Nintendo Wii Fanboy

DVD playback is pointless for me. I have a DVD player already and with as much as my Wii gets packed up for a party I wouldn't want to worry about not being able to have someone at home watch DVDs.

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I was dead set against a bluray player in the PS3 and now I love it. If a DVD is out on BD instead, I buy that. Also the DVD player in the PS3 upscales very very well so I use that as my DVD player now as well. If the Wii was my only machine I'd maybe wish it had DVD playback but it isn't really a problem for me as I am now, the PS3 is a great DVD/BD player and the Wii has the weather and news everyday for me.

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Yes, I wished mines had a dvd player. At one time i even considered modding when i heard future wii's would include one but then the piracy crackdown started and nintendo updates began killing modded wii's.

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I could care less that the Wii does not have DVD playback abilities.

I already have a DVD player (well 3 if you count the computers, too).

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I have a dvd player, a ps2, a 360, and a modded original xbox, all of which play DVDs. Why the hell would a 5th one matter?

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Yes, very much so. Being a minimalist sort, I'd love nothing more than being able to just pop a DVD into the Wii and watch it that way, rather than depending on using my laptop to play it or buying a bulky DVD player and swapping out the component cables between that and the Wii. The Wii is the only game system I own, so it's a bit of a faulty assumption on the part of Nintendo that I'd already be surrounded by DVD capable devices. I think that it would've been nice for Nintendo to offer an option, at the very least, and frankly, I'd probably have paid another $50 for the capability.

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It hasn't been a problem for us. When we had the Wii in a dorm, we also had a PS2, and now that we're in an apartment, we have a DVD player. So we've never really been without something that could do it.

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My TV only has two component inputs, and they are currently in use by my cable box and my dvd player. As a result, I am forced to use the composite cable for the Wii. This means a difference of seeing your gaming in 480p vs the crappy 480i. The difference visually is astounding.

I know I can get an A/V component switcher, but space is limited and it burns my britches that I might have to buy something given that a firmware/software update from Nintendo could enable DVD playback.

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I use my HD DVD player. Nothing else. If that did fail, I have my 360. IF that failed, I have another DVD player. If that fails, we have a 200 disc DVD changer in the living room. If that fails, we have another DVD player in the living room.

Be prepaaaaaaaaaaaaared!

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Absolutely not. Every TV I've ever had the Wii connected to already had at least a standard DVD player and most often an up-convert DVD player connected and ready to go.

The only thing I feel the Wii needs is USB storage and being able to play VC games directly off SD/USB.

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my dvd player now plays all regions, xvid, divx, and almost any type of file. if the wii played all that, id use it, if it just plays dvds, i wouldnt.

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Nope. That's what my PS2 and Mac Pro are for!

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Since the hack proved we could have a DVD player in our Wii I suspect we will get one. First it will be free for a short period of time then it will go up as a $$ channel.

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Any form of media playback would be great. It's a bit pointless fantasising about DVD playback as it's probably not coming.

BUT I do think that Nintendo should release a media streaming app for the wii and sell it in the WiiWare channel. Allow it to connect to networked PCs and Macs and stream media off that, it's already very wifi friendly. (They should also do it in the style of Play Yan, that man on the steps rocked!)

Media streaming was the only reason we used the xbox306 in our house, I sold it last week and now I'm really missing the feature!

So yeah, a streaming network version of Play Yan on WiiWare please Nintendo. Thanks, love you.

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Originally I didn't, as I've got a DVD player downstairs on my nice flat-panel, but when the wife wants to watch TV downstairs, I move the Wii upstairs...and I don't have a DVD player up there. It'd be nice to have one along! Also, having experienced this, I can imagine wanting to go on vacation and taking the Wii along...and it'd be nice to have a DVD player included so I wouldn't have to take two pieces of hardware.

It really isn't a big deal, but over the past few months, I've found a reason or two to have DVD capabilities enabled...

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Well, I already have 5 DVD players....the lack of DVD playback on the Wii does not bother me at all...expecially since it is sitting right next to a DVD player on the shelf.

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No. I have a PS2. DVD stand-alone, and 3 PC's with DVD players. Only ones that get used are the stand-alone and laptop.

Wii without DVD is no big deal. I bought it to play games not watch movies.

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Yeah, they should have included a DVD player, I would have gotten rid of my standalone DVD player for it. Especially as a family system, a lot of the purchasers are not tech-geeks or hardcore gamers with 10 systems lying around.

