Wii U Debate Thread

[AC!D]

Multiple Sources Confirm New Nintendo HD Console

Gamers have been waiting years for Nintendo to finally release its Wii successor, and Game Informer has heard from multiple sources that the company will unveil it at E3 this summer if not sooner.

We have confirmed with multiple sources that this new home system is capable of running games at HD resolutions. There are conflicting reports, however, as to whether its graphics will be comparable to those on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 – meaning it could surpass or fall short of those systems. Either way it will offer competitive specifications. Moving to HD should greatly help Nintendo and its new console in getting more multi-platform triple-A titles like Portal 2 or Mortal Kombat. This, in turn, will strengthen Nintendo's historically poor relationship with third-party publishers/developers.

In fact, Nintendo is already showing publishers the system in an effort to get them interested and allow them plenty of time to start developing titles in anticipation of the system's reported late 2012 launch. This advance support marks a change from when the Wii launched. At that time, several Western publishers were outright surprised by the announcement, and it affected the software support for the platform.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata himself acknowledged that it needs to do a better job with its publishing partners at a 3DS press conference in the fall of 2010. "We need to decrease the concern that only Nintendo software can sell well on Nintendo platforms and third-party software cannot sell in the same volume. We feel a need to have closer ties with our third-party developers from the beginning."

"Nintendo is doing this one right," said an anonymous source. "[It's] not a gimmick like the Wii." What else, beyond graphics, this may imply about the system is unknown. What kind of controls the system will support (we imagine a need for both classic analog configurations and motion controllers) or what level of software and infrastructure Nintendo will provide for online gaming is also unknown. However, it's a positive sign that the system might be more than just an HD Wii.

We've heard about an HD Wii for some time now, and the time is perfect – almost necessary – for Nintendo to jump start itself with this new system. The company has been feeling the bite since Wii sales have declined from previous years, and this week's news that Nintendo could be dropping the price of the Wii on May 15 could be a precursor to this announcement and an attempt to move as many Wii units as possible out of the retail channel before the new system hits.

We do not have confirmation if this new system will be backward compatible with the Wii or if it will even carry the Wii branding as has often been rumored. It is our understanding that Nintendo is trying to embrace the western gamer and will likely launch a new brand with this console. Around the office we have dubbed the system Nintendo HD. However, this information at this point is conjecture.

We contacted a Nintendo representative regarding this information, and they would only say that "Nintendo does not comment on rumors or speculation."

Either way, it should be an exciting E3 for Nintendo and gamers alike.

It's about time!!!

[Viper]

I still see it as being like the Wii announcement at E3 2004. Sure they spoke of it to some degree but it wasn't until late 2006 the console was launched.

Any details offered at E3 this year will likely be slight with a 2013 launch.

I could be wrong but I see just as much evidence that a new console as evidence that it's still a ways away.

[GTAce]

Gamers have been waiting years for Nintendo to finally release its Wii successor,

Wat?

[Viper]

Wat?

Just another reason why I don't like Game Informer.

[AC!D]

Just another reason why I don't like Game Informer.

Maybe not years but for at least two maybe three yes. Just read the comments for the article. Clearly im not the only one thats felt this way for some time. Get your Wii defences down and hell lets celebrate together. God surely you want a more powerful Wii?

[Segitz]

It's rather people waited for a GC successor... because the Wii is just "two GCs duct taped together"... I know this is trolling, yet me, as a bit of a graphics whore cannot play Wii games anymore, mainly because of their looks.

But... announcing/releasing a new console when they already have a new one just released would be a bit backwards.

[frosty]

Wii is showing it's age. It's time for a successor. Wii was never meant to go for long, which is why they put yesterday's tech in it.

[Crazybone126]

Nintendo usually has 5 year cycles, and 2011 marks that fifth year. I've actually been speaking about a new Nintendo console announcement coming soon lately. Some disagreed, but I always just felt it was coming.

I also think a new Microsoft console is coming rather soon as well. 2011 is a pretty boring year for the 360. The only game coming is Gears of War 3. Seems Microsoft is slowing down to gear up.

[Viper]

Oh, I don't mind a new one coming. That's not a defense mechanism. My points are based on more practical measures. I tend to post on a balance of consumer interest and corporate interest. Most people ignore the latter.

Consider this...consumer demand for the Wii is down but even at its lowest point here it sells comparable to the competition and has had only 1 frikkin price cut the whole time. From a corporate standpoint, this thing is still in great shape. And it's a corporate standpoint that a successor will be derived from.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Oh, I don't mind a new one coming. That's not a defense mechanism. My points are based on more practical measures. I tend to post on a balance of consumer interest and corporate interest. Most people ignore the latter.

Consider this...consumer demand for the Wii is down but even at its lowest point here it sells comparable to the competition and has had only 1 frikkin price cut the whole time. From a corporate standpoint, this thing is still in great shape. And it's a corporate standpoint that a successor will be derived from.

