Likely shocking no one, Nintendo has confirmed that the Wii U will not play DVD or Blu-ray movies.
Like when discussing the Wii, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says the company thinks you probably already have a device capable of playing those formats. He adds that "it didn't warrant the cost involved to build that functionality into the Wii U console because of the patents related to those technologies."
It's a fair assumption to make. You likely already do have that functionality built into a device in your living room… on another videogame console. Given that, the lack of physical video disc playback isn't a huge deal, especially since the Wii U will support Netflix and (potentially) other video streaming services.
When it comes to movies, I have a strict "no physical media" policy after two generations (VHS and then DVD) of owning now near-useless tapes and discs. I ain't mad at Nintendo. But for those who do have a soft spot for touching things and putting them on a shelf, it's a bit disappointing that the Wii U won't deliver on all fronts.
But hey, that Zelda HD experience demo at E3 has me totally jazzed!
Iwata: Wii U doesn't have DVD or Blu-ray playback capabilities [CVG]
Contest:
10:40 AM on 06.15.2011 | 
So now I have a bookshelf full of BD and only Star Wars on DVD, which is going to replaced later this year. Definitely my favorite medium for watching movies.
and netflix owns so why would i even care?
Sale man:
"Well this one you can't watch DVD's or Blu-rays on and it's a little more expensive than these two, both of which can watch DVD's and one even has a built in Blu-ray player" - You can't spin that into a positive thing.
We have so many DVD's it is insane and after destroying my 500gig HDD with ALL my movies on it, I am favoring hard copies even more.
Maybe when they drop the price and release a more attractive color.
Except that Netflix instant watch isn't comprehensive. I still regularly get discs in the mail from them because instant watch is lacking lots of films.
With Microsoft and Sony wanting to be the home media & entertainment hub, it's just so bizzare that Nintendo wants no part of being a media hub and are content to being a 2nd or 3rd device in a home entertainment center.
I don't think I ever watched a DVD on my 360. They already said the Wii U will have NetFlix, so who cares about DVD's? Nintendo doesn't need to support Blu-Ray like Sony does, because Nintendo doesn't sell us HDTV's, Blu-Ray Players, or Movies from their Movie Studio.
Hooray for old Dtoid jokes.
The Wii doesn't use DVD's... it uses DeeWiiDee's. Obviously -.-'
like anyone gives a fuck. Nintendo is not like sony and they don't have to advertise their system as a friggin dvd player(like sony did for ps3 in first several months advertising ps3 as a BD player and not actual game console).
besides Wii U uses unique disc format so dvd/bd player would just unnecessary bump up the price. not to mention that by the time Wii U will be released dvd/BD will be basically obsolete and dying formats. for the past 2 years the only DVDs/BDs i picked up were collectors editions - everything else i get digitally and considering how DVD/BD movie sections in big stores are contantly shrinking i would say it's simillar with other people too.
If I were Sony, I'd be paying Nintendo a lot of money to put Blu-Ray playback capability in the WiiU. It is likely going to sell well globally and could help usher a lot of new people to the HD format, just like the Wii held a lot of people back from adopting it sooner.
I don't quite understand Nintendo, to be honest. They claim they don't want to build a multi-purpose device that includes functionality consumers have devices for elsewhere in their home, yet they include things like video streaming (on my Xbox AND PS3), web surfing (computer(s) AND phone(s)), and the like in their console. Sort of hypocritical, no? Only thing that makes it funnier is the fact that a lot of the 3rd party games themselves will be playable on other devices in the home... potentially months before they hit the WiiU.
o_o You haven't been looking hard enough. Just a few weeks ago I was streaming Kick Ass from them. I will give you that the amount of recent titles on there is pretty dismal.
Sloth, I art thy avatar.
But it'll have Netflix so whatever.
As far as streaming is concerned, I go into Netflix knowing that we won't have recent titles available. It usually takes a few months, maybe longer, and I'm fine with that. They do have a massive streaming back catalog, which is great for those times when I just have a hankering to watch a television show or a movie I've never seen. I've more than gotten my monies worth.
I have other HD rental options available to me on both PS3 and 360, and many cable service providers offer the same thing. While the quality isn't neck-and-neck with Blu-ray, if it means I haven't spent upwards of $30 on a physical disc that is cluttering up my shelves (yes, I realize there are better deals than $30), then I'm fine with that. As broadband services get better and streaming tech improves, I suspect it won't be very long before physical media is a relic. I at least expect it in my lifetime, and I've already got enough garbage in storage as it is.
sure, it may be convenient but it isnt what i payed for
That is all.