Rumor: 'New Wii due by 2011' says former-1UPer
by Christopher Grant 
{ Oct 1st 2008 at 10:45AM }
So what's Wii 2 (Super Wii? Wii Advance?) got? According to Davison, the few that have seen this mythical beast have dubbed it "Wii HD" – it's got HD visuals (duh), "a greater emphasis on digitally distributed and backwardly compatible content," as well as a familiar "emphasis" on what's in your hand instead of what's next to your futuristic HOLO-TV. With R&D spending at the Big N tripling since the Wii launched in 2006, we're not certain that's just a plain-old-Wiimote anymore. Our best guess now: a HOLO-ARM.
[Image credit: Wii Fanboy's Wii mockup gallery]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
supakoopa @ Oct 1st 2008 10:53AM
Summary: Bullshit
The Angry Emu @ Oct 1st 2008 11:06AM
What, you think they're not working on their next console?
Hashbrown Hunter @ Oct 1st 2008 11:59AM
That has to be one of the most ignorant things I've heard in a while.
Wubbytoes @ Oct 1st 2008 11:59AM
Come on, there is no reason that Nintendo wouldn't be working on their next console. Technology companies are always trying to improve their products. That's why they have R&D departments.
supakoopa @ Oct 1st 2008 12:08PM
No, I do believe they're working on a console, by why would they release it in 2011 when they can't keep Wiis in stock now?
KiraXD @ Oct 1st 2008 12:43PM
yeah.. who cares anyways... its just gonna be 2 Wiis Duct-taped together.
Comet @ Oct 1st 2008 1:05PM
Good. I need more space on mine anyways.
In A World (XBL) @ Oct 1st 2008 3:24PM
"why would they release it in 2011 when they can't keep Wiis in stock now"
Yeah, Nintendo would NEVER release a new console unless they could guarentee it's in stock 24/7...
mr nimblewick @ Oct 1st 2008 10:57AM
Whatever it is, it'll be consumer-focused rather than tech-focused. This is a lesson everyone should learn from Apple.
Huey2k2 @ Oct 1st 2008 11:04AM
I like my gadgets tech focused.
Christopher Grant @ Oct 1st 2008 11:05AM
I think Apple does both, no? My iPhone and my MacBook Pro aren't watered-down by any means, they're just easy to use and reliable.
Jeepers Creepers 712 @ Oct 1st 2008 11:10AM
What, you mean sell hype and image over an actual product?
I mean, it does make the monies. Just kind of lose respect with the public. Suppose as long as America is so image based though, the public wants to buy technologically-inferior products for the sake of fitting in and sporting the popular model.
Let's all go buy Hummer 3s!
Huey2k2 @ Oct 1st 2008 11:09AM
"I think Apple does both, no? My iPhone and my MacBook Pro aren't watered-down by any means, they're just easy to use and reliable"
I can't speak for your MacBook Pro (beyond my dislike for OSX), but I definitely do consider iPhones to be watered down for the price you pay for them.
Jakka(A tribute to whose who fought and failed during the Epic Flamewar of L.A. Noir and MR.ESC) @ Oct 1st 2008 11:25AM
@ Huey
Exactly, you can have Smartphones that can do much,much more for less than a half of iPhone's price.
Kye - Me_DF @ Oct 1st 2008 12:10PM
Ease off the man, he's happy with his phone because it does all he wants it to do, the way he wants it to do it.
But on the other hand, launching the original iphone with no video taking or picture messaging = fail.
BigD145 @ Oct 1st 2008 12:46PM
Damn, I certainly hope Nintendo doesn't charge for updates like Apple does.
Raikage (Mr. ESC? Mr. ESC? MR. ESSSSSSCCCCCC!) @ Oct 1st 2008 2:12PM
How can you dislike OSX?
Besides the quality hardware, it's the best thing about Macs.
Heck it's the best OS out there.
In A World (XBL) @ Oct 1st 2008 3:30PM
"he's happy with his phone because it does all he wants it to do" ~ Kye - Me_DF
Hence it's "consumer-focused" just like mr nimblewick said.
The Angry Emu @ Oct 1st 2008 11:04AM
I guess we've known that Nintendo is working on the next iteration of their revolution, but it's nice to see a credible rumor with some details. It'll probably be comperable to a 360 with a Wii remote. They've proven that there's no need to push the envelope with horsepower.
Shagittarius @ Oct 1st 2008 11:22AM
Yes they have proven you can deliver an underpowered piece of hardware and still make money. That doesn't prove to me that I don't want good hardware though.
