Hardware keyboard support, send to a Wii friend are key features of new
release

Oslo, Norway and Tokyo, Japan - October 10, 2007

Opera today announced
Nintendo has started distributing the much-anticipated new version of the
Internet Channel for Nintendo Wii. The Internet Channel now features
new ways to share, communicate and enjoy the Internet Channel by adding
support for a USB keyboard and enhanced ways to communicate with your Wii
friends.

Hardware support for any USB keyboard makes typing both easier and faster.
Simply plug any standard USB keyboard into one of the two USB ports on
your Nintendo Wii and you are ready to write email, compose blog posts,
comment in forums and much more. Also making text input more comfortable
are several new keyboard-specific shortcuts to be used with the existing
soft keyboard, such as using the “B” button on the Wii remote as a “Shift”
button.

“We believe this new version of the Internet Channel is even more engaging
and delightful for the users around the world than its predecessor,” says
Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera. “Nintendo has always brought a new
perspective, fresh ideas and unwavering enthusiasm to our partnership. And
today, our combined efforts have given users more reasons to be excited.”

Send to a friend enables you to send links to your favorite Web sites - or
the one you are currently browsing - to your Wii friends whom you have
added in your Wii. You can also add a message to send along with the link.
When your Wii friend opens the message, they can immediately visit the
page in the Internet Channel.

The new Internet Channel for Nintendo Wii carries additional usability
improvements. Users can now copy information from a Web page and paste it
directly into the search field. Users may also store nine more favorites,
bringing the total to 56. Visit the Wii Shop Channel to download the new
Internet Channel today.

For Web Developers

The Nintendo Wii also embraces Web content and applications in a
revolutionary new way with the debut of Widget View Mode in the Internet
Channel. By surfing to widgets.opera.com users can browse Opera’s
collection of community-built, Opera-tested Web applications immediately
ready to run on the Nintendo Wii Internet Channel.

Widgets available now include calendars, news readers, Internet radios and
other fun applications. Users of Opera’s desktop browser will immediately
recognize their favorite widgets on this new platform. Web developers can
publish widgets on Opera’s website to make them available to Wii users.
For more information on creating widgets, please visit widgets.opera.com

Availability

The Opera powered “Internet Channel” is available as a free upgrade for
existing Internet Channel subscribers. For people wishing to subscribe,
the Internet Channel can be purchased from the Wii Shop Channel menu for
500 Wii points.

Mario Strikers Charged European website features game only playable via Wii browser

Leading up to the launch of Mario Strikers Charged Football for Wii on May 25, the game’s official microsite is giving you more details every day about this season’s must-have sports game.

Today a very special section has opened up – that is, if you’re using the Internet Channel on your Wii console!

Just point your Wii browser to  http://mariostrikers.nintendo.co.uk/ to the game’s microsite, and check out Moves, where you’ll find a special mini-game tucked away in the Keeper section.

You’ll be challenged to stop charged footballs shot in your direction – just like in the game, when an opponent fires a MegaStrike at you – by pointing the Wii Remote at the screen and pressing the A Button at the right time.

Can you stop enough of them to make it to the leaderboard?

McAfee is warning the Wii owners that the Wii browser Trial version  has a security flaw in it.

The flaw could possibly let hackers run malicious code, although there hasnt been a severe problem yet. Still, McAfee suggests that all the nintendo Wii owners must download the new version of the Wii browser as soon as possible, it is patched and prevents this flaw from becoming an issue.

More About: McAfee, Wii browser, nintendo

This is an excerpt from the article about the Nintendo Wii Browser Vs the PS3 Browser by Games Digest

CONCLUSION: Wii 26 - 20 PS3

Victory goes to Opera’s Wii browser, hurt by the fact that two sites (Bloglines and Google Maps) didn’t work at all on the PS3 browser. However, it’s worth stressing that PS3’s ability to upload photos and (possibly) video gives it an advantage if you’re big on this user-generated content lark. Also, these findings could easily change as various sites get a redesign, either for the better (they’re configured to autodetect a console and adapt accordingly) or for the worse (they use new plug-ins that aren’t supported by the consoles).

