Video sharing sites like YouTube were designed to be viewed on a high-resolution computer display, and not for TV. Well, SofaTube rectifies that: this online application lets users of the Wii and PS3 browsers view videos from the site through a simplified layout, with easy navigation, big-sized fonts and less browser load.

The application has been developed by Red Kawa, who also has a collection of games for the aforementioned consoles, as well as a few other applications, including one involving Flickr.

Starting Friday, couch-potatoes who are too lazy to get up to the computer can surf the net on their TV, provided they have a Nintendo Wii. The company has announced plans of letting users download a free trial Opera browser to activate the Internet Channel of the Wii menu beginning December 22.

The final version of the software will be available towards the end of March 2007; it will be free for all Wii owners to download through the end of June, after which, the browser will be available to purchase for 500 Wii points.

The Internet Channel provides an optimal Web browsing experience on people’s home television. The Adobe Flash-enabled trial version of the Opera browser puts the Internet right onto owners’ television screens and lets them browse with ease, enabling them to check sports scores, plot maps or visit their favorite Web sites. Multiple family members can gather around the television to plan a holiday or make online purchases. The pointing abilities of the Wii Remote allow users to click on links they want to see or to zoom into any part of the screen through the motion of the controller. In addition, the Wii Remote can be used with an on-screen keyboard to make text entry as easy as point and click.

Following up on previous announcements that the Opera browser would be available for the Wii, the browser company confirmed that this will indeed be, but there is a catch: the browser will be freely downloadable until June 2007, after which users will have to cough up money to browse the web on their TV.

According to Opera, the Wii browser will support Flash and AJAX, as well as the full range of features present in the desktop PC version. Even mouse gestures will make their appearance, courtesy of the Wii’s motion-sensitive controller.

From Nintendo comes word that the long-awaited Opera browser for DS will be hitting UK on October 6. DS owners in the region will now be able to use wireless hotspots to access and browse the web on both screens of the console, which PSP owners have been doing for years (and for free, too).

The company also listed other titles in its release schedule, marking down English Training and Hotel Dusk: Room 215 for release in the UK on October 13 and November 24, respectively.