Right.^^ Wii sales are down, but that's only because 90% of the people who wanted one have one by now. It sold at an astronomical rate, but that rate isn't sustainable. Sales are down, but they're still top of the pile.

[SadPanda]

Nintendo likes making money from the start. Assuming they would be using BluRay wouldn't that one feature alone still be a bit costly never mind the horsepower to top the 360 and PS3?

[Viper]

Nintendo likes making money from the start. Assuming they would be using BluRay wouldn't that one feature alone still be a bit costly never mind the horsepower to top the 360 and PS3?

I'm expecting them to use either flash memory cards (like the 3DS) or that InPhase holographic storage that they've been investing in for several years.

The 3DS cards have capacity between 2 GB and 8 GB. I wouldn't be surprised that Nintendo kept that route and went from 8 GB to 32 GB. Prices for 32 GB SDHC cards right now go for $40. With bulk rate pricing, I'm sure Nintendo can get that down much lower....and they'll naturally get lower as time goes on anyway. And flash gives the benefits of no moving parts, no worries about disc scratching and much faster data rates.

InPhase went out of business in Feb 2010 but Nintendo co-owns the patent and can still run with it. Capacity isn't fixed but was to start at 100 GB. Access speeds are very fast and because it uses a parallel read and write system, reads and writes are insanely fast. It's also rewritable with no wear and has a life span of centuries instead of years for standard optical media. The problem is it's sounds too damn good to be true and we'll likely never see it or at least not for decades.


As for other specs, you can beat the PS3 with an off the shelf $35 GPU right now. Directly from the vendor is probably $25.
CPU could be a down clocked Power6 or Power7 chip from IBM. Likely Power6 as Power7 just came out last year. Will be 4 cores minimum being the architecture starts there.
RAM won't be a problem as it's insanely cheap right now. 4 GB would be a reasonable guess.
In keeping with the flash memory and reduction of moving parts, I'd guess they may use a small SDD for mass storage.

The 2 big factors in gaining 3rd party support are this:

1. Online infrastructure must be good. They seem to have learned this with the 3DS (though final details are waiting for the big May firmware update to see how much they learned) so let's hope that carries over to the home console.

2. Direct3D and programmable. Games are going to the iOS that have no business even being there simply because it support programmable shaders. 3rd parties will port games to N6 (Nintendo's 6th home console...I refuse to call it Wii 2) or even lead on it if it makes this one single change in their GPU strategy.

[masteratt]

Too soon for my liking but who is to say they can't launch this system with the same status as DSi. Keep the Wii crowd going and release a new Wii with an upgraded couple things.
I know "omg but HD is too big of an upgrade", in Wii's market, I really don't think it is.

[frosty]

Assuming they would be using BluRay wouldn't that one feature alone still be a bit costly never mind the horsepower to top the 360 and PS3?

Back in the day, when PS3 launched, the BD drive in it was something to the tune of $200. These days, you can buy a 10x blu-ray BURNER for $80-90, so the drives have got to be dirt cheap by now. As for the other hardware needed to power HD graphics, if they built a console today with the same specs as PS3, it would cost them just under $300 per system (and they'd likely be able to put in hardware that outperformed the PS3). Nintendo has all the profit from Wii they need to launch at break even, so they could still hit the market at $300 (and probably be able to afford enough RAM to handle 1080p 3D as well). The system would likely outperform the PS3 in many regards by using that budget (PS3 uses a lot of specialized parts, like the Cell processor, which are going to cost a lot more than what Ninty would pay if they assembled their own HD console today).

As long as they were only trying to compete with the HD consoles, they could build a much better HD console than even the PS3 for cheap. Of course, "next gen", once PS3 and 360's successors are out, that console would be the weaker of the bunch, but that fits in with the same strategy Ninty successfully used with the Wii.

[frosty]

Even more Wii talk, including a tease from the official E3 twitter. I think this very well could be real folks, and if it's anywhere near what they claim, I'll be getting one.

Game Informer’s news post regarding the next Nintendo console has sparked a ton of buzz. But the article contained a number of uncertainties, such as the system’s graphical capabilities. While everything is still unconfirmed, many additional articles around the web indicate that the power of “Wii HD” (let’s just call it that for now) will indeed surpass the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360:

“Furthermore, we’ve heard that the machine will be more powerful than current-gen systems, meaning Nintendo, currently backing a Wii that is weaker in horsepower than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, will be showing a new console that is more powerful than those current competitors.” – Kotaku article

“Our sources have said the the console is significantly more powerful than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and that Nintendo’s intent is to recapture the hardcore market.” – IGN article

IGN’s article contains other interesting nuggets. Apparently the company will distribute a press release this month – confirming the rumors – and will fully unveil the console in June. IGN also notes that the console will be backwards compatible with the Wii and will support 1080p resolutions.

