Wiinternetz are go!

From Zelda Wiki.org

--Jase 13:58, 22 December 2006 (CST)

The Internet Channel was released today for the Wii console, so we grabbed it.

On December 20th, Opera released its browser for the Wii. Those who were eagerly awaiting this release found their Wiis flashing blue, signifying that an update was available. The Wii Internet (or, as I shall henceforth call it, Wiinternet) browser can be found in the Shop Channel.

Opera's logo is all over this channel. I think they want to stress that Opera is the creator so that it can gain a greater foothold in the browser wars. Either way, it's just as functional and innovative as all of the Opera-designed browsers. Those who liked Opera Mini will fall in love with the Wiinternet Browser.

The browser displays on a portion of the screen far smaller than full screen. This could be a temporary thing, as it is a beta. However, it seemed annoying that when the entire screen was full and ready for internet viewing, only about three quarters of the screen was actually used.

In the picture it is hard to tell, from the dark room, that it is not using the entire screen. It is also quite obvious, from the quality, that it is a picture of a TV - bear with us, we've only got normal digital cameras here, not miracles.

The lack of an address bar is entirely apparent, but works with the idea of displaying as much content as possible. To go to a new website, you must return to the Opera Home page and click "Enter a Web Address." The Wii on-screen keyboard pops up and you can enter the address. There is also an option to turn on word guessing, so that you can enter text faster as the Wii assumes what words you type.

Yes, it supports flash, and yes, it is awesome. However, some flash games run slow, presumably because this is still a prototype. Flash movies run at normal speed.

Any web page begins completely zoomed out, and the (+) key can be used to zoom in. From there, holding the B-button and moving the pointer around will take you across the web page, albeit slowly. Whenever the pointer is on the screen, arrows appear on the browser signifying that there is a place to scroll. When playing flash games, these arrows tend to get in the way. Also, at current resolution standards on the internet, it is hard to zoom in and still see the entire flash window (it becomes far too large for the screen).

The rest of the controls are intuitive. The buttons are large and everything is easy to use. Anyone with a general knowledge of the way a browser works will be delighted to see how easy and effectively they were put into Opera's Wiinternet Browser. It's got some work to be finished - true full screen support and more intuitive and faster scrolling (using the D-pad or holding (A) and dragging the page would be nice) are features that beg to be added, but for now, it's on the right foot to get the Wii online.