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Warner Bros. joins Fujisoft's Wii movie streaming service
When it was first announced, we thought Fujisoft's Minna no Theater Wii was, at best, a proof of concept for a future streaming video service. It had some anime and other popular Japanese TV shows at launch, but we didn't think the lineup for this third-party WiiWare download would widen much. We were wrong!Following the announcement of Paramount content through Cinemanow, Warner Bros. will add movies from its catalog to Minna no Theater, starting with a set of 54 movies tomorrow! One of the titles being added, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, is being released on the WiiWare service on the same day that the DVD and Blu-Ray versions come out.[Via Andriasang]
Paramount movies streaming to Wiis via Minna no Theater
Sonic Solutions has just announced that it will begin offering movies from its catalog to Fujisoft's streaming Wii video service, Minna no Theater Wii. The Roxio CinemaNow service, as offered through Minna no Theater, will offer both new releases and older titles from the Paramount archives, to users of the downloadable WiiWare video streaming application, which is currently available only in Japan. Though Lionsgate content isn't specified in this agreement, it's worth noting that Cinemanow also distributes movies from that company, an executive of which predicted an agreement much like this.Minna no Theatre is one of two WiiWare-based streaming video offerings, the other being Nintendo's Wii no Ma Channel, which is currently focused on original programming. Fujisoft has indicated plans to release Minna no Theater in North America.
Hollywood executive expects streaming movies, TV on Wii this year
Lionsgate's president of digital media, Curt Marvis, believes that streaming movies and TV will be available on the Wii this year. It doesn't really sound like a strong belief, or one that he can back up with any evidence: "I think when we see the Wii come into the market with the ability to stream movies," Marvis told The Cut Scene, "which I think is maybe going to happen as soon as this year, I think that's going to be a big marketplace for digital distribution."So when, and if, that does happen, Lionsgate is on board. The Cut Scene points out that Marvis does refer to the Wii streaming movies as opposed to downloading them, which suggests that he may be familiar enough with the platform to understand its limitations.Of course, it is a fact that streaming TV is coming to the Wii, both in the form of Nintendo's own "Wii no Ma Channel," which will provide original content from Nintendo, and Fujisoft's Minna no Theater Wii, whose offerings seem limited to content of Japanese origin, like anime and Ultraman. It's possible Lionsgate could be expecting to make a deal with Fujisoft, or that another service is imminent. Of course, it's also possible that he's guessing there will be a Wii movie service this year because he wants there to be.
VC Tuesday: Japan's Theater
On the Japanese Virtual Console this week: two games we'll never see outside of Japan! Aw. Neither Konami's NES side-scrolling action game Getsu Fuuma Den nor Falcom's sidescroller/action RPG Legend of Xanadu II were seen in the West, and they're a bit too low-profile to warrant a release as an import. Of course, we thought that about Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, as well, and look how that turned out (hint: it turned out with Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa on the VC in the West). Getsu Fuuma Den (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu II (PC Engine, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) WiiWare this week holds significantly more promise for those of us speculating for future US/PAL releases. The video streaming service Minna no Theater Wii is launching with an already-impressive lineup of anime (including free episodes!), live-action sentai shows, and variety shows. Fujisoft has already expressed interest in releasing this service in the US. We can safely assume Crystal Defenders R1 from Square Enix will appear worldwide (and on every platform). And we are absolutely certain that Aksys will release every single Family series game Arc System Works puts out, even if it's based on a Japanese dice game nobody's ever heard of.The only game in the group unlikely to see the world is Popple and the Magical Crayon, a children's adventure game. Oh, well. Okiraku Sugoroku Wii (1-4 players, 500 Wii Points) Crystal Defenders R1 (1 player, 1,000 Wii Points) Popple and the Magical Crayon (1 player, 800 Wii Points) Minna no Theater Wii (0 players, 500 Wii Points) Source -- Virtual ConsoleSource -- WiiWare
'Minna No Theater Wii' video service could come to U.S. this year
The Wii, in a continuing effort to catch up to the online functionality of its fellow home consoles, will be getting its first streaming video service later this month when the Minna No Theater Wii channel hits the Japanese WiiWare market. The service will offer animated programs (such as Transformers and Astro Boy) on a rental basis, in which Wii Points can be spent to purchase a title for a certain amount of time.Fujisoft, the creator of the service, made an appearance at CES to confirm that they're hoping to bring Minna No Theater to the States within the year, provided that negotiations with Nintendo of America (who are reportedly introducing their own video streaming service, albeit for original content, sometime this year) go smoothly and expediently. While we'd find it difficult to spend Wii Points on things that aren't Clu Clu Land, we're interested to see what they'll have to offer.
