For free! Nintendo stops charging for Wii web browser, will credit past purchases

Wii

Nintendo’s now offering the Opera-powered “Internet Channel” for free. The Wii web browser formerly ran 500 Wii Points ($5). Aside from the new price tag, the browser has also “been updated to support an upgraded version of Adobe Flash player.”

And if you spent 500 Wii Points to download the Internet Channel at some point or another, Nintendo will be crediting you with a free 500-point NES game download from the Wii Virtual Console. The credit will hit sometime in the end of October, with further details to be available on the Wii Message Board and Nintendo’s website.

Not bad, eh? I might recommend River City Ransom as your download of choice.

Full press release:

Nintendo Makes It Easy for Wii Owners to Access the Internet

Internet Channel for the Wii Menu Now Available at No Cost

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nintendo is offering an easy way for Wii™ console owners to access the Internet without a computer. Effective immediately, people who want to browse the Internet using their Wii consoles will be able to do so at no added cost.

The Wii Menu houses a variety of informational and entertaining channels, such as the News Channel and Wii Shop Channel, that users can visit to enhance their Wii experience. Wii consoles that are linked to a broadband Internet connection have even greater access to additional content and channels. For example, the Nintendo® Channel is an interactive guide to what’s new in the world of Nintendo that lets consumers watch trailers, mini-documentaries, product demonstrations and game-play videos, while the Check Mii Out™ Channel allows users to show off their Mii™ creations and download Miis that others have created.

The Internet Channel, which can be downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel, allows Wii owners to browse the Internet on their televisions from the comfort of their couches. Users can check their e-mail, make purchases or travel plans, and surf their favorite Web pages by pointing and clicking with the Wii Remote™ controller.

“Wii has truly changed the way people play games, but it is more than just a game console,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Wii owners have access to a wealth of fun entertainment, information and practical tools like the Internet Channel, which is another great way for the whole family to enjoy their consoles with no additional costs involved.”

When Wii launched in November 2006, Nintendo initially offered the Internet Channel as a free download as a promotional incentive to get people online. Starting in July 2007, the Internet Channel could be downloaded in exchange for 500 Wii Points™. Effective immediately, the Internet Channel is again available for zero Wii Points, and it has been updated to support an upgraded version of Adobe® Flash® player.

Starting at the end of October, consumers who have previously exchanged 500 Wii Points to download the Internet Channel will be able to download, at no cost, one NES™ game of their choice valued at 500 Wii Points from Virtual Console™. Details of this download offer will be provided via the Wii Message Board and on Nintendo.com.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

For more information about the Internet Channel, visit www.nintendo.com/wii/channels/internetchannel.