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Japan To Get Wii With DVD Player 73

Posted by Zonk from the dvdwiiiiiii dept.
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.'"
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Japan To Get Wii With DVD Player More

Japan To Get Wii With DVD Player

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  • Not available in the US? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Sexc0w ( 195116 ) on Tuesday October 31, 2006 @01:54PM (#16660877)
    Oh well, I guess I can just get one from Lik-Sang. Oh wait...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Nazmun ( 590998 )
      And pay $100 more dollars for it then it would have cost locally.... uh no thanks.

      • You see, the joke is, Lik-Sang just went out of business...


        joke
        ----
        you

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Nazmun ( 590998 )
          Doesn't matter, some moron down the road will think on top of it being a joke it was actually feasible at one time.
  • I don't get the big deal. The PS2 having a dvd player was a big deal when dvd was new. Nowadays, you can and probably already have gotten a dvd player for about the price of a dvd. There's just no point in shoving one into a game console that doesn't need DVD already.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by HappySqurriel ( 1010623 )
      If you've seen a bachelor "Appartment" in a major city in Japan(picture a walk in closet) you'd understand why this might be an issue for some people.
      • I know what you're talking about. But considering the Japanese technophilia, most Japanese will probably also have a portable dvd player and a laptop that plays dvds by this point.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by nigel_q ( 523775 )
        It's not an issue - if they wanted a DVD player, they'd already have it. If they don't have it by now, they don't need it. That said, the wacky arm flailing antics of Wii probably wouldn't work in a 4.5 mat apartment regardless.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by ozamosi ( 615254 )
          Maybe not.

          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.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by twistedsymphony ( 956982 )
      That's exactly the reason it's only being released in Japan, space is at a premium and if they've got a stand alone DVD player, or a PS2, they might consider getting rid of those devices to make room for a Wii.

      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

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hkmwbz ( 531650 )
      The thing is, I don't want a separate DVD player. It takes up space, so I use my game consoles for DVDs instead. Why buy a separate DVD player when my console can do it already?

      Unfortunately, Nintendo butchered my dream of having a remote control for my gaming console/DVD player...

      • Why buy a separate DVD player when my console can do it already?

        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.)

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by hkmwbz ( 531650 )
          The point is, I don't care. I mostly view movies from my hard drive, and the DVD movies I do play directly are the right region anyway.
          • The point is, you're an anomaly. ;)

            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...
      • Why buy a separate DVD player when my console can do it already?

        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)

    by rlp ( 11898 )
    I plan to get a Wii. But, given that I already have three DVD players (two are burners) already connected to my TV, I'm not that interested in another one. I suspect that most people that want a DVD already have one. However, I can see why they would market this in Japan. Given the premium on space in Japanese households combining two devices into one might be attractive (assuming they don't already own an Xbox, PS/[2|3]).

  • and? (Score:3, Informative)

    by Hes Nikke ( 237581 ) on Tuesday October 31, 2006 @01:56PM (#16660907) Journal
    that sounds kinda familiar.... i just can't place it [wikipedia.org]

    (FP!)
  • I bet Nintendo will release this in Nintendo and Europe as well, about a year and a half or so after launch, along with some other modest hardware improvements, such as a hard drive or maybe some more flash memory. I have a 360 to tide me over until then, and there's nothing at launch (since I can get Zelda for my Gamecube) that I desperately need. I got burned with the DS Lite; wanna make sure that doesn't happen again.
    nte
    That being said, why wasn't this originally included? It makes perfect sense, given t
    • I think it's a simple software thing to add DVD playback, after all, the Wii can already read DVDs, it just needs the player software and decoder etc, just purchase it from the Nintendo WiFi store, like Opera will be in 6 months, and just select DVD playback from the wii channel menu.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Vokkyt ( 739289 )
        Even if Nintendo does not opt to release a movie DVD option for the Wii, would it be all that difficult to scrap together a software decoder for it once it's out?

    • Typos are fun! (Score:5, Funny)

      by Quiet_Desperation ( 858215 ) on Tuesday October 31, 2006 @02:33PM (#16661645)

      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.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Guppy06 ( 410832 )
      "I bet Nintendo will release this in [North America] and Europe as well,"

      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
      • Imports- when I get back to the States I'll want to have something that plays the Region 2 DVDs I picked up (I don't always buy pirated stuff despite living in China- I import because there are no local movies I want to watch, and while I have a multi-region DVD player, it's 220V and I don't know where to get a RELIABLE 220->110V converter). A DVD-capable Wii imported from Japan would be great (I know enough Japanese so if it's region-locked it won't be a problem- that or I get a modchip) to fill that pu
      • The Serial port in the PSone and the HardDrive for the PS2 enabled easy Pirating of Games and may have contributed to their removal.
  • I'd heard a rumor that NOA had one last surprise announcement to make about the Wii's features. Most people on that thread thought it would be that Wii Play was bundled, but perhaps the recent rise in the dollar against the Yen means that Nintendo can add in DVD functionality and not change the price. Of course, they could simply lower the price, but they're not really in a position where they can make more than they can sell right now. You can lower the price at any time, but with a console, you only get o
    • The console is less than a month away (at least here in the states) and the rumors are still flying.

