Nintendo Wii to add Netflix streaming

It's getting to the point where it'll soon be harder to find a TV, Blu-ray Disc player or video game console without Netflix streaming than one with it. Already, Netflix streaming is available on some TVs and Blu-ray players from LG, Sony, Samsung, Vizio and Insignia (Best Buy); Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 video game consoles; TiVo digital video recorders; and Roku digital media receivers. At last week's Consumer Electronics Show, Netflix announced deals with even more manufacturers, including Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba, Sanyo and Funai (Magnavox, Sylvania, Emerson and Philips). And on Wednesday, the company announced that Netflix streaming will also come to the Nintendo Wii by this Spring.

For technical reasons, Netflix streaming on the Wii will be somewhat different than it is on competing video game consoles. Most significantly, HD titles will not be available as the Wii is not capable of displaying HD resolutions. According to an article in The New York Times, some expect that an HD version of the Wii will eventually be released. (Note: The New York Times owns ConsumerSearch, but no editorial affiliation is shared.) Like the PlayStation 3, access to movies will require owners to insert a special disc, which will be provided free by Netflix to its subscribers. Those who own a Wii can already reserve a disc, which will be mailed out once the service goes live. Netflix on the Xbox 360 requires no disc, but Microsoft does require an Xbox LIVE subscription to access the service, and that runs about $50 a year.

Adding video streaming addresses one of the Wii's major shortfalls compared to its rivals. Even without it, the Wii remains extremely popular -- still outselling both the Xbox 360 and PS3 -- thanks to its simple-to-use gesture controllers and "get up and do something" approach to video gaming. However, as The New York Times reports, both Microsoft and Sony aim to capture some of the Wii's appeal by introducing their own gesture controllers sometime this year, among other things.