News in the video game industry is typically slow within the few months leading up to the Electronics Entertainment Expo, since video game companies want to save their surprises for the biggest gaming event of the year. In a way, this is like the “calm before the storm.” Nintendo, however, doesn't give a crap about any of this. They went ahead and announced that a brand new console, a successor to the Wii, will be coming out soon. They will officially announce details of the new system before E3.
Since Nintendo's “announcement of an announcement” doesn't reveal much, excited gaming fans from all over the world have gone wild with guesses regarding what Nintendo has in store. Because of this, there seems to be a lot of confusion regarding what is fact, and what is a rumor. In order to avoid any further confusion, the following is a compilation of everything that we know so far that is fact and rumored for the Nintendo's Wii successor.
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Every FACT Regarding the Nintendo's Wii Successor
The System is Slated to be Released in 2012
Nintendo hasn't officially confirmed too many things about their upcoming system, but we can be sure that they want to release it next year. According to a note posted on their Japanese investor relations website, they stated, “Nintendo Co., Ltd. has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed Wii, which the company has sold 86.01 million units on a consolidated shipment basis between its launch in 2006 and the end of March 2011.”
Nintendo typically releases their systems in November, so expect to see a release in late November 2012.
The System Will be Officially Unveiled Before E3, Which is on June 7
Feel like Nintendo's “announcement” didn't tell you much about their new system? That's because it wasn't an official one. It was more like an announcement that they will announce something soon. Specifically, they are going to unveil the specifications of the system in the days leading up to the 2011 Electronics Entertainment Expo on June 7.
The System Will Be Playable To The Public At This Year's E3
Not only will the system's specifics be announced at this year's E3, but attendees will be able to get their hands on a playable version of the new system, too. Considering that the Wii caused a freaking stampede during E3 of 2006, we should expect something similar at this year's expo. It's going to be huge.
The System is Nicknamed the “Weenie” in Japan
Get it? The system's nickname is “Wii 2.” “Two” in Japanese is ni. So, “Wii-ni,” as in weenie. If you thought that the “Wii” console name was silly, then Nintendo's new console nickname follows in its footsteps.
Nintendo's Going to Try Something . . . Different
Gamers know that Nintendo marches to the beat of their own drummer. They don't typically care what their competitors are up to, and they claim to lead an innovative path that others follow. Their new console won't be an exception, at least with what they claim. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, according to a Reuters article, has stated that, “We would like to propose a new approach to home video game consoles.” Whether or not this “new approach” will turn out to be a success or not, we know that Nintendo's going to take a big risk here.
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Every RUMOR Regarding the Nintendo's Wii Successor
The System is Rumored to Support HD Graphics
Nothing's confirmed yet, but everybody believes that the new system will (finally) support HD graphics. Nintendo decided not to go the high def-route with the Wii because the adoption rate of high definition televisions weren't too high in 2006. Now that everyone owns a HDTV and the Wii clearly looks like a dated console compared to its HDTV competitors, it would be suicide if the system didn't look at least as good as the XBOX 360. And will it look as good as the 360? Keep reading.
The Controller is Rumored To Be a Handheld Touchscreen, and Will Have Motion Control
Kotaku reports that, according to unnamed sources, that the controller for the system will have eight buttons, two analog sticks, a front-facing camera, and a gigantic 6.2-inch touchscreen. For reference, the Kindle has a 6-inch screen, so this is going to be even bigger than that. Considering how expensive touch screen devices are these days, expect to pay a small fortune if these rumors are true.
This is What the System is Rumored to Look Like
This is an apparent leaked that has been circulating around the internet of what Nintendo's next console is rumored to look like. The slide reads, “Project Café is simply the most developer friendly SDK the industry has ever seen. Deliver unparalleled next generation performance at current generation costs. It doesn't get any easier than this.” Is it fake? Probably.
3D is Rumored to NOT be a Key Feature of the System
Some gamers believe that 3D is the future of gaming. Not Nintendo, apparently. Having their new system support 3D may not be a key feature of the system, despite it being one of the biggest selling points for their latest handheld. According to Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, “It's difficult to make 3-D images a key feature, because 3-D televisions haven't obtained wide acceptance yet.”
Nintendo may be on to something. It is true that 3D TVs haven't obtained wide acceptance yet. On the other hand, they did say that high definition wasn't important when the Wii was announced…
The System's Rumored Codename is “Project Café”
Like the Wii being called the “Revolution” and the GameCube being known as “Project Dolphin,” each Nintendo console has had a code name before their names were officially announced. Many people have been calling the Wii successor “Project Café.” However, this isn't the official code name for the system. There is no code name yet!
Rockstar Games is Rumored to Be Developing for the System
According to French website 01net, Rockstar Games is on board with developing for Nintendo's newest machine. With Grand Theft Auto V also rumored to be released in 2012, it doesn't seem too far-fetched that the Rockstar will be the first confirmed company to secure a developer unit of Nintendo's newest Hardware. Nintendo and Rockstar, teaming up? That's going to be a money making machine.
The Power of the System is Comparable to the XBOX 360
French news site 01net.com has some street cred in the world of video gaming news. They unveiled hardware specs and details about the Sony NGP before Sony officially announced the handheld. This time, they have some information regarding the graphical fidelity of Nintendo's next console. Cited unnamed sources, the console features hardware that resembles that of the XBOX 360, such as a three-core IBM PowerPC CPU.
