Oh, brother. Here we go again. Just over a year after Nintendo's own Reggie Fils-Aime
denied the existence of a forthcoming
Wii HD, the bigwig is having to make that very same denial again. Naturally, a few new rumors of an HD-enabled Wii have
surfaced since that fateful day in October of 2008, and with the
recent price drop, it made sense to think that the Big N might actually be looking ahead. Instead, it seems that it's perfectly content selling hundreds of thousands of consoles that want nothing to do with modern amenities like "HDMI," "1080i" and "things that the PS3 and Xbox 360
have offered since day one." The man's exact quote?
"I don't know how forcefully we can say there is no Wii HD."
And Reggie, we don't know how much more forcefully you can continue to break our hearts.
posted Nov 6th 2009 12:52PM
Maybe that's cause they're gonna call it "Wii ResolutionPlus" (now with 1:1 pixel mapping to your tv)
No, a Wii2.
WiiWii
This is the part where Wii sales absolutely plummet for the next xx months.
The novelty of the Wii, and its Wiimote has COMPLETELY worn off. Now it's just a last-gen gaming console with extremely limited capability (compared to the other, similarly priced consoles), shitty graphics, and shitty games.
I simply can't believe they're not planning on introducing a new console any time soon. WTF?
I don't like Reggie. Ever since he personally killed the only good looking game for the Wii from coming to America, I think he's a big tool. That game was Disaster: Day of Crisis. It's completely finished, has English audio tracks, and was released in the UK...but we can't have it because he decided "Americans wouldn't buy it". Nope, instead we get "My Big Fat Pony 13" and are supposed to eat that crap up. Screw you Reggie.
The Wii had potential to be a bad ass console in spite of its graphical limitations. Nintendo killed all opportunity of that happening.
@crawdad689
You clearly don't understand how console developers make their money
Or just WiiHD withouth the space. It'd be pronounced like weed. I bet One Love would be on board. Make a bong compatible with the Wiimote and get high with Wario and friends.
I don't think they would ever actually admit to one if it did exist. Losing sales as some people wait for the new model.
But it still wouldn't have any good games
I have a wii and an xbox360. The wii is great for when my little nieces come over and we can do sword fighting and cow racing. If you are active and standing while using it, you really don't mind the graphics.
The xbox is for games you play while sitting on the couch. Unfortunately for Nintendo, most games fall under that category and there's no point in buying the wii versions.
I don't get it; do people honestly expect him to say "Yes, we're making the WiiHD, so please stop buying the current Wii until it's released late next year????"
Come on people! If Wii sales keep slipping, Nintendo knows that it has to do something to get them back on track. With the PS3 and 360 rapidly closing in on the Wii's price point (i ignore the arcade 360, since it needs a hard drive at some point), simply expecting people to be impressed by the controls 3 years after release won't get you anywhere.
So it will be 4 NGCs taped together?
(I kid, I'm a PSWii owner)
lol, PSWii. Well done.
@Jordan: You could import it from the UK. You'd need to mod your console, though.
And if Wii sales keep slowing, they could always lower the price to $100.
Maybe not a Wii HD but a Wii 3D ? That would be so cool.
That's a gigantic head!
call it "wii too"
Don't you mean "WiiD"?
This week: There is no Wii HD
A few months later: Say hello to the new Xii (or Wii plus, or Super Wii, or just call it the Money Printing Machine)
I wonder how would you pronounce Yii
Well I guess they cant add extra letter/s on the end, other wise it would sound funny
Wiid, Wiii, Wiixl. Wiihd, Wiisp, Wiitwo etc.
HDii?
hahah personally I like Super Wii
...yet.
I really wish they'd release an HD enabled Wii... The biggest problem I have though, is that I still wouldn't be able to transfer my save files over for my internet-enabled games... It's so annoying...
I wonder if he has hdtv at home lol.
Yes, he does. He uses Dolphin to take full advantage of it too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin_%28emulator%29
would the goal for this to be a completely new platform, or to be able to upconvert existing wii titles and also handle new content?
I wouldn't call it "upconvert" basically you need to scale the GPU and CPU up so they can render at 720 or 1080. It shouldn't be hard depending on the architecture, but basically with 3D models you can scale them to any resolution you want, it's not like 2D games where you would need redrawn spritemaps.
On the PC for example you can change the game resolutions at will and in fact on the Wii Dolphin Emulator, you can set the resolution to 1080 and play Wii games in HD, the lower polygon count and texture quality is still there, but its a vast improvement for playing on an HDTV. I wouldn't be unviable to sell two consoles in that manor, certainly they would see a lot of new sales from current Wii owners
John, that will not work on Wii, since every Wii game contains its own version of Wii OS it runs on. Console can't add to or replace something in a disk-based Wii game - they are all self-contained.
