14 DAY TRIAL // Following speculation that reached fever pitch last week at the Consumer Electronics Show, Netflix and Nintendo have announced a partnership aimed at bringing a huge library of video content to those who use the Wii to satisfy their gaming needs.
The Netflix service will arrive on the Wii in spring at no additional cost. Those who are interested should make sure that they have a broadband connection and a Netflix subscription plan worth 8.99 dollars.
Regie Fils-Aime, who is the president of Nintendo of America, has said that “Our research shows that 86 percent of all U.S. Wii consoles are located in the living room. The Wii console is the social hub around which friends and family members gather to play games and have fun. Soon both new and longtime Wii owners will enjoy the benefits of Netflix – and a variety of informational and entertainment options – by being Netflix members and connecting their consoles to the Internet.”
Reed Hastings, who is one of the co-founders of Netflix, said that the big install base of Nintendo Wii console would allow the service to reach even more people and quickly deliver their favorite movies and televisions shows.
As on the PlayStation 3, those who wish to use Netflix with their Nintendo Wii will need a disk that runs a proprietary application. Starting with spring, those who sign up for the new service will receive their disk for free in the mail and will need to pop it in any time they are interested in seeing a movie or a television show. Users will be able to rate movies and read brief descriptions. It's not clear whether Nintendo is keen on getting a way of viewing Netflix content without the use of a disk at some point in the future.