DS browser comes to Europe

Two months after their Japanese counterparts, European DS owners can now surf the Web from their handhelds; Flash is still a no-no, though, and no word on a US version.

LONDON--The Nintendo DS Browser went on sale across Europe today, letting users access the Internet as well as play games. The browser, which is made by Opera Software, has been available in Japan since July. No US release plans have yet been announced.

The browser is on a DS cartridge, which once attached lets users connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi at any of Nintendo's 6,000 free Wi-Fi Connection hot spots and other public-access hot spots. There are two separate software packages--one for the original DS and one for the DS Lite--because of hardware differences. Each will only work on their specific console.

Any Web page should be viewable on the DS, according to Berit Framnes, public relations officer for Opera Software, who said, "There are no sites that you can't access. However, it does not support Flash, so you will be unable to view Flash animations or videos."

Users can choose from two different viewing modes--the faster is a fit-to-width mode that's similar to Opera's browser for mobile phones. This shows Web pages in a single column across both screens. Alternatively, surfers can choose DS mode, which shows an overview of the page on the lower screen with a magnified image of the selected part of the page displayed on the upper screen.

The browser also makes use of the touch screen by showing a virtual keyboard on the lower screen to make typing in URLs and e-mails faster than text messaging.

"It's so people can access the Web on the go. We see people using this in the library or waiting at the airport. It's a cheaper alternative than a mobile phone because the Nintendo Wi-Fi points are free," Framnes explained.

When asked if there were any plans for a US or Australian version, Framnes said, "Nintendo haven't released that information, but we're just as keen as everyone else for it to happen. I think it's just a matter of getting all the hot spots set up and a partner to provide a proxy filter so parents can block content."

The Opera Browser for the DS and DS Lite is priced at £29.99 (about $56) in the UK and across Europe at €39.99 (around $50).

95 Comments

  • Evanrocknuma

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 8:43 pm PT

    So %@#$ I wish we could be a freaking test market we'd get the crappy first models but at least we'd have them first. Anyway once the actual product is released we could always just update it right?

  • mhfurniture

    Posted Nov 18, 2006 12:25 pm PT

    man this sounds exciting but it sucks that you can't watch videos.
    man i cant watch gamespot videos either, arrrrgh!

  • Wezker619

    Posted Nov 17, 2006 10:35 pm PT

    Man I need the expansion bay I have the game but I got it for Free but I need the expansion bay!

  • utkarsh200

    Posted Nov 3, 2006 4:08 am PT

    i cant get this POWERFUL accessorie 4 my ds yet and u euros do!
    thats not fair coz i've been w8in ages 2 get this and now they've given it 2 u guyz wen us american dudes r just w8in our heads off 4 this game!

  • snickerscd

    Posted Oct 22, 2006 11:25 pm PT

    One possible reason we haven't gotten it yet, is that sometimes Europe is used as a 'test market' for products that may or may not be released into the United States.

    Otherwise, I don't know why we haven't even heard anything, I'm fine without one, but wouldn't mind being able to do more productive things with my DS.

  • PacoL250

    Posted Oct 15, 2006 12:14 am PT

    boxcarracer565:
    Feature-wise, you're right the PSP and DS pretty much share the same stuff now-a-days. Although seriously, a camera and GPS are relatively usless on a predominantly gaming system. Heck it would be useless on the DS as well.

    Sure maybe you could get some funky use out of the camera, but for general picture taking, you're better off with either a cell phone camera (as most people carry it around) or a regular digital camera. GPS, um...read the road signs or get map. I'd only find something of the sort useful in a car (or using GPS on a cell phone in a car) and on a gaming system it's almost an unecessary feature.

    As for music, well keep in mind 3rd party manufacturers have made music add-ons for the DS/DS Lite; Nintendo hasn't made anything specific. Sony obviously put in it's own Walkman-based or PS2 based music player and it's worked for them. Playing movies has also been a plus for them as well.

    Oh and my DS Lite fits just as "well" in my pocket as my friend's PSP so size isn't a huge factor.

    All in all it boils down to what games are on the system and quite honestly, for the most part, I've seen mostly PS2 ports for the PSP (it's started to change as of late) and more original titles on the DS since launch. In the end, Nintendo will "win this round" in regards to handheld gaming and Sony will come in second. Sales trends have seemingly gone that way so far and I don't expect more of a change.

    And as for the browser, yeah it would have been nice to have something like this built in like the PSP but at least Nintendo's learning from their past "Internet gaming? What's that?" mistakes. Here's to hoping this supports flash soon enough and hits the US.

  • MajinGannon

    Posted Oct 12, 2006 2:13 pm PT

    boxcarracer565
    the psp doesnt exactly fit in your pocket any better than the DS.

