Nintendo confirms Wii DVD support coming

Any gamers hoping to cosy-up on the sofa this Christmas and watch films with their Wii are set to be disappointed. Nintendo has confirmed that DVD playback won’t be added to the console this year. Nintendo claims it’s postponing the release due to a need to secure enough production units in time for the Christmas rush. It …

[Tim Spence]

Big deal?

Does anyone really care about this feature anyway? There must be a hundred better/more useful features on the Wii to concentrate on, than to have DVD playback.

Surely the average Wii in the home is probably sat next to a DVD player and possibly either a 360 or PS3 already?

[Anonymous Coward]

Movies..

Once can always use TVersity to play movies on the Wii, thanks to the Opera browser and some nifty flash based encoding on the fly..

[Lloyd]

Why bother?

Let's be honest, who hasn't got a DVD player? And the graphics on the wii aren't exactly DVD quality so why would you need playback in the games?

[Liam]

i think HD is more important....

compares to a PS3 the wii really shows that its just a rebadges gamecube. and looking expensive at 2/3 the price of a ps3!

if it wasnt for wanting to finish zelda i dont think the wii would get used. after the initial 'oooh the controller is good' you realise its a step back in technology terms compared to PCs, ps3 and xb360

[AndyB]

Can't see the point of it

I can, just about, understand why there is some benefit to including HD-DVD and BluRay playback functionality in the '360 and PS3 respectively as a lot of people won't have those players.

But with stand-alone DVD players costing, literally, pocket money prices, I can't see it being much of a selling point.

Add to that the probability that DVD will start to fade over the next 5 or so years and it becomes even more pointless.

Mind you, either PS3 or '360 owners are probably going to get pissed of a lot quicker than that when their format goes 'Betamax' in the next couple of years.

[Scottie Taylor]

DVD support

Now, given the history of Nintendo's additions to the Wii and giving them away for free to the people who weren't offered them to begin with, I wonder if they'll likewise give the customers something for free if the DVD playback isn't a firmware update?

[Anonymous Coward]

What's the point

What at the benefit of being able to play back DiiViiDii movies on a

Wii? A DVD player only costs £15 and you can actually get your hands on one.

Will they release a free upgrade so existing Wiis can play DVDs?

>> It also noted that "DVD licensing fees... are higher than expected".

I thought that manufacturers could buy a bulk licence that is valid for an unlimited number of boxes (probably cost pennies per box, given the sales figures).

[Anonymous Coward]

What the Wii really _needs_ is a Hard drive.

I have a grand total of 5 "things" in my home that can play DVDs: laptop, desktop, two other games systems (PS2 and Xbox360) and a DVD player.

There is frankly no storage on the Wii. I rather see a hard drive that a DVD player.

Adding voice chat would also be a benefit, Nintendo handhelds already support online voice chat.

[Rick Brasche]

good idea

simply for the space savings. I love hearing from folks who bought into the Sony business model, seeming to think that someone would be buying a Wii for the DVD playback. Pull yer heads out. Even if I were to strap on a 360 or other device, I'd love to be able to lose another box under the TV. I could free up another AV input. I'd need one less remote.

It's not about adding useless features to try to sell an overpriced product (lookin at you, Sony PS3 blu ray and Apple iPhone!), it's about including more features and usefulness into something we already bought.

And for you "rebranded gamecube" knuckleheads: first, not all of us bought a gamecube in the first place. Second, contrary to popular belief, most of America doesn't have HD television-many even keeping tube sizes around 20 inches. Paying extra for a feature that then causes me to spend more money on adapters to dumb it down to fit what I *do* have is the true retarded move.

If I want "hardcore", I use my 4GB RAM, dual core, 1.5TB game box with the 8800GTS video card. If I want games to play with friends or while sitting in the living room, I use the Wii.

A firmware DVD update allowing me to get rid of the physical DVD player taking up space is a good thing. Just like their firmware update that allows me to use my old cheap USB keyboards while web surfing.