Moving on, there is quite an interesting article on 01Net. The site’s source leaked NGP specs prior to the handheld’s reveal, which gives the publication some credibility. Like IGN and Kotaku, 01Net has also discussed the Wii HD’s power, noting that it is on par with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Even more interesting, however, is that the system will feature a “very original” controller – and it doesn’t sound like it will be similar to the Wii remote or Kinect. 01Net additionally believes an announcement will come at E3.

Last but not least, the E3 Twitter account has posted a very interesting message on their Twitter account. Make of it what you will…

“Could it be? Tune in June 7th and see…. http://fb.me/G77gvduy”

I doubt that they truly know what Nintendo has in store… but you never know!

I just hope they don't gimp it on media features. This needs to be an all in one box just like PS3 is. If it does all my PS3 does but better, I'll be buying one day one. I think Ninty is out to win the "best e3 conference" award 2 years in a row. This will likely force the hands of the other 2 to announce their hardware next E3 (or possibly even TGS?) as well.

It'll be good to see Ninty become a true competitor in the hardcore gaming market again. I welcome it with open arms.

[Dralor]

Ugh I hope the HD screen in the controller isn't true that sounds downright terrible.

[masteratt]

Ugh I hope the HD screen in the controller isn't true that sounds downright terrible.

I was actually talking of bringing that back in a rambling I was having a few months back, calling for an improved version of Dreamcast controller thing. So I welcome it personally. Has great opportunity add immersion and save menu switching / HUD space in game.

I agree with Frosty that Wii2 will most definitely steal the show.
I didn't mind Nintendo having the best E3 last year, and I wouldn't mind them having it this year. Should be a fun watch.

[frosty]

As for specs, I'd expect this:

1080p standard resolution on ALL games.

3D in 1080p standard for ALL games.

MSAA, etc. for ALL games, even at 1080p.

blu-ray (for movie playback, it makes the most sense and is cheaper than SD cards. plus it's the industry standard for both 2D and 3D HD movies)

802.11n standard, maybe even something new.

new controller that puts all out there to shame both in the standard and motion control arenas.

at least 4GB of RAM

6 core CPU (to beat PS3, it's gonna need it)

GPU that is more powerful than RSX (probably by a good bit, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the CPU able to lend a hand as well like with PS3)

some very fast bandwidth connecting all that together

Solid state HDD, cloud storage/saves as well

If ninty were smart:

cross game chat, invites, join from friends list, no fucking 80 number long "Friend codes", and some sort of pay online service like PS+.

Yay! next gen is coming... now the speculation starts. It's starting to feel like 2004/2005 all over again!

One thing that would make the screen on the controllers work... if it was a 3D screen like that on the 3DS. Then anyone that bought it, regardless of whether or not they have a 3DTV, would be able to enjoy it in 3D.

[Segitz]

As for specs, I'd expect this:

1080p standard resolution on ALL games.

3D in 1080p standard for ALL games.

MSAA, etc. for ALL games, even at 1080p.

blu-ray (for movie playback, it makes the most sense and is cheaper than SD cards. plus it's the industry standard for both 2D and 3D HD movies)

802.11n standard, maybe even something new.

new controller that puts all out there to shame both in the standard and motion control arenas.

at least 4GB of RAM

6 core CPU (to beat PS3, it's gonna need it)

GPU that is more powerful than RSX (probably by a good bit, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the CPU able to lend a hand as well like with PS3)

some very fast bandwidth connecting all that together

Solid state HDD, cloud storage/saves as well

If ninty were smart:

cross game chat, invites, join from friends list, no fucking 80 number long "Friend codes", and some sort of pay online service like PS+.

Yay! next gen is coming... now the speculation starts. It's starting to feel like 2004/2005 all over again!

One thing that would make the screen on the controllers work... if it was a 3D screen like that on the 3DS. Then anyone that bought it, regardless of whether or not they have a 3DTV, would be able to enjoy it in 3D.

That spec is gonna push the retail price over 400USD... Imagine PS3 with four times the RAM and a MUCH better GPU. For 1080P with MSAA in 3D (probably 30Hz per Eye, too) you need a FAT GPU. And I mean something akin to ATI 6850 or even more powerful (at least in PC terms).

[frosty]

It seems like that would add a lot of unnecessary cost to the console if they do the HD screen in the controller, but at the same time it would be damn cool to be able to do things separate from the main game screen that others in the room cannot see.

That was one advantage to LCD shutter glasses that sony was talking about exploiting, instead of alternating left eye/right eye, it would alternate player 1, player 2, etc... up to 4 players. This would give nintendo a way of combating that if Sony were to implement it, and it wouldn't require a 3DTV.

I think making the screens "HD" would be a stupid thing to do though. It would only require a display for showing basic information like the play you want to select in Madden.