DS browser lacks some essentials [Update]
by David Hinkle 
{ Jun 29th 2006 at 5:15PM }
In our continuing coverage of the Opera DS browser, the latest bit of information from IGN states that the browser will not support Flash, nor will it support .pdf files, video, or sound. Also, the browser will not allow for the saving of images. All of this is taken from the Nintendo DS browser page. Previously-stated nifty aspects of the browser, such as full stylus control, still remain intact, but the lack of support for videos and sound is a painful blow to the appeal of the add-on. Will this neglect in features affect your purchasing decision?
[Update: Fixed some of the wording in regards to saved images. Thanks for the correction Probot!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
RupeeClock @ Jun 29th 2006 5:36PM
As much as i'd love to have such things, I'll still be buying because internet services are essential really.
alex @ Jun 29th 2006 5:44PM
I honestly don't know if I'll buy it or not. Those seem like pretty big features to be missing. Hopefully they will release new versions of it as new versions of Opera come out, or perhaps they are able to let you download upgrades directly to your Opera DS card.
Also, what ever happened to the TV tuner Nintendo announced side by side with this browser??? (sorry if that's too off topic)
james @ Jun 29th 2006 5:44PM
So what can we do with it then?
Nathan @ Jun 29th 2006 6:28PM
I'm not really sure that this is any fault of Opera. After all, flash is a browser plugin, not a part of the browser itself, and if Macromedia/Adobe doesn't make a version for the OS that the DS runs on, there's not a whole lot that Opera can do about that :( Same goes for PDF functionality.
Is the DS capable of showing video files natively (without some homebrew thing)? I'm a pretty new DS owner and I know I haven't scratched the surface of the thing yet. If it can't, you're back at the limitations of the device, not the browser.
All that being said, I'm still going to get it. The more time I spend online the more I realize that flash, pdf, etc. is not the content that I'm interested in. Of course, I may be in the minority ...
Marc @ Jun 29th 2006 7:04PM
Aww that sucks.
And where is that TV tuner anyway? Oh wait, that TV tuner isn't functional in any place but Japan so, screw it. :(
David R @ Jun 29th 2006 7:27PM
"I'm not really sure that this is any fault of Opera. "
There is open source code for parsing PDF's, so they could have easily added that.
As far as flash, there is open source code for reading older versions of flash files, anything up to V6 (V9 was just released yesterday), so they could have included that.
Same with video, and sound. That's a problem that has been solved many times...but perhaps they just didn't have the resources to devote to developing this. I'm not sure if the DS would be powerful enough to play most online videos, but it is definately powerful enough to play your standard mp3, wmv, ogg, etc.
Disco D @ Jun 29th 2006 7:56PM
Meh, at work I have none of the above and I still get around the internet fine. You just wait until you get home slash to a normal computer to view what you wanted to view.
One is not going to buy a DS for just the browser, thus a meer 30 some dollars is nothing to add a nice feature such as portable email/news checking.
If you really can't live without the above stated features you then spend the 200-300 bucks and get a Palm/Windows Mobile handheld that can handle you're internet needs.
Mike @ Jun 29th 2006 8:16PM
Who's to say that an newer, better version of the browser won't come out? Maybe a new version would include an optional GBA cartridge to store extra stuff, such as a flash player, .pdf reader, etc.
We can never know the limitations of optional accessories that Nintendo could put out for the DS browser.
fush @ Jun 29th 2006 8:42PM
I'm sure that any limitations of the browser are due to the limitations of the DS. I mean, they had to add a cartridge for more memory. It only has what, like 4mb standard?
Anyways, I was wondering why the bookmarked pages will not show images...do you mean saved pages will not store images? If it's a bookmark, it should just be a little piece of text to link to the site, right?
Namelessloser @ Jun 29th 2006 9:43PM
Honestly I really dont care about flash, pdf's, videos and sound files.
Most of the websites that I visit are blogs, message boards, ebay and my email.
So it really isnt going to do much. Its portable and will be a much better option than carrying my laptop around all day long getting on the net a few times. Having to find a decent spot to sit, when I can just pop out my DS and get onto the net.
Probot @ Jun 29th 2006 9:49PM
#9, it's a misprint in the post. IGN says you CAN save bookmarks on the DS, but you CAN'T save images on the DS. It doesn't say anything about images in the bookmarked page.
