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Darren Waters: "BBC iPlayer on Wii makes a mockery of the 360 and PS3"

April 10, 2008 in News comments 12

In a news blog post, the BBC's technology news editor Darren Waters believes that by Nintendo claiming the right to stream there BBC iPlayer on the Wii is a massive blow for there rival company's. He also goes onto claim that this new addition of streaming there online shows onto the Wii kinda makes a mockery of what they (Playstation 3 and Xbox 360) stand for.. or well have claimed to and that would be "true multimedia machines" as Nintendo are the first to offer this service.

A BBC technology journalist says the deal between Nintendo and the BBC is a huge blow to Wii rivals.

In a new blog post, BBC technology news editor Darren Waters has called yesterday's announcement, which saw the BBC iPlayer supported on the Wii, both ironic and something of a mockery regarding the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360's claims to be multimedia machines.

"How ironic that it is the Nintendo Wii, and not the PlayStation 3 nor Xbox 360, that becomes the first of the current generation of consoles to have a truly dynamic range of online video content," wrote Waters.

"The BBC's announcement of a deal with Nintendo to put the iPlayer's streaming service on the console makes something of a mockery claims by Sony and Microsoft that their consoles are the true multimedia machines."

The reason for the iPlayer support on Wii and not its rivals appears to be one of control. Erik Huggers, the BBC's Group Controller for Future Media and Technology, is quoted as saying: "If you want to get on the PlayStation or Xbox, they want control of the look, the feel and the experience; they want it done within their shop, and their shop only."

The PS3 already has a web browser so in theory would be able to boast similar iPlayer support to the Wii with a simple update to the browser software. It's not quite so straightforward for the Xbox 360 though, with no browser meaning the iPlayer would need to be integrated into the Dashboard in some way.
tidus04 via videogamer.com »
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  • 1
    Shadow of Death* Apr 10, 08
    Good for the Wii, and all that.....But does the Wii have Movie downloads (360 does, and PS3 will eventually)? Does the Wii have PlayTV (European PS3s will)?

    Each console has stuff the others don't, to some extent....

    And the guy is biased, since ummmm, he works for the people the streaming service originates from >_>
    • 1
      Seeker X Apr 10, 08
      Agreed, it's pretty clear he's completely oblivious to the other consoles' media capabilities.
  • -1
    X_MANBEARPIG_X Apr 10, 08
    What a tard.
    Just looking at him proves he has no idea what he's talking about.
    Oh well.
  • 0
    Xenctuary Apr 10, 08
    You are all misunderstanding his point. What he is stating is indeed ironic. The Nintendo Wii, "a simple family gaming machine", was the first out of the three current consoles to have a wide range of on-demand streaming video. Sony and Microsoft do not yet have such a feature, despite being branded as "multimedia machines".

    As mentioned, if the PlayStation 3 supported Flash through its web browser, it would at least alleviate the situation a little for Sony.
    • 0
      Seeker X Apr 10, 08
      That much is understood, but it's hard to boast off "Dynamic online Video content" against the other media services the other consoles have...starting with naturally being able to play music/movies?
      • 0
        Xenctuary Apr 10, 08
        However those features are totally irrelevant to what is being discussed. That's like reviewing a television but commenting on the bad wallpaper in the room.
        • 1
          Seeker X Apr 10, 08
          I do get what you mean, a streaming service should've been one of the first things to get for a "multimedia" console.

          But:

          quote
          A BBC technology journalist says the deal between Nintendo and the BBC is a huge blow to Wii rivals.
          This is blown WAY out of proportion, a huge blow??? What I've been trying to say is that they're making it seem as if neither the PS3 nor the 360 have any valuable features whatsoever.
  • 1
    Krunal Apr 10, 08
    What's the point of downloading it with a MAXIMUM storage date of 30days (after which it self deletes if it's downloaded) or 7 days if it's simply streamed (after the seventh day that it has aired, it will be unavailable for streaming). I'd much prefer the PS3 and PlayTV which has BBC1-BBC3, which means that I can pretty much download the programs onto my PS3's harddrive, which then means that I can watch the programs after however many days as I want to, and all for free (PlayTV = Freeview for the PS3, so apart from the initial cost of the box, you can download and watch whenever you want, however many times as you want).

    I think that trumps the 30day limit that BBCiPlayer put on their programs.

    The only thing that boosts BBCiPlayer is the fact that it's available for download 7 days in advance, but I often want to watch programs many times after they've aired - and this includes movies - BBCiPlayer doesn't show any movies and there's absolutely no chance of seeing a show after 37days (i.e. if you download it an hour before it's taken off, then you have 30 days to watch it before it's deleted automatically).
  • 1
    iLLmatic Apr 10, 08
    Xenctuary, I don't think thats the point at all. He obviously is promoting his own livelihood and nothing more. If it were anyone else Nintendo partnered with, he would have absolutely nothing to say about it. You're telling me that the Wii finally gets some multimedia support worth mentioning and now ALL OF A SUDDEN its making a mockery of the PS3 and XBOX 360? Don't make me laugh.
  • 0
    Slumpy monkey Apr 10, 08
    I heard that they were going to do it for ps3 and 360 but dropped it after they both made too many demands.
  • 0
    Final Blade Apr 11, 08
    lol This guy clearly blowing it out of proportion. I mean seriously "mockery of 360 and PS3" When they already makes the Wii a Mockery of a next gen Console, sounds like BS.

    Also the Wii barely has enough Memory space to support this. This guys is off his rocker.
  • 0
    The Dave Apr 13, 08
    It's the BBC, it is physically impossible for them to blow things out of proportion or have alteria motives. How dare you all. =[

    Mockery was a strong word for the guy to use and certainly a stupid point to focus on in order to link to the article. The article admits that Sony and Microsoft are likely to secure deals at a later stage but the point he is making is how interesting it is that the Wii has secured this deal first. The BBC iPlayer is becoming massive in the UK for casual internet users. The same "n00bs" who all bought their kids Wiis. You guys need to stop thinking like fanboys and look at this from the perspective of the real world. Britain's most successful broadcasting company streaming video to a games console that set out to avoid the "all your mulitmedia in one box" battle. It is interesting to say the least.

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