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Posted by Cyndy Aleo-Carreira on February 26th, 2008
I have to admit my prejudice against WiiBrowser that started when I first read what they did; without a big, pretty HDTV, I find any and all web browsing from my kids' Nintendo Wii to be kludgy, ugly, and painful. The Wii uses Opera, which only adds to my pain, because the one thing I WOULD allow the kids to do with it online is visit sites like Webkinz World, but the Wii Opera browser doesn't support the latest Flash version, rendering just about anything the kids would want to do (including Webkinz) unusable. Add in the horrifying Wii keyboard interface, and I'm not sure why anyone would want to browse through the Wii.
Of course, I might change my mind with a nicer TV and WiiBrowser, which really isn't much more than a feature Nintendo should have included all along. While the Nintendo Internet Channel allows you to set bookmarks for your favorite sites, there's still the tedious task of typing them in with the keyboard interface. That's where WiiBrowser comes in.
WiiBrowser allows you to create a simple page with large button links just by entering your favorite URLs. Each page is assigned a simple number (not sequentially, as I checked a few in either direction), and is protected from vandalism with a password you assign. That's all. No login or username required. Once you create your WiiBrowser page, you can edit the links at any time on the web, saving you from painful typing of URLs.
Of course, having the ability to either use a standard Bluetooth keyboard or have a Nintendo log-in on their site that connected directly to your Wii (something Tivo can manage without batting an eye) would enable much more browsing and socializing without the need for a third-party feature app. In the meantime, though, if you have a need, it saves you from the frustrations of the Wii keyboard interface.
Update: corrected mistake in technology
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| Z101 | February 27th, 2008 at 4:51 am |
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It is possible to connect a standard USB-Keyboard to the Wii. It works for some channels and for the Internet-Channel too. | |
| Lee | February 27th, 2008 at 6:41 am |
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It’s true. The Wii has been capable of having USB keyboard support for some time. You should research more. | |
| Cyndy Aleo-Carreira | February 27th, 2008 at 7:31 am |
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I never said that there wasn’t the capability. Adding a standard USB keyboard to it is kludgy at best; there are only two USB ports, and I would find it just as painful to buy a keyboard just to sit on the floor in front of my television to use it. Add on the fact that you have only two USB ports for any additional peripherals, like Wiimote chargers, microphones, etc. and I’m now climbing around behind my television to keep changing out the peripherals. Neither one is an elegant solution, and I’m sure I’m not the only person who feels that way. Being able to access the Internet channel from both your own PC as well as through the Internet Channel would make it more convenient for a LOT of Wii owners. | |
| Cyndy Aleo-Carreira | February 27th, 2008 at 9:36 am |
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Actually, my apologies. I DID type USB, and read the piece over again about 10 times until I caught the error. I meant Bluetooth, so that at least it would have a decent wireless technology available so I’m not on top of the TV. My constant frustration with the Wii (over, say, the Xbox 360) is the limited connectivity for peripherals. There are only the two USB ports, which I usually have occupied by one or more chargers, one or more microphones, etc. Even the old Xboxes had four ports for connecting controllers and peripherals and it feels like the Wii sacrificed functionality for a smaller, more portable form factor. If I was a single user, or even had fewer kids, it might not be so bad, but with four kids, the number of Wiimotes needing to be charged or microphones plugged in is beyond annoying. The Wiimotes are already connecting with Bluetooth, so why isn’t the whole system more open? | |
| Daniel Goldman | February 27th, 2008 at 11:36 am |
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I blogged about why the Wii Internet Channel uses Flash 7 and not 8 or 9. Hope this helps explain it a bit. http://operawatch.com/news/2007/04/why-the-wii-browser-has-flash-7-and-not-flash-8-or-9.html Daniel | |
| Cyndy Aleo-Carreira | February 27th, 2008 at 11:48 am |
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Thanks Daniel. I hope I didn’t make it sound like it was Opera’s fault. I’d already seen your post and ranted loud and long to my husband about Adobe’s issues with that. I’m getting tired of interoperability issues when it comes to browsers simply because one company only looks at a single perspective and not what impact a decision will have. We aren’t all using the latest version of IE anymore. | |
| Daniel Goldman | February 27th, 2008 at 2:31 pm |
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:) | |
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