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Opera on the Nintendo DS

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wed Feb 15, 2006 09:11 AM
from the now-that's-a-wierd-one dept.
Businesses Nintendo Portables (Games) Entertainment Games
dxprog writes "Opera has announced that they and Nintendo are going in together to create a web browser for the DS. The browser, based on Opera's core engine, will take advantage of the system's two screens and the touchscreen to provide on-the-go portable internet access. From the article: 'Within just five seconds of turning on the system, 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.'" Update: 02/15 15:50 GMT by Z : More information about the browser and game announcements available from Gamasutra, and Iwata's aim that they'll hit 10 Million DS units sold is reported on the Next Generation site.
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  • This truly shows the versatility of Opera. (Score:5, Informative)

    by CyricZ (887944) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @09:17AM (#14723923)
    Doing something like this truly shows the versatility of Opera. They sure have come up with a fantastic products. Not only does it work perfectly on desktop systems, rivalling Firefox, Internet Explorer, Konqueror and Safari, but it is also a gem on far less powerful systems.

    With all the talk about the flexibility of Firefox, I just can't imagine seeing it run on similar hardware. Enough people complain about Firefox leaking memory that it seems almost impossible for it to remotely support such devices.

  • I was wondering how long it would take for someone to make a web browser for the DS. I think it's much better suited for it than the PSP.

    With Opera working on it, I'm hoping for some good results.

  • headline fails (Score:5, Informative)

    by cycledance (812080) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @09:18AM (#14723931)
    there is no such thing as a gameboy ds. its nintendo ds. the gameboy advance sp and gameboy micro are the current gameboy.

  • Keyboard (Score:5, Interesting)

    by rlp (11898) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @09:18AM (#14723933)
    Using a soft keyboard is feasible but fairly slow and tedious (I've got a WiFi enabled PDA with both a soft and a chiclet keyboard). Also a lot of sites don't scale well to a low-res screen. I enjoyed the novelty of WiFi browsing on a PDA, but don't use it that much any more.

    It could be handy for quick (read) access to Web mail, sports, weather, etc. Not a Blackberry replacement though. :-)

    • Re:Keyboard (Score:3, Interesting)

      by gurutc (613652)
      I use the Opera WAP Browser on my tiny cellphone. I have to say it's a vast improvement over the built-in browser. And it's usable on my cellphone which is hugely more ergonomically and visually challenged than the DS.

      • Re:Keyboard (Score:5, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 15 2006, @09:48AM (#14724145)
        Opera WAP? Opera doesn't have a WAP browser. All Opera browsers are full web browsers.
    • The Blackberry would be better anyway because it is connected anywhere there is a compatible cellular network. The DS needs to have an open (or have a key for) WiFi hotspot nearby, those tend to be far spottier than the cell network.

    • Re:Keyboard (Score:5, Interesting)

      by ILikeRed (141848) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @09:42AM (#14724111) Journal
      I really wish Nintendo would come out with a pda that could run their game carts. My Palm is getting a bit old, and I am not sure I trust them long term - and I still really dislike those WinCE devices. Simple, fun, WiFi, and a long battery life - maybe I am dreaming.

      • DS PDA (Score:5, Interesting)

        by metamatic (202216) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @10:29AM (#14724509) Homepage Journal
        Summitsoft were working on a PDA cartridge for the DS called Organizer Plus. If they had that for sale and it supported iSync, I'd likely ditch my Palm.

        However, I haven't seen anything more than press coverage about the alleged product, so I'm not sure if it actually exists any more. Their web site doesn't even mention it.

        There are also rumors that Nintendo is going to license Palm applications and sell them as V-Pocket, and Miyamoto mentioned in an interview that he sees PDA software as a way to expand the system's appeal. No official product announcements yet, though.

        So, I'm sticking with my Palm until there's actual shipping product, or Sharp USA decides to start shipping the SL-C series, or someone else ships a decent Linux PDA, or Nokia fixes the handwriting recognition and speed of the 770.