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These days anyone can get a dvd player for little to no money, here in the uk you can pick one up as cheaply as £15 in some cases about $30. Most of us have a plethora of other dvd playback devices so why shoudl it matter having the wii to play dvd's in some circumstances it coudl be advatagious as many people have pointed out above (another i heard of was a guy who went on holiday and had to take a dvd player and his wii when if the wii could play dvd's he would just have to take the wii).

But overall no it really dosnt mater it would be nice to have the ability to do it but its not high on everyones list. Although the fact that it could (newer ones) through a firmware update will bother alot of people perhpas it is a nice xmas present in waiting from nintendo!?!?!?

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I wish the Wii could play DVDs. I mean, it is about the same size as the smallest DVD players. I could save a lot of space and wires if I just had a Wii instead of Wii + DVD player. Or I'd have an open spot for my Dreamcast. Plus the Wiimote would of course be a perfect remote control, albeit lacking a couple buttons.

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I could care less about a regular DVD player being included with the Wii. I think both the 360 and the PS3 had good ideas including a specific, newer format for DVD's but that's a big part of why they cost so much more than a Wii. For what the Wii is for I think they did it right not including the DVD player.

Besides my DVD player uses an HDMI slot not a component slot so they don't interfere with one another.

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I dont regret it, i'm actually glad Nintendo didnt add that, the cost of the system would of been higher on release date and the fact that i already own 3 dvd players (2 dvd recorder), a playstation 2, and one on my pc.....what i dont need is another one. The other companys can learn from this. Heck, for you people who dont have one, go to walmart....there is a good one thats only 35 bucks.....thats a freakin' game right there.

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I don't really care. The only thing I have to do, though, is switch the speaker cable (and 1/8" affair) from the DVD player on the S-video input to the Wii input on component. Other than that, it's really easy, and the Wii is fully justified with the feature set it already has.

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If the wii had a dvd player i would use it, but it doesnt bother me that it isnt there.

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I don't regret it at all. I bought Wii to play games. But, it would be nice if it could play dvd's. That way I don't have to switch from Wii to Xbox just to watch a movie. Plus it's one less box connected to the tv, which is always very nice.

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the playback for my PS2 is horrible now. (with buzzing sounds and quality loss)

So I really wish my wii had DVD playback. I'd pay $50 for an upgrade to have it.

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It would be nice to have DVD playback, but honestly, it's 2007. Blockbuster hasn't carried videocassettes for along time and if you don't have a DVD player yet, you probably aren't interested in buying one.

I already have a dvd player, so it really doesn't matter to me.

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Hot Fuzz FTMFW, that's all I got to say.

Oh, and no, I really couldn't give a shit less that I have to use one of the other EIGHT DVD players in my apartment...

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Not before, but right now a little bit, yea. My DVD player just broke down. It's still functional, but it's not good. Have to pull the disc tray out by hand, and push it in by hand. Gets caught somehow or other. Either way, would be nice to take it out of the setup, and just have the one set of component cables from the Wii used for DVD playback too. Freeing space and removing clutter is always nice, but I'm gonna buy another $20-30 player, or just use my old PS2 for it...

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I wish the Wii had DVD playback, but the picture quality has to be way better than the photo viewer.

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My Wii is modded it allows DVD playback. Honestly with high cross region compatability and a plethora of other features there is no real reason not to mod your wii.

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I wish the Wii did have DVD playback capability.

Like many others here, I own multiple DVD players (two standalone, a portable one, and my PS2). However, I have found myself packing up my Wii for vacation trips to my parents, family, and getaways. It would be nice if the Wii included DVD playback so I would not need to carry extra equipment with me.

On a side note, Buy.com sells a very nice aluminum case to carry your Wii around in with remotes, nunchuks, and games. Just putting in a plug for it as a travel companion because it's REALLY nice even though it doesn't offer a lock. I've been using it for a couple of trips and I really like it. Looks scarily like some kind of CIA suitcase bomb or something though, so I'm not sure how flying with it with go at Thanksgiving.

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I would like the wii to be a dvd player, but its not going to kill me if it doesnt. There are two tvs in the house that are actually being used, and both have a dvd player connected to them already, but I would appreciate if the wii could play dvds also so that when I take it places I can toss a couple movies in my bag with it.

Gormundo, the wii can stream media as long as you have the internet channel. I have gotten mine to do so and have my computer act as its file server. Go to www.Orb.com and download its program onto the computer where you store your files.

