DS browser - this cant be right, can it?

skywalker

Was just browsing around play.com and came across the DS opera browser, I was wondering why that would be on this particular site, as I thought surely it would just be a free download. I click into it and see a price of £25!

Theres no way they could be that cheeky as to charge €40 for a browser, is there?

http://www.play.com/Games/DS/STCS3/3-/1102826/Official_Nintendo_DS_Lite_Internet_Browser/Product.html

Star Lord

skywalker wrote:

Was just browsing around play.com and came across the DS opera browser, I was wondering why that would be on this particular site, as I thought surely it would just be a free download. I click into it and see a price of £25!

Theres no way they could be that cheeky as to charge €40 for a browser, is there?

http://www.play.com/Games/DS/STCS3/3-/1102826/Official_Nintendo_DS_Lite_Internet_Browser/Product.html

Yeah they can and they are. It's a cartridge of a special version of Opera, and a RAM expansion that goes into the GBA port.

deadduck

tis a rip off, a tenner for it probably would have still seen ninty make a profit. it's hardly worth the same as a game now, is it?

Star Lord

Yeah. Apparently the Opera browser for the Wii wont be free either.

Goodshape

Opera for the PC used to cost around €40 too. Now they make their money by porting it to devices like the DS and Wii.

€40 is a bit much though. Half that and I might consider buying it.

MrVestek

This is why I love my PSP...

Good old homebrew...

skywalker

Maybe its just me, but I really find it shocking that its not free.

Goodshape

I sort of figured it wouldn't be (particularly because they went with Opera)

There'll be a lot of people with no need or desire for a browser on the Wii or DS. If the browser was to be included as standard the price of the console would have to include the cost for Opera. Bit like the DVD playback issue. Keeps the price of the machine down, and if you really want that extra functionality you can pay for it yourself.

It would have been nice if Ninty put in the effort and made a browser themselves, or adapted Firefox (open source) or similar, but I never really expected that either.

ambro25

To the risk of shocking previous posters, I don't have the slightest problem with €40 for this setup.

It means I can spare over €300 for a PDA/PPC, or at least twice that on a WiFi-enabled ultraportable, or Lord knows how much on an email-enabled mobile phone (and contract/minutes), but can get reliable access to my emails/webmails on the go in my cheap-as-chips 'brick' DS

Granted, the DS hasn't got their functionality by a long shot (although thanks go to Mr Supercard for mp3/movies/the like ), but what more do you need on the go? And at that price :eek: ? Not to mention, moreover, that DS WiFi is free in the UK with BT Openzone which, as people who travel regularly to the UK will know, is a real boon: no more vouchers, €10-a-day, etc.

whereby I predict yet a further growth in DS/DS Lite sales, i.e. to execs who only cart around the above expensive widgets for web/email access and nothing else

CiDeRmAn

Yup, I'm with Ambro25 on this, whats the big deal?
Turning your handheld games console into a capable web browser for €40?
A web browser taking advantage of the machines innovative interface to provide a far more intuitive user experience than that of the PSP or perhaps even that of a laptop touch pad?
Reckon its quite affordable, but then only if you are going to use it.
Given the range of dung software selling for more than €40 on all the available formats surely the pricepoint for something genuinely unseful isn't too much?

skywalker

I suppose the big deal as I see it is the concept of actually paying for a web browser. Can anyone here remember the last time they paid for a web browser?

I dont deny that its a valuable addition for some people. I just dont see that its something that should be charged for.

koneko

I wouldn't expect it to be free, but €40 seems a bit expensive. But then again I wouldn't use it myself.

DemonOfTheFall

I think it's only 25 euro in Asia.... At least that's what I remember from Lik-sang.

eth0_

skywalker wrote:

I suppose the big deal as I see it is the concept of actually paying for a web browser. Can anyone here remember the last time they paid for a web browser?

I dont deny that its a valuable addition for some people. I just dont see that its something that should be charged for.

Do you have DS? Do you know * ANYTHING* about the DS? Clearly you don't.

