Netflix streaming coming to PS3, PSP, and Wii?
- April 14, 2009 13:23 PM PST
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Xbox 360 owners have been able to enjoy Netflix streaming for months now. Is it possible other consoles might share the love in the near future?
Now no console shall be deprived of 'Coach' episodes on demand.
Ah, job spots, you tease us so. Credit Crunchgear for pulling this one out, acting on a tip about a Netflix Engineering Leader position whose description suggests everyone's favorite online video provider (ahem, Netflix) may be flirting with another console. Make that consoles, plural, per the job listing, which stipulates that
The gaming platforms team is responsible for prototyping, testing and building the Netflix experience for gaming consoles . We?re tasked with bringing the latest generation of movie discovery and delivery technology to the gaming console platforms our growing subscribers use every day.
We are looking for a hands-on leader and innovator. We seek deep experience developing and testing media rich applications on current generation gaming consoles . Candidates will be technical, strong leaders, and execution focused. Expect to help build a small technology team to rapidly prototype and iterate on a variety of platforms ...
...You have years of experience both building and leading the development of games on the current generation gaming consoles . You are familiar with several of those consoles , the technical hurdles associated with them, and the means of navigating those hurdles
And in the posting's bullet point "basics":
Experience with digital media on embedded platforms; ideally on one or more gaming consoles .
Netflix on the PS3 makes sense from a consumer standpoint. It wouldn't necessarily clash with Sony's existing video offerings. Microsoft was still offering certain films and TV shows apart from the service last I checked. Factor in syncing with (or streaming direct to) Sony's PlayStation Portable with its nearly 17 million U.S. install base and you've got all the justification you need per audience numbers.
What about the Wii? It's only capable of 480p EDTV output, so you can forget high definition video. So what? Maybe, assuming everyone's just fine with SDTV streams. It's impossible to ignore 23 million (or so) U.S. owners, anyway. But aren't there other issues to grapple with per the Wii's MIA hard drive?
The iPhone's not a console, but it's not beyond the pale to imagine streaming videos over a Wi-Fi connection...
Oh wait a minute, yes it is. Since when is Apple going to let the competition encroach on its iTunes streaming/downloadable video vibe?
Think about it.
And here's the one "hypothetical" platform everyone else is missing: What if all this bluster is just future-proofing ado for the next generation of gizmos, e.g. Microsoft's "Xbox Next"?
Read more at PCWorld's Game On and at twitter.com/game_on.
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- Apr 14 2009 at 01:58:42:PM PST
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It's possible if Netfix knows how to handle each Consoles strength and weaknesses.
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I would love to use it with the PS3 if it is free. I have a netflix account and a xbox 360 but I do not have a gold live account so I have not been able to take advantage of this feature.
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leiderhausen wrote:
I would love to use it with the PS3 if it is free. I have a netflix account and a xbox 360 but I do not have a gold live account so I have not been able to take advantage of this feature.
YOU DO NOT NEED A GOLD ACCOUNT TO STREAM NETFLIX!
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slm90031 wrote:
leiderhausen wrote:
I would love to use it with the PS3 if it is free. I have a netflix account and a xbox 360 but I do not have a gold live account so I have not been able to take advantage of this feature.
YOU DO NOT NEED A GOLD ACCOUNT TO STREAM NETFLIX!
Last I tried it with silver, I couldn't use the netflix feature, now that I have a Gold membership I can, unless they updated it since its been released
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TAKE THAT XBOX!!! Netflix is the bomb dzl and to get the service on PSN would be great!
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Very doubtful for PS3. Gamepro even had
an article on how Sony charges companies
for bandwidth (60cents per 1gig?) on PSN.
Netflix would lose hundreds of thousands
of dollars under this setup. But how about
wifi streaming for the upcoming Zune HD?
Not far fetched since Netflix already has
a deal with Microsoft.
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Gotta love the Zune. But seriously, who wants to watch movies on tiny screens?
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I watch movie sites on my Ps3, now & then I rent on Psn. The redbox been getting my money though. Netflix would be just another feature I'd check out if it were on Ps3. Games games games that's what we really want though
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