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Wii's bizarre "VOD" service comes to Japan in May

Written by James Delahunty @ 23 Apr 2009 8:28 User comments (4)

Wii's bizarre "VOD" service comes to Japan in May After Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata let it slip earlier this month that a video-on-demand (VOD) service would be available soon for the Wii console in Japan, he also pointed out that it would come with a Nintendo twist.
The service will launch in Japan on May 1, but it doesn't seem like much of a VOD service. Dubbed "Wii no Ma", the channel is set around a virtual living room that can house 8 Miis.

The Miis can relax and watch programming Nintendo has come up with in conjunction with a Japanese ad agency, and supply ratings for the video material.

It also asks for personal details from the viewer, such as her/her age and blood type. It is unknown whether the service will launch outside of Japan, but it seems more like a market research experiment than anything resembling video-on-demand anyway.

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4 user comments

123.4.2009 22:43

blood type? Now that is Bizarre.

224.4.2009 13:46

WTF?!?!

324.4.2009 18:09

I think the Japanese consider the blood type to be socially relevant. Kind of like Zodiac signs.

425.4.2009 00:55

Pretty soon it will be:
"Please input your genetic sequence to confirm your registration."

Like in GATTACA.

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