Nintendo is set to join Microsoft and Sony with a console providing video on demand services, announcing plans to add the feature to its Wii. Unfortunately for Wii owners, it doesn't look like Nintendo is going to be offering the kind of big-name Hollywood movies and television programs the other consoles offer for download. The company said that the videos it puts up on its service will be original content only.

It's hard to imagine Nintendo developing enough original content to make this service really satisfying — it would be great to have some behind-the-scenes, making-of videos to complement games, but ignoring the sort of mainstream content the other consoles offer seems like a huge oversight. Nintendo said that it plans to offer a mix of free and for-pay programming, which users will be able to access both through the console and the company's website. The choice to go with original content only is somewhat palatable when dealing with free videos, but Nintendo is going to have to develop some really compelling exclusives to warrant charging for them. The one thing this plan does have going for it is the huge installed Wii user base — even if only a fraction of users buy access to its clips, the company still stands to reach millions of viewers.

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