Wii releases full version of internet channel

The full version of the internet channel on the Wii video game console is available for download across North America, Nintendo said Thursday.

The channel lets people with a high-speed-internet-connected Wii explore the World Wide Web through a special version of the Opera web browser, which is available to console owners as a free download.

The updated browser adds a manual zoom feature that lets users focus on a particular portion of a web page and keeps the previous automatic zoom, a built-in search feature that defaults to a person's preferred engine, refined text rendering and scrolling, collapsible toolbars and multiple cursors and sounds.

The search function will default to a choice of either Google or Yahoo Search, but users will also be able to customize with any search engine they choose.

The full version of the internet channel will be available as a free download through June 30, and will subsequently cost 500 Wii Points, or about $6.25. A 2000-point Wii Points card costs about $25.

Once it has been downloaded, the internet channel remains free for a Wii system's lifetime.