InGames: Official: Wii U not compatible with DVDs or Blu-rays

Monday, July 4, 2011

Official: Wii U not compatible with DVDs or Blu-rays

Nintendo has decided to go down the proprietary route with the Wii U, deciding not to make the next-gen games console compatible with DVDs or Blu-rays.

This is according to an investor Q&A which was held by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and had just been published into English.

Considering many use the Playstation 3 as their home entertainment system of choice, due to its Blu-ray functionality, it seems a little odd that Nintendo has decided to go off and create its own format ? but cost has been put down as the contributing factor.

In the Q&A, Iwata explained the lack of DVD and Blu-ray compatibility as: "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."

Wii U going social

The investor Q&A also highlighted that the Wii U will link up with social networks.

"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."

Another area that Iwata tackled was the mobile gaming market, where he said was not threatening Nintendo's livelihood in any way.

"I don't feel that there is competition or threat from mobile games for our video game business from the sense that, even before mobile games appeared, it's always been the nature of our job to continue to offer new experiences that players can't have on other devices, and that, as long as we can continue to do that, the consumer will want to play our games, but what we are sensitive to is the notion of the sense of value and what consumers are willing to pay for games."

The Nintendo Wii U was the undoubted talking point of E3 2011, even if Nintendo didn't actually give that many details of its new console away.