Full Article 

More About: article, Nintendo, Wii Browser, PS3 Browser

Hidden Opera Wii Browser Commands

• B + Directional pad up: Refresh current page
• B + Directional pad down: Favorites/Bookmarks
• B + Directional pad left: Search current page
• B + Directional pad right: Enter new URL
• B + (-) key : Go Back a page
• B + (+) Key: Go forward one page

More About: Opera Wii

Today Opera Software and Nintendo released the much-anticipated full version of the Internet Channel, powered by the Opera browser. The Internet Channel can now be downloaded directly from the Wii Shop Channel on any connected Wii™ console.

(more…)

Official Nintendo press release

Opera browser update details and price confirmed

Since late December, Wii owners have been able to download a trial version of the Opera Internet browser. After receiving substantial and helpful feedback from consumers, friends and family members, Nintendo developers have made a number of improvements to the final version of the browser, including:

* improved zooming and scrolling
* an improved zoomed font
* shortened startup times
* quicker access to “favorites”
* an ability to hide the toolbar
* buttons that will instantly type common preset letters, such as “www” or “.com”

More details about these and other functions will be announced in the near future. To ensure that the browser incorporates all of these enhancements, the final version will be available for download in April, a few weeks later than previously announced. The browser will remain free for Wii owners to download through the end of June. After June, users who haven’t already downloaded the Opera browser can go to the Wii Shop Channel to download it for 500 Wii Points.

Nintendo announces second quarter Wii lineup, Pokemon Battle Revolution confirmed as first wifi title for the console:

REDMOND, Wash., March 7, 2007 – Wii™ owners of all ages have discovered the fun of playing with a group of friends in the same room. Now for the first time players can compete with one another near and far with Pokémon® Battle Revolution, a game of remarkable firsts:

* the first Wii game to include Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection play
* the first Pokémon game for Wii
* the first game to link Wii and the hand-held Nintendo DS™
* and the first Wii game that can be controlled using Nintendo DS

When Wii and Nintendo DS are linked, players can use their Nintendo DS units as controllers or import characters from the upcoming Nintendo DS games Pokémon® Diamond Version or Pokémon® Pearl Version. Pokémon Battle Revolution launches on June 25 exclusively for Wii and brings a dramatic new chapter to the Pokémon franchise, which has sold more than 155 million units worldwide. Pokémon Battle Revolution also serves as one of the standouts in Nintendo’s second-quarter launch lineup, which the company revealed today in conjunction with the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Pokémon Battle Revolution will be joined by Super Paper Mario™, the first Mario™ game for Wii; Mario Party® 8, a multiplayer party game; and Big Brain Academy™, a brain-training game that builds on the phenomenal success of the Nintendo DS brain games. These will add to the ever-growing library of Wii games, which will total more than 50 by the end of June. Nintendo DS fans will see the arrival of Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version, two surefire smash-hits.

“With strong third-party support, Wii and Nintendo DS have games on the way for both casual and veteran gamers,” says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “Our new ways to play have attracted millions of players around the world. This lineup demonstrates our commitment to leading the industry with the future of video gaming.”

Third-party publishers also have stepped up their support of both Wii and Nintendo DS, recognizing these systems as the hottest things going in the video game industry. The list of games for April, May and June includes the following:
Wii

• April 9 Super Paper Mario Nintendo
• April Prince of Persia Rival Swords Ubisoft
• April Bust-A-Move Bash Majesco
• April Bioncle Heroes Eidos
• May 15 Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Midway
• May 29 Mario Party 8 Nintendo
• May Tamagotchi Party On Namco Bandai
• May Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean at World’s End Disney Interactive
• May Escape from Bug Island Eidos
• May Spider-Man The Movie 3 Activision
• June 11 Big Brain Academy Nintendo
• June 25 Pokémon Battle Revolution Nintendo
• June Cosmic Family Ubisoft
• Spring Heatseeker Codemasters
• Q2 Legend of the Dragon American Game Factory
• Summer Shrek the Third Activision
• Summer Transformers the Game Activision

