Internet Channel to use tabs, Wii Speak
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at 8:15am by Derek
Nintendo and Opera have chiseled out an updated Internet Channel.
According to GoNintendo, the new browser will utilize tabbed browsing and Wii Speak compatibility.
Users will be able to track up to six tabs with the “tab cube,” a floating on-screen cube showing an open site on each of its sides. The update will also include a new button layout for the navigation bar and a built-in mail client for Wii Mail access.
The updated Internet Channel will be available in December in the Wii Shop Channel and will be a free download for existing users. It will cost 500 Wii Points for new users.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:46 am
That’s great but they need to upgrade it to Flash 8.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Meh. I never use the internet channel except occasionally when showing off the ability to watch YouTube videos on the television. Maybe if I got a USB keyboard I’d be willing to use it more though… I dunno.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Saw this posted in the forums last night, but am still a bit skeptical.
The screenshot looks like a photoshop mockup to me (mostly because of the tab cube) and nobody has been able to explain how exactly Wii Speak could be used together with the Internet Channel? That doesn’t make sense to me, especially since Nintendo probably won’t want competition for their upcoming Wii Speak Channel.
The Wii Internet Channel still gets use around my home, so if this update is for real then I’ll be excited to see what improvements are made.
*Crosses fingers and dreams about improved Flash support.*
November 12th, 2008 at 10:07 am
@ejamer: Opera browsers for PC (and Mac?) have voice command functions, so this is probably something along those lines. (Because, you know, Opera makes the Wii browser.)
November 12th, 2008 at 10:43 am
@neko to kuruma:
Ah! Thanks so much. Trying to figure out how Wii Speak could be used was really bugging me, but that makes sense.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:15 am
WiiSpeak… I wonder if it’ll be for more than voice commands but it’s certainly a neat idea.
Also, stop hoping for Flash support. The Wii uses a mobile platform (unlike the PS3’s browser for example) which can only use Flashlite 2 that goes up to Flash version 7. There is NO flash 8,9, etc. support on mobiles because Adobe hasn’t made it so (and likely because mobiles don’t have the power to handle more complex abilities like their built-in blur effects and such.)
November 12th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Liraco killed my dream.
“The Wii uses a mobile platform (unlike the PS3’s browser for example)…”
Didn’t realize this. More good to know info.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I weep for my lost hopes of Flash 8. It’s such a drag that you can’t watch something, not because you don’t have Flash, but that it’s not good enough.
November 12th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Flash Lite 3 is coming.
http://www.adobe.com/products/flashlite/
And i’m certain, that’s one of the new features that are coming to the Internet Channel.
Just refer to a recent comment of a BBC developer @ eurogamer.net:
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=270395
=========================================
However, the BBC has not been able to improve the video streaming
quality over the original version. “That’s not ideal - but, alas, the
Wii ships with Flash 7 which uses the older Sorenson Spark codec that
gives lower video compression and poorer quality than the more recent
On2 VP6 and H.264 codecs used in later versions of Flash found on your
PC,” said Rose.
“We’re very much looking forward to better quality video options on
these devices - stay tuned for possible further developments on this
front over the coming months,” he added.
=========================================
Let’s hope still.
November 12th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Yay for Watire! My dream is alive again!
November 12th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
@Watire
Thank you good sir! there’s hope!
November 13th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Intersting. Another site said if you haven’t played 500 Wii points for a version yet, you will have to, and if you already paid, you were good.
I like the way you guys have it worded better, I might download the update as long as I don’t have to pay for it.
I better not have to pay for it.
November 13th, 2008 at 7:49 am
Tabbed browsing…? How about solving the memory issue first?
I have on several occasions experienced that the Wii simply didn’t have enough memory to display a page. I realize the Internet Channel isn’t for extensive browsing, but why include tabs then?
November 13th, 2008 at 9:41 am
1 Up to everyone that wants to believe that Change is coming… to the Internet Channel.
With the ability to read mail within the browser, the tabs will be welcome. I use intensively the “send the URL by mail”. I will be thankfull to the Opera team if they allow me to add easily some comments with the links and if they find a way to permit copy/paste of selected text between tabs.
By the way I have been an self proclaimed Opera evangelist ever since Windows 3.11 and gladly paid for each version and upgrade at the time. Web browsing wouldn’t be the same if that little norvegian company didn’t create tab browsing within a single windows application, web standard compliance, lean code, Linux and FreeBSD version while Netscape was dying, and so on.
Opera deserves the support and those using the Wii browser everyday should be willing to give them some gratifying points.