Japan To Get Wii With DVD Player 73
cdneng2 writes "Gamesindustry.biz reports that Japan will be getting a Wii with a DVD player. Unfortunately, there are no plans to release this in US or Europe." From the article: "An article in the latest issue of Edge magazine states that an 'enhanced' Wii with DVD function is due out in Japan some time next year. Speaking to GI.biz, a spokesperson declined to comment on when the new machine will hit the shops, but did confirm, 'There are currently plans to release a version of Wii in Japan featuring DVD playback.' ... The Edge article also claimed that CNN has already signed up to provide content for the Wii news channel in the US and Japan - but according to Nintendo's spokesperson, 'We have currently announced no deals with any news or weather service provider for Wii channels.'"
Not available in the US? (Score:5, Funny)
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You see, the joke is, Lik-Sang just went out of business...
joke
----
you
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I'm half expecting to hear Mario say "Wheeeeeee!" when you turn on the Wii.
Unfortunately? (Score:1)
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On the other hand, if they buy a Wii, they can throw away their DVD player, and put the Wii where the DVD player used to be, and thus they don't have to care about extra space.
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It was the Same with the Gamecube. Nintendo released a version of the Gamecube with Panasonic called the "Q" that could play DVD movies. Just because something makes sense in Japan doesn't mean it makes sense everywhere else in the world. There is actually reasoning behind not releasing those types
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Unfortunately, Nintendo butchered my dream of having a remote control for my gaming console/DVD player...
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Because with console based dvd players, you're going to get one or more of the following:
a) bad GUI
b) bad remote controller setup (unless you shell out almost enough extra cash to by a compact dvd player)
c) inferior playback quality
d) less hackability (region free, PAL->NTSC, etc.)
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At least in the US. I think releasing it in Japan has more to do with the fact that the Japanese will buy just about any new piece of technology, just to keep up with the Joneses. Well, whoever the "Joneses" are in Japanese...
Because... (Score:2)
My DVD player is code-free, plays DIVX movies and has an HDMI out.
So I couldn't possibly care less about whether the PS2 plays DVDs or not - its DVD features are useless to me. They were nice when DVD players cost a fortune. Nowadays, you can buy a DVD player that does more than the PS2 DVD feature for 30 bucks.
Yawn (Score:2)
and? (Score:3, Informative)
(FP!)
I think I'll be waiting a bit (Score:1)
nte
That being said, why wasn't this originally included? It makes perfect sense, given t
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Typos are fun! (Score:5, Funny)
I bet Nintendo will release this in Nintendo and Europe as well
Maybe, but you won't get many takers for your prediction that Nintendo will take over the United States and rename it Nintendo.
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Why? From where I sit, I can see six devices capable of playing DVD movies. With the current saturation, what would be the point in introducing such a feature beyond novelty? How have sales of the GameQ been compared to the vanilla GameCube?
"along with some other modest hardware improvements, such as a hard drive or maybe some more flash memory"
What you would suggest forks the platform and breaks the console model entirely. If shop
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NOA's november surprise? (Score:2)
Re:I heard a rumor... (Score:2)
The price will drop to $199 (much like the N64 did right before launch)
It will include Wii Play in the box (along with Wii Sports)
It will have DVD functionality (not like this couldn't be added through software later)
There will be free Virtual Console games for those early adopters (much like free Opera)
The Wii-mote will have a microphone in it and you can use the console for VoIP
These are all very good and l
Re:I heard a rumor... from the space aliens (Score:1)
Unlikely, Nintendo actually makes a profit on their consoles, which is why the games are cheaper.
It will include Wii Play in the box (along with Wii Sports)
Some stores will bundle it, but if you buy an extra Wii-mote you get Wii Play with it.
It will have DVD functionality (not like this couldn't be added through software later)
In Japan. Probably HD-DVD in the US, but not until probably Oct 2007.
There will be free Virtual Console games f
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You're assuming Nintendo can't make a profit at $199 for a Wii. For all we know, it costs Nintendo $100 to build a Wii.
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Thank you Nintendo (Score:2)
1 7-disc player
1 DIVX dvd player
1 PS2
-and-
1 XBOX
Wow, I never thought about it until now, but I could play Zaireeka [wikipedia.org] in my livingroom!
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I can only guess it was the negative feedback about the lack of it that made them reconsider.
reading it elsewhere doesn't mean it's true (Score:2)
Zonk to Publish Rumor as Fact on Games.Slashdot.Org.
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Maybe US will get Wii with HD-DVD instead? (Score:2, Interesting)
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I guess I'm not getting HD out of my cable box. Weird, cause my TV says it's receiving a 1080i input.
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Good point. Most US HDTV sets that will be in the $300 range (usual price point for consumers) probably will only be 720p, although a few might be 1080p, depending on screen size. In three years that might be different, bu
Same as Gamecube (Score:2)
Separate console? (Score:1)
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Great remote (Score:2)
I want one!
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And then you drop your remote, and it bounces around on the floor, and your Wii has fast forwarded/reversed/skipscened so you have no clue where you are in the movie!
Small hint: Buttons are a great thing. They don't rely on being held steady to function properly.
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I was talking about pressing a button and holding it. So instead of, for example, pressing FF once for 2x, twice for 4x, etc., and play (or FF/RW a couple more times) to resume play, you just hold the FF/RW button and tilt the controller however fast and far you want to go. If you drop it then you are no longer holding the button, and it stops the FF/RW.
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So what? (Score:2)
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Avel Link Player 2 (Score:2)
DVD players everywhere you look (Score:1)
Boom (Score:2)
?? You mean it didn't have a dvd player before? (Score:1)