E3 Rumor: Powerful Wii HD with HD Controller

News
By Jane McEntegart
published

A deluge of Wii 2 rumors with your coffee, sir?

Earlier in the week it was reported that Nintendo would be dropping the price of its motion-sensing Wii console to $150, bringing the cost down a full hundred dollars from the launch price. Though it was hard to argue with the logic (the Wii is five years old at this stage, and sales are declining), rumor had the price cut scheduled for May 15, just three weeks before E3. Many wondered why Nintendo would make that kind of announcement so close to E3. Why not just wait a few weeks and announce it at the convention?

Well, today’s rumors lend credence to reports of a price cut while also providing a reason for not waiting until E3 to announce it: Nintendo is planning a Wii 2 launch for E3. That’s the latest. According to sources from both IGN and Game Informer, the device will be revealed at or before E3 (which runs June 7 to 9), and will support HD. Though GI’s sources couldn’t agree on how the graphics would compare to that of the Xbox 360 or the PS3, IGN’s sources say "significantly more powerful than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360." These same sources also revealed that the new Wii will be backwards compatible with older Wii games.

Throwing yet more turf on the Fire of Hope is a report from CVG claiming that 1080p is not the only thing the new Wii will have going for it. Nope, Computerandvideogames.com reports that the new Wii will also come with a new controller. Sources say the controller will be quite different to the original in that it will also feature an integrated HD display. CVG’s sources also confirmed IDG’s report regarding the power of the console and backwards compatibility.

"Nintendo's plans sound unreal," one source said. "Publishers are already planning launch titles and it's all very exciting.

"The hardware is even more powerful than current HD consoles and backwards compatible with Wii.”

All three publications are saying it’s going to be an E3 reveal but a 2012 launch.

So, who’s excited?

Further Reading

Jane McEntegart
51 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Jprobes
    Considering the XBOX 360 and PS3 were designed somewhat cutting edge technology for processors and graphics and were released Nov05/Nov06 respectively, it would be hard to imagine any sort of new console that would not be more powerful then those two.

    Design and final specs of the PS3 were set for the Japanese release in march of 2006 at least 6 months prior to its launch. which would put it back into 2005, the same goes for the Xbox, even sooner. If the WII should surpass it in raw horsepower. But with the idea and design that Nintendo wants to market, I cannot believe that it will be anything better then a AMD 5570/5550 would produce.

    Interesting to see what certain developers can do with that sort of hardware. The glut of crap on the WII is starting to bring it down, though some of its titles were the absolute best Nintendo has produced in years, Galaxy 1&2 mainly.

    The controller seems interesting.
    Reply
  • This Game Still owns all, i'm addicted to G.O.R.K
    http://blackseastudios.net/

    heres the teaser http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkwAiVPpIHE
    Reply
  • So Nintendo will be first to produce a new next gen console (that will slightly outperform the current consoles). Theirs been lots of improvements in hardware since the PS3 and 360 launched, however history will repeat itself in a few years time.

    The PS4/Xbox 720 won't be out for a few years, and will be able to run more advanced engines like Unreal Engine 4.
    The current rumour is to announce it this year at E3 and won;t launch until late 2012...why announce so early? That just gives Sony and M$ more time to prepare there next gen consoles expected for 2013 at the earliest.
    Reply
  • rohitbaran
    "significantly more powerful than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360."
    Yeah. Include a GPU like the Radeon 6870 and it will be 5-6 times more graphics capable than the 5 year old Xbox 360 and PS3.
    Reply
  • kinggraves
    Hah, called it as soon as the price drop news came out. It's really not just the price drop though. Wii games have dried up, barely anything is coming out this year. More than anyone, they need to put something new out or lose the momentum they gained with Wii.

    Speculation wise, I heard the new controller has a touch screen. Just so long as it's not ALL touch screen it might be interesting. The HD is a given. When the last gen of consoles were released, HD was a luxury. Now HD has saturated the market. To not put a product out that's capable of 1080p is just foolish. Nintendo doesn't concern itself with graphics, so how it compares to other consoles isn't important, but I think HD is a must at this point. Their real focus will likely be on innovative gimmicks and new ways of playing.

    With some devs whining that the game industry is on it's last leg, I think Wii 2 could pull consoles out of the gutter. If they release hardware that tops ps3/360 right now, they could even nab some 3rd party support back into their corner or force Sony/MS to play their own hand. A lot is riding on this year's E3.
    Reply
  • 4745454b
    Why would I want a screen on the controller? I need to be looking at the screen, not my hands. Why would that be a good idea???

    Is this really WII 2? Or WII 1.5? The article spoke of the video abilities, but not much more. Is this a new product or just bringing the WII up to similar specs as the other current consoles? Seems odd that the WII 2.0 would show up before the other consoles arrive.
    Reply
  • invlem
    Do I believe there's an HD Wii 2 coming? Probably.
    Do I believe the controller will have an HD screen? Doubtful at best.

    Its more likely the Wii 2 would be able to interface with say the 3DS than having a separate controller with an HD screen.
    Reply
  • dragonsqrrl
    rohitbaranYeah. Include a GPU like the Radeon 6870 and it will be 5-6 times more graphics capable than the 5 year old Xbox 360 and PS3.The rumors point to a mid 2012 launch at the earliest, so it may incorporate a yet to be released GPU architecture from ATI, possibly based on the new architecture planned for the HD7000 series. If we're lucky it may be similar to a mid-range 7000 series GPU, if we're unlucky it could be based on the 6000 series. Knowing Nintendo, I can't imagine them using anything more then a mid-range equivalent GPU from any particular generation. But it's native game resolution will be 1080p, so I guess that's a plus.
    Reply
  • Actually, I'd be interested in a console that strays from the motion-sensing thing and brought Nintendo back to more of a core-gaming experience.

    If people want casual, use the Wii. If you want Battlefield 3, play PC (then Wii 2).
    Reply
  • dragonsqrrl
    Some interesting additional information and rumored specs...

    http://gear.ign.com/articles/116/1162204p1.html
    Games, videos, and full console control streamed wirelessly to the integrated display on the controller.
    Reply