Obie @ Oct 1st 2008 11:05AM
Hell, if they bumped up the graphics to 720p, the audio to real dolby digital and the internet to have voice and NO friends codes. I would gladly buy the fucking thing.
Nicholas Sulikowski @ Oct 1st 2008 1:24PM
If they bumped the graphics to 720p....everything about that phrase is wrong.
Blank-Mage @ Oct 1st 2008 1:37PM
Assuming you can find one. I wonder how many Xboxes sold because people got tired of looking for Wiis...
xFenixKnightx (Mr ESC Resurrection Force) @ Oct 1st 2008 11:11AM
It shall be named...
SuperWii HD!!!!1!
Huzzah!!
You heard it here first folks. :D
Duke @ Oct 1st 2008 11:18AM
I just hope its as ugly as that one in the picture so we all have something to chuckle about.
Mark C @ Oct 1st 2008 11:48AM
Wii HDii
Duh.
Rocket Taco @ Oct 2nd 2008 3:23PM
Someone needs to be reminded that the N64 styling only works on flat stuff... that concept is ugly as sin.
Makoto99 @ Oct 1st 2008 12:55PM
I'm personally hoping for WiiWii, so we can all go play with our WiiWiis.
CJLopez @ Oct 1st 2008 12:57PM
What about Nintendo HDii???
Keeps the ii of Wii, which is good (ii is good for japanese)
umm....hello??? @ Oct 1st 2008 1:15PM
hrmmm....Super Wii HD = Super WiiHD = Super Weed ;)
Mr Khan @ Oct 1st 2008 11:11AM
I saw that story linked on Gamerblips.com (a site that links all the hottest stories from all the gamer blogs), took a look
Wii HD is probably their codename for it, though it is a very viable name. Super Wii is just dumb (then again, Wii itself was dumb, and most of us got used to it), and anything else is speculation.
The source did say that Nintendo's deal with IBM and ATI would continue, and both of those companies supply the components for the 360, so i would imagine something a lot like Xenos, a PowerPC-based multicore, with a graphics chip a lot like Xenon, but built for full compatibility with the Hollywood and the Flipper before it. The CPU will probably clock in around the 360's speed, but it'll probably have more RAM (since 1 GB of RAM isn't all that much)
As for the question of "how will they get teh casuals to upgrade?" It isn't all that hard. The market that really bought into Wii is impressed by the greater level of interactivity, up the interactivity (integrated motion plus, a fundamentally better IR system), put in the software to make it interesting, and you've got an upgrade.
baby sea tuna @ Oct 1st 2008 11:25AM
What do you expect from an iPhone that you're not getting? Those things do pretty much everthing.
baby sea tuna @ Oct 1st 2008 11:26AM
Naturally, that was supposed to be a response to someone.
Big surprise that it didn't end up in the right place...
Jakka(A tribute to whose who fought and failed during the Epic Flamewar of L.A. Noir and MR.ESC) @ Oct 1st 2008 11:38AM
http://img442.imageshack.us/my.php?image=iphonehackedmo8.jpg
baby sea tuna @ Oct 1st 2008 11:47AM
With the exception of Carrier Choice, I've yet to have any of those things (several of which can be solved via free 3rd party apps) be an actual issue.
To each his own, I suppose.
Hashbrown Hunter @ Oct 1st 2008 11:57AM
Very nice, Jakka.
Duke @ Oct 1st 2008 12:13PM
Funny how people without the iphone tell us all how its lacking so much. Nevermind that we with the phone largely seem happy - as you have some desperate need to make us believe otherwise.
Mr Khan @ Oct 1st 2008 12:28PM
@ Duke
the same analogy could be applied readily to Wii and its detractors.
Megadanxzero @ Oct 1st 2008 1:10PM
Well... Not really. I have a Wii and, like the iPhone, I think it's an overpriced piece of shit with half the functionality of other, much cheaper, products on the market. Only difference is that I originally thought the Wii would be an overpriced piece of shit with more than 4 good games, whereas I always knew the iPhone would be a waste of money.
Duke @ Oct 1st 2008 1:17PM
Except Mr Khan that those of us with a Wii don't all think its as great as you do. The major difference here is many actually talk smack about something they own (Wii), rather than something they desperately want others to also not own (iPhone) for some odd reason. I dont see iPhone owners on here preaching whats so wrong with it constantly (though it has some problems sure)- Instead I see people trying to justify their hate of it all the time.
ComicShaman @ Oct 1st 2008 1:21PM
Megadanxzero:
So... do you routinely spend a lot of money buying products that you hate? Knowing in advance that you're going to hate them? Man, there are a lot of companies out there who would want someone like you on their mailing list.
