DVD-enhanced Wii also hits US "latter half of 2007"
While Nintendo confirmed the release of a DVD-enhanced Wii for Japan yesterday, the company also confirmed the same for the US to be released next year (latter half of 2007). Sonic Solutions will provide the necessary DVD navigation software that "requires more than a firmware upgrade."
GameDaily.biz reports: "Nintendo of America's Public Relations Manager Matt Atwood said that a price has not yet been determined, but that the DVD-enabled Wii would come at a higher price than the standard Wii console ($249) because of the 'extra cost required to implement DVD playback [read QA testing, software development, and licensing fees].' Keep in mind that Nintendo had originally announced the Wii with DVD playback, but later removed the feature because of cost and because most people have separate DVD players nowadays anyway."
The report questions the off/on again two SKU offering and its announcement timing to which the same Nintendo rep asserted "that's why Nintendo is getting the word out," so the two people in the world who don't have a DVD player and intend to buy Wii can wait. But for you two people who probably aren't reading this, expect Wii's DVD add-on to be poopsky as the console doesn't even support 5.1 surround.
[Thanks, James]
