Next Nintendo console could be less 'revolutionary' than Wii

by Randy Nelson on Jul 29th 2008 10:00PM

We've often wondered how Nintendo could possibly out-do the Wii in terms of innovation. Now we know the answer to our question is possibly "nothing." Speaking with Forbes on the topic of future consoles, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata admitted it will be difficult to one-up its latest console effort. When asked about the importance of hardware innovation, Iwata explained that "This time around, it happened to be we had a revolutionary user interface. Will it be the same for the next generation? I really can't tell."

"It's natural for the current customer to expect Nintendo is going to once again do something different," Iwata added, admitting, "If the people are expecting so many different things from Nintendo, it's going to be difficult for us to go beyond that expectation again." In the article, Iwata confirms that Nintendo is actively developing its next machine, but seems far more interested in software offerings. "The hardware is a kind of box that consumers reluctantly buy in order to play our games," he said. Reluctantly, Iwata-san? People are practically buying Wii without knowing what it even does.

[Via NWF]

Source

Tags: hardware, nintendo, satoru-iwata, Wii

Reader Comments (112)

All I want is the next Nintendo console to be high definition.

I also want a better online experience. Meaning no more stupid friend codes.

That and a bit more storage (even like a 10-20 gigs) would make me happy.

I agree with you on both counts, 100%. Using the Wii on a HDTV is really disappointing as the image is very soft. I don't really care how much polygons it will push, but they really have to up the resolution to 720p at least.

The friend codes thing is just tedious and overall a bit pointless and really needs to go.

Nintendo can do all they want to make their new system better, it won't make me want it any more. We all know how Nintendo treats their hardcore gamers...

How about a Wiimote with a camera on it that looks at your TV (instead of two points of IR light) to control the cursor. It would have that fancy "MotionPlus" technology built in too, and would work in conjunction with a wireless nunchuck with that same evolved motion tech.

The console itself could have an online system comparable to XBL, but knowing Nintendo a universal friendcode platform would suffice. Expect 360/Ps3 level graphics, but in a box slightly larger than a Gamecube. An 8GB non-replacable solid-state drive matches Nintendo's minimalist design choices, with a single supplementary SDHC card (32 GB max) slot with enough bandwidth to run DLC directly.

Aesthetics: Imagine a tall N64 (as if resting atop a 64DD), glossy white, with the disc slot postitioning above Gamecube controller ports/card slots, the SD slot, and 2 USB ports (with 2 more on the back). These would not be hidden behind flaps like on the Wii, and the controller ports would be spaced out to allow attachment of Wavebird dongles without obstructing the other slots.

so you want nintendos next console to be like this generations competing consoles?

I do enjoy a good mario and zelda game however. I would buy a wii2 if it supports 1080p and ditches the motion controls. As for proper online and storage, Perhaps if the wii has these from the start I never would of switched sides (to the xbox, which has those things).

"ditches the motion controls."

What with WiiMotionplus and shit coming, I figure the next console, assuming it has motion controls, will have them implemented better than the Wii has. Seriously, accurate motion sensing opens up quite a few possibilities for gaming.

For the Wii2, I basically want the equivalent of the PS4/Xbox720 but with Nintendo's motion controls (except much...much better). The online obviously needs a complete overhaul, but I could do without some of the media features of the PS3/Xbox 360. Who needs yet another DVD player? It baffles the mind when people complain that the Wii can't play DVD's (Actually...it can...but you've got to install it yourself. I'd never bother though for something like the wii)

Other than that, I want developers on board that actually create decent games for the motion controls, and not just crappy shovelware that has tacked on motion controls. Also, the controller should be in one shape. The nun chuck aggravates the hell out of me, and the idea of an akimbo second controller just for moving is stupid.

Oh, one final thing...I want a console that is 400 dollars to begin with. Why? The cheaper the console gets, the junkier the internal components become. It doesn't have to be 600 dollars like the PS3, but hopefully it won't be a 250 dollar budget machine again.

Whoa whoa whao, BananaBoat. $400?!? You're bananas dude. I'd wouldnt be suprised if the other two came out with a consoles below $400 next gen.. especially if they keep taking the beating they're taking now.

The fabric of space time would rip apart if Sony released a new piece of consumer electronics that was less than 400 dollars.