Immortal Technique PSN: johnnynumber5 @ Oct 1st 2008 1:32PM
Jakka
That little chart you posted is no longer relevant. With a myriad of 3rd party apps available now on the iPhone (many for free) the efficency and functionality has been greatly increased from the time the software version was 1.1.
I paid $600.00 for my first iPhone at launch and then I also bought a 16 Gb 3G iPhone upon release and I haven't regretted it one bit. It's not just a great phonr but a very powerful business tool if used for that purpose.
There are some basic things the iPhone does not do like copy and paste, video recording, tethering and picture text messages. However, there are so many things that it does right and those benefits far outweigh the very few detractions.
I have got more gaming out of my iPhone in the last 6 months than my Wii. Until Wario land Shake It was released I hadn't turned the thing on since forever.
I wish I could install Camino on my iPhone instead of Safari. The device is far from perfect but it is revolutionary.
Megadanxzero @ Oct 1st 2008 2:15PM
@ ComicShaman
lolwut? lern 2 read nub
'I originally thought the Wii would be an overpriced piece of shit with more than 4 good games'
Since games are the only reason to own a console and I thought there would be some good ones, of course I bought it. We always knew the console itself would be crap, ever since we saw the first few game screenshots, but I assumed that Nintendo would keep up their supply of great first party games. Turns out I was HORRIBLY wrong
baby sea tuna @ Oct 1st 2008 2:25PM
What do you mean? Nintendo is doing a great job of releasing decent first-party games!
...on DS.
Mr Khan @ Oct 1st 2008 2:34PM
Nintendo really hasn't been releasing much in the way of games lately, DS or Wii. The DS has especially seen a while without a real 1st-party blockbuster, but 3rd parties have been much more adequate in picking up the slack
Now Wii has a good selection for Fall/Winter, starting with Wario and progressing with Disaster, Animal Crossing, and yes, Wii Music. I really don't know how people expected more. It's only been a year since all three of Nintendo's big three franchises had their last iteration.
Their great mistake in this whole affair was releasing Mario Kart Wii too early, i think.
Vcize @ Oct 1st 2008 3:13PM
Duke, that's because this is a videogame blog, not a cellphone blog.
If you head over to a cellphone blog (hell, even engadget will do) you will find plenty of people that own iPhone's complaining about them.
Mr. Khan's analogy is right on. Most Wii owners don't care about online voice chat (or online play altogether) or storage solutions or any of that stuff. That's why they own Wii's. Sure, some of us (I'm included) bought one for the gimmick and then discovered this stuff, but we're the minority in general (just not on joystiq, since joystiq caters to a different demographic than the Wii). Just like a blog that caters to advanced smartphones is going to have plenty of people that got sucked into the iPhone's sexiness and found it lacking once they owned it for a little while.
Vcize @ Oct 1st 2008 3:26PM
I agree Mr Khan, I said at the time that they were blowing their load by releasing MKWii so close to Brawl.
Not that it matters to me in the end, since MKWii ended up being less of what's made MK great and more MK for 4 year old mentally handicapped babies, but for those that enjoy that kind of thing it probably was too soon.
kilikafinal @ Oct 1st 2008 11:26AM
i think nintendo's route will make it fall someday.
the games just might get less good.(once miyamoto goes away...) and then itll just be a downword spiral until a new miyamoto comes bak.
Mr Khan @ Oct 1st 2008 11:35AM
There will never be another Miyamoto, but a number of totally fitting heirs are coming more and more into control of the various EAD Groups. Eiji Aonuma being the new Zelda man, Koizumi of EAD Tokyo to take control of the Mario franchise, Eguchi's work in the casual group, etc.
Legends will die (sadly) by the architecture to keep EAD going strong is already in place.
samfish @ Oct 1st 2008 12:12PM
Meh. Aonuma lacks the ability to think outside the box. He can come up with good mechanics, but he stays within the same framework the Zelda games have been using for years.
Koizumi I'm skeptical over until we see what he does next. Prior to Galaxy, he did some crappy Donkey Kong game, if memory serves. Can't remember which one, though.
Eguchi seems to have a handle on things, though.
Nintendo should also make a play to really lock up Sakurai. It looks like they've got him for at least the short term future, but the guy is obviously showing a desire to make something completely new.
There's just no one like Miyamoto out there, sadly. The closest, if you ask me, is probably Kamiya, as far as being able to run with a weird concept goes. But he sticks to action games, mostly. He should branch out.