Nintendo has released some details on the web browser bundled with the Wii U operating system. The web browser is based on WebKit — the same framework that powers Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome browsers — and includes HTML5 support, with tabbed browsing, HTML5 video, and more. The Wii U brings some additional features to the web browsing experience. For example, when using YouTube, players will be able to watch videos on the TV, while continuing to browse videos on the GamePad controller.
There are even more advanced features. When you pause a game to do some Internet browsing, the Wii U will remember what game you played and automatically copy the title of the game, making it easier to search for the game online (when looking for tips, cheats, etc.). To scroll up or down pages, users simply tilt the GamePad up or down.
However, the Wii U Internet browser will not support Flash. The reason not to include Flash support is pretty obvious: it would allow users to play Flash-based games online for free, which wouldn’t be good business for Nintendo (or any console maker, for that matter). Nintendo doesn’t support Flash in the Wii nor the 3DS. However, there some HTML5-based games out there, although they’re not as advanced as their Flash-based counterparts.
You can watch a video presentation of the Wii U browser below, taken from the Japanese Nintendo Direct Wii U event. While it’s in Japanese, it’s easy to see what’s going on and how the browser will work.
