Want to Play DVDs? Wii U says No

What a ridiculous move. I found it unbelievable that the Wii couldn't play DVDs or music CDs, it really should be a standard feature.

Now the Wii U can't even do such a basic task?

Nintendo are missing out on a possible system-selling feature - letting people watch their DVDs and Blu-Ray content on the controller...? Hello?!

Nintendo - forward thinking in many ways, old fashioned and foolish in others.

Seeing as I have a PS3, I'm not as bothered by this news as I might have been if I didn't have one. And if it cuts costs of making/selling the U, that's fine by me.

Edit: @jb, nice idea about watching movies on the controller though. It's just, how many people really don't have dvd players now? I know it would be convenient having it all in one place (which is a plus of the PS3), but it's not a system-selling feature - look at the Wii. Perhaps if I didn't have a PS3 I might think differently, but I'm actually okay with this.

( Edited 15.06.2011 13:30 by Azuardo )

I'm probably overreacting a little, but seriously - I would like to have the option. I know DVD players are common place, but even if they didn't have Blu-Ray functionality, DVDs and CDs really should be playable.

Nintendo are moving to a more multimedia, family approach but lack these standard features. Having the ability to watch DVDs and listen to music content on the controller would be ace, imo, would serve the headphone output well. Just mind-boggling really.

I'm fortunate enough to have an Xbox and a blu-ray player so it doesn't effect me. But, why on earth is there not the most basic functions of a disk drive? You are dissapoint again Nintendo. Constant alienation isn't cool.

Never got why people wanted the Wii to play DVDs. Sure, it was a cool thing back then in the PS2 days when not everybody and their dog had a DVD player but nowadays? I really don't get it. As for Blu-rays, anybody who cares about them probably has a Blu-ray player already so what's the point if it just increases the price?

@jb: Who would want to watch a movie on such a small screen when they very likely have a huge TV standing around? The Wii U isn't a portable system after all.

( Edited 15.06.2011 13:46 by SirLink )

@SirLink, I can see what jb is suggesting. The whole selling aspect Nintendo are pushing with the U is if you get kicked off the TV, you can carry on your game on the pad. Same thing applies if you're watching a movie. Be cool to just chill on your bed watching one, or listening to music. So I like the idea.

And certainly, it is a bit strange Nintendo haven't bothered with simple DVD/CD playback at the least. Again, it's not having the option that baffles people. But like I say, personally I can deal with it because of my PS3. Yet I see where jb is coming from.

It's a silly move. People are gonna want to buy PS3 or Xbox360 over Wii U if Nintendo aren't careful.

Most people will look at a Wii U and think "I can get a PS3 or 360 for less money" and "they have similar graphics and act as multi media devices"!

Nintendo needs to start excepting that they can't have a machine focussed on doing just one thing well anymore. Technology has moved on and people expect their technology to do a multitude of things for them now.

The only way they might get away with it is if they have an online media stratergy. Some way of downloading movies. I know it's not what Nintendo are about, but a company has to evolve to survive. It doesn't mean they can't still focus on bringing us inovative games.

People need a reason to say to themselves "I can't do without this in my living room" and games alone sadly aren't the answer.

@Azuardo: Kinda forgot about that purpose for a moment, probably because I don't know a single person who doesn't have multiple TVs in their household. We have 3 big TVs ourselves, one for my mum, one for my sister and one for me. Is the "classic" living room situation where people are fighting over the TV still so common these days? Can't tell very well from my circle of friends.

Well every single person I know doesn't have this problem either. The only time I had this problem was when I was about 12 or 13 years old - I guess it's those kids where that feature of the U will come in handy. But I guarantee all older gamers don't have this problem.

But you could argue, that feature of the U is a nice feature to have. Gives more options to the consumer. Yet they don't include dvd playback... Including it gives more options to the consumer. I remember yonks ago when they said they would allow you to download some sort of unlock to allow you to play dvds on the Wii? That never happened. You would expect, in this day and age, that a console with the power of the U would at least be able to play dvds.

i agree its a stubborn move by nintendo but we know that nintendo don't make multimedia devices, nintendo make games consoles. i got over it the first time and still went and brought a wii so it makes no difference to me. in my personal experience dedicated platforms rarely fault, and those that try to be all singing and all dancing often do. im on my 2nd 360 and my 3rd ps3 but i still got the same old wii that i got from launch and it works just the same.

