14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that Netflix is getting closer and closer to entering into an agreement with Nintendo to bring its instant streaming service to the gaming consoles the company produces.
During a Question & Answer session, which took place at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Reed Hastings, the Chief Executive Officer of Netflix, answered a question by saying that chances of “Netflix on Nintendo” are now “excellent.” He did not offer any more details related to a date or to how the service will be offered but those who use the Wii might look forward to details at the E3 trade show or even earlier.
Both the Xbox 360 from Microsoft and the PlayStation 3 from Sony now have access to the Netflix instant streaming service, meaning that users can queue up movies and other video content and watch it between two sessions of gaming. Offering Netflix has been one of the ways the two companies are emphasizing their claims that they are not only selling gaming machines but also multimedia centers.
Nintendo might be interested in bringing in Netflix to add another selling point to the Wii, just as the home consoles from Microsoft and Sony are set to get motion tracking control solutions, in the form of the wand that will come for the PS3 during spring, and in the form of Project Natal at some point in the fall.
It's interesting to note that the Netflix CEO talked about Nintendo and not specifically about the Wii, which might mean that the video content service could arrive on the Wii HD (rumored to be in development), a more capable gaming device, which will offer full support for High Definition and more storage space. Nintendo has refused to comment on any rumors related to a potential successor to the Wii but a lot of analysts are saying that an announcement will be made before the end of 2010.