The missing features aren't that big a deal, considering this isn't supposed to be a PC replacement. PDF or Flash support aren't vital. I do watch a lot of videos online, but I can see how that'd be a hardware problem. And without Flash or video, I don't really need sound.
braulio @ Jun 29th 2006 10:03PM
ehh, i already have my htc wizard(8125) for wifi internetss...but i still think this is a nice add-on, opera makes great web-browsers, and if this is nething like the pocket pc version i bought($24.95 i think)then it will be great, after all, we can wait till were home to view flash and watch videos, im pretty sure plenty of people will get this
Steve @ Jun 29th 2006 10:20PM
http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nintendo.co.jp%2Fds%2Fbrowser%2Findex.html&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8
Eh, I think some of that means no GIF? Probably means video...
Miranda @ Jun 29th 2006 10:22PM
I don't really see what's the point of having a web browser on my DS anyway. So no, I won't buy it.
pomaybo @ Jun 29th 2006 10:31PM
Hey, why don't one of you reviewer types who gets your hands on the browser go to some common sites and tell us if they work. Will ajax type stuff like meebo work? What about gmail? Give us an idea of what works and what doesn't. Do we really need the newest jackass dancing to a techno song youtube video on our DS? No.
Rich @ Jun 29th 2006 10:41PM
I dunno. Maybe visit Joystiq and DS Fanboy?
Kindred_Sprites @ Jun 29th 2006 10:46PM
The word that google translates moving image, only means that in the literal sense of the word. According to a computer dictionary the word is means video or motion picture. I'm thinking it refers to .mov's .wmv's .asf's and the like.
Matt Rix @ Jun 29th 2006 11:09PM
The DS is NOT nearly powerful enough to run Flash... A lot of *desktop computers* still struggle with complex Flash stuff. Trust me, I'm a full-time Flash developer and I know it's limitations. Bringing it to the DS and having it work well is **IMPOSSIBLE**
As for videos, not having Flash eliminates almost 50% of the videos on the web... As for the other formats, do you really expect the browser to be able to have Windows Media Player, Quicktime, and Realplayer all bundled in? It's just not possible, and there is NO WAY this ever would have been possible.
Audio might have been possible, but it also would have complicated things and it's really not necessary.
The browser still has everything I expected, so I'll definitely be buying it... I don't know why people expect the DS to be as powerful and full featured as a PC... It's a portable device, beggars can't be choosers.
-Matt
JacKal @ Jun 29th 2006 11:33PM
I was just about to post what Matt Rix just posted. But he beat me to it. Obviously I second what he says. These aren't really possible, I didn't expect them on my DS anyway, but it still has what's necessary for most webbrowsing. Hundred dollar Cell phones for ages had very limited versions of the internet browsing capability... the DS is a very cheap device, and this browser is even cheaper and it's getting more out of the web browsing experience right off the bat.
Paul @ Jan 26th 2009 10:27PM
Hello from the Future!
Furniture @ Jun 30th 2006 3:43AM
The browser won't be capable of displaying Flash and PDF, nor will it support video and sound. While you can save bookmarks to your favorite pages, you cannot save images or other elements of pages.
The ZeroCorpse @ Jun 30th 2006 4:27AM
PDF is not lost to DS owners. You can always go through Google and let them translate it as an HTML document.
Flash only deprives us of Flash games (which Nintendo wouldn't want anyway) and annoying banner ads. I consider the loss of Flash a good thing on a portable.
Sound might have been nice, though. I would like to be able to hear MIDI files or streaming audio, at least. Codecs change, though, so I can understand the lack of streaming audio. MIDI should have been allowed. It's a basic part of the DS, after all.
Fielin @ Jun 30th 2006 4:35AM
I'm not buying it.
I'm not sure I would have even if those functionalities had been there, but I will definitely not without them.
I thought I would maybe create a homepage with my favorite music and videos embedded, and I suddenly realize that I won't be able to... So what's the use ?
GamingFan @ Jun 30th 2006 5:21AM
I think this browser will pwn~!!!!!
benjamin @ Jun 30th 2006 6:20AM
Flash would be nice to watch videos on google and youtube, then there wouldn't be much need for quicktime and WMP also.
Gordo @ Jun 30th 2006 6:46AM
Apologies for the thread jack.
If your dissappointed by not being able to have full browser functionality on your DS, maybe this flash movie will cheer you up:
The Peoples' Mario (its also in the SITE URL for this msg)
http://209.123.129.171/~freedriv/funnyheck/funnyheck-mario.swf
Hexx @ Jun 30th 2006 9:39AM
Um... when I browse the web I don't even hit video/flash sites, so who cares!
