Soon proud owners of the Wii, like myself, will be able to browse the internet from their tiny console, as a beta version of the Wii's Opera-powered web browser will be coming out on Friday. The browser, despite being a beta, does feature things like flash support, which is handy. The Wii Shop Channel will have the beta until March, when a final version is set to be released. The browser will be free until July, when it will suddenly cost five bucks or 500 Wii points for anyone who hasn't already downloaded it by then.

Pretty soon they're going to be building web browsers into porta-potties, so when you're at a construction site, and last night's burrito and tequila bender catches up with you, there's no reason you can't talk with Grandma on AIM while you try to relax and pray that nothing important gets flushed away. Oh, but it'll cost you 50 porta-john points every time you log in.