Nintendo launches Wii Netflix service
US console owners with membership now able to watch "thousands of movies and TV episodes"
Nintendo of America has announced the launch of Netflix on its Wii console, providing members with the opportunity to watch "thousands of movies and TV episodes" and bringing the machine into parity with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the US.
The service is available to any Netflix subscriber with an 'unlimited' membership (costing $8.99 upwards per month, and access to a broadband internet connection. Users will also need a "Netflix instant streaming disc" which can be ordered on the Netflix website and delivered first class for free.
"More than 28 million people already use the Wii console to play games, stay fit and have fun," said Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. "Now they have another reason to use the system every day - to enjoy great movies from Netflix and other video content."
And Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings added: "Launching Netflix on the Wii home console marks a significant advance in the evolution of our service. Wii has created immense consumer excitement and has meaningfully altered the consumer electronics landscape.
"Bringing Netflix to Wii catapults us toward our goal of being ubiquitous on the connected devices most popular with consumers."
Netflix was first launched on the Xbox 360 platform in November 2008, and subsequently expanded its offering to PS3 owners a year later.