Apply)! WOO!

      ...ok, all sarcasm, but I was, honestly, a Sony fanboy until this year :(
    • Smwbigboss, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11This reminds me of the time when the PS2 first came out.

      Friend: OMG, my PS2 supports my new mouse and keyboard!
      Me: Really?
      Friend: Yeah, on the box my keyboard came in, it says PS2/USB compatible
      Me: ...
    • TrainwreckX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Best story ever. I would give you 5 diggs if possible. [PS/2]

      ... and technically he was right, if it was USB :)
  • EochaidRiata, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21I tried webtv in a store on one occasion. Attempting to browse the web at 640x480 was a nightmare.
    • Crass22, on 10/12/2007, -0/+29brings me back to the good ole days of lookin for porn on my Sega Dreamcast.
    • negativefx, on 10/12/2007, -10/+0@Crass22: LOL
    • TrainwreckX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This is no joke: serious business. The parents couldn't digg up your history files :P

      Ahh to be in high school again.
  • Drakh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9That's actually pretty cool. I'm all about companies offering microcontent (Microsoft + Texas Hold 'Em springs to mind) for free to begin with, then charging later. It's a good way to reward the early adopters / rabid fans by giving them a chance to get something they love without having to cough up for it.

    Of course, I still think that paying $5 for a NES game is crazy... but that won't likely change.
    • opnickc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4You know, I agree that the VC titles seem outrageos. But if you think about it, what would happen to all the indie developed games nintendo is hoping will be sold on VC if all the retro titles were cheap? It seems like they're being unfair to the consumer, but maybe they are actually trying to be fair to the small developers (who, as Nintendo put it, have ideas bigger than their budgets).

      Or, more likely, they realized they could rip us off AND help out the smaller developers.
    • Dragular, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6On the subject of NES downloads, am I the only one who worries that Nintendo now has an official reason to shut down all the ROM hubs out there?
  • jeet404, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5Yea I don't know about you guys but paying for a browser on a console...umm...wouldn't be cheaper to get a really cheap computer to surf. Or heck go to a library.
  • Ashex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I guess we should all get Opera before then, I'm sure that the majority of the people who want a Wii will get Opera before then, and everyone who doesn't will be able to get it from those who did in some shape or form.
  • icantdrawanime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'm still trying to figure out if nintendos got a better way to input web addresses other than point and click... that just seems so inefficient for something like the wiimote thats awesome for everything else...
    • Crass22, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6wireless keyboard add-on YAY!
    • cwestpha, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6hehe, I could almost see miyamoto (?) on stage sky writing "NINTENDO.COM" in a demo of URL entry. :p
    • Smwbigboss, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"wireless keyboard add-on YAY!"

      AKA: Nintendo DS (A man can dream...)
    • MrSidnet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@Smwbigboss
      Homebrew app?
  • bbrjch, on 10/12/2007, -13/+1Um download for free till June 2006...umm did I miss something?
  • newtechfool, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Looks like $24 for Opera for other platforms, so perhaps also for Wii
    http://www.opera.com/buy/
  • manicdvln, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18THIS IS ONLY FOR JAPAN, NOT USA!!! We north Americans will have to pay for it. So this story is semi accurate.

    I think the Japaneses are getting a better deal.

    JAP: WiiPlay + free Opera Browser + Wii = 200$ us
    US: Wiisports + Wii = 250$ us
    • Qoogirl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3My understanding was that the Japanese Wii isn't bundled with anything. You can choose to add Hajimete no Wii with 9 beginner micro-games (which comes with a Wiimote inside) for 4300 yen...so it's really North Americans who get more with free games to begin with?
    • nymphetamine, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1I wonder if they'll offer and ad supported version for those that don't want to pay for a FREE browser. Hopefully there will be a hack by then.
  • metacoola, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Does this mean they'll make you pay for it to keep it after june? Or does it mean that anyone with one before june will have it free permenantly.
  • Artican, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9Brace yourselves, guys. Here comes a novel:

    So... um... how does this make sense? Do you haveta pay for the browser service or just the browser? If it's just for the browser, then methinks thats a bit silly, not to mention a push for people to buy their consoles before the June 2007 date (while, obviously, there will probably more then a few million Wii units in households across the world by then).

    However, somehow I don't think that non-gamers are going to be as excited to throw their money down for a game console at launch. So how long do you suppose it'll take? Apparently Nintendo thinks that a year and few monthes is plenty. So what if it takes longer then that?

