Though this is still unconfirmed. Based on these reports, we'll find out very soon.
* Hardware significantly more powerful than current gen HD consoles
* Updated Wii Remote will contain new features, including a built in screen
* Blu-Ray media drive which is backwards compatible with the Wii
* Official announcement coming soon
* Unveiling at E3 2011
* Release date Fall quarter 2012
Well, I do feel their biggest failure with the Gamecube was that they tried to be a PS2 with a Nintendo label. I feel that they were aiming to get the Wii out, but found the required tech to be too expensive. As a result, they didn't have anything very standout; and Sony had the bigger brand then.
With the PS3, the mistake was $599 due to an overteched console. I don't think that's a concern they need to worry about. If they can cross the marketability of the Wii with the ease of development of the X360, then it is a winner.
I think with the giant cash surplus (even in 2010, a down year, they made over 2.5B USD) they have from Wii and DS, they should be able to come up with some good stuff.
Wii 2.... Oscar Wilde like word play worthy of bad movie sequel names such as Look Who's Talking 2....
• It looks like it is currently named Project Cafe.
• It is also said to be featuring a tri-core processor with Power PC architecture
• ATI R700 family graphics card.
• Controller features 6 inch touch screen, front facing camera, two triggers, two bumpers
• BC with all Wii peripherals, games, and Gamecube games.
Flip wrote:Super Wii? The domination that could be is scary...
Pfft, it will still only have games that grandmas buy, like Muramasa, New Super Mario Bros Wii, The Conduit, No More Heroes, Shiren the Wanderer, Little King's Story, A Boy and his Blob, Dead Space Extraction, the Resident Evil games, House of the Dead Overkill, Madworld, Metroid, Sin and Punishment, Super Paper Mario, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, Super Smash Bros, the Trauma Centre games, Wario Ware Smooth MOves, Zack and Wiki.......I mean really, who cares if these grandma games are in HD?
This controller sounds very peculiar by IGN's confirmed description. It almost sounds like a new handheld system that is like a mini ipad with physical controls. Although I do hope that they go with an SNES style diamond button configuration, the Gamecube one worked well for Gamecube games, but sucks on mostly everything else due to players not being able to transition between buttons easily at all.
New details have surfaced from yesterday's reports that Nintendo is set to unveil its newest console, codenamed "Project Cafe."
According to our sources, the new Nintendo controller will feature dual analog sticks in addition to standard d-pad and trigger buttons. It'll mirror a Gamecube controller in general function but not in specific form.
French website 01.net has published additional details (via Develop), that say the touch capable screen on the controller is 6 inches in size, but we were unable to confirm the accuracy of the report. Additional details about the console's hardware specs could also not be confirmed.
Players will actually be able to stream game content to the controller screen from the console. It's unclear at this time what type of content it will be, whether it's full games you can take with you on the go, mini-games or applications.
At E3 in June, our sources also said Nintendo will show first and third party titles at the event, but it's unsure if they'll be playable or only in video form.
Update: Sources now confirm to IGN the new Nintendo controller allows players to stream entire games to the device from the console, saying it's like a miniature television. The screen size on the controller is also confirmed to be six inches in size.
IGN is usually fairly far off on their mock-ups, but they are still interesting to see:
Of course, the screen is on the small side for the 6 inch screen sources are describing. Also, the reports are stating that the controller has the most up to date and accurate motion controls; which would indicate to me that there is an additional controller that will interact with the main controller in some way; or that IGN has the form factor completely wrong. My opinion: a separate motion controller that interacts with the main controller, with the main controller taking the place of the Wii Sensor bar or the PS Eye's role.
