Opera announced that the Nintendo DS will be the next gaming console to use its browser for console web surfing. Starting June 4, Opera will be available to all U.S. gamers. Opera has been available to Nintendo players in Japan and Europe since the tail end of 2006, with the beta version for the Wii available in the U.S. since December 2006.

Comparing the size of the PSP screen with the Nintendo DS screen makes us hesitant to jump on this idea. The PSP screen, bigger than the Nintendo DS screen, already strains the eyes to read text. Opera on the DS is sure to be a literal eyesore unless some kind of interface change is planned. There is no pricing information available for the Opera DS software, but we can expect that soon enough. — Andrew Dobrow

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The networking capabilities of the Wii are slowly falling into place. The Opera browser specially designed for the Nintendo Wii has been released in public beta. You can now download the browser for free (because it’s beta), and later it will cost you some Wii points. Opera seems to be making some excellent business decisions lately, with removing the cost of the browser and the adaptation of the mobile version of the browser. Firefox is still taking market share away from Internet Explorer, but Opera users seem to be different than Firefox users. Opera has focuses more on the social networking aspect of the browser rather than the way that Mozilla has gone with Firefox: extensions. Opera is doing better, but more will be needed to remove Firefox from millions of users desktops.

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First it’s (M)opera on your cellphone, then it’s Opera on your DS, now it’s Opera on your Wii, and the beta version just made it before Christmas. The browser will be downloadable on the Wii Shop Channel from Dec 22 for free. We can’t wait to see how well this thing renders “street html”, and how much work out it is to type with your Wii-mote next to the fire place. — Sam Chan

Opera Press Release