Nintendo rethinks console life cycle

Nintendo consoles have usually enjoyed a five-year life span, Iwata explained during a Japanese conference documenting the Q3 earnings of the company. During this briefing, Iwata spoke of the new gift-giving feature and TV guide Channel, but what was overlooked until now was his comments regarding how long of a life the Wii will have.

"As we continue our research and study for new hardware, when we will be able to launch a new kind of hardware will actually depend on when we can change entertainment completely, and so have a strong impact on people around the world," he said. "Or, there will certainly be a time when we have to say that we have done everything possible with the current machine, that we can never propose anything new."

Iwata further explains that fresh hardware is often the result of the company needing a new weapon in the fight against other consoles. With the Wii, however, he feels that the company won't be needing any new weapons for quite some time, stating "But today's situation is such that we are not desperate for any new weapons at all."

So, could the Wii be the first console to break the tradition of a five-year lifespan, even though its hardware is considered by the mainstream to be weaker than its competition? The way Iwata is talking, and the fact that it could be almost 2 years before the supply meets the demand for the console, makes it sound like it could very well be a reality.

[Via Aussie-Nintendo]