Nintendo has announced plans to release a DS web browser and TV tuner. Fans have discussed the possibilities of both for several months, but official word was given at the DS Conference 2006 event held yesterday in Tokyo.
The web browser will be provided by Opera, well-known for its mobile phone browser software, and will be sold on a card that simply slots into the DS to allow innovative dual-screen surfing. In a press release issued by Opera this morning the company provided a few more details:
"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."
Interestingly, Nintendo seems keen on pushing the web-enabled DS as a serious surfing tool rather than a bit of online fun for gamers. As Masaru Shimomura, Deputy General Manager of Nintendo's R & D Department, asserts, "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."
According to the Opera release, Nintendo is yet to announce a release date - although a Google translation of Nintendo's Japanese website, where a slideshow presentation of the DS Conference has been posted, suggests a June launch - at least in Japan.
The company's plans for a TV tuner are less clear, but from the Nintendo website it seems that the tuner will arrive as a small(ish) card that slots into the DS. It looks like the Touch Screen will act as a remote control.
Both of these elements bring the DS more in line with Sony's PSP in terms of multimedia ambitions. It will be interesting to see what kind of international roll-out is planned...
