DVD-enhanced Wii hits Japan "latter half of 2007"
by Christopher Grant 
{ Nov 13th 2006 at 12:55PM }
A couple weeks back, the UK's Edge Magazine revealed the Wii would be getting a DVD-enhanced variant in Japan, sometime in 2007. Today, Gamasutra reports "California technology company Sonic Solutions have announced that Nintendo has chosen to use the company's software to allow a 'future version' of the Wii console to play DVD movies."Interesting. With a DVD drive already built into every Wii, it seemed logical that a software solution was all that was needed to implement DVD playback on the Wii. Ostensibly, the reason for Nintendo's decision to not include DVD playback was the format's onerous licensing fees relative to the already high market penetration DVD players currently enjoy. Instead of releasing a "future version" of the console to the Japanese market exclusively, why not sell the DVD playback software via the console's online store to recoup the licensing fees?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
retro @ Nov 13th 2006 1:02PM
Man, I hope they do the online-software idea instead of just releasing the DVD software installed on Wiis sold only in Japan. It would save me a hell of a lot of guilt for buying the console on launch.
Todd @ Nov 13th 2006 1:03PM
"Instead of releasing a 'future version' of the console to the Japanese market exclusively, why not sell the DVD playback software via the console's online store to recoup the licensing fees?"
A very sound suggestion.
Ritz @ Nov 13th 2006 1:05PM
Arguably, they could. I wonder if they might anyways. Once they start selling Wii consoles with the software already pre-installed, they could release a software patch for those who would like to purchase the capability from the Wii online shop...
x876543 @ Nov 13th 2006 1:11PM
Maddox on Sony, Lik-Sang, and the PSP:
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=sony_bullshit
Player1 @ Nov 13th 2006 1:12PM
Nintendo releasing an improved version of one of their products shortly after launch? Absurd!
pete @ Nov 13th 2006 1:15PM
see nothing wrong with that. really though everyone has like 2 dvd players at the house but how much are the licencing cost anyway?? how many wii points
DG @ Nov 13th 2006 1:17PM
I think it's kind of sad if ability to play DVDs qualifies as an upgrade. That said, DVD playing was a great function in 2000/2001. Nowadays, it really just doesn't matter. My toaster plays DVDs -- I don't need my Wii to do it too.
tylersmyler @ Nov 21st 2006 11:37PM
Ok, that's fine.
But why not HD-DVD support if they are going through the trouble. boost it up to 1080p..
the lack of foresight is killing me
Raquor @ Nov 13th 2006 1:32PM
I'd be completely fine with them making it a virtual store purchase option as I have no interest in my Wii playing DVD's. As has been said I own multiple DVD players already...heck my fridge can play them.
Sandalcrew @ Nov 14th 2006 8:32AM
To me the DVD capability can go either way...but I would rather have it than not. I don't believe for one second that Nintendo didn't want to shell out the money for the fees though. It would have been far less than 1$ a unit. And as pathetic as it sounds, Consumers don't like the feeling of getting less than what they paid for something... I guess Nintendo is just banking on the gameplay and it's Ipod esque marketings to sell all of it's units.
JRM @ Nov 13th 2006 1:42PM
I think I made the right decision in waiting for the future Black-coloured Wii
crono141 @ Nov 13th 2006 1:38PM
"But why not HD-DVD support if they are going through the trouble. boost it up to 1080p.."
Because Wii hardware isn't anywhere near powerful enough to render 1080p video in software mode.
uberjoe @ Nov 13th 2006 1:42PM
I for one would be very pleased if my wii could play DVDs. Yes I already have cheapo DVD player, but having that functionality on the wii would mean one less box to plug in, one less remote to supply with batteries and replace after the kids destroy it.
Having one small box on my tv that does everything sounds pretty good to me.
Faar @ Nov 13th 2006 1:47PM
Technically, even the gamecube should be able to software decode MPEG2 and DD/DTS audio at the rates used in DVD movies. People watched DVD movies on PCs equipped with 400MHz PentiumII CPUs, and Gekko is faster than those ancient chips, particulary with its SIMD extensions. Wii therefore should be superbly suitable, considering its on-board flash and built-in internet access. Nintendo could sell a DVD player application through their on-line store that people could install quickly and easily.
Why Nintendo doesn't capitalize on this I don't understand. They still don't seem to realize the potential of their own hardware. The argument that there already are so many DVD players out there isn't really a valid one. With a Wii, a casual DVD enthusiast could do away with a big stand-alone box, and with a Wii in a kid's room, parents would save money by not having to buy a separate DVD player.
mykie @ Nov 13th 2006 1:51PM
@8 tylersmyler:
The Wii drive isn't even an HD-DVD drive, capable of reading the discs.
While I don't agree that the Wii couldn't playback video at 1080p (really, all you need is an 8MB display buffer), you still need to output that 1080p signal, which would likely be over component and somehow incorporate HDCP. It's all too messy.
OTOH, sell a DVD player program for $10 or so and keep things simple.
