Nintendo to unveil new console...

Demiurge

...more powerful than the PS3 and XBox 360.

New Nintendo Console Confirmed
Wii successor revealed and playable at E3 this June.

April 25, 2011

Nintendo Japan tonight confirmed it will release a new game console in calendar year 2012. It will be announced and playable at E3 this coming June.

"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," the company said in a brief statement. Nintendo did not reveal any additional details.

Multiple sources tell IGN the console - dubbed Project Cafe - will be "significantly more powerful" than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and be backwards compatible with current Wii software. The console will also utilize a new, tablet-shaped controller. Sources say it will have a 6-inch touch screen display, dual analog sticks, and has the ability to stream content directly from the console.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told Bloomberg News, "We would like to propose a new approach to home video game consoles" with the Wii successor. He added, "It's difficult to make 3-D images a key feature, because 3-D televisions haven't obtained wide acceptance yet."

http://wii.ign.com/articles/116/1163764p1.html

Project Cafe: The Tech Behind Nintendo's Next Console
New pricing, hardware, design, and release information uncovered.

April 21, 2011

More details of Nintendo's forthcoming console, codenamed Project Cafe aka Wii 2, have been revealed to IGN, including the system's estimated pricing, release, console design, processing architecture, and name.

According to sources with knowledge of the project, Nintendo's next console could have a retail price of anywhere between $350 and $400 based on manufacturing costs, and will ship from Taiwanese manufacturer, Foxconn, this October, putting the earliest possible retail release anywhere between mid-October and early November.

However, Nintendo could also opt to build up a sizable supply of the system and allocate more time for software and games development by launching in early 2012. Similarly, Nintendo could attempt to lower the retail price of the system with lower profit margins to make the price more alluring.

Since the manufacturing is taking place in Taiwan, the earthquakes and tsunami that hit Japan last month will not impact the console hardware as previously expected.

Additionally, IGN has learned that the system will be based on a revamped version of AMD's R700 GPU architecture, not AMD's Fusion technology as previously believed, which will, as previously reported, out perform the PlayStation 3's NVIDIA 7800GTX-based processor. Like the Xbox 360, the system's CPU will be a custom-built triple-core IBM PowerPC chipset, but the clocking speeds will be faster. The system will support 1080p output with the potential for stereoscopic 3D as well, though it has not been determined whether that will be a staple feature.

In terms of the design of the console itself, the overall size will be comparable to that of the original Xbox 360 and the system is likely to resemble a modernized version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).

As reported last week, it will indeed utilize controllers with integrated touchscreens and be capable of streaming games to each controller, though given the power of the system, could also feasibly provide a virtualized console for each individual unit.

Finally, Nintendo is considering naming the console Stream, though it is potentially one of several names currently being vetted by the company.

We contacted Nintendo representatives, but they declined to comment on "rumors or speculation."

http://gear.ign.com/articles/116/1163325p1.html

Wii Stream? :eek:

Demiurge

Can't edit misspelled title.

punk-roc

just thought it was a knock-off brand

AsSiMiLaTeD

Cool, maybe it'll end up being as revolutionary as the Wii...

cokewithvanilla

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

Cool, maybe it'll end up being as revolutionary as the Wii...

the wii was revolutionary?

Ace944gs

I think it's awesome that game consoles are differentiating based on hardware specs and input controls rather than the games themselves. I know there are always going to be arguments over which console to get based on the available game, but increasingly, it is about the human-computer interface and ability to access other media through one box that has been moving market shares.

I think right now stand-alone computers are better media players than more consoles, but this may be changing.

jbooker82

So revolutionary that it is going to have HDMI this time around? The whole WII line of games blows. What good is a system that has crap games. Mario is dead.

newrival

Demiurge wrote: »

Wii Stream? :eek:

hahahaha

It's like these companies do it on purpose.

newrival

cokewithvanilla wrote: »

the wii was revolutionary?

wasn't it?

ysss

That Nitendo's new console to be released in 2012 will be more powerful than the PS3 (released in 2006) or Xbox 360 (released in2005) should be pretty damn obvious and expected.

What's interesting is that Nintendo is refreshing their new system much quicker than the competitor (Xbox planned in 2015 and PS3 planned to be no sooner than 2014).

