DVD-playin' Wii coming in 2007?

You'll have to take this with the usual dose of skepticism -- it's not like Nintendo would intentionally let loose a disincentive to purchasing a Wii less than a month before launch -- but according to UK mag EDGE, the big N's preparing to release a premium Wii console in Japan next year featuring, you guessed it, DVD playback. Of course, it's not totally out of the question (at least the discs are the right size), and it wouldn't be the first time Nintendo's released a console only to surprise us with a new and improved version a little down the line. Then again, DVD playback isn't quite the selling point it once was, especially given the competition. In other news, EDGE also apparently confirmed that CNN will be supplying the content for the Wii News Channel in the U.S. and Japan, with users able to spin a globe to access news items from different countries.

[Via I4U News]

[delerious @ Oct 30th 2006 12:03PM]

Wouldn't happen. The only thing that would be happening is that Nintendo is probably still perfecting the DVD add-on device. That's the only thing, if anything, they are doing. Nintendo loves money making schemes.

[phyl0x @ Oct 30th 2006 12:04PM]

seems plausible as a japanese only addition..much like the Qube or whatever they called that giant silver gamecube dvd hybrid thing which never caught on.

[Tech^Cellfish @ Oct 30th 2006 3:02PM]

I was thinking the same thing: Japan only

That's really the only market they lead, and where there is room for two units

[UMTopSpinC7 @ Oct 30th 2006 12:07PM]

So what? Most people already have a computer/ps2/xbox/dvd player that will play dvd's and dont need yet another one.

[CubeGuy @ Oct 30th 2006 12:09PM]

It's not "Qube" just "Q."

It never caught on, but I wouldn't trade mine for anything. =P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panasonic_Q

[Christian @ Oct 30th 2006 12:15PM]

I don't think this is possible or actually needed since there's too many who has dvd players already in their house (i.e. game consoles/dvd players/PCs).

If they really want to up the anti in my opinion, I think they should make an external hard drive. with the same casing as the main unit so you can stack them just like how the Mac mini works, that way you can put your games there and heck maybe even put the movie files in there instead of using DVD movie discs.

I can only wish for them to make it with holographic disc if they really want to challenge HD-DVD and Bluray media. Oh well wishing too much on that one since that would really defeat the low price point.

[shirizaki @ Oct 30th 2006 12:21PM]

There's 2 reasons why they won't put DVD support on:

1 - Having a near proprietary disc format (mini DVD's that are written/read backwards) allows for them to protect against piracy. Not supporting full DVD's (and a full DVD tray) allows them to stave off piracy. How hard is it to play pirated/import GC games? hard. Case mods, mod chips, and the ability to actually rip the games.

2 - Almost everyone has another console with DVD playback, a computer, or a standalone player for DVD's. There's 0 reason for Nintendo to provide DVD playback when another hardware company provides it.

[kumo @ Oct 30th 2006 1:09PM]

Playing imported games 'just' needs a special boot CD, however I have no idea about playing pirated stuff, but I would imagine that these mini DVDs do appear to stop people downloading ISOs from the internet.

[Sean @ Nov 2nd 2006 2:54PM]

Wii uses full size DVD discs, not the old GC mini DVDs. The GC copy protection was broken long ago, first by a network hack via Phantasy Star Online V1+2, and then later using an Action Replay disc as a boot disc through a memory card hack. It is not hard at all to use these hacks, albeit slightly more difficult than the solutions on their competing systems. The reason that it took longer to hack the GC though prolly had more to do with installed user base than ease of hacking it. Although we kind of have a chicken/egg conundrum here as piracy does sell systems. You would be lying to yourself if you thought that approximately 33% of those 100 million or so PS2s weren't bought exclusively for pirating software.

I applaud Nintendo's copy protection in the past, and hopefully Blu-Ray provides a similar deterrent for piracy on the PS3. Unlikely given the persistence of pirates nowadays, the PSP was practically hacked on release day making it the Dreamcast of the portable world; lots of systems sold but no game sales.

Now as for the topic at hand...this may be some viral FUD spread to deter Wii sales as we hit the holiday buying rush, but that's just my opinion. DVD-Video would be entirely useless on this system and a new version within a year or so would be destructive to system sales.

[CubeGuy @ Oct 30th 2006 12:28PM]

Are we talking about the same console, Shirizaki? Pop a disc into your cube. Open the cover. The disc is spinning the same way a DVD does. No backwards reading.

In regards to the Wii, your first argument has nothing to do with the new console. It uses standard DVD discs.

[rob @ Oct 30th 2006 12:43PM]

Reading 'backwards' probably means that it reads from the outside edge in toward the center of the disc, rather than the usual 'direction,' which would start in the center. The disc could still spin the same direction.

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 30th 2006 12:42PM]

In a wold of 30-dollar DVD players I can't see this being a big deal.

[strider_mt2k @ Oct 30th 2006 12:42PM]

-or a world even.

(sorry)

[te @ Oct 30th 2006 1:00PM]

The Wii not playing DVDs doesn't make sense, after all it comes with a remote.

They don't sell cars with steering wheels that don't turn...

[chenry @ Oct 30th 2006 1:08PM]

Big whoopie. Who doesn't have a DVD player already.