Korexz @ Nov 13th 2006 2:13PM
BAH, I have 15 different DVD playing devices. Don't need another device that also "Plays DVDs". Not a feature I want and no benefit to me.
Maybe Nintendo will release a Wii that plays the next video format once consumers choose it. Oh the irony of a Wii+ that plays Blu-Ray ;)... Ultimatly I think HD-DVD will succeed DVD. So more than likely a Wii that plays HD-DVD... still ironic.
Fernando @ Nov 13th 2006 2:37PM
I like the idea of a D-WII-D jaja
Jacob @ Nov 13th 2006 2:41PM
I wouldn't at all be surprised if Nintendo had a "Wii HD" in the pipeline, waiting for chip prices to go down and HD adoption to go up, with no new features other than simply having the extra horsepower needed to run games in HD. (The games themselves, including current ones, would be no different, running on both systems identically aside from resolution. No confusing software split, just "Wii".)
Greg2k @ Nov 13th 2006 2:53PM
Why the Wii won't play DVDs out of the box:
1. Maybe the hardware won't playback DVDs. No, I'm serious. The Gamecube used Mini DVDs for games. But they did not adhere to DVD standards by far. If you've done Gamecube backups you know the Cube won't just read any disc you throw at it. The Gamecube reads the discs from the outside-in, like vinyl players, not like normal CD/DVD drives. Furthermore, the discs spin in the other direction. So, there are some hardware obstacles there which prevent ordinary DVDs to work. Who's to say the Wii's drive won't work the same way, except with larger discs?
2. Licensing increases the price of the device. I don't know the exact pricing of a DVD-Video license, but I'm sure it's not as easy as making it available for download on the VC service. And I'm sure not going to want to pay extra for a license if I already have a ton of DVD players at home (even though it would be nice).
wonderful @ Nov 13th 2006 3:01PM
I simply don't get what all the commotion is about...
When SNES came out were you pissed that it didn't also play VHS tapes? I mean these are CONSOLES.
They are not all-encompassing multimedia devices (as some heavily vested consumer electronics giants would love to have you believe)
Anything beyond -booting a game- is a bonus.
Besides, how many devices capable of playing DVDs do you currently own?
(OMFG. 11 here. not counting my dead-as-a-disc-read-error PS2phat)
Grendel @ Nov 14th 2006 8:50AM
I agree with Korexz, at this point who doesn't have at least a couple of dvd players? I'd rather watch dvd's on something dedicated to playing dvds, like a home theater. Who is sitting around going " Man, if they would put a dvd-playback function in the new system I could finally start watching dvd's?". I'm just thrilled that Nintendo is jumping into online gaming, who gives a rats ass about dvd-playback.
ron @ Nov 13th 2006 4:33PM
Myabe its because its not just a software upgrade, maybe the drive in the wii isnt dvd after all. Look at nintendos website, all they say is 12cm disc. Nowhere does it say dvd, it may very well be a proprietary format.
Porsche 911 @ Nov 13th 2006 3:43PM
To Jacob
Future Wii games cannot be in HD, because they would not run on the previous Wii. Just like Microsoft cannot create HD-DVD games.
DKPowers @ Nov 13th 2006 3:57PM
Doesn't DVD license require something tangible? Like a remote for example...
Jahgah @ Nov 13th 2006 4:27PM
Why not huh??? Because sometimes Nintendo acts like a dumb ass. THere is no other way to say it. I cannot wait for the mods and hacking to come out. Here is what I think will happen in order:
1st: Console is hacked and exploits to edit system functions are found
2nd: Games start becoming pirated
3rd: VC games are replaced by .nes ect. files that are possibly formatted.
4th: DVD playbac is enabled (and hackers will be praised for that one).
5th: Hard drive will be enabled via USB
I have an overwhelming feeling that people will rip this system a new one. Thats the main factor for me getting this system (or possibly two of them).
Nintendo should wisen up and implement a couple of these features them selves. Wiii with a hard drive would be bad ass. Forget a crappy SD card. Making people buy another wii for dvd is ridiculous and having it only in japan would be a huge slap in the face to americans making more people switch to xbox 360. Between proprietary formats (sony?!?!) and region locking, it is starting to become ridiculous. The millions they think they save by pulling this shit is actually millions lost in the long run. Too bad they are ignorant and think cutting corners is a good way to make money. In the end the consumer feels cheated. Sure you can't give them everything they want but with no HDD there is no reason not to have DVD playback. At leats it supports AVIs. I hope someone adds a hard drive because it would be dope to play Wii and watch videos in AVI format from a large capable media device. Maybe they were just scared people would steal the games.... I don't know.....
Oh for your entertainment:
I drop #2's like hookers drop abortions.
You can see what I eat and estimate the portions.
Bombs dropping so fast its sounds like the sickest distortion.
Like the fat chicks you sweat my logs come in cosmic proportion.
