Rumor: Netflix HD streaming 'confirmed' for the Wii @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on November 01, 2009

News: And supposedly launching in 2010 alongside the 'Wii HD'.

Take this with a giant grain of salt, but Business of Video analyst Dan Rayburn is saying that Netflix streaming has been "confirmed" for the Wii.

I've put "confirmed" in scare quotes because Rayburn's proof is flimsy at best and hinges on his belief that a Wii HD will be released in early 2010.

Just wait, it gets even more unbelievable. And it really makes me wonder how people who have no understanding of video games at all become "analysts."

According to Rayburn, a week and a half ago someone set him pictures of a Wii displaying streaming video provided by Netflix. After doing some digging, Rayburn was able to conclude that the images were real and that they came from someone involved in testing the Netflix service on a Wii. Still waiting, because here's what it gets good.

Rayburn concluded by saying that Nintendo had originally planned to offer Netflix streaming on the Wii in late 2009, but the company delayed the rollout because they wanted to link it to the release of the Wii HD. Anyone connected to the game industry should know that the kind of certainty he displayed when writing about the secret existance of the Wii HD (and its release in the next three months) should be a much bigger deal than Netflix streaming, but not Rayburn.

When called on it in the comments section, Rayburn backpedaled. He cited a report from everyone's favorite game analyst, Michael Pachter, as proof that a Wii HD is being released in the next few months. When asked why Nintendo hadn't announced an entirely brand new system that will be on store shelves in a few months, Rayburn had no response.

He also doesn't want to release the images he received, for fear of getting his source in trouble. A noble reason for sure, but it brings up another troubling question, how can still images confirm the existance of a streaming service?

So yeah, if Netflix streaming is coming to the Wii, it's not because of anything analyst Dan Rayburn has confirmed with his sources. Although my common sense tells me that Nintendo doesn't want to be the only console without a video streaming solution.

I'd say we'll have more soon, but we don't have anything now.