AfterDawn: Tech news

Nintendo confirms, no Blu-ray or DVD compatibility for Wii U games

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jun 2011 10:40 User comments (30)

Nintendo confirms, no Blu-ray or DVD compatibility for Wii U games Nintendo has made it official, Wii U games will be on a proprietary disc that is not Blu-ray or DVD.
The confirmation comes via Nintendo president Satoru Iwata following a week of confusion and speculation as to exactly what Wii U games would be published on.

In explaining the move, Iwata says:

We feel that enough people already have devices that are capable of playing DVDs and Blu-ray, such that it didn't warrant the cost involved to build that functionality into the Wii U console because of the patents related to those technologies.


Furthermore, the Wii U will go "social," says Iwata (via TR):



After examining the penetration and adoption rate of social networking services like Facebook, etc, we've come to the conclusion that we are no longer in a period where we cannot have any connection at all with social networking services.

Rather, I think we've come to an era where it's important to consider how the social graph of the social networking services can work in conjunction with something like a video game platform.

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30 user comments

116.6.2011 00:13

I don't understand why nintendo continues to do this. Purposely leaving out support for forms of mediums that a lot of people still have and use. I know a lot of people that has a ton of movies on disc. How can this be an entertainment unit if it is purposely being left out. I hope this unit fails anyway, concept to me just seems dumb, don't care how power it is, its still owned by nintendo.

216.6.2011 01:21

I was happy til I read that you can't play blu ray movies uh!!! I don't own blu ray player!!!

316.6.2011 01:52

Originally posted by biglo30:
I don't understand why nintendo continues to do this.
Quote:
We feel that enough people already have devices that are capable of playing DVDs and Blu-ray, such that it didn't warrant the cost involved to build that functionality into the Wii U console because of the patents related to those technologies.
;-)

It doesn't really bother me. I'm not interested in jumping on the Blu-ray bandwagon, and this will keep the console's price a little more sane.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 16 Jun 2011 @ 1:54

416.6.2011 02:49

Clearly, well to me anyway. There will not be any discs whatsoever for this new format, it seems that they intend to make all their games for download. But saying that they did say that it was back compatible with the other Wii games so it must be the same disc drive? Damn it Nintendo JUST TELL US!

516.6.2011 03:05

i saw this coming Nintendo just like Microsoft, refuses to hand over money to its competitor. Nintendo unlike Microsoft however has found away to wiggle out of the blue fee.

im willing to bet like the wii, you throw a little hack in there and it will play movies.

616.6.2011 03:45

Originally posted by nonoitall:
Originally posted by biglo30:
I don't understand why nintendo continues to do this.
Quote:
We feel that enough people already have devices that are capable of playing DVDs and Blu-ray, such that it didn't warrant the cost involved to build that functionality into the Wii U console because of the patents related to those technologies.
;-)

It doesn't really bother me. I'm not interested in jumping on the Blu-ray bandwagon, and this will keep the console's price a little more sane.
You need to pay a few cents to put the DVD logo on something, you don't need to pay anything to include DVD support without a logo on the outside. All the licenses involved in bluray would cost less than $1 per system.

I don't know about you, but I think the $1 extra is well worth it, even if you already have a standalone bluray player...just to save room in your entertainment center.

Of course, if you are using your PS3 to watch blurays, then the Wii U is completely useless as it is not advanced enough to be "Next Generation", and developers won't figure out how to code for it until the true "Next Generation" consoles are released by Sony and Microsoft.

It will have a hayday in a couple of years...a very short time between when the developers figure out how to get everything out of the Wii U, and the time when developers figure out the absolute basics of the PS4 and 720, thus making the most advanced Wii U games look like trash. Then again, with that terrible controller, I am not sure the games from this short time would be enjoyable anyway.

716.6.2011 06:34
emugamer
Inactive

Dumba$$'s. How difficult is it for them to understand that an all-in-one device replaces the device of their competitors. I guess I'm sticking to my official PS3's and jailbroken PS3's and probably looking to what MS brings to the the next gen table. I thought I was going to jump on the Nintendo HD bandwagon. After this announcement, I think they are all on crack. I don't support junkies habits (knowingly at least).

Unless Nin is stupid enough to have the crappiest security again, allowing for softmodding it within an hour. Judging by their thought process, it's a very good possibility.

816.6.2011 06:39

Originally posted by KillerBug:
All the licenses involved in bluray would cost less than $1 per system.

You sure you're not thinking of licensing costs for Blu-ray discs? Last I heard players were still around $10 (multiplied times millions of consoles with a good chunk of it going to Nintendo's competitors).