Also, it make no sense to scale Wii games since most of them have low res textures. Models can be scaled, but not textures. (Low res textures is what help fast loading times.)
Well, what if they don't scale the old graphics, but instead force old games to run 4:3, while the new games get the full 1080p treatment? Would that work?
MS is wanting to partner with ATI again for the next console, and have backwards compatibility with existing 360 titles as a result. I think Nintendo should try to if at all possible. Then again, they already have compatibility with gamecube, how many generations can we expect them to maintain compatibility? If they made a new system Wii compatible, you think they would still bother with having the gamecube controller hardware in the case? Probably a waste of material and money by then.
Well, I suppose that in the console space, it is generally better to wait until a full generation is complete anyway. With handhelds, a new form factor and bigger screens make sense. Adding graphical horsepower would mean programming games differently and segmenting the market.
Since the beginning, they've said HD would be part of their next console when HDTV penetration has reached a more significant percentage. Wii 2 it is. Wii HD just doesn't seem to be in the cards. Really, Wii Motion Plus could be considered the mid-lifecycle upgrade anyway.
Do people actually believe him? Denial = confirmation.
Exactly, just like Sony did with the price drop. Telling you that they're coming out with a new system would only hurt their current sales, which are doing exceptionally well.
There are just a couple commas missing in his statement. I'm sure his quote was just taken out of context; that's all.
"I don't know how, forcefully, we can say there's no Wii HD."
All better.
Brilliance.
Someone who understands how to use commas! Hooray. =) And that is very clever.
Well played, sir. Hooray for grammar!
Ex.:
"let's eat, grandpa"
"let's eat grandpa"
Well, how about the obvious, which is that "I don't know how forcefully we can say there is no Wii HD" are weasel words at their finest. I didn't watch the video itself, maybe he said more than that, but just that phrase itself does not contain any denial of a Wii HD whatsoever.
I don't know, nor do I care, how forcefully he doesn't know how to say that there is no Wii HD. The bottom line is, if he didn't come out and say "There is no Wii HD" with his next breath, the whole "denial" is meaningless. I wasn't planning to buy a Wii, but if I were, and I heard that sentence come outta the mouth of someone with clout at Nintendo, I would absolutely hold off on purchasing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_words
nintendo is going to put themselves out of the console industry for good! it will be all their fault! they have sites like this and gizmodo and several hundred more to go to and look and read, you can see what the masses want, research and develop. isn't that how it's supposed to work?
Yeah, Nintendo's going to put themselves out of the console business even though they have sold almost more Wiis than 360s and PS3s combined. Let's not even get into the 115 million Nintendo DS sold worldwide.
They are fine, and are smart to wait it out for a new Nintendo console. Next year's lineup is much stronger and as such there's no reason for a new system at this time.
Oh and another thing....
Wii has sold more than the 360 and PS3 combined even though the latter two have "had HDMI and 1080i from day one".....
You know what the Wii has had from day one?
A PROFIT.
black wii will hit US within the next week or 2 probably. Then anyone who ever considered a wii will finally give in.
and THEN we can talk about wii upgrades.
Break our hearts? Hardly. Maybe if my Wii was used for anything but bowling. The games largely suck for Wii and the novelty of the control scheme wears out pretty quick IMO.
The games don't largely suck to everyone. They probably do to you because you own a 360/PS3 as well. So it makes no sense for you to play Madden or Call of Duty on the Wii when you have the HD glory alternative. For those that ONLY have the Wii - which is a lot of people. They have no issue playing 480p (let's be real 480i) versions of today's games.
Considering so many older people haven't played a game since Pong, the graphics on the Wii are pretty mind-blowing.
now we are sure, forecefully, it's not going to be called wii HD. maybe Wii True HD?
There's no PS3 Slim either.
That type of response usually comes under a standard "we do not comment on rumours and specualtion" retort. A vocalised "NO" is a different beast. I might say 'yeah right' if it came from a European mouthpiece, but from Reggie it probably means something.
The "speculation and rumors" line is always from PR types in mass emails. It's never quoted from the mouths of the execs.
"I don't know how forcefully we can say -there is no Wii HD-."
well as long as they haven't said "there is no Wii HD" in any tone of voice, it hasn't been said. Ass covered.
Maybe Nintendo Japan do not tell their plans to Reggie?
Meh Nevermind.