Iwata stated some time ago that the reason Wii didn't have HD output was due to the low market penetration of HDTVs. At the time the Wii came out... Wasn't it like, 10-15% of TV-owning households had an HDTV?

What's that figure like now?

Anyways... point being... He did state that if the market was suited for it, their next system would be HD. Or something like that.

Personally, I care more about storage and online than screen resolution.
I have a feeling they'll stick with flash memory as storage, but up the ante a bit. It's getting a lot cheaper than it used to be. 16GB SDHC goes for as low as $48 now on Newegg. And flash memory is even cheaper for manufacturers than consumers... And by the time Nintendo makes a new system? Even cheaper, probably.

Online? Even Iwata acknowledged the suckage of (un)Friend(ly) Codes. So, more than likely, they'll be working on a more sound network structure...

I want Nintendo to fix their attitude.

PLEASE LOVE US AGAIN.

I never understood the crying about friend codes. You still get random and ladder matches by region in most games, friend codes allow you play with friends. Isn't that the same as gamertags?

Haha, yeah, all I want is the next nintendo console to be high def, have programmable shaders, a hard drive, a decent online strategy--pretty much, I want it to be more than two gamecubes duct-taped together with a fancy controller.

Derp.

I'd be happy just to play Mario or Zelda with a normal controller and in high def. Fuck this gimmicky shit that doesn't even work right half the time.

No, it's not the same as gamer tags. You enter a gamer tag, which is usually easy to enter like a name, and then submit. The person on the other end gets a request and simply ignores it or accepts it.

The friend codes on the wii require you to know your friend's code, it's long to input, then it won't let you play until your friend enters your code as well, also a pain, instead of just accepting your request.

Also, there's no way to communicate with that friend or find out if they're online unless you have the same game and already know you're playing it, with very few exceptions.

Some games allow for more, but the Live version allows it even without any game at all.

Tim is right.

Personally, i would be satisfied if they kept the System Code, and then just integrated the friends list

They practically did it with Mario Kart Wii anyway, and it wouldn't be much harder to remember than your phone number with just one number to remember

That, and standardizing chat across online. With Wii Speak, there's no excuse

OMGZ Nintendo's RUINING gaming teh casualz will be the death of . . . wait, what?

I mean, oh, that's interesting.

they should just remake the wii, only this time have it have comparable hardware specs to the competitors.

If you ask me, Nintendo whould just go the way of Sega and not make consoles anymore and just make games.

Stupid Nintendo. Just make a nice, NEXT GEN (and I mean good mother f**king graphics, not this Gamecube2.0 shit), console with all your flagship games in HD and good online+3rd party support.

I don't get why people expect consoles to be graphically fantastic. As long as the game's fun, who really cares?

Anyways, If you want the best graphics, get a PC.

the same reason beyonce is super popular and desired yet respected, the same reason mercedes and BMW's are so popular and desired. The same reason i drive a mazda 6 and not a pontiac aztec.

people want function AND form, utility AND beauty.

they are not mutually exclusive.

embassy those are some horrible analogies.

Last I checked, Next-gen wasn't a synonym for high-end graphics. Now, I could be wrong but if I'm not, I'm just giving you a heads up.

A good game has good presentation and good gameplay.

Presentation is pushing the graphics/audio to the max by having a nice looking game. Both in user interface and actual game looks. You could have an astonishing presentation on the Wii, the only thing limiting it on that regard is resolution. Presentation also includes having great audio.

Gameplay is first, but it should always be complimented with some nice presentation.

You where a jaguar and 3DO guy Im guessing?

What's understood by next gen is as difference in the areas that matter. Graphics, like it or not, matter.

So for controls, it truly is next gen. But for graphics, it aint. But Nintendo's not trying to reach the same demographic. Their plan is to bridge the gap between the hardcore and the casual.

Of course, for some things, they blew up the bridge.

I just want 720p not any better graphical horsepower. Although 720p will probably require it.

Good, now they can go back to what they were before. Having great IP's that catered to both hardcore and casual player, rather than using the same bland thing over and over again to cater to only the casual and new players.

