This is a given, or they will at least use some variation of the technology like what Nintendo is doing. Although all next gen systems are going to need a faster disc drives than the PS3's, I believe the Wii U's is 6x the speed of the PS3's. Maybe thats the reason they're using propriety tech?

Well, Linux format is not ext3 - that is only *one* option out of many more. And hackers can of course reverse-engineer the file-system as they have done with xbox-discs. What you say seems to sound right but proof has to be given before it can be taken serious. I remember dreamcast using gd-rom...

so wait it is blueray? are they paying sony for anything? or how does this go?

Sorry why they need to pay Sony to use Blu-ray tech???

because sony is one of the main coparations that made it. its why sony keeps pushing blueray

as far as i can tell its propitery technology only used by nintendo. no they do not have to pay blu ray royalties. probably the reason they used propitery technology, to save money, and also offer their own piracy protection. was the wii ever hacked to play dvds? if not then i doubt the wiiu will ever play "blurays discs"

Yes, it was.

The royalties is paid to One-Blue company then the profits are shared between (I don't know what is the division of the profits): Cyberlink, Dell, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, JVC Kenwood, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Taiyo Yuden and Yamaha.

These companies didn't pay royalities...

The Wii U's drive is made by Panasonic (I guess) so the Nintendo don't need to pay any royalities to use it (just the price fixed by Panasonic)... of course there is the discs royalities but these are the consumers that pay and not Nintendo... and the format used into the BD discs are custom... so the Wii U don't have read support for BD movies then they didn't need to pay royalities.

Anyway the Wii drive is a standard DVD drive too... the Wii can even read DVDs with hacks.

I'm pretty sure the Wii U drive is a standard BD drive.

Another question: do you think bluray will have a successor? In my opinion bluray will be the last iteration of an optical disc format?

It will but I'm with you... not a optical one.