Wii Weather Channel Up, Browser Coming

Nintendo's console has been out almost exactly a month, and the company is now rolling out some of the system's additional features. As you are reading this, your Wii should already be capable of giving you the weather forecast. Additionally, this Friday a trial version of the web browser should become available. From the Pro-G article: "The fully featured Opera web browser for the Wii was intended to be available for the launch of the console. Sadly it wasn't, but the good news is that you'll only have to wait until Friday to get a taster of what it can do. A trial version of the Wii Opera web browser will be available for free from December 22. The final version of the Opera browser will be released at the end of March 2007 and will be free for all Wii owners until the end of June 2007. After this date, anyone who hasn't already downloaded the browser will have to pay 500 Wii Points."

Comments

Re:Where does it store the browser and weather cli

[Buddy_DoQ]

At the risk of feeding the troll:

The Wii has a certain amount of built-in flash memory, enough to store several VC games, Wii Save Games, and yes, even a web browser. You may also expand this to your liking by adding in a standard SD card.

No need to swap disk like we all did with the Dreamcast.

wii weather

[HaymarketRiot]

I just booted up the Wii to give the weater channel a shot, and while I'm not sure about its everyday usefulness, it is definitely designed well. You can view the weather for today, tomorrow, or get a five day forecast. The thing that I really like is the globe menu. It basically presents you with a globe, which you can spin around with the wiimote, and view the weather anywhere in the world. Again, while I doubt I will ever really use this, its just plain fun to whip the earth around with the wiimote.

Re:Paying....for a browser?

[heinousjay]

They probably use a variant of the following line of thought: We are in business to make a profit.

It's not too hard to imagine that as the justification.

Also, the browser isn't necessary to use the Nintendo online features. That's built in already. The browser is for porn.

Re:Paying....for a browser?

[brandor]

If I'm thinking right (I'm too lazy to go look at operas website) the portable version of opera still costs. So that could be one reason Nintendo is charging for it.

Re:Wow, only 500 Wii Points?

[Phisbut]

And how much did the browsers on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 cost? Nothing. To bill yourself as a cheap console and nickel and dime your users is a bit hypocritical I think.

From TFA :

The final version of the Opera browser will be released at the end of March 2007 and will be free for all Wii owners until the end of June 2007.

I guess I'll have a free web browser then.

Re:Where does it store the browser and weather cli

[Bobartig]

The built-in 512MB memory can currently store something like EVERY VC game available, and about 2000 blocks of save game memory (the typical game so far using about 4). since a formatted 512 SD card shows up as a little less than 4000 blocks, I'm assuming its 'blocks' are counted in megabits.

Wii Opera Supports Flash Games (with the Wiimote)

[Darkforge]

As I've remarked before, the really exciting thing about the inclusion of Opera in the Wii is that it includes Flash support. That means that you can use the Wiimote to play mouse-only Flash games.

Opera is already installed on every Wii (it's used to power the Wii Shop Channel), but to access other websites you have to use DNS redirection hacks... On Friday you'll be able to use it freely. Meanwhile, wiicade.com is a website dedicated to developing/promoting Flash games explicitly designed to be played on the Wii.

But is it any good ....

[taniwha]

apparently the forcast for above the artic circle for this week is 'sunny' - perhaps 'clear skies' might be a better way of describing it

It also gives the UV for my home here in NZ as '2' while the local TV n ews has been at '11' all week (ozone hole at the height of the summer evil)

Re:Suspend works for the VC games

[trdrstv]

I don't remember where I read this, but I think the virtual console games support suspend mode.

Most do. Currently I have 7 VC titles (at least 1 for each system) and I LOVE this feature. So far the only one I found that it hasn't worked far is Mario 64, but you save after every you get every star anyway...

My Xbox could do that and more for years now.

[Jagasian]

My Xbox can show me the weather, youtube, movie trailers, and it can play just about every classic video game for the NES, SNES, Genesis, etc.

Re:But what about....

[Anonymous Coward]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_hate_me

Re:That's nice, but

[megabyte405]

Have you actually downloaded it though? My friends bought what they thought was Super Mario Brothers, and found it was Mario Brothers (y'know, the "battle game" included as a minigame in Super Mario Bros. 3). Still fun, but not quite Super Mario Brothers.