If you're holding out for the day when you can play DVDs on your Wii, you may be waiting a really, really long time. We told you that DVD playback on the Wii was coming this year, but we lied. Okay, we didn't lie, Nintendo did.This feature was suppose to arrive in Japan by the end of this year, but it has now been pushed back to 2008. As for the US and Europe? We're not even mentioned in these plans, so don't hold your breath. Instead, Nintendo plans to focus its energy on meeting global demand for the console.
At this point, you probably have another method of DVD playback, whether it's another system or a standard DVD player. We know we do, so it's hard to get too riled up by this news. Still, some of you minimalists might be pretty disappointed. Different strokes for different folks, we guess.
[Via Aussie-Nintendo]













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-09-2007 @ 12:10AM
Just_a_guy said...
man... I have let's see 13 DVD players.... why would I need another?
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11-09-2007 @ 12:23AM
troy said...
Send me an IDE cable and then I will have a DVD player permanently hooked up to my tv. Otherwise its a choice between my harddrive with my music or the DVD drive that I only use every so often.
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11-09-2007 @ 12:27AM
Don Gato said...
I don't think I need another dvd player. Never watch dvds anyway, movie theater is much better
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11-09-2007 @ 12:37AM
shinneri said...
I don't get why this can't just be done with software (a DVD Channel you buy from WiiWare). Answer, anyone?
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11-09-2007 @ 1:10AM
Cyan09 said...
I hope they will just do this with software and let me pay whatever for it as a download. I know for most people this feature isn't a big deal, but as a poor college student I would much appreciate a WiiVD player. My college house got broken into last Christmas and they stole my DVD player and surround system. Luckily, I had my Wii with me for the Holidays. Since I have been slowly piecing back together my surround system, I haven't had extra cash for a nice DVD player, and I might just hold out for cheaper HD players anyway. In the meantime though, I had to break out the ps2 I bought in 2001 for playing my DVDs, and I know its just a matter of time before the laser eats itself. In short, DVD on Wii is good for me.
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11-09-2007 @ 1:11AM
d000000d said...
(for the channel idea) The software would be huge and it would need to reconfigure all of the wii's internal settings for it to be compatible with DVDs. And theres also the fact that nintendo needs to work around the piracy thing. If they put in a DVD player, they might as well be opening the door to hackless piracy gaming. :/ Just burn an iso to a simple DVD and BAM!
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11-09-2007 @ 1:21AM
LeChuck said...
I'd appreciate DVD being added to Wii. The only DVD player I have is my PS2 and fact I use it to watch DVDs more than I play games. I recently had to replace it and hopefully that won't have to happen again. I'd like to retire it when I finally acquire a Wii but I'll have to keep it around for movie viewing.
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11-09-2007 @ 2:05AM
HawthorneKitty said...
I really don't mind the absence. My family has enough DVD players as it is. Would price raise if there was a feature added on?
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11-09-2007 @ 2:21AM
B1gC72 said...
@d000000d
i think this is how they pirate games on the Wii anyway. i know somebody with a modded Wii and thats how he does it anyway. the Wii's defense mechanism is that the Wii games spin in the opposite direction a normal DVD reads. dont quote me on that but i think that's how it goes.
anyway, i have a PS3 that upscales my DVDs through HDMI, which im sure a DVD enabled Wii wouldnt be able to do. not to mention the fact that i already have 9 DVD players in my house. that being said, if Nintendo wants to put this on the backburner it's fine by me.
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11-09-2007 @ 2:48AM
SpexFox said...
I personally think Nintendo is more likely to make a DVD Wii-Ware channel. That'd make much more sense because players who don't want to buy a new console don't feel left out, but Nintendo can still make additional money off the feature. Of course it's even possible they'd include it as a firmware update. =3 Wouldn't that be a great gift?
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11-09-2007 @ 3:50AM
Almadi said...
This may damage the sales of the Virtual Console. As people who are planning for a DVD enabled Wii don't want to waste Wii points on a system they plan on selling later for the new model.
