Netflix Instant Streaming Arrives for the Nintendo Wii

Netflix instant movie streaming is now available on the Nintendo Wii. After a long wait, the popular movie rental service which allows for online viewing of its movie collection via the computer and other connected devices has just made its latest method of Internet movie watching available.

The movie rental service offers more than just rent-by-mail DVDs. Although initially a dominant and still strong portion of its business, sending and receiving movies to its users by mail, the service has been slowly giving way to a more convenient method of entertainment delivery - online viewing via the Internet. For quite some time, viewing a catalogue of titles for online viewing has been available on the most common online platform, via a web browser on a personal computer.

The Instant streaming disc has been available for preorder at the Netflix website for several months, and delivery of the software took place this past week. The disc, which is free to all members of the service, adds the capability of using the Wii as a movie media center of sorts. As is well known, the Wii is capable of wireless Internet access straight out of the box. The Netflix disc takes advantage of this feature, and extends upon the family of console devices that already have access by joining Microsoft's Xbox 360, and the Sony Playstation 3.

Installation is one time, and quick and easy. Soon after inserting the Netflix disc for Wii into the gaming console, Netflix will appear with the available Wii Channels. Once selected from the menu, the software will then ask for a code verification, which can be accomplished by logging into a valid Netflix account by computer. Within seconds of entering and validating the code, the wide selection of immediate viewing choices becomes available. All menu navigation and playing controls are simple and straight forward with control being managed by a Wii remote.

from personal experience, video playback has been nothing less than excellent in speed, clarity, and quality. At this point, the only real drawback to the service is more a Netflix issue, and not necessarily a Netflix for Wii problem. Most users of the instant streaming feature would probably agree, the selection of available titles needs to be greatly expanded upon. Many current selections are quite dated, yet with the promise of new arrivals appearing routinely, the service is sure to remain a top contender in the video on demand arena.