+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted June 15, 2011 Author Subscriber² Share Posted June 15, 2011 They won't be losing anything. It's a market they never had and never targetted, so there is no loss. Moreover, the numbers have shown that people tended to buy the Wii AS WELL as another console - it was never part of the "battle", it was an "also ran" that did really well. Basically, they will lose nothing by not playing (physical) movies. We have no idea about any digital distribution systems, also... Well that's shown to simply not be enough for developers. How many people use their Wii compared to a PS3/360 nowadays? How many people ever used their Wii as often as another one of their consoles? You want to argue they won't lose anything, well they certainly won't be gaining anything. As I mentioned earlier, they've got a choice to make, whatever the price of the console when it comes out in a year, it will be vastly more expensive than a PS3/360. So do they try to at least match both consoles in functionality and then some, or just try to create the cheapest console possible, in this case by cutting or not adding functionality the others have. No. They've really not. The Wii is the "third console" in the 3-way dance of the last generation, and it never played a damned thing. Are Nintendo DROPPING DVD support? No. They never had it anyway. It's not their strategy. You seem to be quite active in the gaming forums and the voice of someone who knows the industry - but you've missed the fact that Nintendo makes gaming machines, always has - not made media players! Things change, you have to adapt. Doesn't matter what you always done in the past, the present and future are what shows what's currently important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spudtrooper Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 For launching today without dvd or bluray i know for sure i won't be buying one. With that being said, this doesn't bode well for physical media formats and i actually don't have a problem with that concept. I just don't see nintendo offering any connected media services to fill in the gap so the U still fails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Don't get me wrong. I see the Wii as a huge failure in some regards. The console sold astoundingly well, but games failed. It shipped with the most played and wanted game on the format. Big failure there for developers to cash in on. Again, I'm not saying Nintendo are necessarily right if they want to be market leaders. But they are doing what they have always done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryonhowley Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I see no reason that a game console has to be able to play back DVD or Blu-Ray. I have a Xbox 360 and PS3 that sit in there box's in a closet because I just did not play them and did not need another DVD player sitting around. I did not buy the WII but from what I seen I might get the WII U and not to play DVD's but to play games after all that is what a game console is for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wakers Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 The problem is, the world has gone through a huge recession. Some places (UK especially, parts of EU doing even worse) are not recovering at all. There will be no "second console". There will be, in many cases, just one. And people are going to look for the one that can cover everything, not the one that can only play games so that they have to go invest in a seperate dvd/blu-ray player. Furthermore, blu-ray and HDTV hasn't really taken off in this country yet. Some more tech minded people have taken it up, sure, but the digital switchover for terrestrial TV hasn't happened in half of the country yet, and won't be complete until 2013 - so Blu-Ray and HDTV in general won't hit their peak until at least that time. Regarding digital distribution - I say to you as someone who lives in Europe in a largish country - dreamland. The broadband infrastructure is so far off being viable for the majority of people to get HD quality movies through the internet (Most people won't have the speed to download it in any less than 20-48 hours) that digital distribution is pretty much this tech-geek idea that people sitting in their central London office with their multi-monitor setup and fibre optic broadband have. The ISPs have far too strict download limits and throttling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboTuna Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Fair enough. I just feel Nintendo aren't doing themselves any favours in trying to make the Wii U people's main platform of use, which is a rocky road to go down considering 3rd party development support is what keeps killing them each generation. They need to make people choose the Wii U as the first device to turn on and use, not a PS3/360. When they lose that battle people start buying multiplatform games on the console they use most, developers don't like crappy sales, and we end up with a software catalogue like the Wii again. Pretty sure everyone said the same thing when the Wii came out... "omgz no dvd?!!11?!" and look how well thats selling. Get over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axel Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I bought the PS3 because of the bluray player. Since I'm not a BIG gamer the feature was the deciding point for me. I had a blu ray player, and a machine I can play games on if and when I choose. If the XBOX360 had bluray built in from the start it would have made me think harder about the choice between the two. In my opinion it's hard to tell whether this will hurt them or not. I personally don't like having a million