916.6.2011 06:40

So the fancy screen controller only works for player 1, you STILL can't play standardized video discs, it has no HD, there's no demonstration of it playing anything more advanced than standard XBL/PSN 'mini' games fare, and it may still cost more than a Xbox 360 or PS3 w/ a 160-250GB HD when it comes out? How is this really better in any way than the competition???

Nintendo needs to quit assuming people will love what they do just because they're Nintendo. Even the people I know who have a Wii and mostly enjoy don't see anything they like about the Wii U (dumber name than PS Vita!). I wonder if they'll pull a fake 'supply shortage' like they did with the Wii.

1016.6.2011 06:51

Originally posted by nonoitall:
Originally posted by KillerBug:
All the licenses involved in bluray would cost less than $1 per system.

You sure you're not thinking of licensing costs for Blu-ray discs? Last I heard players were still around $10 (multiplied times millions of consoles with a good chunk of it going to Nintendo's competitors).

It's under $5 per player (more for recorder) and about 4 cents per disc. DVD licensing was much higher than Blu-ray, but you never saw people whining incessantly about it.

1116.6.2011 07:29

Originally posted by xnonsuchx:
So the fancy screen controller only works for player 1
Where did they say that?

Quote:
it has no HD
They definitely didn't say that.

Quote:
there's no demonstration of it playing anything more advanced than standard XBL/PSN 'mini' games fare
Would you expect a just-announced console to already have real games developed for it?

Quote:
and it may still cost more than a Xbox 360 or PS3 w/ a 160-250GB HD when it comes out?
No word on its pricing yet, but considering that it's a new system with hardware more advanced than either of those systems, isn't it pretty reasonable to conclude that it will be more expensive than they are?

Quote:
It's under $5 per player (more for recorder) and about 4 cents per disc.
Mind if I ask for a source? The most recent figure I heard was $9.50 for Sony/Panasonic/Philips plus $4.50 for the BD4C licensing group. Source.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 16 Jun 2011 @ 7:30

1216.6.2011 09:34
emugamer
Inactive

When he said "No HD" I think he meant lack of ability to play HD movies off a blu ray disc.

1316.6.2011 10:34

All the licenses involved with the physical hardware have to be paid anyway since they are using the same technology. The only licenses they would have to get would be for the decoders. There are tons of free and open source DVD apps, so there clearly isn't any cost there. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it costs them $500 per system for bluray licenses...why the **** is there no DVD support?

1416.6.2011 12:00
emugamer
Inactive

Honestly, I don't watch many dvd's. It's rare. Maybe one for my kids once in a long while. But that's the reason new tech should incorporate dvd support. So that we don't have to plug in another bulky device to our televisions for the rare occasion that we need dvd playback. But the same applies to those who rely heavily on dvd's IMO.

The Wii U would have had the potential to get me to unplug my ps3 and shelf it. How does that not translate to higher profits for them? Another serious let down from the company that introduced me to gaming 23 years ago.

1516.6.2011 15:57

Originally posted by nonoitall:
Originally posted by xnonsuchx:
So the fancy screen controller only works for player 1
Where did they say that?

It was a sarcastic post, so I was exaggerating about that...but there are many rumors that this may be the case.

Quote:
Quote:
it has no HD
They definitely didn't say that.

Their own website specs only mention internal flash memory and being able to use external USB storage (and maybe having a SD slot for add'l flash memory).

Quote:
Quote:
there's no demonstration of it playing anything more advanced than standard XBL/PSN 'mini' games fare
Would you expect a just-announced console to already have real games developed for it?

They only have some HD screenshots/footage of Super Mario World-type games. Again, I was kinda making fun of them for showing other system footage as examples.

Quote:
Quote:
It's under $5 per player (more for recorder) and about 4 cents per disc.
Mind if I ask for a source? The most recent figure I heard was $9.50 for Sony/Panasonic/Philips plus $4.50 for the BD4C licensing group. Source.

My bad...it had been a while since I looked up the licensing costs and forgot there were 2 licensing groups. Still, I don't recall people whining about DVD licensing fees when they were higher. Too many want everything for free and act like a 2yo who's mommy won't give them a candy bar.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 16 Jun 2011 @ 4:01

1616.6.2011 16:00

Someone ought to ask the more interesting question, does it play films (and to what res) via USB from either flash media or an external hard drive.

I'm guessing but I suspect it will (seeing as anything can these days - even Blu-ray players) and there's little or no additional royalty.

TBH I am not surprised by this, Blu-ray's fans will hate it cos it's just another example of how Blu-ray has failed to gain genuine widespread traction.
But Nintendo is right, DVD and Blu-ray players are so cheap now that anyone that interested will have or get one via another route anyways.

1716.6.2011 18:11

Anyone have any information on Virtual Console and Wii Ware game compatibility. Like can you transfer over or re-download your games to the Wii U and will they work?