Screen interaction isn't exactly new, the VMU on the Dreamcast did it, it was also done between the GBA and the Gamecube. This is the very first time a company looks to be taking it very seriously, and the touchscreen tech should help them out significantly over those past models. What I am interested in is, how does the 3DS factor into this new strategy? As to me, the Cafe looks like something that will come to blows with the 3DS; although I think the more likely outcome is that Nintendo would have a plan where the 3DS benefits from this new console; it might also explain why the third parties are backing it with such interesting software that has either not been a major part of the Nintendo library, or not been so since the SNES era: Super Street Fighter (Sony since SNES), Dead or Alive (sega/Microsoft), Metal Gear Solid (Sony), Ninja Gaiden (Microsoft since NES), Persona (Sony), etc....
Additional reports are also showing that the big 3 Western companies (EA, Activision, and Ubisoft) have had dev kits for months already. This would also explain earlier reports of companies (including Square Enix) recently expanding dev studios to focus on "next-gen" consoles. Capcom had also been making some cryptic statements about Super Street Fighter 4 on 3DS interacting with another console in the future. It seems that things have been in the works with third parties for a considerable amount of time already; if the date is Fall 2012, that will mean the initial releases will have been in the works for up to 2 years or more; not to mention that it is a likely case that HD related titles will now be appearing on a Nintendo console as well.
Also, for those who doubt an official word is shortly coming - Wii's price just dropped to $169.99.
kali o. wrote:Seems like Microsoft would be the ones to push the move to next gen, not Nintendo (or Sony), but I guess we will see.
By being the weakest system, hardware wise, it makes the most sense... Nintendo has the most to gain by catching up to the modern standards. How they continually to make fistfuls of cash while being the 'underdog', yet in the best position every generation to continually gain is damn impressive.
kali o. wrote:Seems like Microsoft would be the ones to push the move to next gen, not Nintendo (or Sony), but I guess we will see.
By being the weakest system, hardware wise, it makes the most sense... Nintendo has the most to gain by catching up to the modern standards. How they continually to make fistfuls of cash while being the 'underdog', yet in the best position every generation to continually gain is damn impressive.
True. But you also forgot that the Wii is really losing steam in all markets after being so dominant for so long. They've been beaten pretty steadily for the last year in both North America and Japan (in Europe too, although their dominance didn't last as long). The decision not to go with HD and keep the system "under-powered" put them back to the traditional 5-year cycle for systems (although it will be 6 years in 2012). There's really not much more that they can do with the current set-up.
Also, if it's true and they move back to a more traditional controller with IR controls and an accelerometer, it also signifies their belief that Wiimote only is limited in its overall gaming use. As great as it is for some games, there are tons of games it didn't work well for (mostly traditional genres such as fighting games and fast-paced, old-school FPSs, which is why the hardcores hated it so much). So if they incorporate their Classic Controller with the Wiimote they can get the best of both worlds. Add in a touch-screen and you get the new age of GBA-GC connectivity, except with a DS.
I think it'd be a good move for Nintendo to put out something for the non-casual gamer. There is no way they are going to capture the casual market the way they did with the Wii. For one, they now have to compete with the Kinect and the Move. Plus, casual gamers are going to be more than content to just keep their Wii and not buy the next system. It's the "hardcore" gamer that will replace his existing console every generation.
Lox wrote:I think it'd be a good move for Nintendo to put out something for the non-casual gamer. There is no way they are going to capture the casual market the way they did with the Wii. For one, they now have to compete with the Kinect and the Move. Plus, casual gamers are going to be more than content to just keep their Wii and not buy the next system. It's the "hardcore" gamer that will replace his existing console every generation.
And on top of that, I think they realized that long-term, sustainable success is found with those who game regularly not those who occasionally game. The hardcores will buy more games per year and consistently for years whereas the casual may be happy with 2 or 3 games in 5 years.
If all these rumours are true, it's obvious Nintendo realized they went a little "too casual", at least from a marketing point of view. They tried their asses off to get the hardcores everything they could from their internal library, but they themselves are only a small portion of that market. Maybe they're finally starting to realize they need to cater a little to EA's and Activision's software library as opposed to their "build it for us, let the rest follow" philosophy?
