Nintendo reveals that Wii has native support for MP3 playback in Nintendo's latest translated entry of "Iwata Asks."
Nintendo continues to reveal delicious nuggets of Wii information in its long-running Q&A series with Iwata and his underlings. In the latest addition Iwata talks with Kouichi Kawamoto, most recognized for directing Brain Age for Nintendo DS.
In the interview, Kawamoto explains the history and motivation behind his Photo Channel. While Iwata and Kawamoto mentions entertaining features such as drawing graffiti, most surprising is its support for audio playback: when viewing a slideshow, MP3s stored on the SD card will play in the background. Kawamoto also mentions video playback, though it seems to be fairly limited.
While Nintendo's built-in MP3 playback looks to be confined to the Photo channel for now, game developers will likely be able to offer similar MP3 playback in their own software, not unlike the custom soundtrack feature Microsoft offers. Wii's SD card slot opens many new possibilities—MP3s and digital images could just be the beginning.
If you missed earlier episodes of "Iwata Asks," be sure to read up!