[SuicideNinja @ Oct 30th 2006 1:21PM]

Aren't the Wii discs a little bigger than standard DVD's? It seems people here are assuming they are sticking with GC discs.

Also, it's not that Gamecube games spin backwards, they read backwards. Instead of inside to outside, they're read outside to inside if I remember correctly.

While DVD playback isn't out of the question, it does seem like an unnecessary feature.

[Drew @ Oct 30th 2006 1:24PM]

Such a non-issue IMHO and I can't imagine anyone basing their console choice on this.

My local grocery store sells new DVD players for $25!

[Will Heineman @ Oct 30th 2006 1:25PM]

It seems to me that if Wii games are the same size as average DVDs that a simple firmware hack/upgrade would allow for some DVD goodness! I don't really care either way though. I have about 6 devices which can play DVDs in my house and 3 of them are on the TV that my Wii will share!

[biscuitus @ Oct 30th 2006 1:33PM]

The ability to play DVDs on Wii would make perfect sense within Nintendo's vision of the Wii being the go-to gadget in the living room.

With the plan to have weather, news, messaging, and internet access on the console, having the ability to play movies would mean that this would be essentially the only device one would need to give to Grandma to bring her up to speed, technologically speaking.

I really hope this happens, as the vision of the single tiny white monolith adjacent to the display, providing all the basic entertainment functions is just too cool. Will we see some kind of VOIP handset eventually? I would also be surprised if there isn't a keyboard available for use with the console at some point. While gadgets in the past have succeeded with the "do one thing. do it well." mantra, the simple fact seems to be that in order to widen your market considerably, you'll have to support a range of daily activities.

I can see why Nintendo wouldn't create these options initially, because they absolutely HAD to come in at a price below the Xbox, but once mindshare is up, who's to say there shouldn't be a do-all, be-all Wii?

[svendawg777 @ Oct 30th 2006 1:39PM]

Anyone know what native resolution the Wii will play for its games? 420 or 720? Also, what will the outputs support? (Component cables?)

[CWKalel @ Oct 30th 2006 3:05PM]

I think this is completely uneccessary (everyone has DVD players) and it would kill Nintendo's ability to pursue an iTunes-like feature to sell digital media on their Wii channels (you know they must've at least thought about this).

[BigBlue @ Oct 30th 2006 3:07PM]

I think this is completely uneccessary (everyone has DVD players) and it would kill Nintendo's ability to pursue an iTunes-like feature to sell digital media on their Wii channels (you know they must've at least thought about this).

[BigBlue @ Oct 30th 2006 3:09PM]

Sorry about the double post. It grabbed my old username and I confirmed both emails.

[Tom @ Oct 30th 2006 5:57PM]

Am I the only one who thinks the DVD playback thing is pointless? Chances are, anyone buying a next-gen console already has 3 DVD players in their house.

[Vu Nguyen @ Oct 30th 2006 7:08PM]

Not surprising, Nintendo had the Panasonic Gamecube Q, which did GC and Dvds. I think it was $400 and JPN only.

[ramen @ Oct 30th 2006 7:59PM]

even though most people have DVD players by now, I wish the Wii had DVD playback built-in from the get-go as it'd be perfect for carrying it around to different places (read: Travel)...and my car's navi screen doubles as a video monitor so it'd be great to have a portable DVD player AND game machine in one tiny box to entertain the passengers. :P

[StooMonster @ Oct 31st 2006 5:27AM]

Now confirmed by Nintendo that Japanese Wii will have DVD player in 2007, but US and European models will not.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=20729

Also comments on the rumours that Wii was priced at BP 150 / USD 200 by Nintentdo, but then increased to GBP 180 / USD 250 following pressure from retail chains concerned about profit margins.

[CubeGuy @ Oct 31st 2006 10:36PM]

Freaking NO! Not sure why, but the Q pulled me into buying it with it's shiny silver-glowy-blue-ness. God help me if the Quii is shiny...

[SolidSnakeX @ Nov 2nd 2006 11:55AM]

I think Nintendo might bring out a dvd player add on sometime in the future..But I'll tell you this I'm not impressed with the way Sony has become greedy!..They shutdown Lik_sung..bastards!..and then japan is bragging with the PLayStation 3..I hate the prices for the rest of the world! Europe and Japan get the good deals Eu this is for the 20 gig version 335.99 -and for the higher version 535.99-while the rest of the world gets the outrageous high priced console-We have to pay this $599.99-has everything that you don't have with the cheaper model--->and for the 20 gig fuk that theres no Wifi and no memory card slot that you used for the PSP---> $499.99 while America gets kicked in the face by Corporate scum!...Also Austraila damn! $699.99 to $899.99-damn you Japan!

[StooMonster @ Oct 30th 2006 1:09PM]

"You would be lying to yourself if you thought that approximately 33% of those 100 million or so PS2s weren't bought exclusively for pirating software."

Yep, but it sounds like you think Sony are happy about that.

Console hardware is sold as loss-leader (i.e. it loses money for manufacturer but attracts customers) it's the software and the format licences that make the money.

33 million PS2 would lose Sony a pile of cash, and they would get nothing back on pirate software. Why would they be happy about that?

[Xavier @ Jul 21st 2007 1:23AM]

imagine if the wii can HD-DVD and Blu-Ray...?