Gnac @ Nov 13th 2006 4:27PM
@ Greg:
The GC discs spin clockwise, just like most optical media (flip the lid open when a disc spins up if you don't believe me). The reason the discs are so unusual is due to the two bardcodes - one plainly visible on the shiny part of the disc's ring, and the other just inside the data segment, almost so small as to be dismissed as nothing important. These handle authentication and encryption.
RetroElectro @ Nov 13th 2006 4:30PM
Maybe the reason the Wii needs a hardware update is because it doesn't have audio digital output?
Joey Geraci @ Nov 13th 2006 6:08PM
There is absolutely no reason why the Wii can't play DVD's other than pure evil cheapness.
Wii:psone + motion sensing::gamecube:PS1
James @ Nov 13th 2006 6:50PM
May I be the first to say HOLY HELL WHO CARES?!?!? I have like 4 different devices, minimum, hooked up to my TV that can play back DVDs. I really don't need #5 -- if you're so bothered by the lack of "functionality", go buy a $20-on-sale-at-Walmart standalone player. It's like complaining that it doesn't have a CF slot -- WTF do you need it for? Are you seriously such a Luddite that you don't have a DVD player yet, but you're going to buy a Wii? WHY IS THIS NEWS???
Jacob @ Nov 13th 2006 7:11PM
Porche 911: "Future Wii games cannot be in HD, because they would not run on the previous Wii. Just like Microsoft cannot create HD-DVD games."
I'm not talking about changing the optical media, I'm talking about boosting the resolution that the games are output in. I imagine it would be as simple as when you go into Quake (or whatever game you choose) on your PC and selecting the resolution, but at a system-wide level.
As I said, they wouldn't need to change a SINGLE thing about the games.
Emperor Samoth @ Nov 13th 2006 9:06PM
"Instead of releasing a 'future version' of the console to the Japanese market exclusively, why not sell the DVD playback software via the console's online store to recoup the licensing fees?"
We all know Nintendo looooves to sell people the same hardware over and over again. Can you imagine how many fanboys are going to buy both? That's how Nintendo makes money, by selling you the same hardware over and over again. DS - DS Lite, Gameboy - Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Advance - Gameboy Advance SP... with all the different colors.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Nov 14th 2006 2:11AM
*Faar: "People watched DVD movies on PCs equipped with 400MHz PentiumII CPUs, and Gekko is faster than those ancient chips, particulary with its SIMD extensions."
Don't fall prey to the MHz myth. The PowerPC has a very different internal architecture than x86, and the processors are tuned differently. For example, x86 chips blow away PowerPC when running stack-based operations, which is why Java runs horribly slow on even the fasted PowerPC chips. Even PII systems usually used graphics chips to accelerate video decoding, and the picture quality was (and usually still is) pretty horrible without sophisticated hardware filters, which is where the REAL processing power is needed.
*Korexz: "BAH, I have 15 different DVD playing devices. Don't need another device that also "Plays DVDs". Not a feature I want and no benefit to me."
Everybody says that, but if Wii could play DVDs, you'd better believe the fanboys would be happy.
Not everybody likes to swap cables or buy a splitter just because they want to watch a movie. Watching DVDs on my PS2 is a huge bonus, and it stifled my game collection.
*Greg2K: "Maybe the hardware won't playback DVDs. No, I'm serious. The Gamecube used Mini DVDs for games. But they did not adhere to DVD standards by far."
With GCLinux, you can read data DVDs no problem. It's not a hardware issue. However, I don't think the hardware is fast enough to do proper filtering. It certainly wouldn't look pretty.
*Greg2K: "Licensing increases the price of the device."
By how much? *Everything* will play DVDs, but Nintendo can't afford it?
This is not about whether you can *unlock* DVD functionality, which would give Nintendo MORE money. It's about whether the hardware can do it at all.
Emperor Samoth: "We all know Nintendo looooves to sell people the same hardware over and over again."
And they buy it -- every time. Meanwhile, they complain that the PS2 Slim was just a marketting gimick to get people who need to have one of everything to buy another PS2.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Nov 14th 2006 2:14AM
*Didn't* stifle my game collection. Wow, my typing is awful today.
aaron @ Nov 15th 2006 12:57AM
Who cares, lets be honest who would use it for DVD playback anyway. Its been said that Nintendo wont even be selling component cables in stores and even if you buy them online its still only 480p. Whoopi! Hardly a thing to get excited over when you can purchase up-scaleing players that produce 1080i from any DVD for about $150.
Greg2k @ Nov 24th 2006 5:59AM
Somebody explain to me how the Wii could possibly display something at 1080p without doing a really dumb and pointless upscale. The Wii hardware cannot radically change, otherwise you split the market. You don't want to sell two versions of the same system, one that can do HD and one that can't. Because then you need two different versions of each game, one in HD and one in SD.
Nah, I'm ok with 480p for now. If I want some killer HD gaming I'll get a 360. I much prefer paying 250€ for an SD system than~, say, 400€ had it been more powerful. I just don't spend that ammount of money on systems.