The Nintendo DS internet browser created by Opera Software will ship across Europe on 6 October, priced £30 here in the UK.

Wi-Fi web browsing will be possible via Nintendo DS as of 6 October, with Opera internet software newly adapted for the trailblazing handheld console. In addition to web surfing, the Nintendo DS Browser allows for email to be sent and received, Messenger-style live chat, plus secure shopping and online banking. Just like a regular PC internet software, the Nintendo DS Browser has a history function and bookmark capability allowing users to create a list of favourites for speedy access.

Although Opera is currently third place behind Internet Explorer and Firefox in the browser market on home PCs, it has huge and growing popularity in the mobile area. Opera Mini for T-Mobile and Sony Ericsson are among its other major conquests.

Sites are navigated on Opera’s Nintendo DS Browser using the DS stylus, clicking on links and tapping out URLs or info for text boxes on a small keyboard displayed on the touch screen. In Overview Mode pages are dragged around on the touch screen similar to how a PDF is viewed, with an enlarged view of the highlighted area on the top screen. There is also a Fit-to-Width Mode that eliminates horizontal scrolling altogether by squeezing the entire webpage vertically between the two screens.

Since the users most commonly associated with Nintendo DS are children, the browser also incorporates password-activated parental control. This has been designed by Astaro whose award-winning software protects America’s prestigious Stanford University among 25,000 other networks in 60 countries worldwide.

For £30 you’ll get the Nintendo DS Browser on a standard DS cartridge plus a Memory Expansion Pack to assist with load times on multimedia-heavy websites. Two versions of the browser will be available on 6 October – one for classic Nintendo DS and another for the DS Lite – so be sure you get the correct one.