Nintendo are currently giving away the Opera browser for free on the Shopping Channel. This is apparently because it's still in Beta, and it will become chargable just as soon as they can get away with it. This begs the question of why. Not, "why are they planning to charge for an open source browser that should technically be free?" but "why are we having to download a browser at all when the Wii already has one built in?" The Shopping Channel is an online service, accessed and displayed by the internet browser Opera. The instruction manuals you get with the Virtual Console games are written in HTML and Javascript, and displayed by the internet browser Opera. As the functionality of Opera is already there, why does it need to be downloaded separately? No Wookie defence is required by Nintendo on this issue because the facts as they stand already do not make sense.
Dunno what's so great about Opera anyway though. My phone has it, my cable box has it, and my Wii's got it too, and it ain't all that.
The Chewbacca defense really should be outlawed, don't ya think? I mean, that whole people's heads blowing up thing and all...
ReplyDeleteOn a lighter note, you have no idea how jealous I am of you. My wife agreed to get me a Wii for my birthday, but we can't find the things anywhere. Not in stores, online or even in the back of a truck, which leads me to a few questions...
1) How the heck did you get so lucky?
2) Any recommendations for good games available in Japan?
3) Do you think they'll eventually make the browser a pay-only feature?
Thanks!
p.s. Thanks for the comments on my site and good luck w/ your interview!