BBC says iPlayer on Wii rushed as new UI released

Promises version for PS3 despite console's "odd quirks"

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24 October 2008 14:43 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

The BBC has released a new version of the iPlayer for the Wii, admitting that the existing player was "very much a first-pass product."

Anthony Rose, head of online media group, BBC future media & technology writes in a BBC blog posting:

"Six months ago, we made BBC iPlayer available on Nintendo Wii. This was our first foray into TV-connected gaming devices. We didn't know what the uptake would be, so we adopted a 'keep it simple, get it out fast' approach.

This rushed version saw the player sized for the standard BBC iPlayer website, but on the Wii's smaller screen. In addition the interface was not optimised for the Wii's Wiimote user interface.

The new version for the Wii, available now, has a simplified user interface that presents just a few options on screen at a time and "nice big chunky controls" said to be easy to aim at with a Wiimote. A full screen mode has also been added.

Rose again explains the reason the Wii was chosen as the first console platform for an iPlayer launch: "The reason is simple: there are twice as many Wii units in the UK than PS3s, plus the PS3 browser had some odd quirks which have increased development time."

But, good news for PS3 owners, has again said that the BBC is currently working on bringing BBC iPlayer support to the PS3:

"We're not quite there yet as the PS3 uses a slightly older version of Flash which doesn't support some of the features used in our media player, and the very promising Flash 9 update now available on PS3 has some compatibility issues. Our Flash developers are working on it - stay tuned for updates."