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Nintendo Wii to Get Netflix Streaming… in HD?

Posted on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 by Brendon Connelly

netflix_wii

Forget all of that I’m a Mac, I’m a PC business, not to mention rivalry between Beatles and Stones or Betty and Veronica, I’ve most often been caught up in a scrap between Nintendo and their rivals. For the record, I’m very much on the side of Nintendo and love my Wii dearly. At least as far as I’m concerned then, the following is incredible news.

Netflix on demand is coming to the Wii, as it has for the PS3, the X-Box 360 and a number of Blu-Ray players. Brilliantly, the Wii is going to HD support as well, the better to screen your VOD choices (and, I assume give Super Mario Galaxy 2 a little something that part 1 didn’t have).

There’s no official confirmation as yet but the very dependable Business of Video have the scoop and have also received some images showing a prototype of the service undergoing testing. They don’t name their source,  or share the images, but their trust in the info is very encouraging to me.

Apparently, Netflix could be in a position to unleash the service before the end of the year but “Nintendo is also considering holding off on the Netflix service until they release their next generation Wii HD unit in early 2010″.

Whether this is a second Wii, a Wii HD, or some kind of plug-in expansion isn’t clear, though both are possible. So why haven’t we heard of this Wii HD before? Well, there have been rumours, and I don’t imagine Nintendo would want them to gain too much traction before the holiday season, when they’ll be hoping to shift as many Wii units as possible.

They’ve been pretty good at springing sudden launches, with the expanded DSi LL coming out of nowhere to give their best-selling handheld a surprise visual upgrade. Why wouldn’t such a shock launch for a souped-up Wii be a possibility?

Despite Wii HD sounding like a new console I’m feeling, actually, that they go for some kind of expansion unit, a video chip or co-processor of some kind in a little dongle. They could sell an easy little upgrade to a huge amount of Wii owners, but would find it very hard to get those sort of numbers to go for an entire new unit. That’s only my guess, though and time will tell.

The Wii installed user base is huge, and just about every unit will be plugged right into a TV set, so I’m thinking this might just be the biggest boost to the advance of streaming video we’ve seen since the invention of YouTube.

Via Edge Online.

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  • Rusty Cuyler
    Considering the games still look like last generations generic platformers the Wii is still a piece of shit. HD streaming or not.
  • lipslikeasukal
    No, you're a piece of shit.

    Err-- Sorry, reflex. You see I know the Wii sucks all sorts of balls, but not for the reason you stated. It's a piece of donkey-poo because it's games drip digital diarrhea. Maybe if Nintendo gets that NetFlix support, I could dust off my Wii and watch some random selection of VOD movies.
  • Dexter
    Nintendo hasn't had good third party support since the Snes ages, if you buy a Wii, you buy it for the first party support. You should know this going in. The first party software has been great. Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros Brawl, New Super Mario Bros Wii, Twilight Princess etc.
  • Mike
    Rare + N64 = You're incorrect.
  • TheoWelles
    @Mike, Rare was owned by Nintendo (50% stake), so they were in fact a '2nd' party. But since they were published by Nintendo, I'd more lean towards them being a first party. So it is you sir, who is incorrect.

    And adding into this... I think Nintendo could have done more First party support for the Wii. With the amount of cash coming in, I would have hopped they expanded their game development roster so that it actually is eclipsing the first party support for the Gamecube (which was great, third party sucked badly).
  • dagreenman18
    Oh you and your silly fanboyisms.
  • Serris
    This isn't GameFAQs, nobody cares.
  • BrendonConnelly
    Judging games by what they look like is missing the point somewhat, isn't it?
  • Rusty Cuyler
    Implying the mediocre waggle gameplay makes up for the shitty visuals. Haha oh wow.
  • BrendonConnelly
    "mediocre waggle gameplay" - I guess you don't actually know about the better Wii games and have come to some kind of ill-informed blanket judgment. Your bias is lound and clear.
  • yafortier
    I need Netflix in Canada. How can I put pressure on this damn company?
  • tim
    you can't. just sit back and enjoy some japanese magic.
  • Corey_J
    I hear you there, my Canucklehead brother...
    If they ever introduct Netflix up here in the great white north, I'd sign up first day.
  • Are people really going to care if Wii Fit or Wii Sports are rendered in HD?
  • I wasn't supposed to say anything, but Wii has always supported HD... just blow on the disc and into the disc drive to activate :P
  • cambion
    Dongle. That is all.
  • I think it's extremely unlikely that Netflix Watch Instantly will come out for the current generation Wii console. VOD is processor intensive (to save bandwidth the video stream data is compressed, which results in the processor usage).

    If you want to see what NetFlix WI on the Wii might look like today, checkout YouTube with the Wii Internet Channel (which runs a version of Opera), the quality is atrocious and barely acceptable for watching short clips, nevermind feature length movies.

    Further complicating things is that NetFlix Watch Instantly technology is built upon Microsoft's Silverlight technology which would need to be ported to the Wii, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.

    Minor self promotion: if you're interested in this kind of thing, we're starting a blog called Kill The Cable at http://www.killthecable.com

    Thanks,

    Mike
  • Guest
    "Further complicating things is that NetFlix Watch Instantly technology is built upon Microsoft's Silverlight technology which would need to be ported to the Wii"

    I don't think the Netflix instant watch on the PS3 uses Silverlight. Netflix only recently switched to Silverlight and has no obligation to use it on other devices.