Going back to what they had before? Fuck, I've been ragging on Nintendo left and right lately but if you ask me that'd be a regression. With the Wii, they've done something they've never done before - over the course of two years, they've pumped out sequels to their IPs that, more often than not, have proven to be better than their predecessors. While I don't like the fact that Nintendo is more concerned with showing off casual junk at conventions like E3 (though for now I'm just gonna wait till Leipzig to bitch more), it'd be kinda dumb to say that Nintendo themselves haven't at the least backed the Wii decently.

The next Nintendo console just needs to have the graphical power and easy of online access that the Xbox 360 has. Add that into what the Wii has and you've got the next system right there. Oh and storage space, don't forget about that.

That picture of Iwata looks a bit like Hitler standing over the Nazis, just saying...
HAIL NINTENDO =P

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/3347/heilaq7.png

How's my amateur photoshoppery?

All it needs is less color and a little more black and white.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6138/heiltd9.png

Forgot about black&white.

God damn you Nintendo, you suck now.

just make it have pretty graphics this time. M'kay Nintendo? okay buh-bye!

Although I DO love the Wii, I'm a bit less than enthused about the lack of graphics it can churn. sure, a few of the games are fun, but... come on, we're buying these expensive-ass HDTVs for a reason! we need some HD waggle!

Well, given what the Wii currently has and that developers are still releasing sub-gamecube level graphics on it, would more power really help?

I anticipate an evolutionary advancement of the Wii.

More focus on the technical side (graphics, whatever) while refining the motion control to the point where it can live up to the vision they originally had with Wiimote 1.0

I'd rather have it less revolutionary and more awesome. The Wii is almost the exact opposite of awesome. It's a casual dumping ground for bad games. 45% of all games reviewed on GameRankings for Wii are 60% or below.

Un-fucking-believable. Shovelware to the max. I'm actually embarrassed to admit I own a Wii.

"I'm actually embarrassed to admit I own a Wii."

Why? If there's a bunch of games for the Wii you don't want, why not just ignore them? Buy/play the games you like, ignore the ones you don't. If there's one console you like to play more than another, that's fine.

But I don't understand why someone would be personally ashamed of a console because of the existence of games they don't play at all. That's just being mad.

No! The revolution is not over, next console, make a suit that you put on and your nintendo console reads your movements! There and call it the 'Nintendo Vinton'

The only thing that could one up the Wii remote would be some kind of haptic device like the Novat Falcon but that would make a lot of motions undoable.

They're probablly just going to have to have comparable graphics to the other competitors and maybe an improved controller.

Just get with the program already Nintendo

Full 1080p HD.
Sweet and near flawless Online System
Mii's and the like are okay as long as you add more to do with them.

Get rid of the crappy Classic Controller and create a GC like controller with Rumble.

And a hard drive would be nice. And if you're going to do that do like MS and start out with both a lower and higher end model. 40G vs 120G I think is good.

I actually like the Classic Controller....Its much better suited for playing SNES/NES games on the VC

If you want something like a GC controller...use a GC controller

Nintendo's consoles work best when they revolutionize the industry.

1-Nintendo-Brought us the D-pad.
2-Super Nintendo-Brought us the shoulder buttons.
3-Nintendo 64-brought us the Analog.
4-Nintendo Gamecube- brought us nothing.
5-Nintendo wii- Brought us waggle.

I hope they outdone themselves with all that new money.

You could argue GC brought us the first ever first party wireless controller, but that was late in the console's lifespan anyway.

For the next console, I think a souped-up Wii would do fine. They'll head in to the next generation with all the momentum, so they can afford to coast a bit this time. But a Wii with improved waggle, better storage and HD capabilities would be fine IMO.

I thought about that too, improve the good and fix the bad, and you got a nice new console, they should be able to do that with all that money.

I think the GC is credited with it's analog shoulder buttons, usually. not much of an advancement, but it was something different.

...although in my opinion, it SHOULD be credited with having a superior face button layout.

samfish, how is that button layout "superior" to anything?

it's damn near unusable in my opinion. and that tiny z button on the top is a joke. not to mention that random yellow analog nub. I never understood that controller.

then again, this is coming from a guy who enjoyed the original Xbox controller.

...

I'll leave now.

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Next Nintendo console could be less 'revolutionary' than Wii

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