    • It could be handy for quick (read) access to Web mail, sports, weather, etc. Not a Blackberry replacement though. :-)

      True, it can't really replace a Blackberry. There are a ton of features missing and web browsing won't replace them. But as far as only reading web mail, ... why? The touchscreen keyboard on the DS works very well in Animal Crossing, and I'm sure that handwriting recognition could be implemented (despite the Simpsons, handwriting recognition worked fairly well on the Newton, and that h

  • How easy on the eyes will it be? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by antifoidulus (807088) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @09:19AM (#14723940) Homepage Journal
    Obviously this will not be a replacement for pdas for serious mobile internet users, but I wonder just how readable it will be. I have done a bit of web browsing on the psp, and while my eyes aren't perfect, I considered the psp's screen to be the "bare minimum" one really needs to be able to read web pages. The whole 2 screen thing to me would just seem jutting...I love the DS for games, but I don't see it being a great web browser.
    Also, will the Opera cartridge contain a firmware update that will finally allow DS units to use WPA instead of the pitiful WEP? Would seem like a minimum for web browsing to me...
    • What do you think WPA or WEP gets you in your web browsing?!? Neither is worth a damn for security, if you want encrypted traffic you should be using ssh, sftp, scp, https - namely not http or ftp. You realize that once it leaves the immediate wireless router WEP and WPA traffic for http and ftp goes to clear text that can be snooped once again, don't you? (No end to end encryption - unlike say ssh.)
      • You're totally missing the point. The issue is not protecting your http traffic - rather, it's to protect your LAN. Without a good wireless security protocol, your internal network is _wide open_ for anyone to attack. WEP is NOT a good security protocol, and if DS doesn't support WPA, you can't use the thing at home for wireless browsing.

        -Erwos
            • MAC filtering with WEP or WPA is reduandant, if someone is capable of sniffing your traffic long enough to compute the wireless key they will not have any trouble looking to see what MAC needs to be spoofed. MAC filtering is really only useful as a minimalist security implementation or a workaround for a device which does not support or work properly with any form of encrypted traffic.

    • Pretty easy on the eyes. (Score:5, Informative)

      by Viewsonic (584922) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @09:43AM (#14724114)
      The upper screen is a zoomed in view, while the lower is a zoomed out view that you can scroll around the zoom view with the stylus. It may not be the best way to browse if you have other means, but I think this is going to be more than excellent for people stuck at airports and hotels who dont want to lug around all these crazy 17" widescreen 20 pound desktops...I mean laptops that seem to be all the rage these days.

      It looks like a nice step up from cell phone browsers in both the fact that you gain more screen area, an actually decent input device, and the fact that you're not getting charged for every byte sent over the line (Depending, usually airport wifi access is free).

      I'm looking forward to it. Especially now that Google Chat is integrated into their gmail, I can have full IM access with my DS on the go as well. Slick.

    • Along those lines, it would be nice if it would allow you to log in and use WEP at places that aren't completely open.
      An example being Panera, where you have to view and accept some terms of service page in your web browser before it'll let you do anything.

    • Re:How easy on the eyes will it be? (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Considering that the minimum resolution you can get on a PDA is 160x160, the DS screen size of 256x192 seems like a nice upgrade. Mid-range PDAs have a resolution of 320x320, while higher-end ones are 480x320.

      I have a Zire 31 which I use to view web pages offline, among other things. My eyesight is far from perfect, but I don't find reading the 160x160 screen a big strain. The only thing that sucks is that the screen doesn't hold much information (13 lines of text in my current setup).

      I don't think this
    • According to the pictures, there's a zoomed mode. The bottom screen displays the web page (shrunken down of course), and you can use the stylus to get a full-sized view of page in the top window (like in Electroplankton). Also, if they implement cleartype methods for downscaling stuff, they can get much more legibility out of it. They just have to be careful to note that while the top screen is RGB order, the bottom is BGR.
    • I have done a bit of web browsing on the psp, and while my eyes aren't perfect, I considered the psp's screen to be the "bare minimum" one really needs to be able to read web pages.

