Expect more information to come from Nintendo tomorrow, but this spring you’ll see Netflix on the Wii. Microsoft got in quickly and bought up the rights to a Netflix channel in the home menu, so PS3 users have to load a DVD like a game in order to boot up Netflix. I’m guessing that’s the same thing that will happen with the Wii.
I don’t use Netflix at all. The times when I do watch movies are the $1 Redbox ones. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten up to $9 worth of rentals. Before I commit I’d have to see how many TV shows the Wii version of Netflix would offer.
(The ability to have any Disney film a Wiimote click away would be pretty cool, though. Then my kids wouldn’t be watching Little Mermaid repeatedly.)
It’s supposed to come out in Spring.
Semi-related posts:
Not sure that Microsoft owns the rights to having a Netflix channel, it’s more that Nintendo and Sony don’t want to develop the software in-house for it, whereas Microsoft saw how valuable this integration was early on and made it a priority. Even so, the selection on Netflix instant watch isn’t spectacular, but I find it’s worthwhile to have, if for no other reason because it’s got The Office and 30 Rock seasons (not including the current seasons) available on demand to watch without having to switch discs or deal with DVDs.
As a Netflix AND Wii owner, I applaud this move.
Microsoft did spend quite a while pushing that they had the exclusive deal with Netflix. There were also some rumors that the PS3 Netflix setup- where you need a particular DVD in the drive- was set-up to get around that exclusive deal until it expired in March(?) and the PS3 would drop the DVD and move to a software-based system, like the XBox has now.