Nintendo DS

• April 22 Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl Nintendo
• May Pirates of the Caribbean 3 Buena Vista
• May Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu Atari
• May Pony Friends Eidos
• May Diner Dash Eidos
• May Touch the Dead Eidos
• June 4 Nintendo DS browser Nintendo
• June 4 Planet Puzzle League Nintendo
• June 11 Touchmaster DS Midway
• June Zendoku Eidos
• Spring Naruto Ninja Council 3 Tomy
• Spring Time Ace Konami
• Spring Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom Konami
• Q2 Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon Natsume
• Summer Shrek the Third Activision
• Summer Transformers: Autobots Activision
• Summer Transformers: Decepticons Activision

Game Boy® Advance

• Summer Shrek the Third Activision

Nintendo press room

More About: Nintendo, Wii lineup, wifi

This is an Excerpt of the Gamespy interview with Perrin Kaplan about the Wii Online

“I think you’re asking why we’re not following the other guys. And we feel that everyone has developed their own niche of expertise…We aren’t giving up on online games at all…massively multiplayer online gaming is probably not a direction that Nintendo will be going. I think that’s a niche area that other companies have more expertise in.”

“…worldwide online play is a priority for Nintendo and you will see it…I think if we had just taken the whole package, here are all the channels, here are all the online games, here are the Miis, the news, the weather, I just think it would have overloaded the mass consumer. So instead we began rolling everything out in a fashion where people can really understand it.”

“We expect for third-party games to get better and better, just like they are for the Nintendo DS. Now that the developers have more experience with the system, they have the ability to create something truly original…(regarding Wii Browser) I know that if you download the trial version, the full version will be free. So your readers should definitely make sure to get the trial version…(regarding Smash Bros) I can tell you that you’ll absolutely love it. There are some neat surprises.”

Full Interview

More About: Wii Online

Mario from Quasimondo.com has found a method to get the Flash-plugin to detect the Wiimote buttons.

Now how does this work? Since all direct Javascript to Flash communication is either impossible or too slow I’m using an indirect method: I use the Stage.onResize event of one Flash file as a trigger and communication device. When a keypress is received by the Opera browser I scale the layer which contains a sender swf to a width that is equal to the detected key code. This triggers a resize event inside the sender swf which reads out its new width and sends that number via LocalConnection to the main swf. There it is processed by a Wiimote class which can then be similary used like a Key object.

Some things to be noted:
- in order to get the full 800 x 500 size for the main Flash file I put the sender swf and the receiver swf into two absolute positioned layers. Unfortunately the Opera browser uses the Wiimote’s navigation keys also for navigating inside the html page and thus interferes with the flash file by highlighting the object with the keyboard focus with a black outline. And it looks like the browser does not respect the z-index of the layers here so the outline of the supposedly hidden sender swf gets visible. I have not yet found a way how to at least tint the outline in a less visible color or hide it completely via CSS - maybe someone else finds a solution for that.

- The Wii browser includes a very nasty feature: Flash files that are not inside the visible screen area or are on a hidden layer do not work at all - they get deactivated. Which means it’s not possible to simply put the sender swf on an invisible layer.

- When you point the Wiimote to the screen and the mouse pointer gets visible the behaviour of the page changes: keypresses are not registered anymore and only the “A” button gets directed to the flash file, but in a very slow and unpredictable way. So if you want reliable control do not point the mouse to the screen. In games it would probably be a good idea to trigger a pause when the mouse appears.

- I don’t know if that is a problem with the LocalConnection or with the browser’s internal key detection, but it looks like sometimes some key events get lost which means that a keyDown event is detected, but the keyUp for the same key doesn’t fire. Of course that’s not ideal.

Full Article