51 replies to this topic

[8th lutz]

http://www.computera...e.php?id=159235

Nintendo has said in a consumer email that it will give further details of a DVD playing Wii in "the latter half of 2007".

Nintendo and Sonic Solutions revealed last year that both companies would team up and launch a DVD playing Wii at some point in the future. A Go Nintendo reader sent the Big N an email asking about it's the new model of Wii coming with DVD playback and when it will be released.

The response? "As you know, Nintendo and Sonic Solutions have made an agreement to allow Nintendo the use of Sonic Solutions' DVD technology in a future version of the Wii console. However, launch details, like where (regions or countries) it will sell, release date, or price (although it will be more expensive than the original version) are currently unavailable and won't be revealed until sometime in the latter half of 2007. It will not be available as an add-on attachment."

The email then goes on to deter anyone owning a DVD player (but let's face it, who doesn't?) from buying the new Wii. "For those who already own a DVD player at home, the launch version of Wii will be the best choice. This version of the console is more affordable and you'll be able to enjoy Wii games immediately.

[Albert]

I don't think this is going to be a big deal to most people. If you have (or are planning to buy) a Wii, odds are that you already have another device that will play DVDs (whether it be a standalone DVD player, a computer, another game console, etc.) It would have been nice if Nintendo included this ability from the beginning, but I doubt it's hurting sales.

..Al

[Emehr]

I just see DVD playback (in any console) as a means to expedite the wear and tear on a console. I have no use for it. If my Wii is going to get worn out it'll be from playing games, not watching movies

[Vic George 2K3]

Wonder if it would be called the WiiVD?

[Gregory DG]

I bet this only appears in Japan.

[CPUWIZ]

The Wii doesn't need extra hardware for DVD playback.

[remowilliams]

CPUWIZ, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 3:19 PM, said:

The Wii doesn't need extra hardware for DVD playback.

Yeah, I thought that was kind of funny myself. 'new model' - how about 'firmware update'

[MCHufnagel]

CPUWIZ, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 3:19 PM, said:

The Wii doesn't need extra hardware for DVD playback.

I thought that was mentioned before. But I don't see a firmware update allowing DVD playback though. Charging extra for a firmware update will piss people off.

[figgler]

Yeah I thought we talked about this pretty extensively here;
http://www.atariage....showtopic=96802


I thought I read later that is was confirmed to be Japan-only.
Either way, my original point from then still stands now as far as I'm concerned. DVD playback = added wear on the mechanism = no thanks.

[CPUWIZ]

MCHufnagel, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 2:49 PM, said:

CPUWIZ, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 3:19 PM, said:

The Wii doesn't need extra hardware for DVD playback.

I thought that was mentioned before. But I don't see a firmware update allowing DVD playback though. Charging extra for a firmware update will piss people off.

DVD decoding is pretty easy and small these days, ask any Linux coder. Charging for it, is another matter.

[AtariJr]

since the dvd drive is already in there i coudl just see them changing this to a channel. and hopefully it could come with a music channel so i dont have to listen to my music in excite truck haha.

[antron]

MCHufnagel, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 4:49 PM, said:

CPUWIZ, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 3:19 PM, said:

The Wii doesn't need extra hardware for DVD playback.

I thought that was mentioned before. But I don't see a firmware update allowing DVD playback though. Charging extra for a firmware update will piss people off.

It is a license to play DVDs that we will pay for. They should just say F'em and use deCSS.

[misspent_youth]

antron, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 5:18 PM, said:

It is a license to play DVDs that we will pay for. They should just say F'em and use deCSS.

Possibly the worst corporate advice ever.

[spacecadet]

And the Wii finally makes the jump into the 1990's.

[AtariJr]

spacecadet, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 6:38 PM, said:

And the Wii finally makes the jump into the 1990's.

holy shit its spacecadet! disappeared for ages to come back to make yet another snide comment, oh how i missed thee! ...yikes and this is coming form someone with a puffy icon hehe. and as with the gc space, its a gaming platform.. not a movie center. we are just blessed with channels this time to make sure we have something to do when we are bored

Edited by AtariJr, Mon Mar 5, 2007 9:56 PM.

