Anybody bought a Wii?

[Roland]

I already have a separate DVD player (a few of them, actually). I just don't want any extra "clutter" around my TV. If the Wii plays DVDs (which is apparently in the works), I will ditch the DVD player. This is assuming I buy a Wii, of course.

Why would playing DVDs burn out a Wii? Most people with a Wii would be playing games, and I assume that at some point the disks would be spinning around inside the Wii, much like a DVD would. You can't tell me that playing DVDs in a Wii leads to a higher failure rate than playing Wii games in the same console.

This reply is way too argumentative, which I did not intend.

His point, DeeBye, is that you'd be using the system for two purposes, thus effectively doubling the workload, and shrinking the life expectency by half. Now, granted, if you watch DVDs once a month, but play video games twice a week, you're not going to be impacting the lifespan nearly as much as if you were watching DVDs equally as long as you play video games.

Basically, it's a precautionary measure. DVD players are dirt cheap, and you can find some players that are literally half the size of your average player (not mini-DVD players, but set-top boxes that just cut out the unneccesary clutter), if size and clutter are that much of a concern. I can understand, completely, your desire to make things look neat and orderly, and remove any redundant systems, but really weigh the costs before you make a final decision. If you're going to be playing movies just as much, or more, as you will be playing games on your Wii, you might just be better served, in the long run, to have a seperate DVD player. DVD-based gaming consoles do NOT have a very strong track record for drive life (PS2, Xbox), although later iterations tend to improve this somewhat.

It's just a thought. Basic DVD players themselves will be obsolete by the time we see the next generation consoles, having been replaced by HD type DVDs, or something completely new (content on-demand, for example), so the Wii (featuring, AFAIK, only basic DVD playback) will move into obsolence along with the rest, leaving the 360 and PS3 as the surviving console / entertainment hybrids. In that case, it may be a bit of a moot point. Even so, I know I have a seperate DVD player for the VERY few times I watch DVDs (I prefer my cable box; I pay too much for what I use, so I try to use what I can when I can). I don't want to put any undue strain on my gaming systems, partly because they're so expensive, but also because I bought them for gaming, not "home entertainment". Call me old-fashioned, but there are better systems suited to such tasks, IMHO. Gaming systems are for gaming, in my place. I have my cable and my DVD player for the rest, along with my PC (which is not hooked up to my TV). I want ALL my systems to last at least as long as I do, if I can help it.:)What can I say, I want my kids to grow up with the same things I did, to experience the same enjoyments I did. Besides, just because technology moves on doesn't mean the old FUN becomes obsolete. Old games done well are just as fun and exciting as new games done well. Technology just makes it more immersive, more realistic, and allows for broader options. A fun game is still fun, no matter from what generation.