Nintendo DS will get a web browser and TV

[image:484 align=left size=medium hspace=10 vspace=10]Nintendo Co. Ltd. announced plans to sell a Web browser for their portable DS in June of this year, as well as a card with a digital television receiver before 2007. "These products propose a different use for the DS in entirely new fields," said Nintendo President Satoru Iwata.

Japanese broadcasters are already expected to begin offering programs starting April 1, and the card containing the Web browser (developed with Opera software) is expected out in June. All users will need to do is pop in the card and surf to their heart's content, thanks to the DS's Wi-Fi wireless networking capability.

Although all of this cool new jazz is only for those lucky folks in Japan, a Nintendo spokesperson hinted that the company was considering similar products for overseas consumers.

Nintendo also plans to distribute a variety of different software in their ongoing attempt to make the DS more appealing to more than just those hardcore gaming fans. Software like a cooking guide with step-by-step voice instructions for recipes, and a foreign language guide for those worldly travelers.

With their announcement of the DS Lite last month and all these new features announced today, Nintendo is just one big 'ol bag of surprises.