Hardware Review | Opera Nintendo DS Browser (C3-2-1)

We take the software for a second spin in our C3-2-1, Cubed3, 2 Reviewers, 1 top game!

Portable devices in the modern age have expanded to include multimedia support, send messages and view the Internet. With the DS having basic Wi-Fi capability, Internet was inevitable at some stage, and software developer Opera doesn't disappoint in their official browser for DS. How does the DS compare to other handhelds, and its computer bigger brother? We take the software for a second spin in our C3-2-1.

Opera DS is presented in two parts: the game card containing the software, components and users settings, and an expansion pack that slots nicely into the GameBoy Advance slot in the rear, nice. This is essential for caching images and pages to speed up loading the base structure of a website when navigating deeper, and can temporarily hold approximately 10MB of volatile data - meaning content has to be reloaded when the DS is reset. There are two versions of the expansion pak for either DS, each sized specifically for its hardware; Nintendo sure know how to do style.

The software lives up to the concept and the developer's reputation: a simple interface to view the Internet. The base functionality of Opera mirrors any Wi-Fi enabled DS game, with the same connection method and occasionally poor connection rate the technology has. Connecting the DS to the Internet is as simple and straightforward as other online software - available Wi-Fi enabled hotspots and access points are located, and the journey to the Internet begins! Again up to three different settings can be stored for quick access in different locations. The difference with Opera, however, is that error messages are far more helpful to solving the various problems that could occur, although the interface being pure Japanese does have its setbacks.

Regardless of that setback for the import version, Opera have done a fine job in presenting a very easy and effective way of using the software. The top screen houses the page title and incredibly cute animated logo, in the same vein as traditional browsers. A useful image loading status provides the number and total images loaded for those surfing the more picture heavy websites, a great addition as users can decide whether to display images or not for that page.

The touch screen provides a single toolbar with traditional symbols to reduce the learning curve for both new and experienced Internet users. These are all colour coded to group the functions together for easy selection, giving the interface a little touch of class. These can be easily accessed using the stylus, each providing feedback through animation and sound for a stylistic and helpful approach to using the software.