  • boxcarracer565

    Posted Oct 10, 2006 1:45 am PT

    Psp is more convenient than ds, if you want to surf the web, you have to take out your catridge and put in the ds browser one, not to minchin you have to carry it around, which is a hassle because ds is already pretty big, and will barley fit in your pocket. -
    2NDLY. there's alot of talk about mp3 player for the ds, psp has it all, with the soon- to be launch of the GPS AND CAMERA psp is the total entertainment multimedia machine. It is way more convenient than DS. Heck, i dont even consider it a gaming machine, alothough they;re are a hand full of good games, its more like a palmpilot/PDA.

  • _Sam_

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 6:01 pm PT

    I hope there is a US release

  • morororo

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 1:23 pm PT

    I love my DS and like the way they are releasing this browser, which i bought today but havent set my wireless router up yet to try it out, and the soon to be released MP3 player. However, it's ending up that I have to take crap loads of stuff out with me with i take my ds out. I reckon it's a matter of time before Nintendo release another DS with all this stuff crammed inside it. Least i hope so.

  • boxcarracer565

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 10:03 am PT

    i agree with Strider_Hiryu_X
    how can you type on a PSP when it is easy for DS


    psp uses a onscreen keyboard as well. its really good, and the widescreen is excellent for webpages. FULL WEBPAGES, NOT JUS LINKS LIKE ON cell PHONES. 2ndly. evryone bashes psp, saying "ds is better, its made stricly for gaming, it doesnt need all the "extras" to be great"

    as far as i can see, ds is trying to be multi-functiional as well, not to minchin they have something you can buy to play music with your DS. PSP did it 1st, PSP DID IT RIGHT.

  • boxcarracer565

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 9:56 am PT

    ...wow another nock-off of psp. whats next? video,music.photo?

  • intotheshadowz

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 8:07 am PT

    I think the majority of gamers wanting this are Americans. F*** you Opera, for letting down your biggest crowd! What a business plan, dumb***es.

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 6:18 am PT

    flash a no-no? without www.homestarrunner.com , what's the point of web browsing?

  • casinater

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 4:53 am PT

    Heck if i wanna get online ill use my brand spankin new Dell or my dad's PDA. I dont need a DS browser.

  • tutejaa

    Posted Oct 9, 2006 12:49 am PT

    How is dumb enough to pay $50 for a browser ;( ...

  • MasterAsh42

    Posted Oct 8, 2006 2:35 pm PT

    Same here. . .

    But I still think it odd the US hasn't gotten it yet, especially since the industry as a whole has been piling focus on the North American market.

  • darkdaej

    Posted Oct 8, 2006 11:02 am PT

    theKSMM

    ur first reason has been countered, thousands of McDonalds have free wi-fi access(ok, u need to buy that junk, but nevertheless, no access fees) across the US.

    ur 2nd reason however, is completely true. I do not give a rat"s @$$ about mobile web surfing.

  • SuperGogeta24

    Posted Oct 8, 2006 5:55 am PT

    WOOOOO!!!

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Oct 8, 2006 1:22 am PT

    Love my DS, but i'll stick to my PC for the net.

  • theKSMM

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 11:39 pm PT

    Nintendo is being smart (again). There's no need to rush this product to market in the US for at least two reasons:

    (1) The size of America compared to Japan or most European countries makes nationwide rollouts of technology (e.g. Wi-Fi hotspots) much more difficult. Hotspots are rare; free ones are almost non-existant. Most likely Nintendo will have to partner with an existing company in the US to get their DSes online.

    (2) Most people in America don't care to browse on mobile devices. In Japan, the cellular phone is the number one means for people to connect to e-mail and the web. In the US, it's a novelty. (There's a reason that the hot, new phones drop in Japan first.) But we typically like a big, color screen with lots of animation and sound. So I doubt that we're going to be seeing lots of people at McDonald's or Starbucks trading stocks on their DS Lites.

    Even among those people on this site that are clamoring to have this product in the US, I doubt many people will buy it, and I suspect that even fewer will actually use it.

  • yoshirider13

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 10:16 pm PT

    LOL uk got it before us. lol I beat kingdom hearts 2 months before it got released in uk

  • Slash_out

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 7:04 pm PT

    Well, I am not interested in the browser, however I am happy to see something coming in Europe before the USA. It's just a little browser on a little region free handheld. However because it happened we can hope for things like that to come more often. It would be great to see FFXIII on the ps3 geting released in europe and only 5 month later on the US like it always happen for us.

  • GyRo567

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 5:00 pm PT

    I just thought of something... Perhaps we can view YTMNDs on the go... >_>

    I'd be curious to see how the site works. You'd have to turn off the Flash Pre-Loader of course, but it'd still be hilarious to see such a low resolution screen in an off format trying to run the sites.

  • crimsonazure12

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 1:35 pm PT

    Do they know that the Nintendo DS Browser can work on the DS Lite? It says so on the back of the box, although it also mentions that it will stick out by 1cm.

  • -KinGz-

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 11:08 am PT

    hey I want that too!

