Wii Opera Browser is Free Until Next Year

Wowzer writes "Nintendo is serious about giving casual game console users multi-functionality by offering not just a weather, news, and photo channels, but a free internet browser with the Wii at the November 19th U.S. launch. From the article: 'Opera's full Web browser is available for download from the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo has stated that they will offer Opera free of charge as a temporary promotion for all [worldwide] Wii users until June 2007.'"

Re:Uh ?

[aleksiel]

not an opera that works on the wii.
the original plan was to charge for it (the opera for the DS will cost money)

Re:What's next, a free version Firefox?

[AuMatar]

Always been free? Its been free for a year, maybe 2. It was a for pay product for many many years.

Re:What's next, a free version Firefox?

[poot_rootbeer]

Nintendo is temporarily offering me a free copy of a program that has always been free before. What a bargain!!

Opera has not "always been free". Prior to Version 5, it was pay software only. From 2000 to 2005, a "free" version was available, but was ad-sponsored. It's only been in the past year or so that a free-and-clear version of the browser has been available on the desktop.
   

Re:What's next, a free version Firefox?

[Anonymous Freak]

What are you talking about? Opera hasn't always been free. Don't you remember when Apple came out with Safari, Opera threatened to take their ball and go home over it? (Since they were charging, and they accused Apple of the same noncompetitive practices everyone else yelled at Microsoft about.) If you check the /. archives, you can see the story from last September [slashdot.org] announcing that Opera was going free. Before that, they charged $40.

And they STILL charge for 'embedded' web browsers. (Ones for cell phones, etc.) Although some cell phone companies pay for it to be included.

Re:Uh ?

[Carnildo]

Opera for PC is free. Opera for embedded systems like your phone, PDA, or Wii costs money, but usually that cost is hidden in the price of the product.

Re:Wiizilla?

[doria13]

http://wii.nintendo.com/iwata_asks_vol3_p2.html [nintendo.com]

"Iwata:
It's even conceivable that we'll take titles that have been popular on the Shopping Channel and further polish them up to be sold as a packaged software with the MSRP accepted in the existing distribution channels. Talking of potential, we may even be able to create an opportunity for amateur developers where they can release games that they have made, although this will be hard to do in the immediate future. The mechanics of the games industry at the moment doesn't allow games to be sold unless they're widely advertised by major publishers to earn greater profit. This seals off gateways into the game industry for new talents."

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[Yaotzin]

But the region setting on it will probably be US or Japan which means that you can't buy any games for the Wii in Europe...

Re:Consider

[Ilgaz]

Opera is in business for devices for ages. They are the standard company for browsing on devices.

Their "Opera Mini" which is shockingly only 96kb in most advanced version (MIDP 2.0) is some hit on mobile nobody could have imagined. I really hope one day they offer those download numbers at least the ones from mini.opera.com .

When we speak about devices, phones,consoles,PDAs: Opera is the king. Just look at this page:
http://www.opera.com/products/devices/gallery/ [opera.com]

I mean they don't need any kind of favour to stay in business.

It is Microsoft which is a joke on mobile browsing and thank God, they couldn't even take off on that area.

I wouldn't be surprised if Sony PS3 Opera ships too.

Re:Wiizilla?

[Yahweh Doesn't Exist]

Opera's low-spec experience means they make efficient browsers, not PC-bloatware that use lots of resources just because they can. always a bonus for non-upgradable platforms.

no keyboard = restricted interface.

Re:Uh ?

[Yvan256]

the opera for the DS will cost money

Of course it will. It comes on a game cart and also includes a GBA cart to add RAM to the Nintendo DS.

Re:Wiizilla?

[grumbel]

Too late. Nintendo's offering developer kits to the public for a price. This is old news. Sounds pretty accepting of homebrew to me.

The price is $2000 if I remember correctly, cheaper then Sonys official devkit, but still a though price considering that you can get inofficial homebrew and development up and running on Gamecube, NintendoDS and GBA for around $100. Beside, you can't just buy the devkits, you have to be an experienced game developer or have to have a large publisher to back you up to even make it past the entrance door, you can't just go to WarioWorld [warioworld.com] throw the devkit in your shopping cart and enter a credit card number to get one.

Re:NOT EXACTLY.

[jZnat]

Sorry, but the abbreviation for Firefox is "Fx" according to the Firefox developers; thanks for playing.