I am a huge Nintendo fanboy, and I’m very excited about the upcoming Wii console.
One thing that is going to be pretty revolutionary about the Wii is the fact that it includes a free, fully-featured web browser. This means for $250 you get instant-on web access on your TV. This is something that the XBox can’t deliver for fear of cutting into Microsoft’s PC market.
Opera is building a version of their browser specifically for the Wii that includes Flash support and a smooth zooming feature. Also, the Wii controller is perfectly suited to work with mouse based interfaces (assuming you have a steady hand). Check out the browser in action.
The big unknown at the moment is – how do you type in the URLs? Presumably there will be an onscreen keyboard – I’m not sure how easy it will be to type laser-pointer style. There is speculation that either Nintendo will sell a keyboard add-on, or you will be able to plug in a standard PC keyboard via the Wii’s USB ports.
Another sweet feature is the Wii’s Virtual Console. This will be able to load up classic games from the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, MSX, Turbografx 16 and Commodore 64. Bring it on!
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I’m wondering the same about the keyboard thing. Text entry being so cumbersome is the main reason I dont use anything but a pc for the web, so far. That Nokia wireless tablet looked cool, but i just dont want a tiny onscreen keyboard, taking me back to my hunt and peck days.
Can’t wait to get the Wii. If the browser is smooth and fast (with full Flash support) that would be truly amazing and almost worth the $250 by itself. The best solution would be a nice white bluetooth keyboard as an add-on. I’d be first in line. If they don’t have one at launch (i don’t think they will), they’ll come out with it eventually, people will demand it.
Why not a little RF keyboard? There’s already an RF remote right?
“The primary controller for Wii uses a one-handed, Bluetooth, remote control-based design with force-feedback capabilities.” – Wikipedia
I beleive the controller has a microphone built in (or is it only a speaker?), so text to speech would be a natural fit. The Wii’s underwhelming hardware may not be up to the challenge though.
They could also do some sort of gesture based system, although I’m not that it would be much of an improvement over a point and click keyboard.
This article is inaccurate. You have to buy the Wii browser for $30 using Wii points
Youtube na sua Televisão…
É verdade, mas como é isto possÃvel?
Graças à nova consola da Nintendo, a Wii.
A Wii vai dár a possibilidade de navegar na internet através da tv, visto isto, a consola vai dár a possibilidade de ver videos no YouTube.
Mas a Wii não vai ter c…
Chris – the Wii browser will be free until July 2007: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=19980
Coming Soon – YouTube on your TV with WII…
One thing that is going to be pretty revolutionary about the Wii is the fact that it includes a free, fully-featured web browser. This means for $250 you get instant-on web access on your TV. This is something that the XBox can’t deliver for fear of …
Don’t old-time stenographers have a 3 key type interface for taking dictation? Or was it 6?
I could envision a kind of mouse-gestures like interface for the remote. Assuming you can press 2 directions at once you could represent the common alphabet with loads of room to spare with just a two-button-presses sequence.
8 combinations X 8 combinations = 64 ‘letters’ or ‘hot keys’
(The 8 combinations being: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW which would be easier (i.e. more accurate) to hit then using mouse gestures would be.)
I surprised that phones havn’t used this for texting! They have more than 10 buttons for text recognition. I guess the problem would be the timing between individual ‘letters’ and consecutive button presses that represent a single ‘letter.’ 10 X 10 = 100 ‘letters’ or ‘functions.’ Looking at my phone I see the ‘number pad’ actually has 12 buttons (* and #).
If you map the 8 most popular letters/functions (along with space and period) onto the numberpad of a phone and put the other letters/functions into a 2-button sequence.
Along with IPTV this will be huge!.
Browser is supposed to be free until june 2007 or something like that. Maybe it will have gestures, on screen keyboard and you will be able to connecto keybord usb/bluetooth.
They don’t say it has a microphone but every speaker can work as a microphone… try conecting headphones to the microphone jack on your computer and speak trough the left speaker it works.
Several problems with this post..
1) Quote: “for fear of cutting into Microsoft’s PC market.”… I’m sorry.. When did M$ get into the PC market? There are an Operating System compnay.. not a PC maker.
2) Opera doesn’t do Flash.. Adobe does Flash (formely Macromedia). The wii runs on Linux and Linux Flash is at version 7.0 for the linix community, and curretly doesn’t “do” videos..
Richard – several problems with your comment:
1) Yes, I am aware that MS sells OSs not hardware – I assumed the general reader could put 2 + 2 together. If people stop buying PCs do you think that will affect the Windows market?
2) Opera does ‘do’ Flash. Also Nintendo have specifically stated that the Wii browser will support Flash. If you watch the video linked above you see the Wii browser displaying a Flash mario brothers game. Also Flash 7 does support video…
My Ubuntu play youtube perfectly… and next week flash 9 for linux will be available.
I don’t think that the right time for set-top boxes has came, yet. 😉 But we will see. 🙂
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They should let you use the DS as a touch screen keyboard
[…] One thing that is going to be pretty revolutionary about the Wii is the fact that it includes a free, fully-featured web browser. This means for $250 you get instant-on web access on your TV. This is something that the XBox can ’t deliver for fear of cutting into Microsoft’s PC market.read more | digg story […]
Here’s another controller that’s been in the news lately:
http://tinyurl.com/tubax
Each controller resembles a normal throwable object, like a beach ball, a football or a Frisbee. But they also connect via WiFi to a games console, like the PlayStation Portable. And each also contains an accelerometer capable of detecting speed and impact, an altimeter, a timer and a GPS receiver.
I china love simpleviewer
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i already have youtube on my tv with my modded xbox1 with usb keyboard
This is funny im reading and typing this message using my wii trial internet browser right now and some of you guys are saying it doesn’t work for you tube but 10 seconds ago i was just watching a couple vids on it
oh yea and usb keyboards dont work i tried
c’est top merci
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This is funny I able to read this and type this message using my PS3 and wireless keyboard. All the while trying to research and see if there is a work around for said keyboard and the wii.
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that this chick in pic is extremely hot?
The wii is hands down my favorite new console its very interactive and its good for activity
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Very Nice Approach Mate
yeah.UHMMMM,Wii heheee i think it is too bro