Nintendo has had an odd relationship with the internet on the Wii. When the family-friendly console launched in Australia in late 2006 the Opera web browser was available as a free limited-time download. Once the freebie grace period passed Nintendo began to charge customers 500 Nintendo Points for the privilege of browsing the web via their television set.

　　Available immediately the Internet Channel will now be available to all Wii owners at no cost. Nintendo believes it "encourages all customers and their families to enjoy browsing the internet from their sofas…"

　　In a surprisingly generous move, Nintendo will reimburse anyone who previously paid for the browser with a free NES Virtual Console game download available between October and December this year. The company has confirmed the promotion is only available on a specific range of NES titles, but were unable to confirm which ones will be eligible. They also ruled out the possibility of giving users the 500 Nintendo Points as credit to be used alongside existing points for purchasing more expensive downloadable content.

　　Eligible users will receive a notification on their console through the Wii mail system outlining the process of redemption. The news comes alongside the announcement that the Wii's web browser has recently received an update with the latest version of Adobe Flash, promising improved support for multimedia content.