    But why pay for a browser? Computer browsers are free, and you're already paying for the internet. A non-gamer will be more likely to surf the interwebs on a computer if they have to pay for a browser on a gaming console. But, you know, it might be a bit more managable if they told us what exactly we'd be paying for. The service? Sillyness. The team that worked hard to make a Wii version of the browser and configure it? I'd pay for that. Greed? Nice way to alienate potential customers.

    At any rate, I highly doubt my questions are going to be answered in nothing short of another press conference or something... Aw well. The release isn't that far away. I can wait patiently for two monthes for the answers. Bring on the Wii!
    • spyyder, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Many of you are missing the point. Wii is NOT an internet browsing system its a GAMING system, therefore you have to pay for the luxury of web browsing. You can liken this to PS3 using blu-ray when most people won't use it. Well nintendo realizes that most aren't gonna browse the web on their Wii, but some people might be willing to pay for the luxury. Simple business. You don't give away a service where enought people exist willing to pay for it. Common, if cell companies can peddle ring tones and per kb net services, you can sure as hell bet gaming companies are gonna peddle classic games and web services. Also opera isn't a charity organization, they gots to get some ROI.
    • jefffm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10I think you're paying for opera's time tailoring a browser for the wii. It can't possibly cost that much anyway, right?
    • opnickc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Opera needs to get paid. Either Nintendo pays them upfront for every console sold (and bundles the broser with the system), or they allow the user to purchase it if the user wants that functionality. Considering many owners may have no intention of hooking the Wii up to the internet, much less surfing the web on the thing, it makes much more sense for Nintendo to make the browser optional.

      Nintendo spends less money on the console, Opera still gets paid, and the user has a choice. Sounds like the right descision to me.
  • Qoogirl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Since this Opera will play Flash videos, I can watch YouTube (or Vimeo!), AOLMusic Video Sessions and more on TV instead of my computer without much hassle. I, for one, think that's cool.
  • bobbygeorgina, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3On IGN's website they say until June 2006....so silly of them.
  • Shweeeb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0From the way it sounds, the Opera Browser will be like a VC game, where you download it for points/money and you can KEEP it. Just like you can keep N64/Nes/Snes games as a channel. So according to the article, it will be free until june 2007. After june 2007 it will probably have to be bought with points/money for about 5000-6000 points. ($50 - $60)

    Opera doesn't charge extra after you buy the browser for the DS. Why would they charge the for use for the Wii?
    • mercano, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't think PC opera cost that much back when the charged for it. DS Opera is defiantly less that that, and DS opera comes with a memory cartridge, not to mention a DS card and a box, all of which costs Nintendo & Opera then the pennies it will cost them in connection fees to send you a copy of Opera. I'm guessing ~$20. But, as I plan to get the Wii when it comes out, I don't really care.
    • linuxps2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1why should they charge at all though?, i mean seriously any half witted person would say ***** this, and get on thier computer, with the nice big screen with a nice resolution, i mean sure you can zoom so you can read text but why would you when you can have a computer?... (dont even try to say people with a Wii dont have a compy) i mean if they have internet and no compy, they should be shot
    • latca, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I gladly paid $39 for Opera for windows back when they charged. But even that I feel would be to much to charge for the Wii version.

      But I really don't mind them charging a reasonable amount for it. Opera does charge for all of its non-computer based browser software (ie mobile phone and DS). This way the people that need it can pay while the people that have no interest in surfing the web on the TV don't have to spend that extra money.
  • GT35R, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Why do ppl keep saying a PS3 is 700 USD? Its 500/600! You dont include tax in raw price. This is just another atempt by Wii fanboys to make the PS3 sound bad.
    • PacoDG, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If you are planning to actually play a PS3, you will need a game, which will run you $80+Tax.
    • PKO17, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Ok, so PS3 will be $500; the Wii will be $250. Still sounds bad to me...
  • mageofdeath, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1it doesn't really matter, I'll get it and use it until its not free, by then some kind of hack or alternative will have been figured out...
  • highps3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So you have to pay for the browser after that? Wow what garbage.

    And the ps3 has keyboard and mouse for online.
  • mittortz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Considering I have my room downstairs and the family computer is upstairs, this browser is looking like a life-saver for me. Really looking forward to it, and especially the fact that it's free now.
    Only question I have is, What kind of capabilities will it have besides flash? I mean, for example, a media player so that I can stream music off the internet into the stereo in my room. Right now that's how I hook up my consoles for sound, and this potential is really exciting me.
    Does anyone know about about this?
  •  

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