New Nintendo HD Console Rumors Abound

pcgfx805 writes "Game Informer has reportedly received word from 'multiple sources' that a new HD console from Nintendo will be debuting at this year's E3. They report on conflicting information regarding the power of the console compared to the other current-gen consoles, but go on to speculate that 'Either way it will offer competitive specifications.'" This year's E3 is scheduled for June 7-9.

Comments

I don't care if it's HD

[YoshiDan]

As long as they have Mario games I'll piss my money away on it.

Re:I don't care if it's HD

[Nyder]

Should anybody mention something called "The Osborne Effect" to them?

Do you even know what your talking about?

Nintendo just didn't release the Wii, so talking about a better machine coming out isn't going to kill it like it did Osborne.

The Wii came out 5 or so years ago, it's more then time for talks about new machines to come out. Just because Sony & MS thinks they can expand the console lifetime doesn't mean other companies are that stupid.

Re:I don't care if it's HD

[Cornelius Scarabeus]

The Wii came out 5 years ago, but the machine itself isn't much more than a reboxed Gamecube, so it's essentially 10 year old hardware by now.

Re:I don't care if it's HD

[robthebloke]

No, that makes it 5 year old hardware. The i7 is effectively a pentium 1 on steroids, but that doesn't make it 18 years old....

Re:I don't care if it's HD

[Jeff DeMaagd]

It is a little more than a reboxed gamecube, the main chips are roughly twice as powerful. I realize that's not saying much, but then, the hardware inside the box wasn't Nintendo's selling point either.

I'm sure it's coming eventually

[_xeno_]

I have no doubt Nintendo will make a next-gen console, and I have no doubt it'll support HD. None of this is really new or interesting.

However, my questions are:

1. Will it support backwards compatibility with the Wii? (I expect it will.)
2. Will it allow save games to be copied off the Wii onto the new console? (AFAIK, this only applies to games with online components, but some game saves are locked to the console.)
3. Will it allow Virtual Console and WiiWare purchases to be transferred?

That last one is a deal-breaker for me. If you can't copy your existing digital purchases off the Wii onto whatever the next-gen Nintendo console is, forget it.

This is one thing that Microsoft and Sony do right: all you need to do to use your digital purchases on a new console is log in.

With Nintendo, you simply can't use them on anything but the original hardware. And if the hardware fails (which has happened to me twice), your only recourse is to ship it back to Nintendo and have them fix it, or lose any downloaded games you may have purchased.

Re:I'm sure it's coming eventually

[Anonymous Coward]

This is one thing that Microsoft and Sony do right: all you need to do to use your digital purchases on a new console is log in.

Except that it doesn't work like that. The PS2 not only ran all PSX games, it worked with old memory cards and controllers. The PS3, however, originally only had software emulation which didn't work with most PS2 games. Later models (2007 80GB onward) lack PS2 BC completely. The Wii OTOH, is actually a fully operational GameCube and can be used with most GC accessories (including old controllers and memory cards).

ATM though, I'm more interested in the name. My suggestions:
  * Woo
  * WiiWii
  * WooWii
  * SuperWii
  * Wiii (as if they started with W2)
  * Wii HD (has a hard drive)
  * KiWii (has optical motion recognition and can tell Japanese people apart)
  * Wii B (goes to E for future generations)
  * WiiNii (staying true to the current naming theme)

Re:I'm sure it's coming eventually

[tomhudson]

It won't have a hard drive, and that's a good thing.

The Wii generates less heat than either of the other two consoles, because, at full bore, it consumes something like 14 watts. The others? 150 - 180 watts. They get HOT. And they're noisier.

They'll stick with flash - just more of it.

Re:I'm sure it's coming eventually

[Jeff DeMaagd]

ATSC doesn't mean HD. It is a digital broadcast system that also happens to support HD. I usually ignore the SD content though, most station's SD digitization is horrible.

ATSC HD is 720p and 1080i. 480p is sometimes called enhanced definition, not high definition.

Re:I'm sure it's coming eventually

[migla]

The Wii already supports 480p. This is twice as good as NTSC's standard 480i. It, therefore, is high-definition. (In fact, it is higher-definition than most of the over-the-air ATSC signals that I can receive with my HDTV, which are largely 4x3 480i)

It depends on your definition.

Unintended Benefits

[Renaissance 2K]

I suppose that this is one unintended benefit of releasing an underpowered console for the current generation.

Nintendo is releasing a new platform at a point when the 360 and PS3 platforms are starting to stagnate, resorting to parlor tricks like the Kinect and Move to cover up the fact that it's not economically viable to release a new "next generation" platform at this point in time.

If they handle the new home console the same way they handled the 3DS, many people should be very happy. Backwards compatibility, data transfers, a more fully-featured eShop with non-game media, and a large assortment of large titles and large window titles... I'm looking forward to it.

Re:More like a 10 year release schedule methinks..

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

NES > SNES (graphics only upgrade really for the SNES)
N64 > Gamecube (N64 brings 3D and anaolgue, Gamecube enhances graphics)

You are seriously downplaying the advances in each case. Please do not be fooled by retrospective appearances.

The SNES was a major leap forward from the NES. Major. It's difficult to really stress this enough. Nintendo were riding high from the huge success of the NES and built a worthy successor. The breadth, depth and variety of SNES games is a testament to the capability of the system, capability which simply did not exist on the NES in any fashion.

Mode 7 is the obvious feature here, but the sheer level of improvements in basic functionality opened up a new world of potential in games. Just compare say, Super Metroid, with the original game, or consider the entirely new Genre's like 2D fighters which came to consoles during this time. The NES could not have supported these games or anything even resembling them.

The Gamecube is similar, though comparisons with contemporary rivals can skew things. However, it suffices to say that even a game like Luigi's Mansion would never have fit on the N64.

Re:Game Saves and...

[Telephone Sanitizer]

> Owning Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja does not make you a gamer, GTFO.

Some people would say that owning a Wii doesn't make you a gamer.

iOS has Final Fantasy IV, Eternal Legacy, Infinity Blade, Rage HD, Sonic, Worms, Tiger Woods, Madden and now World of Goo so I'll be busy for quite awhile playing my non-console games. ...And I can use an iPhone or iPad to securely tunnel into my home network to run or stream almost anything on my PC.

Oh, well. Guess I'm not a "gamer" anymore. For some silly reason I feel no sense of loss.

Unconfirmed...

[SeNtM]

In addition, this console will also support the 3D functionality of the the 3DS. While you are playing, simply have two of your friends lift the flatscreen TV from each side and position it at various angles while you stand stationary.