Ironically, a DVD enabled Wii would fit nicely with the Virtual Console theme since Bluray and HD-DVD are taking over.
What I really want is the ability to play Saturn and Dreamcast CDs on the Wii.
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11-09-2007 @ 5:47AM
ALH said...
Blurry assed DVD poorly upscaled through composite? nah, ill stick to my 360 or pc, thanks :p
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11-09-2007 @ 6:21AM
ssuk said...
I'm pretty OK on the whole DVD player front, I have a stand alone DVD player and an Xbox 360 to play up-scaled 720p DVD goodness... However, it would be nice for the Wii to have DVD functionaility as well, since it's small and easily portable, where as the 360 and my big-brick-of-a-DVD player isn't so portable.
I am scared though, that Nintendo will make all these amazing channels for the Wii including a DVD channel but they'll never make it over to other regions. But, I also see the DVD channel as a big exploit for hackers. Which is may be why Nintendo has pushed it back, they've gone totally ape-shit over piracy this gen, which is understandable, however I think it's gone from protecting-developer-interests to outright paranoia, which isn't healthy for anyone.
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11-09-2007 @ 6:24AM
ssuk said...
oh and @12: I don't think the Wii'll upscale, it'll play the DVD at it's native resolution. So if it's 4:3, 640x420 but stretched to fit the TV, but that's the TV's doing, not the Wiis.
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11-09-2007 @ 6:30AM
Chriv said...
First off, if nintendo were to make DVD play back for the Wii. I would most likely be a new channel.
"The software would be huge and it would need to reconfigure all of the wii's internal settings for it to be compatible with DVDs."
First off NO... Wii games are DVDs. Pirates use DVDs to burn the Wii ISOs to. Anyone who has a mod chip can watch DVD movies on the Wii already via Homebrew. It's been done. No need for reconfiguring internal settings. All they would need is a "DVD Channel" to interpret the files on the DVD.
"Blurry assed DVD poorly upscaled through composite? nah, ill stick to my 360 or pc, thanks :p"
As for you, the DVDs come out fine on the TV just like any DVD player. So no, it doesn't suck. (Though I have to agree, I'd probably watch DVDs on my PC too
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11-09-2007 @ 7:14AM
Nick said...
I would honestly rather see a movie download service than be able to play DVDs. I already have multiple DVD players in my home, so being able to play them in my Wii is really not a concern for me. However, if I could download a movie from a service of some kind and watch it then delete it when I am done with it, that would really add value to the console...
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11-09-2007 @ 7:27AM
gorecki said...
Why should Nintendo add new features to a product that is flying off the shelves faster than they can make them? There is no need to put a DVD player in the Wii.
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11-09-2007 @ 10:12AM
Jeremy said...
I have the same view as many here that if they did do DVD playback on the Wii it would just be a firmware update. The Wii already has a DVD drive in it but it is locked from movie playback. A firmware update would just unlock this feature (modchips already unlock this) allowing for DVD playback. I also doubt that hackers would exploit this if it happened if Nintendo would only allow DVD files to be read and not other formats.
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11-09-2007 @ 10:23AM
Sarah said...
I travel for my job and live in hotels, so the Wii is the perfect travel sized console. I would die and go to heaven if they added DVD playback. As it is now I'm thinking about leaving my Wii at home, because I don't really play it as much anymore and trading in my boyfriends giant PS2 for a small one and bringing it with me. It's all about getting everything in one small package when you travel as much as i do.
But I'm probably an exception, I doubt most people carry their wii around with them in a bag and are never home to watch movies on their regular dvd player. But like i said, it would make MY life easier ;).
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11-09-2007 @ 10:29AM
hvnlysoldr said...
Wii does have a component cable and can display certain games in 480p.
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11-09-2007 @ 1:32PM
tiamat1990 said...
Meh...I was pissed at first about this when they announced it two years ago but I could hardly care less anymore. They were right, it really isn't necessary.
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11-09-2007 @ 7:30PM
L said...
Ironically, my DVD player is my PS2.
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