
Don't forget to check out what the VCA looks like, too - you could check which games to download and buy them without even having to fire up your PC!
Thanks to all those VCA readers that emailed in to tell us about this!
A very short news piece here - the full version of the Opera browser is now available for download! To get it, log onto the Wii Shop Channel and update your system, then you will be able to download the browser and indulge in all sorts of internet-related tomfoolery on your beloved Wii.
Comments 27
Good news!
Those who downloaded it may post their impression before I get home?
Too easy just saying: "it's out". : )
I liked the zooming; ok, sometimes the tool didn't work perfect and you had to try different times before having a readable pragraph without the need of scrolling the page, but since I am a software developer that loves simple but effective solutions, I think it was a very useful (and smart!) tool.
Ha ha! Awesome. I will download this right after I'm done at work.
Recommend getting this even you don't use it - they're going to start charging for it eventually!
Yeah, best snap it up now, even though I find using the Wii for internet browsing somewhat cumbersome...
Anyone downloaded the new browser yet? If someone could post the main differences between this new one and the trial version then that would be much appreciated.
the new scroll is brilliant....you can scroll in any direction meaning the page isn't all cramped onto the screen.
its much faster than the older one...but that could just be because not many people have this one yet.
new zooming is great too.
basically download and enjoy it befoe they start charging!!!
@tom: it doesn't matter how many people have this version. A browser is a client software that runs on your machine. So if it looks faster, it IS faster. Of course I'm talking of everything that does not involve web access: from the startup sequence, access to favorites, to the rendering of pages.
Performance is always the first thing that undergoes improvement.
Here's something more about this release (yes I rely too much on wikipedia, but since no one's really answering....):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Channel#Release_version
It's certainly an improvement, but it would have been nice if they had added tabbed browsing and other more advanced features. It's nice to have better functionality, but I'm still going to be using www.wiiminder.com
NOEs press release said it will be free until June 30th.
I don't like the "upgrade" the zoom is terrible now. and the scrolling is just weird. I guess I just go used to the trial ver. but still no multi screens? what the heck! I don't surf the internet one screen at a time! I have like three I jump between! come on nintendo lets wake up and smell the internet. also couldn't they have fixed the screen problem of every time you leave a channel the whole thing reboots. it would not be that hard. you can even hear the disc reader turn every time you go back to the Wii Menu. I mean come on these are small things and they do nothing to fix them AHHH I love you Nintendo but you got to love back.
yes it's a definite improvement. The startup time is definitely quicker and the scroll is excellent, very good indeed for free
I see that comments are not prompted update, I hope not to post superfuolus informations.
- Speed of startup process,acess to favorites and rendering of pages is dramatically improved.
- Search tool (search text in a page).
- info of a web-page (web address, http vs https) summarized by pressing a button.
- zooming is improved. 2 different styles of zoom (set in an settings page), but the "automatic zoom", which I guess should work like that on the beta version, doesn't work fine like the old one. The other one
is great and also manages the size of the font (quite obvious, but it really works well!).
- Hyperlinks are more visibile (a cyan coloured square appears around the link under the pointer).
- You can hide the toolbar (automatic, fixed or you decide when to hide it by pressing 1).
- In the settings menu you can decide the size of the visible area of the page.
- You can delete cookies of your prevoius sessions.
OK, these are the major features, or at least those I explored; there's also an improved handling over javascript-opening pages but I didn't try it. In particular I remember having problems with flash games, which windows closed after few miuntes of play.
And another important thing not directly related to the Internet Channel is that there is a software update (probably about the Wii Shop).
In the wii-settings menu the new version is numbered 2.2E.
Enjoy!
Don't forget the fact that you can hide the toolbar now. You can do full-screen youtube.
They're not gonna start charging for it, but it's gonna cost to download it after june I think it was.
It was awsome. I downloaded it early lastnight. Soon after that I got to browsing the web ( Youtube, Gaiaonline, Newgrounds, Albinoblacksheep and MySpace. ) It works beautifully.
The only things I thought that needed worked on was: Updateing to a newer version of flash. Adding Shockwave player so that people can play Shockwave games on it.
The only problems with websites was you cant view the MySpace player, correctly. Due to the older version (Flash player 7) instead of a newer. Also the slowness of page loading. Perhaps Opera and Nintendo will work together more to figure out how to get the SD card to work as expandable RAM.
Enjoy this my friends. While its still free =D. Its worth the download!
It looks a hell of a lot more swish and professional than the trial version - which is to be expected I suppose.
No tab browsing though, which is a shame.
It loads a lot faster, zoom works a lot better you can zoom freely rather than it making the thing you're pointing at full screen, the scrolling is smoother and you can now hide the taskbar- actually a very useful feature. Basically the whole thing is better, and it's free until june when it'l cost 500 points so you might as well download it now while it's free it's just as an update on the Wii shop channel. Easy
retpog55 : the new browser is an undeniable improvement over the beta version.faster boot up,full screen,reduced border at the bottom of the screen,the aforementioned improved scrolling and zoom functions and it even makes a brew while your browsing. (i lied about the brew bit the rest's true though) oh yeah and it's free.
I'm not too excited because I have problems typing on the Wii, but its still good news nevertheless!
I was going to post this on the NoE forums but they're currently down so here's just as good, if not more relevant.
After a lot of use I discovered some undocumented controls if you hold B and click the D-pad or +/-
[B] + [Up] = Reload
[B] + [Left] = Search
[B] + [Right] = Enter URL
[B] + [Down] = Favourites
[B] + [-] = Back
[B] + [+] = Forward
Those last three mean that you can easily navigate without having the toolbar visible. Great work Nintendo.
(I might have got my left & right mixed up)
Even better, download now, and don't pay after the period is up It will be free permanently for those that download now during the period. Until June or what ever it was
For those that download before June that is, those that download after will be required to pay for it.
for people who only have the test version of the browser downloaded some time ago, the final browser will still be of no charge after june.
WOW, thanks to Zee I just discovered wiiminder.
I just watched their video and didn't try my Wii (I'm at work), but it really looks a great tool.
Used in conjunction with this new version of Opera may be a very pleasant web-surfing experience.
These guys have worked in a pretty Nintendo fashion (or Apple-style, you perfectly know what I'm talking about), why no one is talking about it?
Check it out from your Wii.
www.wiiminder.com
I might be missing something here, but I've downloaded/updated my Wii system console because after getting messages about the updated Opera Browser, my Internet Channel still says "Internet Channel Trial version". Like I said, I've updated to the final version of the Opera browser. If that's the case, then why does "Trial Version" still appear just before you actually use it? Shouldn't it say something like "Internet Channel" and not "Internet Channel Trial version"? :S Sheesh.... Don't confuse me!
Anyway... thanks!
You aslo have to download the new version of the Opera browser.
It looks that you just updated your system's software (which is a prerequisite to the final version of Opera).
- go to the Wii-shop
- choose Wii Software
- select Internet Channel (it should have an UPDATE tab over it)
If you can download the update the button in the middle of the page should sasy "update" or "download" and it is a normal blue-that-turns-orange button. Instead it should say "downloaded" and it is just a panel and not a button.
Only concern is the lack of compatibility with Web design and the opera browser. Maybe this will have an effect on web designers though and will push them to make more universal design. Either way, it's gonna be a cheater's paradise to have the gamefaq website on their favorites while they slash through an RPG or get a quick reminder of that cool fatality for Raiden.
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