    There is indeed a prototype for Netflix instant view on the current Wii (it's not Silverlight either). However Nintendo and Netflix are working out whether or not there will be Netflix for the current Wii models or just the upcoming Wii HD model.
  • BrendonConnelly
    We have BBC iPlayer on the Wii in the UK and the standard is MUCH better than what you're describing. I wonder why that is...?
  • Guest
    Mike is misinformed. The Netflix instant view on Wii is reportedly pretty good. It will require a separate disc just as the PS3 does (if Netflix and Nintendo decide to proceed...)
  • Soundwave_17
    I have one Invitation left for Anyclip.com Beta, if anyone would like to try out anyclip Dm me on Twitter with ur email & I'll send out the invitation.
  • Harmen
    First time i'm replying here Brendon but don't count on this to be true.
    First of all, HD would go against Nintendo's complete strategy this generation and would split their userbase in two. The reason they've gone with multiple version's of the DS is because none of those version's had a significant hardware upgrade and not even a visual upgrade(the DSi LL doesn't have any better resolution from what I've read).

    Nintendo left HD out of the Wii for the reason that it would drive cost's up and would force them to produce a console at a loss. Not to mention they did not expect HD adoption to be the next big thing. Seeing as that overall HD adoption is still lacking and that they would need to shift their complete line-up towards development of a Wii HD would make it very unlikely that there is one such console in development. It would also up development cost of all of their games and would cause those games to be developed for both Wii and Wii HD. Not to mention that they would also need to send out new development kits. Seeing as that last E3, Nintendo unveiled a new pheripheral would only support this. Why the hell unveil a new pheripheral for your current platform if you have a complete new platform in the works?

    Again, it goes against their entire strategy this generation. One of which would include producing a console that can be produced in mass production at a cheap price. In other words a disruptive strategy. One in which a HD component would be a sustaining one and would only skyrocket costs.

    Even more bizarre is the fact that Nintendo already have their own video channel called Wii-no-ma which has been confirmed numerous times to be coming over here. Why the hell give a competitor a head start on that?
  • Tetsuo_Man
    The secret reason there are multiple versions of the DS (and this also includes the PSP) is because of piracy. New versions may include a new camera or larger screens, but it's the insides that are slightly different that are the main factor that Nintendo cares about most (and money).

    Wii HD is still years off, and by that time Nintendo will have raised enough money to pay for a ton of video game geniuses to think up the next generation's "thing".
  • BrendonConnelly
    Recent interviews have seen various Nintendo personnel dropping HD hints left, right and centre.
  • Harmen
    And by various personnel you mean people like Iwata and Miyamoto who've said that HD will be a feature but not the big component of their next console? A Wii HD would suggest otherwise no? The small little hints Miyamoto has been dropping about HD have so far been aimed in a *new console* direction. Not in the direction of the Wii itself.

    HD will become a standard and yes Nintendo will adapt. But not with a Wii HD and certainly not in 2010. Nintendo is well known to be cautious with adding cost and adding HD would drive up the cost considerably.

    And to Tetsuo_man: Again, when analysing the strategy behind the DS, we see a clear cut Blue Ocean strategy. The DSLite, DSi and now the DSi LL fit that mould way better than the piracy story seeing as that the DSlite didn't have any significant piracy protection and the DSi LL also doesn't have any better protection than the DSi. The only real indication of Nintendo battling piracy is the DSi but piracy so far has certainly not been the big reason why Nintendo has had 4 iterations of the DS. It just doesn't fit.
  • starscream9289
    Wii?

    Oh right, that little white thing collecting dust in my closet.

    I haven't touched it ever since I got bored of SSBB.
  • I haven't enjoyed Wii much beyond the Wii Sports games, and they get rather dull after a day or two. I'd sooner Netflix with Xbox.
  • Ashitaka
    I'm on Nintendo's side too, but my main gripe with them is their lack of new IPs and their recycling of the Mario, Zelda, Metroid properties. I think Pikmin was Mr. Miyamoto's most recent new IP, and I loved the game - they just need to channel their creative genius into new games to attract new generations. My biggest fear is that Wii will cause an Atari-like crash of the videogame market. Third parties, stop cashing in on wiggle-waggle gimmicks!
  • technically his latest IP was Nintendogs, believe it or not - but yeah I totally agree!
  • Ashitaka
    Damn, that's just sad. He's reminding me of George Lucas, recycling the same properties. Except Miyamoto >>> Lucas
  • Dexter
    Well actually it's the Wii series, Wii fit, Wii Sports, Wii Music (sigh) etc.
  • Gomer
    I've had a Wii since launch day (I waited in line at Target overnight like a nerd). Zelda and Mario Galaxy were amazing. After that it turned into a system that my parents enjoy playing. That is because of generic stupid unchallenging gimmicky games.

    I haven't turned it on in about 8 months. It just sits there next to my PS3, as a reminder of wasted money. And the last time I turned it on 8 months ago, I was drunk and wanted to play Wii Bowling. So I barely even remember playing it.
  • "For the record, I’m very much on the side of Nintendo and love my Wii dearly."
    Stopped reading after that...
  • fanboy_d
    Gamecube was still better. Hell, Dreamcast was better.
  • Dexter
    The Dreamcast is widely regarded as one of the best consoles ever made, so what are you trying to get at?
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