Isaac @ Jun 30th 2006 10:08AM
This is probably more to do with teh processing power of a DS.
Yes if you were to put videos or shockwave files on a game cart they would probably run fine, but we're talking about processing all sorts of multimedia on-the-fly on something with the power of an N64.
Firefox isn't even completely accessible yte so it's hardly a surprise that DS Opera will be your more basic HTML reader.
Personally, I'd only buy it if it was at least as cheap as the other "non games" (Braing Age etc, which is excellent by the way.) Simply because I usually sit using a messenger program while I browse, which I don't imagine will be supported. Especially since most "hot spots" in the UK require payment which is just ridiculous. I'm already in your god-damn coffee shop!!
Nathan @ Jun 30th 2006 10:26AM
"Will ajax type stuff like meebo work? What about gmail? Give us an idea of what works and what doesn't."
According to one of the comments posted on this site http://my.opera.com/organicchunkysalsa/blog/show.dml/309706
"Opera uses the same core on all devices. Since the desktop version supports JavaScript, so does the DS version."
So it sounds like if Opera desktop supports an AJAX-ified site the browser will as well.
Seth @ Jun 30th 2006 10:38AM
Well, I'm excited. I used to have a PSP and used it as a music remote to my computer using PlayerPal, but it took too long to boot up the PSP and launch the browser.
With the DS' small boot time(I hope the browser is quick as well) and it's sleep mode, I think this will be much better.
JCA @ Jun 30th 2006 12:43PM
How is video a Hardware limitation if its a VIDEO game console and it they sell a movie player add on for the DS?
The movie player only costs $25 at lik-sang.com so based on that the movie player cannot possibly have a video processor.....it just accepts the memory card. Granted you have to convert your videos to probably a somewhat "pokey" bit-rate but I doubt freaking youtube videos and other crap like that is out of reach for the DS.
How the hell do they expect us to pRon it up on our DS now?
Matt Rix` @ Jun 30th 2006 2:56PM
"I doubt freaking youtube videos and other crap like that is out of reach for the DS. "
You would doubt it if you knew a single thing about it. It's NOT POSSIBLE. The memory-card movie player was specially made just for playing movies on DS/GBA, and it can't play all kinds of different forms of video(flv, wmv, mov, rm).
Flash and Video are definitely NOT POSSIBLE, and they NEVER WERE.
-Matt Rix
Matt @ Jun 30th 2006 6:13PM
Does anyone know if the somewhat onerous connectity requirements for Nintendo Wifi would apply to general Internet use? I think they wouldn't. NinFi only works with very specific routers configured having certain ports open for communication.
It wouldbe a shame if general Internet access isn't similarly restricted.
Regards,
Matt
Szigidi @ Jul 1st 2006 12:22AM
The DS is not a PC, and shouldn't be expected to function as one. The fact that we're getting a web-browser on a device that costs $129 is amazing. I will definatley be getting the browser once it launches, because I can use it to do all the things i NEED to do on the web. The extra stuff can wait till I get home to my PC.
NICKO @ Jul 1st 2006 1:44AM
I never really expected that so there. :p
R0DJOh @ Jul 2nd 2006 10:57PM
Well regarding flash, I wouldn't mind the lack of it if it wasnt because all friggin sites that are not blogs feel like they have to have flash stuff floating all around... *coughcoughigncoughcough*
I dont care about PDF its not really such a big deal. Videos? meh. I don't think thats something the DS can handle and I didnt expect it to.
Sound, however... that I would have prefered to have them do. I wont die without it... but still.
Gonzo @ Jul 6th 2006 1:01PM
Yea
I'm afraid this is beginning to sound increasingly useless. Too bad.
This should've really been done with the launch of Nintendo Wifi and as a firmware upgrade not a card.
asurroca @ Jul 6th 2006 5:58PM
The main thing I'm going to use the web browser for is checking up on information such as blogs or e-mail on a much better screen than my mobile phone's. If it turns out that it can view AJAX pages, then that's just icing on the cake. I can live without watching videos or listening to music online.
Mastgrr @ Jul 10th 2006 12:14PM
That it can't play video or flash was something I assumed to begin with. Anyone who knows anything about the DS hardware could pretty much put two and two together.
I'm going to buy it. It's going to be awesome.
jasnmb @ May 7th 2007 4:35PM
The Gamestop description says that the US version will support Flash: http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=802637