The market is not as black and white as "hardcore gamers" and "casual gamers"; two groups which behave two specific ways. That is a vastly oversimplified way of looking at it. It is a range of gamer types: In 2008 the statistics were showing that 19% of PS2 owners had bought a Wii; about double of the 10% of PS2 owners who bought a PS3. What this statistic shows is that 9.4 million of the 49.3 million PS2 owners had bought a Wii; which makes up the majority of the 13.7 million Wii owners in North America in August 2008. This number indicates that most Wii owners have in the past bought a console, and will likely buy new consoles.
That said, I think that Nintendo's best action would be to actually intensify their efforts in the party gaming market. Right now, their most successful game is also the biggest party game on the market, and that is Just Dance 1&2, this is why the Wii continues to lead the software sales charts and maintains a competitive edge on the hardware charts, even after greater market saturation and an inferior cpu and gpu. It's games like this one:
Examining what Nintendo is doing: more accurate motion controls than the move, as well as controllers with screens on them that will also act as bars for motion controllers. They are leaving the door open for the sort of strategy I think they should focus on.
Nintendo should also have a strong focus on making Project Cafe easy to develop for.
Ideally, the console would be more powerful than the PS3, have the ease of development of the Xbox 360, and the market reach of the Wii, DS, and PS2. I think that the suggested pricing ranges (between 300 and 400 dollars) are a little high; while people like myself will pay that in a heartbeat, most gamers won't. Wii's $250 tag was right on the money; $280 would be right in this case, unless they want to price drop within a year.
April 25th is here, and as the rumours suggested, Nintendo has something to say about it.
Here is Nintendo's official confirmation:
Nintendo Co., Ltd. has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed Wii, which the company has sold 86.01 million units on a consolidated shipment basis between its launch in 2006 and the end of March 2011.
We will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo, which will be held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles.
Sales of this new system have not been included in the financial forecasts announced today for the fiscal term ending March 2012.
It's an interesting gamble for Nintendo. I can't imagine Sony or MS are ready for a 2012 new system...so Nintendo might gain a 1 to 2 year lead...which could be both bad or good (personally, I am not sure the market is *ready*). And it's been a while since I checked, but didn't Wii lead in sales? Seems odd to race into next gen early when in 1st place (unless their game sales numbers are awful).
$250 retail isn't a realistic goal, especially with the "rumors" surrounding the controller...unless that "controller" is going to be sold as a completely seperate product/addon (proof that Nintendo never learns from the past )
New wrinkle: the controller is going to be "tablet-like" with dual sticks and a 6-inch screen. So it may basically be PSP-sized with the buttons on the sides and the screen in the middle (it's almost an inch bigger than the PSP screen....that's pretty sizable). What we still don't know is if it will stream the "full" game from the system or be more of an advanced GC-GBA connectivity thing where you transfer certain parts of the game to the controller, not the full game. I'm willing to place a relatively large bet on the latter, I cannot imagine what benefit there would be to streaming the entire game.....unless it becomes like a second handheld, but only for inside-the-house use (the benefit would be you don't have to take up the HD TV to play your game; the wife/parents can watch while you play). THAT would be a pretty big feature.
Kali, I doubt it'll come in at under $300. I'm willing to bet more on a $400 price point, which is a HUGE jump for Nintendo. The Wii was the first system to debut at more than $200 in their history and the way they're going with this one, they have to double that to keep their business strategy of not selling their consoles at a loss. Also, the way it's being reported, even Sine and Don won't be able to deny it's made for gamers, even if Wii Sports HD is a pack-in title. At the end of the day, we'll see if the third parties do ports of all their AAA titles. I can't really see a reason why they wouldn't now, unless the controller only has 2 buttons on it or something. You get all the big third-party games to go with Nintendo's in-house? Enough Call of Duty people play on the Wii now, if it's as good or better than the competitors' versions AND they have a 1 or 2 year head start before the others' systems are released? It would certainly become my primary system, as long as the free online works properly. And I'm sure a lot of others will follow suit, even though some will stay stubborn (Sine and Don come to mind) and stay away only because of the name on the system.
