Third-party Wii video-streaming service beta begins

Though the Xbox 360 remains Netflix's sole official game-console partner, a third-party application has allowed PlayStation 3 owners to access the video-streaming service for months. Now that app, called PlayOn, is available in beta form for the Wii, according to the site of its developer, New York-based MediaMall Technologies. The open beta, which began today, offers Wii owners a 14-day free trial to try out the $39.99 PlayOn program, which requires that the console be on the same network as a PC. Once purchase, the program requires no monthly fee.

Once PlayOn is installed on said PC, it will let Wii owners stream video from a variety of sites, including Netflix, Hulu, ESPN, YouTube, and Amazon Video on Demand. Also accessible is a variety of programming from CBS, whose parent company, CBS Corp., owns GameSpot. Third-party add-ons allow PlayOn users to access content from the Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, the Food Network, the NFL Network, and South Park Studios.

It is unclear when the beta for the Wii version of PlayOn, which is also available for the Xbox 360, will end. However, the final version of the software will likely come before the official Nintendo Wii video-streaming service, currently available only in Japan, arrives in North America.

To see an early beta version of the Wii PlayOn software in action, watch the unofficial video below. (Video credit: dsims.posterous.com.)