Wii Startup Disc is (surprise!) a set up disk

"Please insert your Wii Startup Disc. This will set up your Wii console."

The mysterious Wii Startup Disc that was listed on the back of the Wii box has been summoned in public. While glancing over the Wii kiosk set up at the South Shore Mall Software Etc. in Bay Shore, NY, Paul Miller snapped a photograph, with the Wii console pleading (with the above message) for the Startup Disc. The request is written in only English, Spanish and French, implying that the disk is region-specific.

It may be a last-minute firmware update, but why not have the console download the update when it connects? After all, Wii is supposed to be connected 24 hours a day. Maybe Nintendo doesn't trust its customers, and the Startup Disc is a mandatory orientation film on how to properly handle the Wiimote (think LOST). Or it might just be a very lame game -- "insert the disc and win!" -- that boosts your self-esteem.

Let's say the Wii Startup Disc is a region-specific firmware update. If a US Wii owner could obtain a Japanese startup disc, could he or she enjoy a more expansive Virtual Console launch lineup?

Screen Via Comments

I find the Wii alarmingly sexy.

Should I be worried?

:confused:

o_O There are some people who don't have high speed internet, don't have a router, or don't have a LAN cable to run to their television to plug into the Wii. Or, there are people like me, who don't WANT to have their console hooked up to the internet at all times (I'd rather choose when I download, thank you very much).

That's why there's a setup disk and it's not an update from the internet. =D

As for what it does.. dunno. Doesn't strike me as terribly important. But note: the Wii is region encoded, so no, grabbing a disk from another country would do you no good.

Is the American Wii only gonna play american games, like the gamecube, or will it play all such as the PSP does? I moved from america to the middle east, and my american GC is useless here, because I can't play any of the games here(they are all european).

Maybe someone would be able to make a custom startup disc, similar to this, that makes the console region free. Is it possible to make firmware do this?

looks good

maybe the disc 'IS' the region protection

Not all consoles will be connected with the 24 hr system, because many people (including my self) don't have wireless networks and wont purchase the lan adaptor at release, so a firmware update could only be attained through a disc media.

I am still leaning towards the setup disk as a wizard to set up the various features of wii (miis, weather channel, and explanations of other features). I don't see how they could have time to make the system require an "update" without actually just updating the system themselves. It seems like adding in a "insert setup disk" screen etc would be as easy as applying the update behind the scenes.

I doubt it's a firmware update.

The start-up disc is to do with the operating system. (the firmware). So yes it would control the region setings of the Wii.

Don't believe me? look here: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/sys...er.jsp#startup