P.S: I don't have a HDTV
Serious question here... Do people really Care if theres a HD Wii?? I mean, it's still a Wii. Still lousy online, Mario, zelda and Metroid. C'mon Reggie, say it.. "We (Nintendo) could care less about the hardcore Gamer!"
Why the crap would you want them to upscale ~or even re-render~ games made for 480p anyway? I don't understand the fascination. It won't look any better, or more 'real'. Marginally perhaps (based on the high res emulator renderings), but certainly not enough to justify development, marketing, and misery for existing purchasers. And it would simply excentuate the difference with competitors in graphical effects.
I know what you really want ('you' being the amalgamated technocrats): you want them to 'update' their machine with high power hardware like the other two: Well, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. Those 4 bloody chips (Cell, Xenon, RSX and Xenos) have lost those other two about $8 billion dollars and 33% of the total market share. Simply put: Nintendo would have to be as dumb as people think they are to pull a stunt like that. The next gen? Certainly. This gen? Catastrofuck.
you're breakin' my heart, reggie!!!! :'(
360 has had neither 1080i nor HDMI since day one.
*crying on the inside...sigh... someday
nintendo's problem will be convinving everybody who bought a wii to upgrade wo a wii (whatever it may be called). it worked with the original ds and ds lite. not so well with the dsi.
i know lots of people who won't get bluray players because they will have to buy every dvd they own in bluray format >.>
They still make the GameCube?
Hmm taken out of context that actually sounds more like an admission that they are working on it than anything. "I don't know how forcefully we can say there is no Wii HD." sounds like it means he doesn't think they can say it very forcefully.
"I don't know how forcefully we can say there is no Wii HD."
...yet.
: )
Translation: We have it ready in our hands, but sales of the Wii have not dropped low enough to start shipping the new one.
funny thing about the Wii, they were supposed to make it dvd player capable within a year. but decided not too.
I really think Reggie is a douche. In fact Nintendo is so disappointing at this point. They could have had one of the best consoles of this generation. I used to love my wii and now its collecting dust. Nintendo needs to stop having companies make worthless gimmicky games that are not fun.
This is why I spend extra money for a ps3 and and Xbox360. To say the least, I am happy I spend the extra money for awesome games.
+1
My Wii has AFLoD
A
Fine
Layer
of
Dust
And to think I waited overnight freezing my ass off at the Nintendo store @Rockefeller center for the release.
Never again for any Nintendo product.
Why would they create a HD Wii? Increasing the resolution of the current gen consoles would only cause the current generation of Wii games to look more less gen than they are now. And creating a entire new series of HD wii games would drop support for the millions of have already purchased the first Wii.
I just don't see it being profitable thus making it a bad idea.
either way, they're screwed... should have been HD from the get-go.
Xbox360 didn't have HDMI OR 1080i from day 1. It was actually quite some time afterwards, and even so, 1080i still wouldn't work on all TV's.
+1
Indeed, xbox360 was patched to runs 1080i games.
uhhh you mean 1080p, xbox could ALWAYS do 1080i, 1080p came later, and the problem was most tvs can't take 1080p (not i) through component inputs and that's all the original consoles had.
I don't know how forcefully I can say "lost revenue"
Why would they announce a Wii-HD - even if it is in the works?
It'll be the same thing that happens when they announce a new model car with a new design and capabilities will be available in a few weeks.
Sales stall - sputter out in fact - in anticipation of that new product.
Nintendo is not going to give ANYONE a reason to stop buying their product.
Personally - I think they'll introduce new colors for maybe a year or so - with the new color - perhaps an HDMI option or something - not a major release like an entirely new model. Sort of a progression like what we saw from DS to DSi - like, slightly faster processor, more internal memory, etc.
And if they do it - they certainly aren't going to tell us - or else risk stalling sales in anticipation of the newer, better, faster, different colored model.
They have a name for it, it is called "the Osborne effect"
I think anyone interviewing a rep for a company should realize that it exists and stop asking the stupid question that makes them deny future products in such a vague manner. I mean does anyone really believe that Nintendo is not working on an HD console of some sort, sure it may not be called a Wii, but it certainly exists. Likewise does anyone think that Reggie is going to say "Um yeah we are making a WiiHD, and it will be out sometime next year, so don't bother buying a Wii for Christmas" So why even bother asking the question unless you hope they slip up and destroy their own company.
A good rep will only release information about a product in development when it will scavenge sales from their competitor, not themselves. The nook announcement undoubtedly has taken some of the wind out of Kindle sales, but at the same time Amazon would have been stupid to say that the US only version of the kindle was being replaced with the international. Look at Windows 7, in order to hype it to the point that they did, they had to give out vouchers for a free upgrade to offset the Osborne effect.
