Next-gen console will run Opera browser

Opera Software has confirmed that Nintendo's forthcoming Wii game console will use the Opera browser.

Users of the console will be able to use the Wii wireless remote controller to navigate websites in between gaming sessions, the company said.

Opera and Nintendo announced a partnership to deliver the full Opera browser for the next-generation Nintendo DS device on 15 February.

The Nintendo DS browser is scheduled for release in Japan this summer, but the firm has not yet announced global launch plans.

"For our Wii console launch in 2006, we required a browser that was fast and secure with support for the latest standards including Ajax, " said Genyo Takeda, senior managing director and general manager at Nintendo's Integrated Research & Development division.

"Opera proved perfect for our purposes and is an exceptional addition to both the Nintendo DS and the Wii console."

The Wii console will come out later this year, to battle with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3, which should appear at around the same time.