What's the point of the Wii web browser?
- Thread starter Atomheart
- Start date
vi3tmix
WiiChat Member
iojpoutn said:
They started charging for the internet channel back in June (or maybe it was July?).
Anyway, a list of my counter-arguments people have come up to its "usefulness." This is all assuming you actually have a USB keyboard with which to regularly use with the Wii (as not having one would dramatically decrease the internet channel's effectiveness single handedly), and that you have a PC.
Replacement for Surfing on a PC:
Honestly, for the most part I think it's an unwise investment. I mean, if you have a bad computer, I can understand why you think the Wii browser is a good temporary solution, but realistically don't you need the computer to do more than just surf the web? I imagine you need something more convenient and as such it would be more beneficial to figure out how to fix the computer.
Movie/Video Playback:
Wii Browser costs $5. An S-video cable costs $1 per foot of cable (6ft is ideal, so $6). Then you can get something similar to a 6' Headphone jack to RCA audio jack for $8 to transmit sound from your headphone port to your TV's speakers. Sure, we're already at a price 3x more than the internet channel, but if you have a laptop or a desktop PC set up close to the tv screen you desire, you have a more resourceful way to display video/movies on a Television screen. Opera browser is limited to CERTAIN forms of flash playback. Yes, it can play youtube movies, but it can't play flash video files several sites like Gamespot and Gametrailers use, nor can you use it to play .Avi video files you have lying around. How many people really spin up their Wii just to watch a low-resolution youtube video on a big screen?
Aside from using an actual PC (be it laptop or desktop), you could very well also have a 360 or PS3 which can accomplish the very same task just as well as the PC.
Play Games
Once again, yes, it can support flash...but the adobe flash player in Opera isn't always quickly updated. How many flash games do you really frequently play through the Opera Browser, when you could be playing a fully-fledged game like Super Mario Galaxy or even a Virtual Console title?
Quickly Look Up Friend Codes
I don't understand this argument too much. It's not like you can just "minimize" the opera browser while you're typing in the FC, so either way you're going to have to write it down on a piece of paper first before launching the game and adding the code to your Friend's List. May as well write it down as you're surfing around on the computer and sticking it next to the Wii for the next time you start the game.
For the most part, the internet channel is viewed as a novelty. Yes, it's nice to have, and I guess it really doesn't hurt at all to have it as an option, but its practicality is just severely limited. I'm sure some people have found absolutely legitimate reasons to use it over other means of surfing the web, but for the most part I view it as an unwise investment.
Byuakuya
Bleach & Heroes fan.
Even though I downloaded the Internet Channel, I don't seem to use it at all. I think I downloaded it simply because it was free and I could use it if and when I am bored while playing my Wii console. My main connection to the World Wide Web is through my PC.
I downloaded it when it was free. Too bad to anyone that missed out on that. I decided to keep it for now. It's a great thing to have when you are playing a computer game and want to look something up online. I know there's ALT+Tab, but that can drain serious RAM when you are running high end games. It has a lot of benefits, almost a second computer at times. You guys know it can run MSN and AIM?
stumac1985
You lost the game!
My laptop will hardly get used once I get my free copy of opera (and yes I CAN get it free). I have a USB keyboard, the wii boots quicker than my laptop and my tv is 28" where as my laptop is about 14" if that!
sarasota
Let the Wii pwnage begin.
The main answer to this question is.........if we DIDN'T have the internet channel........everyone would ***** about it, just like they do now concerning DVD playback and everything else. *LOL* So it doesn't really matter how much use you get out of it, the point is that it's available for those who do want it, which I think is a good deal.