1816.6.2011 19:31

Originally posted by xnonsuchx:
Originally posted by nonoitall:
Quote:
it has no HD
They definitely didn't say that.

Their own website specs only mention internal flash memory and being able to use external USB storage (and maybe having a SD slot for add'l flash memory).
Oooh, I see. By HD I thought you meant high-definition. ;-)

1916.6.2011 19:46

Originally posted by xnonsuchx:
So the fancy screen controller only works for player 1, you STILL can't play standardized video discs, it has no HD, there's no demonstration of it playing anything more advanced than standard XBL/PSN 'mini' games fare, and it may still cost more than a Xbox 360 or PS3 w/ a 160-250GB HD when it comes out? How is this really better in any way than the competition???

Nintendo needs to quit assuming people will love what they do just because they're Nintendo. Even the people I know who have a Wii and mostly enjoy don't see anything they like about the Wii U (dumber name than PS Vita!). I wonder if they'll pull a fake 'supply shortage' like they did with the Wii.
"How many controllers can you use?

You'll be able to connect four Wiimotes and one, maaybe two, of these new Wii U controllers. Katsuya Eguchi, one of Nintendo's chief game designers, told Kotaku, that using multiple New Controllers for a game would be "an interesting idea" and that "we're considering our options with maybe two screens".

Thats according to this story.....
http://gizmodo.com/5809984/nintendo-wii-u-faq

2017.6.2011 14:05

Nintendo are real cheap guess they no it will be dead in the water when MS/Sony release the next gen consoles.

2118.6.2011 15:23

brockie

Yeah, just like the 'hardcore' guys all can't get their heads around why Wii sells so strongly?

Wii U is going to sell well, Nintendo's excellent reputation in gaming generally guarantees it - and the broader market they have pioneered will undoubtedly come back to them for more.

I have to laugh at the 'serious gamers' who all seem to despise the Wii and now Wii U, all that nonsense about how they are only played a few times & put away to gather dust.

Well here's the news guys, it might have been like that in your room guys but out in the real world people have thoroughly enjoyed the Wii, it is great fun and isn't ludicrously so far up its own ar$e in a rather silly tedious deadly seriousness.
There's every reason to expect Wii U to do very very well - just like Wii has done.



2218.6.2011 16:38

Originally posted by brockie:
Nintendo are real cheap guess they no it will be dead in the water when MS/Sony release the next gen consoles.
Um.. I sure hope English is not your first language because if it is then you really need an education.


2318.6.2011 18:36

I cant believe Nintendo fails to realize how many proprietary formats have failed ex. UMD, beta-max,and possibly blu-ray its an enormous gamble. This might even be worse than UMD because this is a console, what ever happened with logical thinking.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 18 Jun 2011 @ 6:37

2418.6.2011 18:54

Originally posted by bankai987:
I cant believe Nintendo fails to realize how many proprietary formats have failed ex. UMD, beta-max,and possibly blu-ray its an enormous gamble. This might even be worse than UMD because this is a console, what ever happened with logical thinking.
Technically all game consoles use proprietary format. The Wii U games will be made on Standard Blu-Ray discs as the Wii games were made on standard DVDs. The only thing is that it cannot decode and play DVD and Blu-Ray Movies. This is not like a UMD disc or proprietary discs in any way.

2518.6.2011 19:18

Originally posted by bobiroc:
Originally posted by bankai987:
I cant believe Nintendo fails to realize how many proprietary formats have failed ex. UMD, beta-max,and possibly blu-ray its an enormous gamble. This might even be worse than UMD because this is a console, what ever happened with logical thinking.
Technically all game consoles use proprietary format. The Wii U games will be made on Standard Blu-Ray discs as the Wii games were made on standard DVDs. The only thing is that it cannot decode and play DVD and Blu-Ray Movies. This is not like a UMD disc or proprietary discs in any way.
"One of Nintendo‘s chief game designers let slip to Kotaku that the discs that will hold Wii U titles will be beefier than your average DVD. They are more like a Blu-ray disc, even though the drive won’t be a Blu-ray drive. They’ll be 25GB discs, and proprietary to Nintendo. That means not only did Nintendo release a new console yesterday, but they also invented a new optical storage technology just to go with it."