      To be able to read web pages using the layout that the designers originally created from, that being a 1024x768 computer screen, perhaps. If you just want access to the contents of a page and don't care if the layout is compromised, screens the size and resolution of the DS's ought to be fine for anybody.

      Also, will the Opera car
  • You will know this deal is over when the fat lady sings....
    (Rimshot, because it requires a couple connections, and some knowledge of Opera as a cultural event and certain sereotypes about female Opera singers, to be funny)
  • "Anywhere" now apparently means "anywhere where you already have a wifi network you can access." Woo?

  • How much will it cost? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by dalmiroy2k (768278) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @09:29AM (#14724022)
    I would pay up to $35 (like a game) but not more. Let's hope the browser is not crippled and support secure pages and some kind of web based IM.

  • Operational (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Within just five seconds of turning on the system, 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.

    nice potentially unintentional pun
  • Oslo, Norway - February 15, 2006: Opera Software today announced that it will deliver the World Wide Web to Nintendo DS users in Japan.

    i'm wondering if that's ONLY in japan....

    on a side note, how cool would it be to include skype on that opera cart? or an IM client?

    • I'm announcing a browser for the Chinese market!

      Well, actually it's more like a flash animation showing a "this page is censorred" all the time, but who can tell the difference?
    • The DS is not locked for regions (i.e. You can play Japanese games on American-released systems with no modification). And it will definitely require some sort of English (or at least Latin) text input and display in order for it to be useful on this English-dominated web of ours. So as long as you're willing to learn the menus through trial and error, buying the Japanese version should be just as good as waiting for a NA or EU release.
  • This makes it the ideal device to enable people to swiftly obtain the latest information from the internet, wherever they are.

    Does everyone walk around thinking they are head of CTU - Los Angeles, and need constant data dumps on developing situations?

    • I'm using my qtek9100's internet capabilities to check on the public transportation schedule. And yes, it's quite handy if you have this information as soon as possible, because while i wait for the page to load i might miss a connection. I'm sure there are other (better?) examples, but this is why i would love to have the information available fast.
  • This is great news! I'm currently working on integrating my Denon AVR-2805 [denon.com] stereo receiver into my home computer network and am interested in using the Nintendo DS as a control device. Being able to use a full-featured browser will really help in this pursuit.

    The AVR-2805 supports an RS-232 interface [denon.com] which is currently connected to the serial port on a FreeBSD server in my living room; my audio and video cards are also connected to the receiver. I've copied almost all of my music CDs and am in the proc

  • It would be cool if it had a way to listen to MP3s from my server the way my Palm TX can.

  • More DS announcements (Score:5, Informative)

    by rayde (738949) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @09:49AM (#14724153) Homepage
    for more pictures, check this article with pictures of the Opera browser [advancedmn.com] and also the newly announced Nintendo DS TV Tuner. Other announcements are a new Super Mario Brothers being released in May in Japan, and a budget priced Tetris DS.

  • Interesting... but... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by J_Meller (667240) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @10:07AM (#14724306)
    I'm assuming that they are going to distribute this browser in the traditional cart form but what about future DS versions such as the DS Lite? Do they plan to integrate it with the built in UI? Also since the cartridges are read/write, will it be possible to upgrade the browser through the net if they discover any potentially harmful security risks (buffer overflows) or new features? I wonder if they plan to market this in traditional gaming stores, personally I would love to see this, but I'm afraid that many consumers that buy the DS for it's simplicity and pick-up and play style may shy away from the technology.

  • Give me productivity (Score:4, Interesting)

    by shoptroll (544006) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @10:07AM (#14724307)
    If they could provide a limited productivity suite (Calendar, Contacts, maybe a lightweight e-mail IMAP client) this could be a good alternative to a Palm, especially for a younger generation who doesn't need to have full synchronization with a pc. Although, I wonder if the PC Lan connection for non-WiFi enabled lans could be jerry-rigged to allow synchronization of a productivity suite with a PC... But I don't think Nintendo has interest in programming apps for a PC.

