Rumor: Survey Suggests that Netflix Considering Wii as a Streaming Device
Nothing succeeds like success and Netflix's partnership with Microsoft to provide streaming video to Netflix subscribers through the Xbox 360 has been very successful. But it is not as if the Xbox 360 is the only device that is Netflix enabled. PC, Mac, Roku, TiVo, etc., you know them all. So, there is always room for one more, right. Generally speaking yes, and if it is the right one, definitely. Well, according to a rumored survey that was sent to Joystiq.com reader that next possible device, is, wait for it, the Nintendo Wii.
First, this is still just a rumor that came to light earlier today, but if true and technically possible, it would probably being looked at by Netflix as something of a holy grail of hardware partnerships. As already stated, streaming through Xbox 360 has been very successful, but if just considering the existing install bases of the two platforms, a working partnership between Nintendo and Netflix would make the Xbox 360 deal look like peanuts. To date the Wii has a US install base of nearly 19 million, to the Xbox 360's 14+ million. These numbers look even more one-sided when you consider that the Xbox 360 came to market over a year before the Wii and has had a few price drops since then. The Wii is at the same price it has always been, $250. But what about the question of whether streaming is technically possible. Historically the Wii has been seen, and rightly so, as something of a light weight when it comes to processing power and quality of graphics, but those are the concerns of a gaming console, not a conduit for streaming video. Using the survey as a speculative reference point it would seem that Netflix is considering enabling the service via what they term a "Netflix Instant Streaming Disc." This disc would be placed in the Wii every time someone wanted to use the Netflix service, unlike the Xbox 360 that required an update to each unit's software, in the process taking up a certain amount of free space. There would be a one-time cost for the disc, somewhere between $2.99 and $9.99 (the discrepancy between these two dollar amounts, which are both graphically represented in the Joystiq post looks fishy). There is no telling whether this is the only technical issue, but if is a good guess that it is the major one. Also, the Xbox 360 requires an annual LIVE Gold membership which is $50. Nothing like that exists on the Wii.
It could be that nothing ever comes of this rumor. There has been industry chatter that streaming video may be coming to the Wii for a while now, but Kotaku.com is already citing their own sources as saying this possibility is pretty far off, if in the cards at all. Either way it sure is an interesting prospect and must be mouth-watering for Netflix to think of all those Wiis potentially plugging into their service. I just checked Netflix's official blog and they have yet to even acknowledge the rumor. I can't imagine that they can remain silent for too much longer though. We will see.
--Tom Milnes
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