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Man, what kind of geek are you if your TV doesn't even have enough inputs to connect a Wii *and* another progressive-scan device of some kind? Mine's got HDMI and two component inputs, not to mention all the composite and S-video hookups. And I don't even consider that remarkable nowadays. I figure (and Nintendo probably had the same thought) if you have an HDTV, it had damn well better have enough inputs to connect a Wii component cable and *something* that plays DVDs at the same time. If you don't have an HDTV, it doesn't matter all that much whether you hook up your DVD-playback device with component or S-video (no progressive scan), and if your TV has one but not the other, it's time to get a new TV.

Long story short: if skipping DVD playback saved Nintendo even a dollar per system, I'm glad they did it.

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My past experience with integrated DVD playback in game consoles have taught me that it's better to just have a seperate DVD player than risk bricking your system. I've killed 2 PS2's and an XBOX, and playing DVD's in them is my prime suspect. I'd rather play it safe.

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Oh yea. And Hot Fuzz rocks.

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I'd like to have DVD playback capabilities, preferably with DivX/Xvid as well, but will live without them. However, if something was made available through the shopping channel, I'd probably get it if the price were reasonable. I thought one of the reasons Nintendo didn't bundle in playback was licensing costs for the encryption methods. Besides, they'd have to ensure it played back appropriately for regions (a whole 'nother argument there).

For me, I'm not a hardcore gamer/geek - my (only/family) TV still only has a coax connection and is mono. I have to use a converter box to hook up most devices to it. Not having to switch out cables would be convenient. Worth paying for? Maybe, but not a whole lot. I can deal with swapping cables on occasion and now have a new baby in the house that has definitely cut into my gaming time. (Not a bad thing in this case - just kind of funny that I finally get a Wii and shortly afterwards don't have as much time to play it as I used to.)

-Pete

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I wish it played DVDs but it's not really a hinderance.

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dvd + xvid playback (and network browsable shares for video) would have been a killer app.

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Yes. The only reason ?I keep my PS2 is because it plays DVDs and Guitar Hero. I have to plug my PS2 in to play DVDs in my room. If the Wii did it, it would be more convinient and free up some room.

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People actually take full size dvd players with them on vacation? For christ's sake, your on freaking vacation!!!

For the record I am perfectly fine that my Wii does not play DVDs. I much prefer a dedicated player. Though there are some good reasons people posted for wishing there was DVD playback, I'd rather Nintendo concentrated on gaming.

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"I'd pay $50 for an upgrade to have it."

You know, you can just buy a DVD player (about as small as the Wii) for about 30 bucks.

Hasn't been an issue for me as I have plenty of devices to play DVD's and I rather not have to swap out the game disc of whatever game I'm working on that week. I suppose for someone just getting out on their own or going to college or something it might be good to have more functionality. You could just buy a Wii and a TV and be set.

...Of course most teenagers are spoiled these days and have a TV, computer, and five game systems in their bedroom anyways.

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Yes, I've wished that my Wii could play DVDs.

I use my Xbox to play my DVDs, but it'd be just a little more convenient if the Wii could as well. Not a huge deal, but it'd be nice. Especially since I don't have wi-fi access so I can't really take advantage of many of the Wii's channels features.

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I've only regretted it recently, when my DVD player for the room I play the Wii in died. Until I get a new one, I've just been going to watch my movies in another room. However, depending on noise (outside or whatever) and if someone is in that room, it can get annoying. It would be cool if they included a DVD player, but it's no huge deal for me.

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I kinda wish it was, but only on the instances where my parents and i want to watch a DVD on the same night (very, very rarely)

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there are already 4 dvd players in my house and the one in my room has divx so i couldn't care about dvd playback on my wii

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yes but only because my tv only has one component cable input so i have to switch from wii to ps3 to watch dvds, but ive been playing ps3 more nowadays anyway

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Let me sum this up:

- some people would like for the Wii to play DVDs, but few are willing to pay for the feature

- those who want the feature either 1) move the Wii a lot and want it for simplicity or 2) don't have enough inputs on their TV to have a Wii and standalone DVD (plus other systems/components)

- the majority have no love-loss for the DVD-lacking Wii because they have numerous other pieces of hardware that already do the job, probably better than the Wii ever could

So, based on this sampling - which is fairly standard of what is said every time this is discussed - Nintendo should have implemented DVD playback only if it did not add to the price of the console. They should now release a periph (dongle) or a software patch to allow for playback, charging an appropriate price for the privilege.

...meh...

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Sometimes, when I have to unplug the Wii to plug in the DVD player (damn you guys who have the option of putting the DVD on component and Wii on composite, I only have one set of component inputs you insensitive clod! lol) but mostly I don't care since I don't watch DVDs.

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