Although Nintendo first announced that a DVD-enabled version of the Wii would only be coming to Japan, it has now confirmed that the premium version of the Wii will soon be available in North America. Apparently, Nintendo feels DVD compatibility isn’t a big deal for gamers:
If DVD movie playback is so important, people can wait for the later model next year. For most consumers it’ll be about the games, so they’ll likely not want to wait to purchase the new system.
There’s no confirmed date on when the new version of the Wii will be released, but lets hope Nintendo doesn’t pull a DS-Lite and screw over everyone who already has a console by releasing one that looks a lot sexier. There’s also no mention on the pricing of the new version of the Wii, though, it would really suck to pay more for a Wii just cause it can play DVDs.
DVD-Enabeled Wii Coming Next Year [engadget]