Nintendo are seriously foolish. That said, I'm happy if they release the Wii U at a price equal to or less than the PS3.

If not, then they might not sway me to buy a Wii U. That's what it boils down to at the end of the day

I remember when the Wii came out, I was waiting for the DVD playback enabled version that was rumored to be coming out.

Glad I didn't keep waiting...

This all boils down to Nintendo not wanting to pay royalties to Sony or any other company. This way Nintendo can maximise profits, it makes perfect sense business wise.

I've got 3 DVD players, a portable one, a bluray player and a PS3 (that doesn't currently read Blurays but that will be fixed). Skipping this means Nintendo saves about $20 in licensing fees and that ultimately means a lower price to the consumer for the new console. Besides, playing movies is what killed my PS3 Bluray drive because with movies the lense gets more use more since it's constantly reading info...

I don't think I'll ever buy a Bluray player. I'll get my HD things digital.
I collected around 20 DVDs... and now they're just gathering dust.

Although I have to say the prospect of watching movies on that sweet screen does excite me...

Considering the Wii could play DVDs but the software was just absent makes me think that this is just because Nintendo doesn't want to pay royalties rather than any technical reason. While it would be nice to include the option to play DVDs, I'd rather get a nice dedicated DVD player than a slow, error prone DVD player like in the Xbox 360.

Nintendo doesnt want to pay Sony (or the rest) anything.
Simple as that.

Really I couldn't care less.
Just wish some countries would hurry up and improve their digital distribution so we can stop wasting plastic and oil sending these pathetic disks everywhere.

Come on world! I can get a 720p movie in an hour of torrents - thats plenty good for me. Whens the rest catching up?
(and, for that mater, the legaly ways of doing it...)

It's never bothered me about consoles having DVD playback, it was the Gimmick (yes gimmick) that originally sold the PS2, I've never used my PS2 as a DVD player, I'll never need to, both my T.V and PC have built in DVD players, and they work just fine.

I sort of get watching the films on the Wii U screen though, just sitting in bed with your headphones watching whatever, but I don't think it'll matter at the end of the day.

Not bothered at all, I think Nintendo are right not to include it and hopefully keep the consoles cost down with pointless features.

I already have 3 DVD players in my room alone (laptop, DVD player and PS3).

Well I'm a bit disappointed in this news too, but I can deal. The Wii is the only gaming system I have and my DVD player died out forever ago and I've been needing a new one anyway so I should just go ahead and get one now. Just hoping the Wii U produces some kick ass games if the system will be so dedicated to gaming in general.

Also, I hope that with Netflix support we'll get to at least get stream that to the controller; that would be nice. And I'm sure the system will offer some sort of music play back, what the 3DS offers is fine with me.

It should be standard really (especially DVDs) but oh well, I don't think I'll be getting a Wii U either way.

Been thinking about this alot now, and should just allow both. Not just since the other consols have the option, but as JB mentioned about the Utab... But most importantly space. I am renting a room. So a DVD player (or BR player) and a console and the TV starts to take up space... And think of Japan... Nintendo is from Japan darn it.

I have a Blu Ray player plenty capable enough to not be worried that the U doesn't play DVD/Blu Ray movies, and all our music is MP3/WMA via computer so no worries there either.

The ONLY benefit for playing these I can see is for those who have the console in their bedroom and want an all-in-one device.

Do the royalties for DVD playback really cost that much? The PS2 had it for crying out loud. �_� At the very least CD playback should be included, something consoles going as far back as the Sega Saturn could play.

Nintendo like to take a couple of giant leaps but then about a dozen or so hops backwards.

Ifrit XXII said:
At the very least CD playback should be included, something consoles going as far back as the Sega Saturn could play.

Though I could care less, cuz I don't use my consoles for that kind of stuff, the ability to watch or listen to those on the U-pad would have been brilliant, I fully agree with Jb on that one.

( Edited 15.06.2011 21:57 by Kafei2006 )