Finally got my hands on a Wii last week, and when I’m not otherwise occupied by work, family duties or Guitar Hero (not necessarily in order of preference…), I’m finding it an extraordinary step forward to have a web browser on the big screen in the living room… especially when it comes to Flash-powered video streaming.
But there’s two drawbacks. For one, it’s just a little disappointing that you have to download the browser manually; and that (since July 07) you have to pay for it. Admittedly ยฃ3.50 isn’t going to break the bank, but it’s a shame there’s a financial hurdle in the way. Countless families will have a revolutionary internet device plugged into their telly, and won’t even realise it.
And secondly, it doesn’t work with the BBC’s new Flash-powered iPlayer. The Wii browser only comes with Flash 7, due (apparently) to Adobe not providing a more up-to-date SDK; and it looks like iPlayer expects more. A pity, as that would have been an absolute killer.
Responses
> A pity, as that would have been an absolute killer.
Are there really that many households who leave a Wii plugged into their main TV set? Not as many as have NTL Virgin cable boxes or Freeview PVRs that could ultimately support an iPlayer catchup service?
True… but the Wii is tantalisingly close. It’s just another web browser, with Flash ready to go… just not the right Flash.