"Theater Room" channel will allow users to watch feature films and TV shows via their Wii console.
The Japan-exclusive Wii no Ma ("Wii's Room") channel is about to get an upgrade that will add the ability for users to watch movies and TV shows via their Wii console. Tomorrow, Nintendo will push an upgrade that will add a theater space called Theater no Ma ("Theater Room").
The service will give the console video-on-demand capabilities much like those seen on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Support for the Japanese service will come from companies such as Walt Disney Japan, Warner Brothers Japan, NTV, NHK, Pokemon Corporation, TV Asahi, Sesame Workshop, J League Media, Asmik Ace, Toei, Warp Star, Howcast, and Bonus. Screenshots reveal content such as movies like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", episodes of the Kirby anime, and several Sesame Street programs featuring Elmo.
Exact content and pricing has yet to be announced, but screenshots reveal a ¥100 pricing for the rental of an episode of Kirby. One interesting technical note is that videos will be able to be transferred to a Nintendo DSi and viewed on the handheld.
Theater no Ma has only been announced for Japan, but Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian recently told Gamasutra that he expects Nintendo to "launch a service in the U.S., establishing a family-oriented media hub in the living room, and providing a more competitive option to Xbox Live and PlayStation Home".
Neal Ronaghan, Contributing Writer
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