The Wii U will not support Blu-ray movies nor DVD movies, according to information WiiUDaily has dug up from the past. While the Wii U will support a Blu-ray-like drive capable of storing upwards of 25GB per disc, Wii U Blu-ray playback will still be a no-no. Not even DVD movies will be playable on the Wii U.
The reason, according to Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata, speaking to Mashable at E3 2011: Nintendo is looking to cut costs on the new console and get rid of anything that isn’t directly related to gaming in the hardware. For a console to play Blu-ray and DVD movies, a few more computer chips are required, and a few dollars in licensing costs. We estimate that adding Wii U Blu-ray and DVD playback will cost Nintendo less than $5 per console.
We can’t say that we’re surprised that Nintendo is trying to cut costs on the console, as its expensive tablet controller and new hardware will quickly drive up costs. Nintendo is expected to price the Wii U at $299 when it debuts later this year, and some analysts believe that even that price point is too high to compete with the current gen consoles.
