I just love how many times the word "Firmware" is thrown around on this site. People, firware updates are not going to make the console something it's not. Someone elswhere commented about a claim that a firmware upgrade would make the Wii magically read DVD movies. I think we should have a new drinking game. Everytime you read the word "firmware", you do a shot. Reading this post should give you a head start on your drunkining.

Who knows if it can or not, we'll all have to see. They will be releasing DVD-Able Wii's in japan eventually, and i havnt read that they are making whole new Wii Hardware.. so that could hint to Firmware.

But Firmware definitly CAN help with alot of things for the Wii.

There have been so many posts about Firmware and DVD playback on the wii. A simple firmware upgrade WILL NOT enable the Wii to playback DVDs. I know this because it has been stated in a press released that a different line of DVD compatible Wiis will be released at a later date with an elevated cost. Its amazing what wonders Google can work.

A reason that supports WHY the Wii wont be able to is because it Reads from the Outter Rim to the Inner. DVD's and such read from Inner to Outer rim.

so what types of things can firmware effect? what other types of things can it not effect?

not neccesarily, EX: your computer can play DVD's but it needs power dvd player software installed to actualy watch the clip. So this could actualy be true. Our wii's already have the disk reading capability on it, but DVD's have different info on it, (like how different are dvd's from games) and the lense can read the dvd it just doesnt know what to do with it, so when you instal somthing like a power dvd player, it tells the lens what to do with the info.

Bubbagump got it right. If everyone remembers there was a DVD enable gamecube call the Panasonic Q. It was just a remade gamecube case to fit full size DVD movies and the DVD software. So don't go around saying the Wii can't play DVD movies when it has already been proven that it's just software and not hardware.

The reason why the Wii didn't have DVD playback was to keep cost down because DVD playback requires a software license which Nintendo has to pay for. The XBOX was the same thing, when you buy the remote you also pay for the licenses to be able to play a DVD movie. It's just that Microsoft already had DVD software installed (Microsoft makes DVD software so for them it's easy and free to into included the software just not the licenses).

Which definitely explains why Wiinja is able to make your Wii read regular, burned DVDs just by soldering 5 points. Firmware could do the same thing as Wiinja, since firmware controls how and where the data passes throughout the Wii itself.

Honestly, at worst Japan will get a new Wii that plays DVDs because Nintendo wants more money, and everybody else will have to either install a hack, and/or a mod chip into their Wii to play DVDs.

For a topic that seems so goddamn unimportant, you people sure like to make yourselves worry. Oh god Oh god no DVD playback!? Wait, I already have a computer and a DVD player less than a meter away, why am I panicking!?