According to the electronic magazine Game Reactor, Opera will soon be releasing an update to the Wii Internet Channel. The new channel will feature improved buttons and a new tabbed browsing feature with up to 6 tabs. The only difference is that the browser will map pages to the sides of a cube rather than supporting a traditional tabbed interface.

The new browser will also incorporate a method of using Wiispeak as well as a way to read your "Wii Mail". It is unclear at this time if "Wii Mail" is related to the Wii's existing message board functionality.

The new browser will cost 500 Nintendo Points. Owners of the existing browser will be able to upgrade at no charge.

Details so far are scarce. In particular, it is unclear if the new browser will contain technology updates. Sony recently announced Flash 9 support in the PS3's browser, raising questions about whether or not Opera would respond.

Opera has made no official statement yet, making this firmly a rumor until we have confirmation.

Update:  Since the launch of the Wii Internet Channel, Opera has maintained a thread on their forums that explains why the Internet Channel only supports Flash 7. That thread has been modified so that it no longer appears as a "sticky" announcement. Does this suggest that the upcoming version will support a new version of Flash?