You're not just paying for the software, you're paying for the game cartridge AND the extra memory card needed to run the thing. There's no system memory that can be used for extra software on the DS.

If it p*sses you off so much, get a supercard and superkey and write your own browser!

koneko

Lay off the angry a bit there, he's entitled to his opinion.

eth0_

koneko wrote:

Lay off the angry a bit there, he's entitled to his opinion.

Ok sorry if I came across like that but he is clearly ill-informed.

Balfa

DamoElDiablo wrote:

Yeah. Apparently the Opera browser for the Wii wont be free either.

Wii Opera will be free until the middle of '07.

And I'm glad it's Opera! By far the nicest web browser I've ever used. I wouldn't pay for it for the DS, because I don't have much cause to use the web when I'm away from a PC. But it's nice to know it's there if I need it, and with DS Wifi being free at every mcdonalds in the country (and there's one on every corner over here), it's very good value despite the initial cost.

I probably wouldn't pay for it for Wii, because that'll be in the living room right next to two PCs and my laptop, but it's something I appreciate is there and I'll certainly download it when it's free.

Why would you expect it to be free? Someone had to sit there and design and develop it, didn't they? Just like Advance Wars Dual Strike, so why would it be any different? Internet Explorer isn't free, you have to pay a hundred odd quid for windows to get IE which is included in the price. Firefox is free, but it's open source, and that's a whole nuther thing altogether.

skywalker

eth0_ wrote:

Do you have DS? Do you know * ANYTHING* about the DS? Clearly you don't.

You're not just paying for the software, you're paying for the game cartridge AND the extra memory card needed to run the thing. There's no system memory that can be used for extra software on the DS.

If it p*sses you off so much, get a supercard and superkey and write your own browser!

Well thats a fair, reasonable & balanced reaction.

Balfa wrote:

Why would you expect it to be free? Someone had to sit there and design and develop it, didn't they? Just like Advance Wars Dual Strike, so why would it be any different? Internet Explorer isn't free, you have to pay a hundred odd quid for windows to get IE which is included in the price. Firefox is free, but it's open source, and that's a whole nuther thing altogether.

Yeah I take the point it had to be ported over (is that that big a job though) I suppose IE being bundled with windows, & ditto browsers with mac systems. netscape back in the day, and now firefox, has just ingrained the idea in me that browsers should be free software. Ive used opera in the past & noticed the option to buy it to get rid of the ads. Never really gave it much thought though. Seems like im in the minority on this though.

machalla

I can't say I know definitively how much work porting opera to the ds was but I guarantee it was no small job. Entirely different architecture and needs to be cut down massively in terms of size and functionality. Needs to work with a touchscreen, no mouse support, no keyboard support. Needs to interact correctly with the wireless network support may need to implement various protocols the ds wireless possibly was not written to support.

As far as I know mediaplugins and flash player are not supported on the ds browser.

I'm just guessing at the above but its not exactly a small job to port just about any piece of software.

It was MS who pretty much started the free browser idea just to screw Netscape over and becuse of it no-one can imagine ever paying for a browser (or in a lot of cases any software at all).

ShiverinEskimo

IGN had a play with the Japanese version and were less than impressed. Opening their own site for example (which, fair enough is loaded with media) took a few minutes:

IGN wrote:

Once the URL is in, it's back to the browser to be whisked away to that site. Did I say "whisked"? Maybe "trudged" is a better word. The speed of this thing harkens back to the dial-up days of the internet where most people were surfing for its gaming information and porn with a paltry 14.4K modem. Maybe comparing it to that might be giving too much credit to the Opera DS browser -- let's just say, it's slow. I'll fully admit that IGN isn't the most streamlined of internet designs, but it can at least be pulled into a PC, even a five year old laptop, in a few seconds via broadband. On the Nintendo DS, if it ever does completely download, it takes between three and five minutes to get the front page.

