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Streaming Netflix on Wii goes disc-free

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Last week, Sony announced its plan to bring disc-free streaming to its Playstation 3 console. That update is expected to go live today. Not to be outdone, Nintendo has announced that its own Wii users will be join the PS3 folks in finding creative new uses for their obsolete Netflix discs.

Starting today, Wii owners can install the Netflix application through the Wii Shop channel and start streaming content sans disc. Users will, of course, have to be Netflix subscribers with a plan starting at $8.99 ($7.99 in Canada) to take advantage of the service and have a broadband Internet connection. The application has no additional costs attached.

With both Nintendo and Sony on board, disc-free Netflix streaming is now available on all three major video game consoles. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 became the first to support it nearly two years ago.

Sony also announced last week that it would be bringing HD video and Dolby 5.1 surround sound to its own Netflix application on the PS3. While Wii owners can rejoice in disc-free streaming, it looks like that kind of HD experience is one that they are going to have to learn to live without.

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Aemon Malone
Former Digital Trends Contributor
This console generation isn’t about games or hardware. It’s about services
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It’s been over two years since the start of the current console generation, which launched with a rocky start at the end of 2020. You'd think it's been more than long enough to understand what it's all about, but for many, there's still confusion. That might be changing this year. As Tomas Franzese wrote earlier this month, 2023 could be the year where we finally see what games define this generation’s consoles, at least in terms of exclusives. He also noted that games could stop being cross-platform, launching on just current-gen consoles instead of simultaneously on last-gen ones.

While that'll finally give us some memorable games, it doesn't bring us closer to defining the hardware itself. Besides a few extra teraflops and new ultra-fast SSDs, there isn’t much that helps the PS5 and Xbox Series X and S stand out from their predecessors. Sure, the PS5 looks like a giant spaceship, and the Xbox Series X is built like a fridge, but we didn’t know what these devices could offer that the PS4 and Xbox One couldn’t besides some pretty lighting effects and virtually non-existent loading times.

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State of Play September 2022: how to watch, what to expect
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Hot off the heels of Nintendo's Direct announcement, PlayStation is holding a surprise State of Play this week. An official PlayStation blog states that the upcoming stream is set to be somewhat of a pre-show for the impending Tokyo Game Show event on September 15-18. There's going to be a lot of focus on PlayStation's Japanese partners as well as some updates on Sony's latest VR headset.

Here's how to watch the surprise show and what to expect from it.
When is State of Play?
The State of Play is to take place on September 13. The broadcast begins at 3:00 p.m. PT. PlayStation's blog also confirms that it will last around 20 minutes, making it half the length of Nintendo's show on the same day.
How to watch State of Play
As always, the event's stream will take place on PlayStation's official Twitch and YouTube channels. There's no word on whether or not it will broadcast on other social media streaming platforms.
What to expect from State of Play
https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1569445831614369793

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The Last of Us Part I should launch on PlayStation Plus Premium
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The Last of Us Part I is one of the most notable PlayStation 5 games to launch this fall. It’s also one of the year’s most controversial titles.
Despite the acclaim associated with The Last of Us series, there is heated debate surrounding the remake’s $70 price tag, which is more than the original release and The Last of Us Remastered cost at release -- even though it's lacking the multiplayer mode that came with both. This situation turned what should be a certified slam dunk for Sony into a divisive release, and Sony could fix it with one key change: making The Last of Us Part I a day-one title on PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium.
This isn’t because The Last of Us Part I isn’t worth $70. In fact, its improved visuals and the vast amount of new accessibility features clearly warrant the price tag in the eyes of some. That said, even defenders of the heightened price can recognize the controversy arising from charging more than ever for a remake of a twice-released game. The Last of Us Part I is in a rough situation, and being a PS Plus game would ease some of those concerns.
Why being on PS Plus would work
As The Last of Us is one of Sony's most popular modern franchises and has a TV show on the way, it's understandable why Sony and developer Naughty Dog eagerly want a modernized version of The Last of Us Part I on store shelves at full price. Still, those who've already bought the game twice and aren't impressed by the visual and accessibility overhaul don't seem as compelled to pick up the game for the third time. Sony would remove this significant roadblock plaguing The Last of Us Part I by putting the game on a subscription service.
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There are plenty of examples showing why this would be a wise idea. The Age of Empire series' Definitive Edition games showed how well remakes work on subscription services. Several years after their original release, many players are still actively engaged with the first three Age of Empire games. While interested players can still purchase the remakes individually, putting those games on Game Pass for PC on day one ensured that the community didn't have to pay full price for a game they were already playing daily. Instead, they could just get the remake through their subscription and continue.
The Last of Us Part I is in a similar situation, even with the multiplayer content removed. This demonstrates why a subscription service release could lessen some of the negative stigmas around the game. The successful Stray, which was included in PS Plus at launch, shows that day one PlayStation Plus games can still generate plenty of positive buzz. The game's subscription service availability ensured that the conversation stayed on the game's cute cats, not the fact that it was a $30 game that only lasted about five hours.
Sony has recognized the power PS Plus can have on embattled games before. Destruction All-Stars was originally a $70 PS5 launch title, but ultimately launched as a PlayStation Plus game that was free to subscribers. Although The Last of Us Part I seems like it’ll be a better game than Destruction All-Stars, a day one game makes even more sense on PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra now than it did on PS Plus in February 2021.

Despite all of those factors, Jim Ryan made it clear that he does not want AAA PlayStation Studios games on PlayStation Plus Premium or Extra on day one during an interview with Games Industry.
“We feel like we are in a good virtuous cycle with the studios where the investment delivers success, which enables yet more investment, which delivers yet more success,” Ryan said. “We like that cycle and we think our gamers like that cycle … We feel if we were to do that with the games that we make at PlayStation Studios, that virtuous cycle will be broken. The level of investment that we need to make in our studios would not be possible, and we think the knock-on effect on the quality of the games that we make would not be something that gamers want."
His argument makes sense from a business standpoint, but data from Microsoft shows that people play more games (and games they might not have played initially) when they are available on a subscription service. Even if it seems unfair to judge, many people weigh the amount of new, entertaining content a game offers to its price tag. Sony's can't truly say whether The Last of Us Part I is worth $70, but it can shift the discussion in its favor with an act of goodwill.
The Last of Us Part I will be released for PS5 on September 2, 2022.

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