'Minna no Theater' streaming video service could come to the US this year
Fujisoft's Minna no Theater Wii was the first Wii-exclusive video content delivery service to be announced -- and it'll be the first to be released, if it makes its January 27 date. The service is set to provide animated content like Astro Boy and Transformers, on a rental basis in which Wii Points buy a certain title for a certain amount of time.Fujisoft was at CES (!) and told GameCyte that they are planning on bringing the WiiWare video service to the US. "We can't quite tell at the moment," he said, "But if the negotiations are a success, maybe within the year." Of course, they'll have to compete with Nintendo's video service here like they will in Japan -- and, as GameCyte points out, it's Nintendo of America they're negotiating with. They'll have to convince Nintendo that Minna no Theater isn't a threat to their own offerings. However, since Nintendo plans to produce original content, and Fujisoft's is based on licensed anime, it seems like there is plenty of room for both.GameCyte also got a demo of the service at CES -- read their impressions, and see video of the service in Ultra-action, here.
Wii Warm Up: Almost Everybody's Theater
Fujisoft is planning to launch a WiiWare-based service called Everybody's Theater Wii in January, through which Wii owners will be able to pay to watch downloadable anime and television episodes. The Wii's contemporaries both have their own methods of paying for video downloads, and analyst Colin Dixon believes more of this kind of thing will show up on the Wii.Do you care if it does? Would TV or movies on demand be something you want your Wii to provide? Or is that the kind of thing that you feel is better suited to some other device?
Everybody's Wii Theater dated, priced in Japan
Fujisoft's Minna no Theater Wii (Everybody's Theater Wii), essentially a video rental service, will launch on January 27 in Japan, after slipping from its original December release date. We already knew that purchasing the video viewer cost 500 Wii Points, but now we have concrete prices for renting content: A single title for two days: 300 Wii Points Two titles for three days: 600 Wii Points Three titles for five days: 800 Wii Points When it launches next month, 3,000 pieces of video content will be available. These span 150 franchises, including Astro Boy, Transformers, Hajime no Ippo, and Dogtanian. Anime currently dominates the line-up, though movies, drama, and educational shows will also be present, if a bit scarcer.A further 50 pieces of content will be released every month following the launch, and Fujisoft claims its content comes "close" to delivering DVD quality. It's just a shame we'll probably never see this here to test that statement.
Analyst: Downloadable video content on Wii by 2010
Over at Gamasutra, analyst Colin Dixon of The Diffusion Group has made one of those broad analyst predictions that we know you all love so much. Dixon estimates that within two years, Nintendo will have organized a Wii-based video delivery service, similar to those currently available through Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.From later this month, Japanese Wiis will boast a similar(ish) service -- Fujisoft's Minna no Theater Wii ("Everybody's Theater Wii") from WiiWare -- but nothing on the scale of Microsoft's deal with Netflix to stream video content. Is it really so important for the Wii to offer downloadable video content? Dixon thinks so, and even argues that setting up a video on-demand service is crucial for Wii to "remain competitive in the long-term."%Gallery-29579%
'Everybody's Theater' brings downloadable TV to Japanese Wiis
Most Japan-exclusive WiiWare isn't really all that interesting, or is more interesting as a curiosity to read about than as a game to download: it's stuff like shogi games and children's storybooks. But Fujisoft's Minna no Theater Wii (Everybody's Theater Wii) is something whose near-zero probability of US release actually makes us sad. Minna no Theater Wii enables Japanese Wii owners to stream movies, TV dramas, and anime through their Wii. The software costs 500 Wii Points to download, which is kind of ridiculous, and then pay extra for each show. But if the featured shows are even remotely as interesting as Ulecky, the animate projector Fujisoft uses as the mascot, the service will be well worth it. We'll find out more details in December, at the latest, when the service launches.[Via Siliconera]