Free upgrades can save software from the Osborne effect, but for hardware it is much more devastating.
Nintendo DS vs PSP
DS :less power.
Who is the winner :DS.
Nintendo Wii vs Xbox360 vs PS3
Wii :less power.
Who is the current king of the hill :Wii.
So, apparently, power and hd feature are not a selling point.
Really, how long do we have to wait to get 720pii?
Ever since I bought the PS3, I hardly touch my Wii...(The console)
Who the hell even started this rumor? why would they release a new console when the wii is just barely even three years old? atleast wait until the next generation, unless you want to to piss off even more people who bought the wii.
WiiHD now!!! Come on Reggie!
I don't understand Nintendo.
They got Right:
Motion Controls - they made it what it is today! Mainstream and now the other boys are following the "Gimmick".
WiFi - MS missed this one big time and now they are trying to sell an adapter. Don't buy it if you have a PC. Just share your connection from PC to 360.
Bluetooth - Needs to be utilized more on the Wii but MS missed this also.
SD Card Support- Finally they got it almost to what the fans want.
USB Slots - An external hard Drive would be a dream but instead they use them as the Wii's Ass
Opera Browser - They picked my favorite browser company for a great fully featured browser. Orb Streaming is a great plus.
They got all those techs right but when it comes to upgrading the graphics they won't do it.
> USB Slots - An external hard Drive would be a dream but instead they use them as the Wii's Ass
I actually use my USB slot to connect a hard drive giving me instant access to my entire games collection....
http://www.mikeandheth.com/games/97-connect-wii-usb-hard-drive.html
I play my N64 games in 1080p.
My Wii is in a box in the closet where it belongs, having beaten Twilight Princess.
Did everyone here forget the next 'version' is going to be the black Wii?
That will rely on stupid fans who think a different shell color somehow makes it better.
The color change should sustain Nintendo for a while longer.
nintendo is the only company that can get away with lack of innovation and have been called "fun" or "exciting"
sony and msoft will CRUSH them this holiday season. console prices are down and everyone wants HD peripherals to match their shiny new LCDs.
Pretty pathetic if you ask me. I can think of two PS2 titles off the top of my head that support 1080i compared to wii's zero.
Gran Turismo 4
Tourist Trophy
Time to move forward nintendo. :l
yawn..
what else is new?
Nah, they're gonna come out with a Wii HD. It'll have some subtle, almost meaningless new feature that justifies giving it proprietary software that you can't use on a regular Wii.
I cant tell you how tired I am of the stupid as hell lines about peoples dusty Wiis. If your Wii has dust on it then everything else does too, maybe you should try wiping your stuff off with a towel. I know its just an expression for not playing it but you sound dumb ITS NOT CLEVER ANYMORE.
They're not trying to sound clever...it is, as you just said, an expression.
Lighten up.
Wii can be emulated on my computer with Dolphin.
That's why sometimes i thought spending for PS3 or 360 much much more worth it.
Wii has good graphics I love playing with it.....
Waiting for Need for Speed Nitro
http://www.gizmoji.com/2009/11/need-for-speed-nitro-for-wii.html
I see a lot of people saying they don't have an HDTV. Fine... but I do. SD resolution on the Wii, looks like garbage on HDTV. There's no reason the Wii couldn't have had 720p at the very minimum. I can buy a whole graphics card for 35-50 dollars from ATI or Nvidia that can output games all the way to 1920x1200, let alone 720p. There is no excuse. Plain and simple. And for that reason, I have not and will not waste my money on a Wii, no matter how much I love Mario, Zelda and Metroid. When they hit 99 bucks, I'll consider it just so I can buy the classic titles only on Nintendo and have my nostalgic moments. Other than that, Nintendo can KMA.
Did you have an HDTV 5 years ago, when the Wii was being developed? Didn't think so.
I see a lot of people saying they have an HDTV. Fine... but I don't. SD resolution on the Wii looks fine on my SDTV, along with the SDTVs of the 70% of the rest of the world that still have SDTVs. Sorry friend, but why would they make their console MORE expensive by including HD to appeal to the 30% of the world that has HD, while the higher price point scares off the 70% of the people that still have SD? That's just stupid business.
@ Ozzman_79 I don't understand why people like you even comment on things you clearly know nothing about. HD resolution is not some new technology that costs millions of dollars to produce in a game console... I have games that are 10 years old on my PC that are capable of being displayed at higher than 1080p resolution. All HD is, is a higher resolution, nothing more. Every single graphics chip out there, including the one in the Wii, can display HD resolutions... So your comment about the Wii being developed 5 years ago is so incredibly flawed, I don't know how you could even use that as an arguement. Like I said... you can buy a full fledged graphics card for less than 50 bucks with ram, multiple outputs, and the ability to display past 1080 resolutions... It doesnt cost 100 or 200 or even 300 dollars to simple add the option to the console...