  • DS browser could be awsome. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by _Pablo (126574) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @10:09AM (#14724328)
    With the lower touch sensitive screen showing the scaled page and the top showing the page at 100% it would be quite comfortable to scroll around using the pen. Use the shoulder buttons to swap screens when you want to use forms or click links it could be pretty usable. I guess it's not going to be that powerful however considering the memory limitations (4MB RAM although I guess code and resources can be run inplace from the cart). I just hope I can put the browser on the M3 (with Passkey2) for convenience.

    I've got to admit that I am a convert to the DS after intially being sceptical (but simply being unable to resist the allure of Mario Kart DS). Since then the DS has done nothing but impress, from the limited but flexible hardware to some of the most innovative games I have played in a long time (Trauma Center, Pac Pix, Nintendogs etc all make excellent use of the touch screen).

  • The one thing I'd like to see (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Dark Paladin (116525) * <jhummel AT johnhummel DOT net> on Wednesday February 15 2006, @10:11AM (#14724349) Homepage
    Well, other than "Chrono Trigger" on the GBA? A Palm card. The Nintendo DS uses the same kind of chips found in Palm Pilots, and it would be interesting to see Palm OS 5 running on the sucker - if for no other reason than I could have my ebooks on it.

  • two viewing modes will be available (Score:5, Informative)

    by Lawmune (260527) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @10:31AM (#14724522) Homepage
    According to brianj [opera.com] (Opera employee) on the Opera forums:

    "Opera will have two modes: fit-to-width mode (similar to what mobile users are already familiar with their mobile phones using the Opera Mobile browser). This mode will use Small Screen Rendering to fit the page across both screens. Alternatively, there is a DS mode which displays an overall page view on the lower screen (where you may use the touch screen to navigate around a sort of "mini map") and read the text on the top screen in full-sized view."

    Don't know about small screen rendering? See here: http://www.opera.com/products/mobile/smallscreen/ [opera.com]

    Still not convinced? See what your website looks like on a small screen using the Opera Mini Simulator [opera.com] (which probably isn't exactly how it will look on the DS, but it's an approximation. The DS certainly has more screen real estate than my pathetic cell phone, anyway.)

    Also, according to DS Advanced [advancedmn.com]:

    "The Opera software is currently slated to release in Japan during the month of June at the price of 3800 yen, roughly $30, and will include ATOK Kanji conversion software."

  • It's time for me to hand in my geek card (Score:3, Funny)

    by lxs (131946) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @10:43AM (#14724624)
    Reading that headline, I seriously expected a platform game based on La Nozze di Figaro or Don Giovanni That would actually be fitting, considering 2006 is Mozart year.

  • Opera is nice software (Score:4, Insightful)

    by goldcd (587052) on Wednesday February 15 2006, @12:20PM (#14725445) Homepage
    but it's their back-end squashing that makes their 'reduced-platform' offering so nice. For example if you're viewing on your phone having the jpgs squashed by the Opera proxy server cuts your bandwidth cost, dramatically speeds up the browser and reduces the amount of memory required on the client.

    My main complaint with the PSP is the damn thing keeps on running out of memory if you load up a single bulky page.

    I think it should be very nice on the DS - prefer using it on my SE phone than IE on my PocketPC and I can only see it being nicer with the better screen(s) and a touchscreen.

    Seems a bit cheaky charging users for it though - maybe the cart will have some local cache on it..
    • Indeed. I like the touchscreen, it really needs a PSP-size screen on the top half. There aren't any rumors of anyone making such a device, are there?

      Also, are there any hacks to allow the DS to work like a Gameboy Advance or SP for games that make use of them as a smart controller? (For example, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles or Animal Crossing.)

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