Wii 2 rumors

[Setharion]

www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/711920/wii-2-new-rumors-emerge-including-code-name-project-cafe/

Going to be interesting, I just wish Nintendo could give us a nice dose of HD Ninty gaming...just do what they do best in HD glory.

[red16]

Game Informer - a reliable source not given to posting wild rumours - broke the news, saying that multiple sources have confirmed that Nintendo are working on the console.
An announcement about the console is expected from Nintendo next month, with more details being revealed at the E3 expo in June. The console is reportedly set for a launch in 'late 2012'.
They quote one anonymous source saying that 'Nintendo is doing this one right,' adding that it is 'not a gimmick like the Wii'.
IGN adds their own sources to the mix, saying that the console will be 'significantly more powerful than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360', and claiming that the console will mark Nintendo's move to 'recapture the hardcore market.'
And CVG, meanwhile, suggests that the device will have a built-in HD screen, which sounds intriguing.
The Wii has been one of the most successful consoles ever made, selling in huge numbers - but it has attracted criticism for being less powerful compared to its rivals, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and for the paucity of decent games for it made by any company other than Nintendo.
The new HD console could see Nintendo return to their traditional position of having competitive hardware (the Wii and DS were relatively anomalous in being underpowered for their generation) - and Game Informer reports that the new console is already being shown to third-party publishers in an effort to make sure that it gets strong support. The Wii, by contrast, was largely kept a secret until its launch.
Further details about the console are thin on the ground. It's not clear what kind of controls it will support, although a combination of traditional and motion controls seems likely - CVG says that it will an all-new controller, not just an updated Wiimote.
It's also not known if the console will retain the Wii name, with Game Informer suggesting that it may be given different branding in an effort to distinguish it from the Wii and appeal more to Western audiences.
Nintendo has been rumoured to be planning a new console for some time, although it seemed more likely that it would be an upgrade of the Wii rather than a complete new system. Sony and Microsoft both maintain the the PS3 and the Xbox 360 are only halfway through their life cycles, and are unlikely to introduce next generation consoles for quite some time.

[Setharion]

Man Nintendo in HD, i bet they blow it out of the park...i just got a feeling they will nail it this time.

[xpert74]

HD is probably the least interesting thing to me about this rumor. I really don't get everyone's fascination with it. It looks nicer than SD, but so many people act like stuff that's designed for SD resolutions is unplayable today. I really find that pathetic.

[Setharion]

Well i do agree that there are some people that can slam SD pretty hard or olderschool looks...i personally can play either way, but i do think a good looking HD picture is pretty sweet.

Still for me as always, gameplay is king, story and atmosphere is a close 2nd, and then graphics are 3rd.

But i admit i do like the idea of an HD ninty console.

[ManillaRoad]

Do you guys think Skyward Sword will get pushed back for the new console like Twilight Princess?

[best3444]

"French site 01net.com's unconfirmed report says the device will sport a “custom IBM PowerPC with three cores”, an ATI-built GPU, and at least 512MB in memory, putting it on-par with a 360"

That is disappointing really. Why can they not pump out "Next-Gen" graphics with a reasonable price point? I want it to produce graphics BETTER than the 360 and PS3…

It will be interesting to see how it turns out. I gave up on Nintendo after I beat Mario Galaxy.

[stepheno1683]

Apr 18, 2011 7:02:04 GMT -5 ManillaRoad said:

Do you guys think Skyward Sword will get pushed back for the new console like Twilight Princess?

The only reason I got a Wii was so I could play Zelda earlier than the release on GC. To date it's the only Wii game that I have beaten and I own like 11 titles or so.

[Phoenix S117]

I want to know more about it before I jump on the launch train. I feel like I got burned by the Wii. I'm pretty sure I've played individual 360 games more than I've played the entirety of my Wii collection. -_-

I think HD will be nice, but I'm more concerned about the online interface. Friend codes just don't cut it when the competition is XBL and PSN.

[Setharion]

Phoenix you have a tales of the abyss avatar, you are godly!

