You know how the Wii is positioned as a game system that sells units by offering less than its competitors but having a user-friendly gimmick? Nintendo may be "correcting course" a bit and offering some of the services users of the other two big game systems take for granted.
First off: Playable downloads are coming to the system. On a Nintendo conference call Saturo Iwata said Nintendo will start a test program for WiiWare demos some time this month. The test will cover just a few titles. Apparently, Nintendo wants to test whether people actually want to try out games before they buy them. The demos will be for WiiWare games, but Nintendo could extend this idea and provide demos of retail titles as well. No word yet on whether the pilot program is for Japan only, but we'll keep you posted.
Secondly: Movies. According to the same call, Nintendo plans to offer paid video streaming in Japan on the Wii no Ma channel before the end of the year. Currently, the video content on the service is free of charge. No word yet on what kind of paid content will be offered, but Iwata did say that Nintendo "will be working to take the service to the next step" with an eye on getting more people using the Wii, even people who might not be into playing games at home.
Whether these two changes are indicative of a strategy shift from Nintendo or just a couple of weird things being tested out in Japan remains to be seen. If these start looking more like major initiatives/priorities, we'll let you know. Of course, Nintendo has no hope of competing without an HD version of its machine...
Comments
Displaying 1–12 of 12
PiMD360
It is about time, now just add a usb hd and hd adapter and we are in business.
popsickle59
come on nintendo, make a wii pro, a blow everybody away, like I know you can. You just need a mario, zelda and possibly smash bros in hd and uve already won
yellowdart46
Yeah cause nothing says awesome like paying to stream standard def to my tv. Go Nintendo continue to be oblivious to what people want.
darkuest
I dont think they gonna add hd until next console hopefully, and them getting video and demos i hope we get that soon. That will be another point for them cause i know we tired of getting a game just cause the picture looks interesting i want to try it out first.
jdawghatesyou
I think unless they get the awareness out there this idea will flop. Its a good idea, but many of the consumers who have a Wii are not hardcore or whatever gamers. They need to advertise that we can do this "now."
teac77
"Of course, Nintendo has no hope of competing without an HD version of its machine..."
What is "HD" to you? 720p? 1080p? Is your television set really that big?
You'd be surprised to find that many people play the Wii at 480i Fullscreen, but with the component cable you can have "Enhanced Definition" 480p at 16:9 resolution. It's a shame that Nintendo buried the "480p" option deep within the System Settings.
sukTHEfacc
in case you havent noticed, the memory limits on Wii will make it almost impossible to put retail game demos up for download
Joe22
HD is very over rated. It's a waste of money to buy a big TV just so things look more detailed. There's no reason for it, unless you stand like two inches from the screen and actually try and look someone in the eye.
Vesuvian
I think every gaming platform should support pre-release playable demos. It's one the best ideas the gaming industry's come out with, i can't tell you how much money i've saved downloading Xbox 360 game demos before rendering judgement on whether i would like to buy the full version or not . I know some people will disagree with me on this but i've been stung before by biased or inaccurate reviews by various sources {not calling any names} so i personally would rather play the game myself and still take a look at the review, surf the forums, then and only then spend money on a game. Have you ever seen the gamestop tv ad about buying lame games, if not take a look at it..... YES!! it feels just like that. You feel stupid, frustrated, cheated, especially when you consider that all you did wrong was listen, so it does'nt hurt to be a little over cautious like myself. So with that in mind you go nintendo way to go demo it up! { although for some strange reason you always seem to be one step behind} i support that idea 1000%, just don't muck it up.
Joe22
half right, I'm about as dirt poor as they get, but I've seen plenty of stuff in HD and SD and it looks the same to me. Mainly cause I don't look for subtle shade differences or clarity.
Valentinog
About time they bring Demos
ihitterdal
I don't especially care for the videos, I care about the demos, because I have a very tight budget and being informed about the quality firsthand is better than just going by word of mouth.
Displaying 1–12 of 12
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