I'm quite the proponent of the Wii's Opera web browser. Much better than either Sony's attempt (yuck) and Microsoft's (none), the TV-friendly way to sit around and browse a good portion of the web is certainly the most efficient and comfortable web-on-television yet created for the mainstream. Speaking to a crowd at this year's NewTeeVee Live conference, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings seems to agree, and spoke about the need for such a streamlined system of interaction, especially if the net is ever going to compete with traditional broadband viewing devices (i.e. cable).
Says Hastings:
"The video game generation is comfortable with pointers (like the one from Nitendo's Wii video game) for the TV. Remember, it was a revolutionary event when we went from PC to the Mac and let go of tab keys in favor of the mouse. It was incredibly radical. What will be a similar transition is when we abandon the remote with 54 buttons and go to a simple pointer."
Does this mean we'll be seeinga web-streamed Netflix service anytime soon for Nintendo's machine? Unlikely, as Hastings was most likely referring to the need for web-based boxes to include such interfaces, and less on his feelings towards the Waggle Machine itself. Oh, that and a super-expensive deal with Microsoft for distributing films through Xbox Live pretty much seals the deal.
Thanks to CNet for the heads-up!
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