DVD enabled console is no longer exclusive to Japan.

Word has reached us that Nintendo will be bringing the DVD-enabled Wii to America in the later part of next year.

Previously, it was thought that the DVD version of the Wii would only be available in Japan. However, Nintendo of America have confirmed that the "upgraded" console will also see a U.S. release.

According to the release, Nintendo plans to launch this version of Wii some time in the latter half of 2007. What wasn't clear, however, was if this announcement had been confirmed by Nintendo, and if the DVD-enabled Wii would be released outside of Japan. That said, GameDaily BIZ has now received confirmation from Nintendo that the release in the latter half of 2007 is for North America as well.

Nintendo of America's Public Relations Manager Matt Atwood said that a price has not yet been determined, but that the DVD-enabled Wii would come at a higher price than the standard Wii console ($249) because of the "extra cost required to implement DVD playback." Keep in mind that Nintendo had originally announced the Wii with DVD playback, but later removed the feature because of cost and because most people have separate DVD players nowadays anyway.

We asked Nintendo if gamers who purchase the Wii at launch might be able to upgrade their consoles through a firmware update via the WiiConnect network, and while Atwood told us that it is a software solution, it "requires more than a firmware upgrade."

If enabling DVD-Playback is a software solution, but is more than a firmware upgrade, does this rule out the possibility that Wii-owners could download the relevant software online?

However, this new information will certainly cause a dilema amongst potential Wii owners.