      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
      • The price will drop to $199 (much like the N64 did right before launch)

        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

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by vega80 ( 852274 )
          Unlikely, Nintendo actually makes a profit on their consoles.

          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.

        • Recall that when asked about price this summer, they stated that the price of the dollar had slid, so they priced the Wii accordingly. Since that time, the dollar has become about five to ten percent stronger against the Yen. If the price point currently known was made assuming no significant changes in the dollar's value, it's possible they could drop the price and still make a profit. Whether they want to is another story. Like I said, you can drop the price any time, but adding new features is hard. I wo
  • For not charging me for things I don't need. While I doubt the licensing fee and software price per unit is negligible at this point, let me count how many DVD players I have connected to my tv right now:
    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!
    • Unless your audio receiver/amplifier will let you play four inputs simultaneously, you're probably better off just downloading one of the pre-mixed versions of it. Even then, it's not that great. It was a nice concept though...
    • So you spent the extra 24.99 to make your XBOX into a DVD movie player?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ProppaT ( 557551 )
        Actually, I spent the extra $2.99 for a used one, but point taken. I'd forgotten about the xbox not being an "out of box" dvd player.
    • So you live in Japan *and* you're planning to buy the premium version with DVD player as opposed to the regular one... Your sarcastic response sounds like hyperbole to me.
    • Actually it's Nintendo who originally said the Wii will not have DVD playback, to reduce costs/price.
      I can only guess it was the negative feedback about the lack of it that made them reconsider.

  • Zonk to Publish Rumor as Fact on Games.Slashdot.Org.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by radish ( 98371 )
      You obviously missed the part where a Nintendo spokesperson confirmed the "rumor". It's right there in the summary.
  • It's possible that there may be plans to release a combo Wii with a more capable HD-DVD player and they're holding off until the format wars are over and Sony's Blu-Ray loses.
  • It'll probably go over about as well as that Panasonic Gamesube that played DVD's. Too expensive, not worth the effort.
  • Why can't they just make DVD playback functionality a download, similar to the Opera browser? I can't imagine why they'd need extra hardware to play back DVDs, even considering decrypting CSS. This way anyone that wants DVD playback on their Wii can get it. Who knows, maybe Nintendo will include such download functionality later on down the road in a Wii update.
    • Well, if the Wii is anything like the Gamecube (which I suspect is highly likely) then it will spin discs backwards (backwards being the opposite of the standard way DVDs are read). If this is the case, it very well may be a hardware limitation where they only have it spinning that one way, it would a different rotor? (not sure of the right word here) with the capability to spin either way, and it'd also need the ability to detect when it needed to spin 'the other way'.
  • This would be cool with the wiimote. Press a button for FF/RW and tilt your controller to make it go faster or slower in either direction. In another mode you could zip through scenes by moving the controller back and forth, and increase/decrease the volume by moving/pointing the controller up or down. And of course you just point the controller at the menu selections you want.

    I want one!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Moryath ( 553296 )
      Yeah!

      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.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Quila ( 201335 )
        Small hint: Buttons are a great thing. They don't rely on being held steady to function properly.

        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.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by ClamIAm ( 926466 )
      I think the porn industry could think of some innovative new uses for a controller with that shape...
  • How many here have been holding off on getting a DVD player, waiting for it to come bundled with just the right game console? That's right, nobody. Everyone already has a DVD player if they want it.
    • I have been. My PS2 is starting to die, and need a new DVD player. My g/f been annoying me about getting a Wii, I figured - yeah perfect timing I need a new DVD player. But stuff that now.
      • Starting to die? Lucky you. I dated a girl who was on her THIRD PS2. Sony's inflated sales numbers, INDEED!
  • I sometimes get behind the tech curve. Back in 2002 I was interested in getting a "next gen" game system. One of the benefits to this was being able to play DVD movies. So instantly the GameCube was out of the running. The other factor was that I wanted Halo, so you know what my decision ended up being. Back then it was a deal breaker for me. DVDs had only been out 4 or 5 years and were still the new exciting technology. Well if you are anything like me, these days you have a standalone DVD player, a
  • Why not offer DVD functionality in their little built-in store where you can buy Opera, etc.? The drive is there, it is just an issue of the licensing fees (PS2 ate DVD licensing fees on every unit sold, even though many (most?) didn't wind up being used as DVD players. On the other hand, Microsoft kept these fees separate by including the software on the little dongle that came with the $30 remote (a good chunk of that $30 was for the license)).
  • Huh. That would explain the price of the thing.

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