The Sony PSP has long had its own free internet browser to take advantage of the growing number of free public wi-fi spots all around the world while the DS remained in the dark. However, in July 2006 Nintendo finally decided to launch its own browser software for their handheld console, the “Nintendo Browser.”

First there are two versions of the browser package available; one for the original DS and another for the DS Lite. The reason for this is the Nintendo Browser needs to make use of a separate memory expansion cartridge due to its low 4MB of internal memory unlike the PSP which has 32MB. Those who play Gameboy Advance games on their DS will notice how much they stick out from the bottom thus, Nintendo has come up with a DS Lite version of the memory cartridge so that it doesn’t stick out of your modern iteration of the DS. Other than that, both packages contain the same Nintendo Browser software.


The memory cartridge is smaller in the DS Lite version of the browser.
Nintendo chose to make use of the speedy Opera Browser v8.5 that is used on the PC and turning on the DS, you’ll find yourself greeted by the logo. The browser itself boots up instantly which is a great advantage over slow booting PCs. Running the software for the first time, you are asked to set the keyboard layout which is available in Japanese, English (US/UK), Italian, German and French. After that, you can set the time offset and an optional password to prevent other people using the software if you want. Once all these settings are done and you've made sure you configured a Wi-Fi connection, you are presented with the default simple plain, offline homepage that links you to Nintendo and Opera’s homepage online as well as a search box that makes use of Yahoo Japan. The top screen is used to display tips to help you get accustomed to the handheld browser.



All the functions you expect to find in a browser can be found as small coloured buttons along the bottom of the screen and are all pretty much self-explanatory such as the back and forward buttons. There are however, a few new buttons that are used to help make your browsing experience on the DS as smooth as possible. One is the magnifying glass which allows you to zoom in at 5 different levels ranging from 150% to 50% to help read small text. There is also a image toggling button that turns off images on a site to speed up browsing.

By default, the Nintendo Browser is set to 1 screen mode where the page you are viewing is spread out on both the touch screen and the top screen. In this mode, you’ll find that most sites are displayed improperly with everything clumped together. Once you switch to 2 screen mode via the screen mode button however, everything looks much better. As you guide a rectangle around with your stylus on the touch screen, the contents within the shape are magnified on the top screen. I found this mode to be the best for browsing all sites. Whenever you want to read big articles such as the reviews on Gamebrink however, you’ll find yourself doing quite a bit of scrolling with the rectangle as you read from line to line. Zooming out to 50% helps but obviously the small font size can tire your eyes out quickly.