Are you looking forward to getting your HD-DVD drive on your Xbox 360? How about that newfangled Blu-Ray in the shiny new Foreman Gr..err, PS3? Well, get ready, because this will just blow your hair back. Coming in the second half of 2007, the Wii will have support to play DVDs. Uhh, wow?
The console was originally scheduled to sell with the feature, which has been a basic staple of the industry for quite some time. However, due to the cost of licensing DVD playback capability, Nintendo opted to cancel the feature. According to the company, it was an unnecessary cost for a feature that most people had in a stand-alone player already.
Now, it appears that Ninty's doubled back. A press release from the company that claimed to be a parts manufacturer for the deal listed that Nintendo was indeed going to make a DVD-enabled version some time in 2007 for release in Japan. Now, it appears confirmed by Nintendo of America, who also said that a North American version of the console would be released at roughly the same time.
The DVD playback enabled version of the console will retail for more than the $249 of the non-enabled player, though an official price has not been determined. Nintendo is sticking to its guns that the feature costs more and that was why it wasn't implemented earlier. Unfortunately for those who buy the console before this release, it cannot be upgraded to DVD playback. Though it is a software issue, Ninty claims that it "requires more than a firmware upgrade."
So for everyone who said that they weren't buying a Wii because of that pesky DVD playback, your excuses will come to an end in about a year. Got a thought on this? Do you use your primary console enough as a DVD player that this was a genuine issue for you? Let us know in our forums.
The console was originally scheduled to sell with the feature, which has been a basic staple of the industry for quite some time. However, due to the cost of licensing DVD playback capability, Nintendo opted to cancel the feature. According to the company, it was an unnecessary cost for a feature that most people had in a stand-alone player already.
Now, it appears that Ninty's doubled back. A press release from the company that claimed to be a parts manufacturer for the deal listed that Nintendo was indeed going to make a DVD-enabled version some time in 2007 for release in Japan. Now, it appears confirmed by Nintendo of America, who also said that a North American version of the console would be released at roughly the same time.
The DVD playback enabled version of the console will retail for more than the $249 of the non-enabled player, though an official price has not been determined. Nintendo is sticking to its guns that the feature costs more and that was why it wasn't implemented earlier. Unfortunately for those who buy the console before this release, it cannot be upgraded to DVD playback. Though it is a software issue, Ninty claims that it "requires more than a firmware upgrade."
So for everyone who said that they weren't buying a Wii because of that pesky DVD playback, your excuses will come to an end in about a year. Got a thought on this? Do you use your primary console enough as a DVD player that this was a genuine issue for you? Let us know in our forums.
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