There was also an article on Engadget a while ago about a Nintendo exec stating that the Wii could infact display HD resolutions, but they had chosen to disable it for whatever reason... I don't have the link to that on hand, but it's been said before...
Even the first Xbox could display HD resolutions, and the Wii is more powerful than that...
Next time you post about HD and SD, you should have a freaking clue what you're even talking about...
You obviously have a sh*t HD tv then. My Panasonic 37" Plasma produced excellent SD pictures, and sitting 3m distance away the Wii produces a good quality picture. Sure its not "HD" but if you deeply engrossed in a game then it dose'nt really matter at all. As has already been mentioned, the Wii was designed well before HD tv's were commonplace. Its successor will obviously output HD but you will just have to wait. Besided Nintendo know what they are doing......if graphics were the be all and end all then the Sony PSP would be wiping the floor with the DS/DSi :-)
No, actually I don't have a shit HDTV. I have a XBR8 Sony 55 inch. I dont think I need to elaborate on how it rips everyone elses picture quality to shreds... especially in gaming.
I shouldn't have to be "deeply engrossed" in a game so that I forget Nintendo lazily ripped everyone off for 400+ bucks on their console when it came out, and they really didn't do jack shit to it except take the came cube, squish it in half, and double the clock rate of the graphics processor.
Perhaps you two should read up a bit more on what they actually did... As I've stated before, and you clearly choose to ignore... first gen Xbox was capable of outputting HD res. I'm sure the gamecube was too, as was the PS2. With the Wii being strong than first gen Xbox, there's no excuse not to enable HD output on it. Especially when the console was over 400 bucks at launch.
Way to charge double the price of the gamecube for simple making it smaller and using the same graphics CPU, just overclocked... So I guess in that regard, you are right. Nintendo does know what it's doing. Sell the same hardware, slightly modified, add some fancy motion control, and watch the idiots flock to the store while Nintendo gets rich...
As for being designed before HDTV's were common place... I still don't understand how people can even make a statement like that. It clearly shows you have zero understanding of a graphics chip or a console and what it actually is. "high definition" resolutions like 1920x1080 or 1280x720 have been around a hell of a lot longer before HD tv's were ever even thought of... Go buy yourself a used geforce or ATI chip, which is what Nintendo uses, from 10 years ago, and tell me the resolutions it can output. I bet you a million bucks it'll be higher than 1280x720p.
Once again another snoody engadget reader comes here spouting off attitude like they know something. You should have an understanding of what you're spewing from your anal orifice next time.
Look.....Nintendo is not forcing you to buy their console. They are in he business of making money, and they are doing a far better job of it than Microsoft and Sony in terms of their console business. Apply FanBoy Hater, your TV setup clearly shows that you are a minority user. - there are still far, far, far more SD tv's on this planet than HD ones. Are you suggesting that Nintendo should spend their money trying to satisfy you? Give it time. When the next generation console comes out HD will be far more established and Nintendo will reflect this with their hardware. Don't forget that the XBOX/PS3 still loose money in hardware terms, and the only reason Microsoft/Sony can afford to do this is because making consoles is NOT their main source of income.
In the mean time, stop bitching on about Nintendo - they are not pointing a gun to your head. If you want HD gaming them use an Xbox/PS3 and stop moaning.
I don't know about you guys, but my Wii is getting a lot of use....as a dust collector.
well of course he has to say this!
The next system from Nintendo will deliver HD. He said no "Wii HD", there will however be someother replacement that will have HD. This is typical business strategy junk. he cant talk about their plans and agenda. I bet it will be called Hii or HDii or something goofy like that.
Cant wait will the day where I play Zelda or Metroid in HD. *foam from mouth*
.... well duh.
the Wii will NEVER go HD.
They have to wait until the Wii 2 - no iff ands or butts.
Wh? ... Why do Xbox games not work on the Xbox 360? or PS2 games on the PS3?
To go HD you need a new video card - Old games that are not made for it WILL NOT WORK - this is the nature of consoles - no upgrades.
So if old games will not work, you do not do this to a Wii, you just go to the next stage and make a Wii 2.
Since it takes years to make a new console - with 2-3 years of telling people about it (you have to tell stockholders and game dev's) I would not expect the Wii 2 to come out until 2012-2014.