While the Nintendo Switch has more than outdone its predecessor, in terms of sales and popularity, the Wii U still lives on, as either an emulation box, or a console which to stream media from. Except, the latter of which is soon to take a hit, as Amazon is preparing to discontinue their Prime Video app on the console, according to emails that are being sent out to users. On September 26th, 2019, you'll no longer be able to watch Amazon video content on your Nintendo Wii U. Of course, Amazon, ever the entrepreneur, is offering a $25 credit towards buying a Fire TV Stick if you've used Prime Video on the Wii U recently, so you can keep watching your shows. Amazon Prime Video released on the Wii U's eShop the same year the system itself launched, back in 2012.

Source

 

[Kioku]

Need more streaming services on the Switch. Come on, Ninty, you're disappointing me here. It's all about me! Wait...

 

[Rabbid4240]

This will have an earth-shattering effect on this society

 

[FAST6191]

They're also dropping some Sony Smart TV's support, which is another ploy of having buy a new TV to keep up to date. I'd be fkd if I'm upgrading my TV, as it's only 5 years old, yet Amazon offered me a 50% discount on a Fire TV stick though.

Are you telling us you saw all that happened with "smart" TVs from the outset and thought you would have a) useful options on one and b) options with support for more than about 2 years? Or was this time supposed to be different?

I agree it is a crying shame that so called smart TVs are as abysmal as they are (I don't know why it is so hard to slap an android tablet guts inside the thing and have the board be one likely to get updates for the next 10 or so years like some tablets, or open source it such that the community can run with it) but there is a difference between a surprise bankruptcy of a company or something ending support for something and not spotting a trend like that.

 

[eyeliner]

Are you telling us you saw all that happened with "smart" TVs from the outset and thought you would have a) useful options on one and b) options with support for more than about 2 years? Or was this time supposed to be different?

I agree it is a crying shame that so called smart TVs are as abysmal as they are (I don't know why it is so hard to slap an android tablet guts inside the thing and have the board be one likely to get updates for the next 10 or so years like some tablets, or open source it such that the community can run with it) but there is a difference between a surprise bankruptcy of a company or something ending support for something and not spotting a trend like that.

Just get an inexpensive Android box and be done with.
Forget the TV's subpar OS Apps and invest on a TV with decent screens and sound instead.

 

[FAST6191]

Just get an inexpensive Android box and be done with.
Forget the TV's subpar OS Apps and invest on a TV with decent screens and sound instead.

I would sooner stick a PC or a raspberry pi or something, PC mainly because most things there are free (also advert free) where android and such seems to want to charge for them. Some android boxes or similar can be hacked to do some more interesting things but that involves hacking them, and even then the options are usually far from as good as a modest raspberry pi setup.

 

[diggeloid]

That's a shame. Amazon video was the only decent streaming app because the Netflix one was an unresponsive steaming pile of dog shit.

 

[raxadian]

Ah well nothing lasts forever.

 

[eyeliner]

I would sooner stick a PC or a raspberry pi or something, PC mainly because most things there are free (also advert free) where android and such seems to want to charge for them. Some android boxes or similar can be hacked to do some more interesting things but that involves hacking them, and even then the options are usually far from as good as a modest raspberry pi setup.

Or that as well. Despite the Raspberry Pi is harder to setup at first and possibly a bit more expensive (though I don't know for real how pricey is a remote for the RPi).
I would prefer the Android box still because of immediacy, though the Pi/PC is more customizable/useful.

 

[the_randomizer]

I forgot that it was on Wii U to be honest

 

[Deleted User]

Vita gets a firmware update while the Wii U loses a feature. The Wii U is dead but the Vita will never die!

True dat.

 

[CTR640]

I can't imagine this would have been used a whole lot. There are so many other devices you could watch Prime Videos on, why would you choose the Wii U out of all of those?

It's actually nice to have this supported on the Switch. While I do imagine most are using their smartphone, I was very disappointed Netflix was discontinued/canceled for PSVita. Why not having a device with serious/full games AND streaming on one gaming/portable device.

 

[Xalusc]

I just hope Netflix and Crunchyroll don't decide to pull the plug on the Wii U anytime soon...

 

[FAST6191]

Why not having a device with serious/full games AND streaming on one gaming/portable device.

Whether it would be the same today I do not know but previously people have asked the question others have yelled about it being a gaming console, not a streaming console (the whole 50 optional megs most such services take, it not pulling focus from games and it meaning the streaming set subsidise their games not appearing to make much difference). I never did go look back to see how many of said same were excited about the PS2 being a DVD player either.

 

[HarveyHouston]

You know what? I. Don't. Care. I've never liked Amazon.

I used to use Netflix and Hulu on there a lot; the experience actually wasn't too bad. However, the Hulu app kept giving me connectivity issues, as it also did on the Wii. It wasn't until I got Roku devices that I stopped using it altogether.

Honestly, I'm a bit indifferent about a game console doing media streaming. While I believe Iwata was doing it as part of an innovative strategy, the Wii/Wii U doing Netflix has always seemed a little weird to me. Maybe it's just me, but shouldn't a game console focus on games?

 

[Technicmaster0]

As a Fire TV owner I don't really care but it would be cool to have it on the Switch.
Maybe it's already usable on L4T Ubuntu. Gotta find out.

You underestimate amazon's DRM crazyness. Neither prime video, nor prime music (except for bought songs with a workaround) work on the switch.

 

[FAST6191]

Maybe it's just me, but shouldn't a game console focus on games?

Does having media services pull focus from games though? I don't imagine MS pulled devs off the next Halo game, Nintendo from smash brothers, mario, Sony from... whatever it is they have these days to do this sort of thing? I don't imagine said same stuffed a few million into the pockets of the streaming services that would have instead gone into a game (never read an agreement such a company made but I imagine the outlay would have been fairly minimal, if it was not otherwise done by mutual agreement, save perhaps some of the xbone US sports stuff). Looking at the security setups of mainstream consoles nobody really seemed to do anything to make games harder just to have video, with the slim exception of PS3 HDCP over its video. Similarly does having it and thus making it a better sell for parents or similar people less disposed towards games as a standalone activity and thus a potentially larger install base not factor into this as a positive?

 

[banjo2]

The Wii version lasted longer than the Wii U version? Hahaha

 

[CTR640]

Whether it would be the same today I do not know but previously people have asked the question others have yelled about it being a gaming console, not a streaming console (the whole 50 optional megs most such services take, it not pulling focus from games and it meaning the streaming set subsidise their games not appearing to make much difference). I never did go look back to see how many of said same were excited about the PS2 being a DVD player either.

Oh I see. Then they have a bit of a narrow perspective. I would kill to have Netflix and .MKV support for the PSVita.
There is nothing better and nicer than having a gaming handheld that has streaming and media support in one.

 

[FAST6191]

There is nothing better and nicer than having a gaming handheld that has streaming and media support in one.

Has there ever been one?

I can see it -- I did have XBMC (these days called Kodi for those in the crowd) on my xbox and adored it. I did convert things to moonshell for my DS which made long spells at the grinding/polishing wheel lovely and did have a PSP to listen to podcasts and audiobooks on. However I have never had anything I could reasonably chuck standard videos of the day on and go wandering. Something like that in an actually comfortable form factor of the average handheld gaming device would be sweet.

 

[MeAndHax]

It’s the beginning of the end, my friends.


Funny enough it’s still supported on the PS3, lmao.