BlueFox

ysss wrote: »

That Nitendo's new console to be released in 2012 will be more powerful than the PS3 (released in 2006) or Xbox 360 (released in2005) should be pretty damn obvious and expected.

What's interesting is that Nintendo is refreshing their new system much quicker than the competitor (Xbox planned in 2015 and PS3 planned to be no sooner than 2014).

Assuming it exceeds all current platforms in ability, and then adds something new, along with games, then that is how you build market share. I still think the first Metroid Prime on the Cube was my favorite game.

ysss

BlueFox wrote: »

Assuming it exceeds all current platforms in ability, and then adds something new, along with games, then that is how you build market share. I still think the first Metroid Prime on the Cube was my favorite game.

a). The more user of your platform = bigger marketshare.

b). The better and longer your product can cope with new technologies (HDMI, 1080p) = People will view that your products are forward-thinking, more future-proof. Cheaper.

Nintendo will probably reset some of their marketshare numbers by starting from 0% again with this new product (Wii2, or WiiWii?).

I'm sure the new system will be backward compatible, but those with existing Wiis will certainly feel left behind and from what I've read, their user demographics are not those that are used to upgrading console/hardware in short cycles.

In short, Nintendo chose some short-lived cheaper technologies for their Wii console; which probably contributed significantly to their market success (by being cheaper than ps3 and xbox360).

txcoastal1

In the whole scheme of things competion is good a stimulates markets....look what happened when Iphone finally got competition...it makes evetyone step up their game

bobman1235

cokewithvanilla wrote: »

the wii was revolutionary?

Yes? At the time it came out, no one had done anything like it. It brought "gaming" to a whole new group of people who otherwise had no interest. It reinvented the idea of party games.

Unfortunately....

jbooker82 wrote: »

So revolutionary that it is going to have HDMI this time around? The whole WII line of games blows. What good is a system that has crap games. Mario is dead.

... it did end up dropping the ball with regards to games. I don't agree that the "whole line of games blows," though that comment is not surprising given the source, but they really didn't come out with much of anything after the first year or so. It's SHOCKING to me how little development went into the Wii after its release. It's like Nintendo was just content to let it be what it was and nothing else. Made no sense to me.

cokewithvanilla

bobman1235 wrote: »

Yes?

my bad... i guess we have low standards for the word 'revolutionary' these days.

ysss

In terms of gameplay+interaction, I agree that the Wii was pretty revolutionary...

Motion controller w/ nunchuck extension? Sign me up..

Too bad the good games (for adult, hardcore gamers) never came and the picture quality was also subpar compared to the competitions.

Good product, but I'm not in their target demography. Can't really complain.

newrival

cokewithvanilla wrote: »

my bad... i guess we have low standards for the word 'revolutionary' these days.

I'm not being combative, I'm just curious if you really believe that t wasn't.
I believe a good yardstick of how revolutionary something is asking "did the competition scramble to get something comparable?" the answer is yes. Of course it has to chage the way something is experienced, how something is perceived or used as well. I think wii meets this criteria.

yours might be a little more strict.

cokewithvanilla

ysss wrote: »

Too bad the good games (for adult, hardcore gamers) never came and the picture quality was also subpar compared to the competitions.

:eek::eek::eek:

what kinda games do you play

cokewithvanilla

newrival wrote: »

I'm not being combative, I'm just curious if you really believe that t wasn't.
I believe a good yardstick of how revolutionary something is asking "did the competition scramble to get something comparable?" the answer is yes. Of course it has to chage the way something is experienced, how something is perceived or used as well. I think wii meets this criteria.

yours might be a little more strict.

well, I think of it like this... the phone was revolutionary... the tv was revolutionary, the internal combustion engine, the microwave, the computer, the refrigerator, the internet... things like that... in my book, revolutionary means something that completely changes the way people, that is to say, most everyone, live their lives.

Sure, I suppose the controller is different than other consoles... and, indeed it did spawn some of the most useless games ever that got the attention of non gamers, but still... revolutionary? I think that's a bit much.

ysss

cokewithvanilla wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek:

what kinda games do you play

The Adult, hardcore games obviously :biggrin:

danger boy

sure just when I get a Wii, they announce a new game console. ugh!

