Nintendo Unveils Online Video Service For Wii

[Andy Chalk]

Nintendo Unveils Online Video Service For Wii

Wii [http://www.nintendo.com], great news for gamers but a "nightmare" for Japanese television executives.

Unlike video-on-demand services for the Telegraph [http://www.xbox.com] report, but some material will only be available on a pay-per-view basis.

Roughly 18 million Wii consoles worldwide are connected to the internet, and some Japanese broadcasters are said to be deeply worried about the launch of Wii-exclusive programming. A "leading TV official" in Japan admitted the Wii was now "the centerpiece of the living room," while an executive at broadcaster Fuji Television [http://www.fujitv.co.jp/en/] said the new service will be "the stuff of television producers' nightmares."

Whether Nintendo also plans to include conventional television shows and movies wasn't revealed, but the root concept of the service - extending console exclusivity to the realm of video programming - is unusual, to say the least. And while the venture also appears to be laden with risk, I've long since given up nay-saying anything Nintendo does. The company's ability to buck trends while amassing Scrooge McDuck-like piles of cash is no guarantee of success, but it does give observers a reason to think twice before dismissing its strategies as crazy and doomed to failure.

The service is being developed by Nintendo and Dentsu Inc. [http://www.dentsu.com/], the largest advertising company in Japan. The service will debut this year in Japan, but no dates have been set for international launches.

via: MCV [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/32802/Wii-video-is-nightmare-for-TV-execs]


Permalink

 

[Jumplion]

So, now all the consoles will have some sort of video distribution store. Frankly, while I'm not saying it will be a failure, I'm not too sure as to how this will go down with Nintendo. They're not multimedia device makers, they make hardware to play games not play games, music, videos, and movies.

This started with the DSi, and now it's going with the Wii to.

As you said Malygris (huh, I've never actually tried to pronounce that before...), it's pointless to nay-say what Nintendo does at this point, but that doesn't mean I can't be skeptical.

EDIT: OH HO, now it's only a matter of time before the Wii get's it's own sets of "Wiichievments"! And everyone will love them for it...

 

[perfectimo]

This is a move towards being a multimedia console but they should focus on whipping those third parties into shape or making new games like they did with Pikmin. The Nintendo golden seal of approval used to mean something to me, not now though.

 

[Cousin_IT]

Dont see this working outside Japan tbh, but thats just me. Hope they have better quality control for WiiTV than the Wii games.

 

[Avida]

the new Wii service will feature content developed exclusively for Nintendo, including cartoons, cooking programs, lifestyle shows and "brain-training quizzes."

I didnt think it was possible to build apon shovelware, but now we have it, shovelview.

Edit: 300th post ^_^

 

[xitel]

that sounds awesome!!!

the wii needs this to stay competive

Where the hell have you been?

No. No it does not. Fuck, the Wii doesn't need games to stay competitive.

It may not need it now, but it will need it in the future to STAY competitive.

 

[xitel]

that sounds awesome!!!

the wii needs this to stay competive

Where the hell have you been?

No. No it does not. Fuck, the Wii doesn't need games to stay competitive.

It may not need it now, but it will need it in the future to STAY competitive.

Thats what people said last year.

You have a point there...

 

[CoverYourHead]

Well, this is going to be terrible. At least, that's what I think.

 

[CarlosYenrac]

I play games because 99% of television programming is drivel.
The last thing I'd want to do is inflict that crap on a gaming console

 

[Puppeteer Putin]

With that level of market penetration, they could do just about anything they wanted. Marketers would be jumping over hurdles to get themselves onto that platform, throwing advertising money at them without reluctance.

Or, they could just run hypno-toad type content "Buy a Wii for your mother and brother... by the way, have you got a DS .. buy one for your wife, she'll make tastier food".

Not much need for it though... the motion-control fad has already created that mind set.

 

[bkd69]

The news here isn't the video distribution. Nintendo has already been offering "The Nintendo Channel" as a free download, which is essentially all the Nintendo game trailers. That was the beta test, and it evidently must have succeeded.

The news here is that they'll be distributing original programming, and that their market penetration is such that it might be an actual threat to tv viewership. Though some of that might be typical old media ZOMGism.

The other intersting point is that while Nintendo hasn't traditionally been a media device manufacturer, Wii buyers aren't necessarily media device buyers, either.

Edit: Just wanted to add that the Wii is also already capable of playing stored video from SD cards.

 

[AceDiamond]

EDIT: OH HO, now it's only a matter of time before the Wii get's it's own sets of "Wiichievments"! And everyone will love them for it...

Metroid Prime 3 says "hi and that was kind of a neat idea"

And speaking of gaming devices being made to not play games...well I don't think I need to say anything more really.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

Does this mean I'll finally get my sequel to The Wizard?

 

[bkd69]

Does this mean I'll finally get my sequel to The Wizard?

The download code will be included with the Wiizard Glove, a glove you wear that lets you wear the Wiimote on your wrist.

It's so bad.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

Does this mean I'll finally get my sequel to The Wizard?

The download code will be included with the Wiizard Glove, a glove you wear that lets you wear the Wiimote on your wrist.

It's so bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfjE2z_x5k8

 

[Jumplion]

EDIT: OH HO, now it's only a matter of time before the Wii get's it's own sets of "Wiichievments"! And everyone will love them for it...

Metroid Prime 3 says "hi and that was kind of a neat idea"

And speaking of gaming devices being made to not play games...well I don't think I need to say anything more really.

While I get you were being facietious (sp? meaning?), I meant a universal way of "Wiichievments".

And there's nothing wrong with a gaming device being a multimedia device, you get to bang your buck more bang for your buck that way. All of the consoles and handhelds out right now have some form of multimedia abilities, you can't rag on the other consoles anymore for being "more media and not enough games!" because now you can say the same thing with the DSi and Wii.

I don't know how this will be like with Nintendo, most likely it will be a nice addon that nobody really uses ore cares about. But I'm skeptical because Nintendo are not multimedia makers, they are game makers first and foremost. They don't know how to make cameras or microphones or TV shows, they don't do that stuff. I'm not saying it will fail, but I'm not too sure about Nintendo's approach to multimedia-ing.