things on an AV rack when they could be consolidated. Games Console / Media Centre / Disc Player is a must for me as an all-in-one... but that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Smith Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 The Wii is the "third console" in the 3-way dance of the last generation, and it never played a damned thing. Well, to be fair, the one in my daughter's room does play DVD's (firmware hack.. not out of the box) and NetFlix. Never actually used the DVD player though, don't think even once past that "it works" test. All that aside, the whole reason I bought the thing was for the odd games, nothing more. Never expected blockbuster games out of it, and I wouldn't pick a game console for those in the first place. Same for media, cute if its there, but definitely not why I'd buy it. Already have a solution that plays anything and everything under the sun, physical or streamed. If they add so much to it that it's just more cost effective to build another PC, then there's no reason to buy the thing in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted June 15, 2011 Author Subscriber² Share Posted June 15, 2011 Pretty sure everyone said the same thing when the Wii came out... "omgz no dvd?!!11?!" and look how well thats selling. Get over it. Well you preach that to the generation that has come about the last few years in terms of media functionality, and the importance of having the go to console that you spend the majority of your time on. Doesn't it say a lot that Nintendo is currently the leader this generation sales wise but they're firing out a new console first? The PS3 and 360 have pulled so far ahead functionality wise, even as the leader, they pretty much have no choice but to adapt - How good a job they're doing of that has to be seen, stocks dipping and the pretty luke warm reception to the Wii U has not been a good start. IMO news like this is simply not favourable for the console either, as I said you're going to have $100-199 PS3/360's in a years time that can do everything compared to a more expensive Wii U that can't. Doesn't matter if Joe Bloggs has 10 dvd players in his house, when making a decision it's simply another bullet point feature given for your money at a time where Nintendo simply won't be cheapest on the market. When the Wii came out it was the cheapest, I mean the PS3 was $599, different dynamic now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 And people are going to look for the one that can cover everything I honestly don't think consumers will. 1) Joe Public won't be so savvy. 2) Johnny Tecchie already has a player. Well, to be fair, the one in my daughter's room does play DVD's (firmware hack.. not out of the box) and NetFlix. Never actually used the DVD player though, don't think even once past that "it works" test. Point made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yusuf M. Veteran Posted June 15, 2011 Veteran Share Posted June 15, 2011 The question is, how much of a cost would it incur to include support for DVDs? I think Nintendo should include support for it if the costs incurred are minimal. It'd make the console a bit more appealing but leaving it out wouldn't hurt Nintendo. As for Blu-ray Discs, I guess that isn't necessary considering most people have dedicated players for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amarok Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I don't even really like Nintendo all that much at this point (I only got a Wii because someone gave it to me as a gift 4 years ago and that sucker has been mothballed for the last year+) and I'm with them on this one. When I'm buying a console I don't even take into consideration it's ability to play movies. I didn't even know my PS3 played Blu-Ray until 2 months after I'd gotten it and I've only used it for watching 1 Blu-Ray movie. For DVDs I have more devices than I know what to do with, and for Blu-Ray I don't really care. Netflix/Hulu have largely replaced movies on disc for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted June 15, 2011 Author Subscriber² Share Posted June 15, 2011 I mean so far, no dvd playback, no Blu Ray playback, no optical audio out, no ethernet port, no hard drive... Some of that is likely to change, and no doubt hard drive support will be a proprietary dongle with USB support, however this device will be competing with a PS3/360 like it or not Nintendo. A PS3/360 that are going to be much cheaper and have more functionality than your more expensive console. That's your competition for TV space and time. Let's not even think about the PS4/Next Xbox for now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madd-hatter Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Who really thought that they would have DVD/Bluray support anyways? I never expected them to, it's Nintendo. I think of Squaresoft's anti-cartridge FF7 ad campaign. The 1x Wii U controller restriction is a much bigger deal. Who doesn't own a DVD player? They won't be buying any next gen consoles, this argument is silly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neo003 Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I mean so far, no dvd playback, no Blu Ray playback, no optical audio out, no ethernet port, no hard drive... Some of that is likely to change, and no doubt hard drive support will be a proprietary dongle with USB support, however this device will be competing with a PS3/360 like it or not Nintendo. A PS3/360 that are going to be much cheaper and have more functionality than your more expensive console. That's your competition for TV space and time. Let's not even think about the PS4/Next Xbox for now.... You do know what kind of audience Nintendo attracts right, if you