This bit of news just flew in the door from Bergsala, the scandinavian distributor of Nintendo products.
Norwegian Opera Software has made a deal with Nintendo to produce an Internet Browser for the DS. Here's the press release:
GIVING GAMERS TWO WINDOWS TO THE WEB: THE OPERA BROWSER FOR NINTENDO DS™
Oslo, Norway February 15, 2006: Opera Software today announced that they will deliver the World Wide Web to Nintendo DS users. In Opera's agreement with Nintendo, DS users will now be able to surf the full Internet from their consoles using the Opera browser. The Opera browser
for Nintendo DS will be sold as a DS card. Users simply insert the card into the Wi-Fi enabled Nintendo DS, connect to a network, and begin browsing on two screens.
Earlier this year, Nintendo reported that 13 million Nintendo DS were sold to consumers around the world within just 13 months of its North American debut in November 2004. Nintendo DS combines unique dual screens, touch screen, voice recognition and wireless and Wi-Fi communications capabilities. According to an independent market research company in Japan, Nintendo DS has become the fastest selling video games machine to top the 5 million sales mark in Japan in just over 12 months since its Japanese debut, breaking the old record held by Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. Nintendo continues its innovation of Nintendo DS by including the Opera browser in this unique gaming experience.
"The incredibly popular Nintendo DS is already Wi-Fi enabled to support real time gaming, so adding Web browsing capabilities was a natural evolution for this device," says Scott Hedrick, Executive Vice President, Opera Software. "Gaming devices are growing more advanced and a great Web experience is becoming a product differentiator for gaming manufacturers. Opera is excited to work with Nintendo to deliver a unique dual screen, full Internet experience on Nintendo DS."
With an on screen keypad and stylus, users can easily navigate the Web from their Nintendo DS with PDA like functionality. Based on the same core as the Opera desktop browser, Opera delivers superior speed and rendering of Web pages on the Nintendo DS.
“Within just five seconds of turning on the console, the Nintendo DS is already fully operational. This makes it the ideal device to enable people to swiftly obtain the latest information from the internet, wherever they are,” says Masaru Shimomura, Deputy General Manager of Nintendo’s R & D Department. "Opera exceeded our expectations with its user friendly interface, quick access to all your favorite sites, ease of use and, most importantly, in making the best use of Nintendo DS’s unique double screens and touch screen features. Opera is an important partner for Nintendo in our efforts to further expand the users of the Nintendo DS."
Nintendo Co., Ltd. held a presentation today in Tokyo, Japan, to announce updates for the Nintendo DS. Information on the availability of the Opera browser DS card has not yet been announced.
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