[Shannon]

AtariJr, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 10:55 PM, said:

spacecadet, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 6:38 PM, said:

And the Wii finally makes the jump into the 1990's.

holy shit its spacecadet! disappeared for ages to come back to make yet another snide comment, oh how i missed thee! ...yikes and this is coming form someone with a puffy icon hehe. and as with the gc space, its a gaming platform.. not a movie center. we are just blessed with channels this time to make sure we have something to do when we are bored

Yeah, with original remarks like that it's no surprise we didn't notice he was missing!

[AtariJr]

yea i know. the reason WHY they segregated the systems in modern gaming was so that people who wanted to play the system could talk about it without those types of asses coming in and commenting all the time with rude remarks. you dont see me going in the ps3 forum and bitching about them stealing the wii controller, or its price tag, or ken and his blatend disregard for the loyal gamers who make it so he can afford those nice suits he always has on, etc etc. if you want to start a flamewar go post at joystiq, they just love those.. other wise these forums are meant for gamers, yes.. people who LIKE games who want to talk about the console they own and news about it or the games that come on it.

this reminds me why i started posting on the classic forums again... all that flamewar bias shit is already in the past and virtual boy and sega 32x fans can all live in peace.

Edited by AtariJr, Mon Mar 5, 2007 10:14 PM.

[Jess Ragan]

The 1990's? DVDs weren't even available until 1998, and they sure as hell weren't in game systems until the dawn of the 21st century. If you're going to take nasty shots at Nintendo, at least try to make them accurate!

Having said that, I'm not pleased with this news. Kaplan promised us a DVD dongle, and we never got it. Instead, we'll have to buy an entirely new system to get the features we should have had from the beginning! How very, uh, Nintendo of them.

JR

[Gregory DG]

Maybe the dongle is still coming?

[AtariJr]

ill put my bet it comes in the form of a channel you pay for.. the drive is in there.

[Shannon]

With the drive being in there already there is not reason they cannot do it. On top of that, notice the choice of words... "Sonic Solutions DVD Technology". That could easily be software.

The nice thing about software only DVD playback is they can create updates to fix any problems that come up. Probably one of the few nice things about having a Blu-ray in the PS3.

[Video]

Emehr, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 2:57 PM, said:

I just see DVD playback (in any console) as a means to expedite the wear and tear on a console. I have no use for it. If my Wii is going to get worn out it'll be from playing games, not watching movies

Actually, contrary to popular belief, playing DVD's is actually one of the least strenious things you can do to a DVD player. It's single speed, streight forward reading. Playing games on the other hand is quiet hard by comparrison.

Yes, it is some wear and tear, but you may shorten the expected 5 year or so life span of the drive by say, a month, and that's if you use it all the time.

If Nintendo means hardware, as opposed to software, as in, new system. I hope they still have the cube in it. That's al I care about.

[jbanes]

Video, on Tue Mar 6, 2007 7:16 PM, said:

playing DVD's is actually one of the least strenious things you can do to a DVD player. It's single speed, streight forward reading.

Single speed and straight forward? I don't think so. DVDs are recorded using Constant Linear Velocity, meaning that the drive has to speed up toward the center of the disc, and slow down toward the edge. This can put quite a bit of wear and tear on the drive's motors.

Quote

Playing games on the other hand is quiet hard by comparrison.

If we're talking about the PS2 or XBox[360], then yes. All that seeking does do horrible things to the motor. But the Wii/Gamecube discs are recorded using Constant Angular Velocity, meaning that only the head needs to move. No change in the speed of rotation is necessary. That's why the the Wii doesn't sound like a bloody wind tunnel when it reads from the discs.

If DVD playback were added, it would put significant strain on the drive that didn't exist before.

[antron]

Shannon, on Tue Mar 6, 2007 4:56 PM, said:

With the drive being in there already there is not reason they cannot do it. On top of that, notice the choice of words... "Sonic Solutions DVD Technology". That could easily be software.

The nice thing about software only DVD playback is they can create updates to fix any problems that come up. Probably one of the few nice things about having a Blu-ray in the PS3.

I heard that Toshiba HD-DVD players are P4s running linux from a USB drive. Updatable from a disc perhaps?

[antron]

misspent_youth, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 10:20 PM, said:

antron, on Mon Mar 5, 2007 5:18 PM, said:

It is a license to play DVDs that we will pay for. They should just say F'em and use deCSS.

Possibly the worst corporate advice ever.

in the US? or do you mean everywhere?