Oh and yes, i agree with your post!

[ManillaRoad]

The rumoured (although apparently it is kinda confirmed by devs) controller with the 6 six inch touch screen sounds pretty bizarre to me. On one hand it could be pretty cool if it does indeed allow for streaming of the game to let you play remotely, it also sounds extremely expensive and excessively large for a controller.

[Setharion]

Yea i agree Manilla, i really do. And i think and hope, skyward will hit the Wii...i really hope they stick to that.

[stepheno1683]

Latest rumor is Nintendo is trying to buddy up with R*. I think they are barking up the wrong tree. R* gets flack for their series because of the name. They don't really define hardcore gamers anymore. Other mature rated developers would be a better pick IMO.

[Phoenix S117]

Most people associate Rockstar with GTA, but they also have the critically acclaimed Red Dead series. Red Dead Redemption got quite a few GOTY awards. I think trying to work something out with Bethesda or Bioware would be better, but Rockstar's a good start.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

mmmmm, I love me some RockStar!

[schatz]

"If" they have a HD in the Nintendo Wii...I'll buy another. So many memory cards for the original Will I camped out for overnight. That was so much fun!

*edit*

Red16....so it is a modification and not a new system. If you posted about a HD I missed it. Will there be a HD Upgrade? Thank you for your informative post.

[adam99x]

I would love to have a High Def Metroid. Then again, that's wishful thinking. I would really love to see what Retro Studios could do with Metroid and to see how an HD Donkey Kong would fare.

[EternallDarkness]

This E3 could be quite interesting again for nintendo fans

[cusideabelincoln]

Apr 18, 2011 7:02:04 GMT -5 ManillaRoad said:

Do you guys think Skyward Sword will get pushed back for the new console like Twilight Princess?

Nope. I do not think they'll delay it. I think (well, hope) the console will be fully Wii compatible and also upscale the game. So I think they'll concentrate Skyward Sword for the Wii as intended, and having it upscaled for Wii 2 will be a bonus.

Apr 18, 2011 6:07:03 GMT -5 xpert74 said:

HD is probably the least interesting thing to me about this rumor. I really don't get everyone's fascination with it. It looks nicer than SD, but so many people act like stuff that's designed for SD resolutions is unplayable today. I really find that pathetic.

I care about HD because of the clarity of the picture. I also like the noticeably crisper text for HD consoles compared to non-HD. Even though the Wii looks pretty good for what it does, the jaggies and the text can be a distraction. Crisp text is just much easier on my eyes for being easier to read and simply looks cleaner. Jaggies make things hard to discern in games, especially small details or things in the distance. Wii Sports would look great without jaggies - not a technical masterpiece but nice and clean.

One other reason I care about horsepower is third party support. It's definitely lacking. The GCN had better third party support than the Wii - at least it got the majority of cross-platform games while that is the exception for the Wii. Even most of the cross-platform games for the Wii are simply different games. Ghostbusters and The Force Unleashed come to mind. Prince of Persia too. Even Marvel Ultimate Alliance is a different game than its counterparts.

Along with horsepower and its relation to third party support comes the support for game engines. The things some game engines are doing simply aren't possible (feasible) on the Wii. That's why you don't see direct ports. Devs would have to make a new engine and the game will pretty much be different. GTA IV is a good example. The physics/AI engine would be drastically different such that it would essentially make the games be entirely different even if they had the same content if they tried to port it to Wii.

So more horsepower is needed to keep up with these physics, AI, and 3D engines. More horsepower gives you more opportunities to include subtleties in games. Dead Rising Wii had fewer zombies, and that ultimately affects the gameplay. So I like to see more horsepower be put to use to make the game better overall. Such as we could get a Zelda game with some unique mass-enemy challenges, or perhaps get a true open world non-loading game (with a hard drive).

[Phoenix S117]

Wii is just underpowered and that doesn't just mean the graphics aren't as nice. Extra power means better AI, destructible environments, better soundtracks, etc. So a system with enough power for HD should also result in better games overall.