Also, the Wii is dying in sales....very fast. It hasn't surpassed the PS3 in Japan for about a year aside from some odd weeks here and there and it's been getting whupped regularly by the 360 in North America (at least up until a couple months ago; now that the sales figures ain't bein' released by NPD, we'll have to rely on VGChartz to track that for us). It's quite clear that the Wii has pretty much reached it's total potential technically and will likely die off nearly completely by next year. Right on sked, really, since this is the 5th year for the system. If anything, they're actually breaking from that 5-year cycle, which is what each system lasted before the successor was released aside from the NES. Nintendo's not dumb, they realize that by the end of next year, it'll be a trickle, almost 2009 PSP-level sales.
Zeus wrote:It would certainly become my primary system, as long as the free online works properly.
Thanks for reminding me of this actually. Without knowing anything else about the system yet (and I hope it's not the usual Nintendo lameness), online will be the biggest hurdle. Microsoft and Sony have millions already invested and the experience to next gen online "right".
I must have this on my mind because I dreamed about it last night. haha In my dream, Nintendo made the system and controllers look like old NES controllers only with the screen in the middle. It was really weird.
New wrinkle: the controller is going to be "tablet-like" with dual sticks and a 6-inch screen. So it may basically be PSP-sized with the buttons on the sides and the screen in the middle (it's almost an inch bigger than the PSP screen....that's pretty sizable).
Geez... that puts it into perspective. An inch bigger screem than the PSP but as a controller, which means you will eventually need 4. What kind of system is this thing, all the components are systems in themselves. Gone are the days where you can chuck your controller against a wall when you rage lose.
Zeus wrote:It would certainly become my primary system, as long as the free online works properly.
Thanks for reminding me of this actually. Without knowing anything else about the system yet (and I hope it's not the usual Nintendo lameness), online will be the biggest hurdle. Microsoft and Sony have millions already invested and the experience to next gen online "right".
Nintendo has...Wii Weather and Mii's
I don't share your faith...
I'm a little skeptical too, hence my caveat. I was as much hoping as I was expecting.....
We pretty much know that it won't include a Live Chat copy, Nintendo's insane about "security" bullshit. Having people talk to each other is WAAY too dangerous....even with people we know(NO, DON'T LET ME TALK TO MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY ONLINE, THE HORROR!). So the chats will only occur in-game like the Call of Duty games now. We will likely see the friends codes return, but only once the way the 3DS is set up (instead of every fucking game). It would be just like the 360 and PS3 are now except you can't just add friends you meet online randomly. The real wildcard will be how well they actually play online. A lot of games play quite well online for the Wii (CoD, Conduit, and Mario Kart come to mind; so does Smash Bros, if you're lucky enough to get it to work) it's just not consistent at all. That'll be their big thing, to catch up to the previous generation with the online. If they can at least be equal to the 360 or PS3 now, it should be fine for 99% of the people out there. But that's a very big IF.
Flip wrote:Geez... that puts it into perspective. An inch bigger screem than the PSP but as a controller, which means you will eventually need 4. What kind of system is this thing, all the components are systems in themselves. Gone are the days where you can chuck your controller against a wall when you rage lose.
When my first dog was a pup, he chewed right through the entire right side of a Genesis controller. 'Cause it was 85% plastic, all we did was wrap some electrical tape around it so it wouldn't dig into our hands while we were playing and it worked perfectly fine. Heck, I still have that controller I believe, somewhere in my enormous closet of gaming history.
Imagine you tried that shit with any of the controllers now? Or this WiimoteTouch they're talking about? The dog may not survive the ordeal :-)
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