Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01/18/orb_wii_console/
Demonstrating that you can do convergence on a budget, Orb claims that Nintendo Wii owners have downloaded 50,000 copies of its software that permits them to access their home music and photo collections on their games consoles.
A Swedish Wii owner took advantage of the console's built-in Opera browser and Wi-Fi to tap into his PC's media collection shortly before Christmas. The Wii remote can then be used to show photos and browse iTunes playlists on the TV.
Getting your stuff from a computer to a TV set has defied some of the biggest companies in the business. Games rivals Sony and Microsoft have spent billions - the figure probably tops $10bn - developing expensive console hardware to support ambitious "convergence" strategies this decade. But with a simple (and quite legitimate) hack, Nintendo has beaten them to it with cheap hardware, and no apparent strategy at all.
The irony wasn't lost on one Digg poster, who wrote:
"How cool that it'd be Nintendo - the only one of the Big Three WITHOUT much-hyped aspirations to provide a console that'd go beyond gaming and become the mythical Digital Hub for the TV - who would deliver on that vision first."
Orb simply provides the bridge software, which runs on a network-connected Windows PC and a free user account. The company blessed the hack on 5 January.
In November, 3G operator 3 included Orb and Sling Media in its aggressive flat-rate X-Series tariff (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/17/three_analysis/), although both are only available in the "Gold" offering, which is £45 a month for an 18 month contract (first nine months are half price), or £10 a month to existing 3 customers. ®
Bittorrent tosses Orb into Apple's walled garden (23 May 2008)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/05/23/bittorrent_orb_bundle/
Orb opens iPhone for TV, video (8 May 2008)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/05/08/iphone_orb_native/
Orb opens up iPhone (12 December 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/12/orb_iphone/
Thinking outside the Opera box (18 August 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/18/opera_ceo_interview/
Orb turns MySpace into personal radio station (28 February 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/28/orb_jacks_myspace/
Man loses weight playing Wii Sports (22 January 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01/22/wii_play_leads_to_weight_loss/
Joost - the new, new TV thing (17 January 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/17/joost/
UK consumers bought 200,000 Nintendo Wiis over Xmas (16 January 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01/16/nintendo_wii_uk_xmas_sales/
Jobs triggers new appliance genre with Apple TV (11 January 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01/11/apple_tv/
Sling shows SlingPlayer-for-TV gadget (8 January 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01/08/sling_launches_slingbox-for-tv/
Elgato EyeTV Diversity dual-tuner digital TV dongle (28 December 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/12/28/review_eyetv_diversity/
Nintendo Wii launch breaks UK record (12 December 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/12/12/wii_uk_sales_record/
Nintendo Wii videogames console (8 December 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/12/08/review_nintendo_wii/
The mobile web: in praise of conv ... divergence (30 November 2006)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/30/opera_mini_web/
Through the (walled) garden gate... (17 November 2006)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/17/three_analysis/
3 calls in internet big guns for mobile credibility (16 November 2006)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/16/3_internet_launch/
Nokia adds Orb for go-anywhere TV (11 October 2006)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/11/nokia_orb_n80/
Sling Media SlingBox networkable TV tuner (29 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/29/review_sling_media_slingbox/