[David Gosnell]

good idea too

I would be delighted to get our Wii playing DVDs and dump the Aiwa. Not that the Aiwa is remotely bad, but space is at a premium and not everyone gets moist at having a huge stack of power-munching gadgetry - though I quite appreciate we may not be typical of the geek demographic.

[Sampler]

"though I quite appreciate we may not be typical of the geek demographic"

And neither's the Wii - that's why they're selling shitloads - as they appeal to those weird "regular folk" we here about in that exist /outdoors/

*shudders*

[Ian Ferguson]

Good idea

I was most disappointed to find my Wii doesn't play DVDs - I had kind of assumed it would. I'm not big on having millions of gadgets so just having the Wii under the TV would be great. Please, please let it be a firmware upgrade...!

[Chris Haynes]

Great idea!

If Nintendo whack DVD functionality into the Wii (and hopefully as a firmware upgrade 'cos I'm not going to buy another Wii), will Gordon Brown give me some money back for getting rid of my existing DVD player? After all, that DVD player must be using some sort of energy while it's sitting there doing nothing most of the time?

Chuck the DVD player, save the world.

[Peter]

Firmware

Likewise, I'd personally be happy to ditch my DVD recorder if the wii had DVD playback. I rarely if ever use the recording function, and it's an irritating little box I can never find the remote for. Also it'd free an AV input to cable my PC to for the heck of it.

That said if it's not just a firmware update it would surprise me heavily, & indeed wind me up a bit. The 'green' angle must exist too, especially given the volume of wii sales even if maybe only 5-10% decide to ditch their DVD players as a result.

I won't get a xbox, I can't really justify a ps3 at the mo (the cell processor looks cool but that's about it), and while I could ditch the player and use the PC for playback I'd rather just throw the disk in than wander to the other end of the room etc etc....

So where's that firmware Nintendo? :)

[Paul Talbot]

More support here...

I don't have a standalone DVD player connected to my TV, but I do have a PS2 and a Wii. The former is getting used less and less, and it would be relegated to the bedroom if only the Wii could play DVDs.

Oh, and to the people complaining about HD, etc - grow up FFS. The Wii is fine as it is, and if you want HD stop whining until the Wii 2 comes out in 4 years or use a console that has HD. You can't have both for now.

[Graham Lockley]

To the PS3 owner...

'if it wasnt for wanting to finish zelda i dont think the wii would get used. after the initial 'oooh the controller is good' you realise its a step back in technology terms compared to PCs, ps3 and xb360'

I assume you are own from that statement (apologies if not). The Wii is selling (out) at the moment for two reasons.

1. Price : Recently overheard someone mutter and point at the PS3 (after being told there were no Wii's in stock) 'Im not paying that for a bloody games console'

2. Word of mouth : People are telling each other about how much fun they had with friends playing Wii games. These are what might be termed 'non-gamers' and in all likelihood, in a year or two the Wii will be gathering dust as the novelty has worn off.

Give the Wii the ability to play DVD movies though and it will continue to be used, with the chance of an odd game being bought increased.

[Graham Wood]

Fewer boxes under the Telly

I'd agree that getting rid of the box from under the telly would be good. Being able to go down to 2 boxes at the moment (Wii & Sky HD) would be nice.

And if/when I can get my MythTV stuff working, I'd love if the wii could replace the sky box too ;)

[Anonymous Coward]

Inherently flawed for sound

The Wii has stereo analogue outputs - no multi-channel analogue outputs, and no optical or coaxial digital output, unlike the cheapest DVD player. So you can't get it to play Dolby Digital or DTS, even with an external decoder. The best you're going to get is one of the compromised analogue multi-channel efforts, like Pro Logic II.

Of course, it is fine if you just have stereo speakers, which can indeed make for a very nice minimal system.

[Rich]

Great Idea and they can go even further

I think its a great Idea, though I will be annoyed if I have to buy a "second geveration" Wii to get the functionality. The great thing about the Wii is that it is nice and small, so more integration the better. The 360 and PS3 are huge.

The Wii has got a strong life ahead. There is so much that could be integrated on such a fantastic machine, and graphics isnt everything in a game. I play the old skool virtual console games and enjoy them just as much as i did 14+ years ago.