They suggested that each version of the Browser was pre-loaded with server settings for that region - ie. A Jap copy of the browser goes through a Jap Web server, US copy goes through a US server and so on. They reckoned this might explain the slow loading because all the info was bouncing back and forth via Japan to be loaded on the Jap browser in the US.

If this was the case it would suck.

Full Hands-On preview here.

Irish Halo

ShiverinEskimo wrote:

IGN had a play with the Japanese version and were less than impressed. Opening their own site for example (which, fair enough is loaded with media) took a few minutes:



They suggested that each version of the Browser was pre-loaded with server settings for that region - ie. A Jap copy of the browser goes through a Jap Web server, US copy goes through a US server and so on. They reckoned this might explain the slow loading because all the info was bouncing back and forth via Japan to be loaded on the Jap browser in the US.

If this was the case it would suck.

Full Hands-On preview here.

Someone recently ripped that hands on preview apart apparently that compared to the reality of the situation the reviewer barely knew how the internet worked.

Here's what I'm rambling about.

Also I'm annoyed at the price I was willing to buy it but not for €40/£30 one day I might but not yet.

ShiverinEskimo

Fair Play Irish Halo - certainly negates the IGN preview.

machalla

Apparently the Wii browser will only be "free" till June 2007 according to this story. Weird, I thought that would be free. Not encouraging really..

http://games.slashdot.org/games/06/09/26/1947252.shtml

thebman

machalla wrote:

Apparently the Wii browser will only be "free" till June 2007 according to this story. Weird, I thought that would be free. Not encouraging really..

http://games.slashdot.org/games/06/09/26/1947252.shtml

Good enough if you buy it before June 2007.

I think they might start selling it preinstalled on the console after that date and keep the price at 250 Euro as they can't afford to drop the price too much over the consoles life.

Irish Halo

OK I'd have liked them both to be free/cheaper than they are but the browser market is ONLY free on desktops and ONLY because that POS IE comes pre-installed on most PCs. Opera used to charge for its desktop version but that isn't currently a viable business plan BUT they do charge on other platforms like mobile phones. I will have to try and play around with a copy of the DS version and see am I happy spending that much but I will download it for free on the Wii.

honru

I'm thinking of picking this up.

Is Wi-Fi coverage pretty good around Dublin these days? Would I be able to get reception most places?

Hopefully connection will be better being in Euroland.

WarZoneBrother

so can you go on net and go to boards on it if so i am surely getting one dont have a pc so ds will do its well worth it especially if your my age and got broadband and no pc

WarZoneBrother

will there be coverage in Monaghan??

GrumPy

WarZoneBrother wrote:

will there be coverage in Monaghan??

no.

Unless one of your local cafes/restraunts is allowing customers to avail of an instore wifi hotspot.

WarZoneBrother

will they ever have it here no

thebman

Most hotels will allow you to connect if you buy something (there maybe an additional charge for using WiFi, that'd depend on the hotel).

Most Mcdonalds also have WiFi now and in the US at least, Nintendo have a deal with them to allow all Nintendo DS's to connect seamlessly to the network. Don't know about Ireland. I know the one in Tullamore has WiFi, I've never used it though.

http://www.totalhotspots.com/directory/ie

There used to be a better one, could'nt find it.

honru

Just to clarify: the only places where you can use Wi-Fi connection are at restaurants/cafés/hotels/etc. that have hotspots?

I'm new to this, see.

tman

f®eak s&#169 wrote: »

Just to clarify: the only places where you can use Wi-Fi connection are at restaurants/cafés/hotels/etc. that have hotspots?

I'm new to this, see.

you can play a friend via wireless anywhere, so long as they're within a few meters of you.
to play anyone online you have to be within range of a wireless network, so that'd mean the above mentioned places, or at home if you have a wireless router/nintendo wireless dongle thingy

thebman

tman wrote:

you can play a friend via wireless anywhere, so long as they're within a few meters of you.
to play anyone online you have to be within range of a wireless network, so that'd mean the above mentioned places, or at home if you have a wireless router/nintendo wireless dongle thingy

Yeah going with the at home approach, You'll need broadband.