just put calculator in a box and put Nintendo on it people will buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 The question is, how much of a cost would it incur to include support for DVDs? I think Nintendo should include support for it if the costs incurred are minimal. Is it just costs though? I thought the drive worked differently. In fact, do you know what format disks they will be using? I don't. Also, why invest in a technology that is already outdated? I know I'm following the "what the media wants" line - but digital distribution FTW... Or whatever ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted June 15, 2011 Author Subscriber² Share Posted June 15, 2011 You do know what kind of audience Nintendo attracts right, if you just put calculator in a box and put Nintendo on it people will buy it. I thought that was Apple? :p I know like everyone else they're at 70/80 million because of the casuals, however the casuals don't buy much outside of WiiFit, WiiSports, WiiMusic, WiiShakeyourBootyandDrinkLambrini. Developers cannot survive on that, outside of creating shovelware, and Nintendo keep saying they're serious about the hardcore audience. All of this shows otherwise, they won't get the hardcore audience unless they make their consoles able to fully compete with a PS3/360, let alone a PS4/Next Xbox which will probably utterly destroy this console for the hardcore buyers in a few years. I simply do not see this console selling all that well to a 99$ Xbox 360. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc302 Veteran Posted June 15, 2011 Veteran Share Posted June 15, 2011 If it can get streaming netflix, I see no problem with this....the media sections in stores are dying, unfortunately streaming media is the future. The days of possessing a hard copy is going away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Norris Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Some of that is likely to change, and no doubt hard drive support will be a proprietary dongle with USB support Can't comment on the new one, but the Wii was dirt cheap for hard drives. Any old enclosure with a USB connection worked just fine. Can't comment on a digital audio connection, HDMI does the job just fine here, haven't used a dedicated audio connection in a few years. Wouldn't mind a wired ethernet port though.. not everybody has good wireless coverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 WiiShakeyourBootyandDrinkLambrini Ugh, I can picture it now :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted June 15, 2011 Author Subscriber² Share Posted June 15, 2011 If it can get streaming netflix, I see no problem with this....the media sections in stores are dying, unfortunately streaming media is the future. The days of possessing a hard copy is going away. Netflix is US only, and last time I checked a 360 and PS3 can do Netflix and more. It's not like Netflix would be exclusive, the Wii even does Netflix and where do you see people go to instead? Their PS3 and 360 for Netflix. Although part of that is certainly to do with getting HD. The point though is the Netflix audience currently have their go to station for Netflix, getting people to use the Wii U instead will be difficult. That's what the living room is pretty much all about, where is your go to console, and what are the stay turned off consoles until an exclusive comes along. They need to get with the times and offer a device that does everything if they want to genuinely compete with this console market. Lot's of people I know in the UK still rent movies through Blockbuster and Lovefilm, heck two of my friends have probably the most stunning DVD collections I've seen (hundreds and hundreds). Why? Because they pick DVDs up nowadays for ?1-3. Not everywhere has great streaming options yet, let alone good enough broadband. People are awfully short sighted when they sit with 20-30mb broadband and have infrastructure networks like Netflix, newsflash, the whole world doesn't and this is an international product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironman273 Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 As long as it will support Netflix who needs hardware media? Edit: Damn. Beaten to the punch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahhell Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 For someone who doesn't really care about Nintendo, someone can't seem to stop talking about it. :whistle: I think Nintendo has the right idea. It's like Nintendo is getting back to basics. It's not a jack-of-all-trades, it just plays games. Fine by me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc302 Veteran Posted June 15, 2011 Veteran Share Posted June 15, 2011 the Wii U also has HD (or at least a HDMI). The downside to the xbox360 is that you have to subscribe to their Gold subscription (pay for) to get netflix....I pay for a netflix subscription and now I have to pay Xbox to use their network just for netflix (fu microsoft). Playstation is at least free, but you still have to sign up...wii is completely anonymous (go ahead anom hack into the nintendo db and get my info, oh wait they aren't there). Even though currently netflix is us only, that doesn't mean they won't or some other company wont be global (like amazon streaming). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Smith Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I pay for a netflix subscriiption and now I have to pay Xbox to use their network just for netflix (fu microsoft). Really? Don't own a 360, just curious. Can't just tap into whatever network you have in the house and hit whatever through that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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