The Nintendo Wii VOD (video on demand) service is launching in Japan on 1 May, and as promised, it’s “something different”. Something very different. In fact, it’s so Japanese, we’re not sure it’ll ever make it to the UK. Read on to find out why!
Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata let slip earlier this month that a VOD service was heading to the Wii, and he’s made good on his word. The Wii VOD channel, “Wii no Ma”, begins broadcasting from 1 May Japan. He’s also made good on his promise to give the Wii VOD service a Nintendo twist, though we’re not sure how good that is.
Wii no Ma is a channel set around a virtual living room that can squeeze in up to 8 Miis. Your Miis can all settle down on the sofa to watch a bit of VOD – so long as it’s the cartoons and “family-oriented” programming Nintendo has come up with in conjunction with a Japanese ad agency. You then get to rate the shows with a thumbs up/halfway/down system.
It gets weirder though: the Wii VOD service also asks you for your personal details including age and your blood type (yes, really), suggesting it’s more a surreal marketing research experiment than a way to enjoy video whenever you want.
We’ve spoken to Nintendo UK and it wouldn’t confirm whether the Wii VOD service would be headed to Blighty anytime soon, but unless Nintendo takes this one back to the drawing board, we’re OK with that.
Out 1 May | £from free | Nintendo (Via Kotaku) (Nintendo Wii available at Amazon)