I assume that means Legend of Zelda - Skyward Sword will prob never been released then. UGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

jbooker82

With the technology in the WII they could have had some really good games. We (meaning my wife) has a wii. my favorite game was wii sports. I loved boxing. There was no reason why nintendo couldn't have had a sweet boxing game. Instead they had some lame don king game that should have been released in the $10 dollar bin at walmart.

Sherardp

Awesome, which means Microsoft will be pulling up to the table soon with there new release. I say let the battle begin.......again!!!

bobman1235

cokewithvanilla wrote: »

well, I think of it like this... the phone was revolutionary... the tv was revolutionary, the internal combustion engine, the microwave, the computer, the refrigerator, the internet... things like that... in my book, revolutionary means something that completely changes the way people, that is to say, most everyone, live their lives.

Sure, I suppose the controller is different than other consoles... and, indeed it did spawn some of the most useless games ever that got the attention of non gamers, but still... revolutionary? I think that's a bit much.

Something can be revolutionary within its own little universe but not be revolutionary on a large scale. The Wii was revolutionary TO THE GAMING INDUSTRY, not to the world like the things you mention.

ysss

A method that can get some lazy assess off the couch to play some video game must've been pretty damn revolutionary, just from the concept itself...

kuntasensei

More powerful Nintendo + same old first party games like Mario + no significant third party games just like the Wii = NOT INTERESTED. Just sayin'...

tommyboy

Typical Nintendo, always one step behind. They first decided to use catridges over the superior CD since you didn't need a memory card (yes that was their excuse). But their next console used a mini disk DVD which did required a memory card. By this time though people expected to watch DVDs on their console and be able to play online. Nintendo said why do that when you can play in a little square on a 4 player splitscreen:rolleyes:. But guess whats on their next console? no **** DVDs and online capability.

Nintendo of course still wanted to lag behind though, so HD and DD were both canned for the Wii because they wanted to appeal to casual gamers and make a cheaper console(even though it was actually quite expensive for a juiced up gamecube with motion controls) But now with this new console, they are going to have HD and a more powerful system than the competitors (which they are competing with two six year old consoles), so who are they trying to appeal to now? better not be the hardcore gamers, they pretty much lost them long ago.

I have always enjoyed nintendo games and have all their home consoles except the wii, but its a shame they keep making these mistakes and continue to lose the more serious gamers. Wonder why they have no third party support

bobman1235

The only way the optical disc format is superior over cartridges is in cost (by a pretty big margin). Cartridges are near instant access, as opposed to the ridiculous load times you can get with CDs/DVDs.

They may have used "no memory cards" as a marketing checkpoint, but I guarantee that was not the real reason behind the decision.

tommyboy

bobman1235 wrote: »

The only way the optical disc format is superior over cartridges is in cost (by a pretty big margin). Cartridges are near instant access, as opposed to the ridiculous load times you can get with CDs/DVDs.

You must be forgetting memory capacity.

bobman1235 wrote: »

They may have used "no memory cards" as a marketing checkpoint, but I guarantee that was not the real reason behind the decision.

The real reason was cause the sony made the playstation (or a variation of it) for nintendo but then nintendo dropped out. At the time, they felt phillips had a better CDROM drive, but eventually gave up on them too and kept doing what they do best, catridges.

Demiurge

There are a couple places that Nintendo failed with the Wii, although it outsold both XBox 360, even with all its multiple sales for failed systems, and the PS3.

The failures, in my opinion, are:

- No HD
- Ignoring the mature (age wise) gamers who want to play adult content as well as family friendly games.
- Poor online community, which is also free. It's not a coincidence.

I bought the Wii for my niece and nephew and so I had something to play when groups of friends came over. The fun factor of the Wii with groups of people around is miles above XBox 360 (my Kinect is collecting dust) and the PS3.

I'm not sure if I'll buy the new Nintendo system when it's finally released or not, but if they bring on the titles the older gamers want, I'll assuredly be on board.

The good news, though, is that it will force Sony and XBox to try and outdo Nintendo.

Competition is great for the consumer.

kuntasensei

+1 to that, Demiurge. I have zero interest in Nintendo's new child's toy, but I am looking forward to seeing how Sony and Microsoft try to 1-up it in the coming years.