  • cesarotromundo

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 10:39 am PT

    no one wants this anymore! we are all waiting for the Wii to go to the Opera browser with the motion-sensor mouse!

  • godoftheds

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 10:05 am PT

    wow theres a first. europe acutally got something that america hasnt yet. very interesting... just what are you playing at here nintendo?

  • redeer

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 9:35 am PT

    wow thats expncive.... but I want one!!!

  • Karribuhater115

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 9:24 am PT

    Boo hoo, do you know how long i'm going to have to wait for the new Final Fantasy game on PS2 because Japan and America get it MONTHS before we do and now you're complaining because we get a little browser on a region free handheld before you?

    Grow up, seriously. I don't even want the browser in the first place, there are no Wi-Fi hotspots in my area and I have a computer with broadband. It is of no use to me, so if any of you Americans who are complaing so much want it, you're more than welcome to it, just remember this in future when you're slagging off us Europeans because we're complaining about having to wait 4+ months for one game. (DMC3:SE anyone? Which doesn't have Turbo Mode on the EU version, BTW)

  • myDingling

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 6:38 am PT

    "There are two separate software packages--one for the original DS and one for the DS Lite--because of hardware differences. Each will only work on their specific console. "

    If it's anything like the Japanese versions then the DS Phat will work on the DS lite. The only difference between the two is that option pack for the DS lite version is smaller to fit the Lite's frame thus making it useless on the Phat. But the Phat version will work on a Lite so long as you don't mind the jutting out of the cartridge. Just setting the record straight.

  • hart704

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 6:10 am PT

    This is an interesting idea, but nobody is going to use the internet a majority of the time on anything other than a computer. I don't care what else you have, it's just not going to happen. That goes for cell phones, the DS, or even your precious Wii.

  • TryMe01

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 5:29 am PT

    The Opera Browser for the DS and DS Lite is priced at £29.99 (about $56) in the UK and across Europe at €39.99 (around $50). Wow, thats a hefty price to check your emails. I'd wait for a Wii to do that without having to turn on my computer/laptop

  • metdevthegamer

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 5:10 am PT

    Hope it comes to the U.S. soon. I could use one of them, someone's always hogging the computer in my house.

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 3:29 am PT

    Sweet!

  • blackdamage

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 3:24 am PT

    MatthewNintendo is right. You americans get EVERYTHING before us, but once a mediocre accessory comes to us first, you start complaining. What about we give you our DS Broswer first, and then we get all your games before you? Would you prefer that?

  • ftjx

    Posted Oct 7, 2006 3:12 am PT

    Sounds amazing! As of this moment I'm even more seriously considering buying a DS!!

  • Cypher_VR

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 10:14 pm PT

    i agree with Strider_Hiryu_X
    how can you type on a PSP when it is easy for DS

  • Cypher_VR

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 10:12 pm PT

    release it already!

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 9:17 pm PT

    sweet

  • MatthewNintendo

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 6:38 pm PT

    I'm sick of those of you moaning "how come they get it first? We should have it way before them" etc etc. We get 1 damn thing first and you moan and to be honest the browser aint that good anyway. So let us have summink first for once and stop being pathetic.

  • imprezawrx500

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 6:37 pm PT

    What is the point of crappy webbrosers? they don't work with little ram and tiny screens, a laptop is much better.

  • hemakm3

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 6:08 pm PT

    Needs flash.

  • jmac777

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 5:46 pm PT

    SWWWWEEETTT

  • Latinbro1

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 4:57 pm PT

    Europe and Japan have more wi fi acces availability than the US so it makes sense for jap/euro release. Kids calm down. Plus why do you wnat the browser so badly? the DS is about games not multimedia functions if you wanted web browsing and games then get a psp

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 4:56 pm PT

    Please come out in the US soon. Please?

  • Strider_Hiryu_X

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 4:46 pm PT

    MaHan05
    "this is one reson the psp is better....how the hell are you supposed to look at a web site on that small friggen screen....."

    Easy. You look at the whole page on the bottom screen, and a zoomed ver. on the upper screen. You can choose what to see on the upper screen by moving this weird square on the touch screen. Makes it WAY easier than moving a page with that weirdo joystick the PSP has. It has home, refresh, bookmark etc shortcuts to touch, for easy use. As for writing, you can either touch the letters on the on-screen keyboard or write them. I don't see that on the PSP =P

  • MaHan05

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 4:35 pm PT

    this is one reson the psp is better....how the hell are you supposed to look at a web site on that small friggen screen.....

  • zerooslo7990

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 4:26 pm PT

    I don't know why people here in the US are so upset. Our country is more than twice the size of Europe. Plus Europe is way better at wi-fi hotspots, The US have Mcdonalds, EU have wi-fi enabled trains, trainstations, and whole citys set up for it. Besides, I'm not spending $50 for a web browser, that dosn't play flash, and other types of internet media. If it were only for $20.

    Oh, well. I use the DS for games any way.

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