Link to story
http://www.geek.com/articles/games/wii-u-discs-will-store-25gb-of-data-2011068/

2618.6.2011 20:15

Originally posted by TreePro:
Originally posted by bobiroc:
Originally posted by bankai987:
I cant believe Nintendo fails to realize how many proprietary formats have failed ex. UMD, beta-max,and possibly blu-ray its an enormous gamble. This might even be worse than UMD because this is a console, what ever happened with logical thinking.
Technically all game consoles use proprietary format. The Wii U games will be made on Standard Blu-Ray discs as the Wii games were made on standard DVDs. The only thing is that it cannot decode and play DVD and Blu-Ray Movies. This is not like a UMD disc or proprietary discs in any way.
"One of Nintendo‘s chief game designers let slip to Kotaku that the discs that will hold Wii U titles will be beefier than your average DVD. They are more like a Blu-ray disc, even though the drive won’t be a Blu-ray drive. They’ll be 25GB discs, and proprietary to Nintendo. That means not only did Nintendo release a new console yesterday, but they also invented a new optical storage technology just to go with it."

Link to story
http://www.geek.com/articles/games/wii-u-discs-will-store-25gb-of-data-2011068/
Well then I stand corrected. I read that it was a standard single layer blu-ray disc but that must have been an early report

2721.6.2011 05:47

Originally posted by Interestx:
brockie

Yeah, just like the 'hardcore' guys all can't get their heads around why Wii sells so strongly?

Wii U is going to sell well, Nintendo's excellent reputation in gaming generally guarantees it - and the broader market they have pioneered will undoubtedly come back to them for more.

I have to laugh at the 'serious gamers' who all seem to despise the Wii and now Wii U, all that nonsense about how they are only played a few times & put away to gather dust.

Well here's the news guys, it might have been like that in your room guys but out in the real world people have thoroughly enjoyed the Wii, it is great fun and isn't ludicrously so far up its own ar$e in a rather silly tedious deadly seriousness.
There's every reason to expect Wii U to do very very well - just like Wii has done.

Yup...just as there is every reason to assume that the iPhone 7 and iPad14 will both sell very well next year...most people don't care about quality, features, or anything like that...they buy whatever the braindead bestbuy associate was told to sell to them.

Me, I wouldn't buy a Wii...I know 4 people who bought them...one is being used as an emulator station, the other three were sitting unused within 2 months of purchase. The problem was the same for all of them...the controls suck (although lack of games like GTA, Red Dead, Fallout, etc didn't help). I have one friend that left it connected because his TV has tons of ports on the back...we get a good laugh out of it when we see it, because it is covered in spiderwebs.

To those that say, "You can just use a standalone bluray player, who cares?":
How many ports do you have on your TV? Hypothetically speaking, if I were given a Wii U as a gift, I would have to buy a HDMI switcher box in order to hook it up. My screen only has two HDMI ports...one is used by my PS3, the other by my DVR...and neither is going to get disconnected, especially if the Wii U can't even play movies.

2821.6.2011 08:22

Originally posted by KillerBug:
Yup...just as there is every reason to assume that the iPhone 7 and iPad14 will both sell very well next year...most people don't care about quality, features, or anything like that...they buy whatever the braindead bestbuy associate was told to sell to them.
And the guy who runs out to be sold the Xbox 720 so he can play exactly the same FPS he played on the Xbox 360 and original Xbox -- only with 10 million more polygons than the previous generation -- is really a much finer connoisseur of gaming, right? Some people like Zelda; some people like Halo; some people like Final Fantasy. Some people want to try new control schemes; some people want to stick with old control schemes. Neither group is any more or less manipulated or wrong than the other. Vive la différence.

Quote:
Hypothetically speaking, if I were given a Wii U as a gift, I would have to buy a HDMI switcher box in order to hook it up. My screen only has two HDMI ports...one is used by my PS3, the other by my DVR...and neither is going to get disconnected, especially if the Wii U can't even play movies.
How would the Wii U's being able to play Blu-ray movies solve this problem? Which device would you be able to eliminate if it did?

2921.6.2011 10:00

KillerBug

I've no doubt that many of those self-styled 'serious' gamers hate the Wii (and often from what I've seen it's PS3 fanboy types who really can't get over how Wii won this gen).
But just because they don't like it that hardly tells the whole story.
Wii has captivated a huge market of people who love it and they have not put it away to collect dust.
Plainly it has great support - as huge sales of things like Wii Fit prove.

As for the complaint that Wii U is 'just' a game console & not a movie player for those with limited HDMI connectivity?
It's still not a big deal.
You can get HDMI switching units for buttons nowadays.
Just like blu-ray standalones are hardly mega-expensive now.

On the otherhand your best bet might be to get a proper HD audio receiver which is likely to have 4 or more HDMI inputs and (although you'll also need the necessary quality speaker set too) enjoy the HD audio your Blu-ray films offers you?
Personally I rate the best quality audio as THE big deal here.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 21 Jun 2011 @ 1:01

3026.6.2011 01:28

They call it the WII U because calling it the WII 2 would deliver great Comedy. The Japanese word for 2 is Ni. Therefore it would be call the WII Ni (Weeny). Lots of Laughs about that one. Has any one seen Nintendo's Weeny?

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