Wii Browser delayed.. but improved

Seems I missed this last week but Nintendo have confirmed that the Opera web browser for the Wii has been delayed until April. This is no big surprise at March is almost passed and there's been no sign of a flashing blue slot on any consoles to signify a present from Japan.

The original plan when the trial version was released before Christmas was to have the final version out in late March, remaining as a free download until the end of June. So why the delay?

Over on the US Wii site the latest in a series of interviews with the developers behind various aspects of the Wii has been posted. Included are discussions of the challenges of developing a browser for a console in contrast to those for a home computer or when developing games. Some insight into how the Japanese team at Nintendo worked with the Norwegian team at Opera are also given. Finally the reasons behind the slip and the announcement of the delay itself are explored. Basically it seems it was decided that some extra time was needed to add features, improve compatibility and add polish. So what can we expect in return for our patience?

- Increased search features. A Search button on the Start page as well as the toolbar (presumably linking to Google, Opera's own search, I doubt there will be much customisation here).
- Multiple cursor support. While only one Wiimote controls, others can point at things on the page, this should cause chaos!
- Zoom and display changes. There is now a multi-levelled zoom option as well as the restrictive auto-zoom in the trial. Also some font changes and a page width limitation of 800 pixels (even in widescreen modes) has been implemented to try to make text easier to read.
- Scroll improvements. There have been changes to how scrolling works dependant upon on-screen position and movement of the cursor. Additionally the +Control Pad can be used to scroll.
- Responsiveness. Loading the channel itself and the favourites screen should be much faster.
- Auto-hide for Toolbar. Pretty self explanatory, should give that extra bit of real estate needed. Unfortunately the delays and so on are not user configurable.
- Improved compatibility. More websites should work, although they explain the ever changing nature of the web. No mention is made of planned updates after release, but I expect this is a possibility.

They also received a lot of requests for keyboard input support but it's not in there yet. There is no confirmation that it ever will be but allowing keyboards and mice via the USB ports would be great. Adding basic USB HID support shouldn't be a big deal, you never know it may already be in the OS somewhere.

The issue of custom-made sites for the Wii is discussed and they seem grateful for the involvement of the community. One interesting aspect not touched on is that this is really the only way end-users can 'develop' for the Wii. Many have taken advantage of say the support for Flash to make games designed around the Wiimote or media streaming solutions and YouTube-like interfaces. The ability to extend and enhance a console is popular and hopefully this aspect hasn't been lost on Nintendo. Although I never expect them to 'open up' their platform to user generated content in the way Microsoft and even Sony toy with.

They finish off with the usual discussion of using the net in the living room. Of having the family around the tv, allowing those new to browsing the web to have a go and of content developed for tv's rather than PC's. It's all a good insight into what the companies goals are for the browser and indeed the console. I've not ended up using the browser that often after the initial excitement. It's been fun toy and hacking together some streaming of my music library using various open source tools and a home web server was cool. But having plenty of machines more adept and flexible while online, including a powerful laptop, the Wii is used for well, playing games. That said the release of the final version will again pique my interest and I can see it being something many will use in their living rooms.

Within an a discussion with the developers behind the Wii Broswer posted on the US Wii site last week it's been revealed that the release date has been pushed back a few weeks. Rather than arriving before the end of March it will land sometime in April. The good news, they've made a nice collection of update to improve functionality and compatibility. It's still as locked down and un-customisable as you'd expect form Nintendo, but it looks like the wait may be worth it.

There's no word yet on whether this delay will translate to an extension of the free download period.