Nintendo's Dunaway: no Wii successor 'anytime soon'
By Donald Melanson 
posted February 25th 2010 6:02PM
posted February 25th 2010 6:02PM
Miyamoto may have been dropping hints about some new Nintendo hardware recently, but it looks like a true Wii successor isn't among the options in the short term. That's according to Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway, who told GameSpot during the company's just-concluded Media Summit that she doesn't see a proper Wii follow-up coming "anytime soon." She further went on to note that even though the Wii now has a larger installed based than the PS2 did at the same point in its life cycle, the Wii "still has a lot of room to grow," adding that "we'll have it [a successor] ready when we think the time is right."
@Troll hopefully the wii is more than halfway done! its so rediculous! what a rip considering the cost of those things! i wouldnt even buy it if i had a million bucks in my wallet right now.
@emopoops how exactly is the Wii a rip off?
@kojo87
he probably meant ripoff as in 'overpriced' rather than 'copied'
Lets just face it, there is nothing stopping the Wii, it is almost at the point where its sales would still be higher than the 360 and PS3 combined, I dont think Natal has the potential to boost the 360 high enough too
@Troll
They could certainly do a refresh of the hardware, adding AT LEAST upscaling to 720/1080 with hdmi outputs.
If they did this, plenty of people who already own a Wii would go out and buy another one.
@commenter7 i know what he meant. but if people are still grabbing them up like crazy why should they drop the price or release something else? that makes absolutely no business sense.
and if motion controls are so lame and pointless like all the self proclaimed "hardcore gamers" claim, why are their beloved Sony and Microsoft trying to copy Nintendo a whole 3 years later?
and just because the graphics aren't bleeding edge doesn't mean you can't have fun playing it. i just picked up SSX Blur for Wii. it came out in 2007 and i still think its a pretty damn fun.
Hmmm, what do I think of this? Nothing at the moment.
Dear Nintendo,
THE TIME IS RIGHT
@Karate Tortoise: Seriously. "Time to grow" my ass.
.
.
.
That didn't sound right...
As a launch day owner who has very much enjoyed the Wii for 3 years, I admit the console sees little love from the family now that we have a PS3 slim. And this week the Wii's optical drive has started making clicking noises and won't read any of my discs (ugh!). Will I replace it? Probably not. Time to sell off the games and concentrate on the PS3.
Sorry Nintendo. You were great at the time, but your console simply doesn't have the staying power to endure this generation. And you should have known this and been ready with a mid-gen update.
Sad.
@pavlindrom
No offense to Cammie Dunaway, but she doesn't play videogames ... she looks at sales numbers and that's it. You can tell at every E3 event. It looks like she practiced a day or two before she has to talk about the product.
Nintendo doesn't seem to think exponentially, they think linear.
Tech is exploding and demand is growing. Look at how TVs have changed in the past decade and compare that to the previous fifty years.
@HotFuzz: I got one at launch day as well. My son plays it, but I rarely do, unless a new, A-list game comes out. My son is already saying Super Mario Galaxy 2 looks too much like the first one, so I was like: "Thanks for saving me $50!"
I'll probably get Metroid: Other M, but what I really want to do is to buy a PS3 next month. My HDTV is begging for a console that is worth its display.
@Meekermoloko: I agree, you can't tell she isn't genuine with this video game shit. She's boring as hell, and Reggie is just freaking annoying. I wish they stop bragging and move on to a powerful console.
@aubreyq : Dammit, I meant "you CAN tell..." FML!!
@aubreyq really? FYL because of a grammar error? you have low standards for f*cking.
@pavlindrom:
I love Nintendo, I grew up playing their systems and their games, but if they think the Wii can stand up past another year they've lost it. The controller is top notch, it's pleading and begging for some first person shooter love, but it's not getting it.
The Wii NEEDS better graphics. I don't care if they're playing to the wider audience or not, this is the single factor killing it. Why would I want to play a wii sports game where the characters don't even have legs when I could play something mind blowing on another system?
The Wii is NEVER going to get any decent games with the power it currently contains. The Wii NEEDS to be updated. I was there on launch day getting a Wii, I had high hopes....and now I haven't turned the damn thing on in maybe a year.
@ravissimo: ...and you have no sense of humor.
@aubreyq I have also been a wii consumer for a long time (2 and 1/2 years) I also have a 360 (which I love) I just made the jump and got me a PS3 2 months ago and I haven't played anything but the PS3. Def in my opinion the best hardware out! Make the jump you won't regret it.
@aubreyq and i was being sarcastic. whoosh!
I can see Microsoft holding out a bit longer. Their revamped menu system and support for tons of new content just squeezed a bunch more life out of the 360.
However, the Wii could use a small update like offering HD graphics (while keeping everything else the same) so all current games look better, even the Virtual Console titles. That's all I really want, high definition graphics.
@LiQuiDFuSioN Yeah no doubt. I want that new Sonici Kart racer but why get it on the Wii with non-HD graphics when I can get it for the 360?
I started out as a "graphics don't matter" Wii guy. Then I got my 65" Toshiba DLP. The XBOX360 Looks splendid on it.
@Troll
Why is HD necessary? It's not hurting it one bit.
@LiQuiDFuSioN BS, tech wise the current crop of consoles are dinosaurs!!!
The 360s GPU is the precursor to the Geforce 7800... and the vast majority have upgraded one or two generations above that long ago.
Even my PS3 plays VERY few titles at 1080P (most are 720P) w/ obvious object draw and AA/AF limitations.
I don't see why they can't release a similar architecture but modernized version of each console w/ a simple identifier on the games for backwards compatibility. PC games can scale just fine on thousands of machines, and this only needs to scale on two different systems. =(
@Ducman69
You do realize that just because most HD titles on the ps3 are not in 1080p does not mean it cant handle it, right? The resolution and other graphics settings such as anti-aliasing can affect the size of the game, and as many dont have 1080p TV's developers may not see it as necessary.
@Pookiewood Is it wrong for me to yearn to see the classic Super Mario Bros. game in 720p or 1080p?! Some may point out that it may ruin the vintage feel of the game if one can see every single pixel. But right now in its present form, the original colors look washed out on my console. The reds aren't so red, etc.
@YvesOfWinter
Actually neither console can handle rendering a game in 1080p, the tech is too old. Resolution and anti-aliasing do not affect the size of the game.
@Ducman69 Thats what I have been thinking.
I love Nintendo and the Wii but 'bout time they release a successor Sony and MS will be using some new tech and Wii will just be getting HD.
@Pookiewood Yet their fanbase generally refuses to call them on it. Further, they release the same tech over and over and the fanboy types eat it up. The buyers are too eager to be abused by Nintendo for them to change.
@Pookiewood
As long as the games and other content are enjoyable, I don't see that necessarily as a problem.
Their bottom line doesn't seem to either :)...
@Duke
Weren't they the first to release motion controlled games (this gen) and the others are just now trying to achieve the same?
Wouldn't that negate the "same tech over and over" comment?
@Bengal34 Dont get defensive- I was referencing the ds releases and how people buy the same device with minor changes over and over.
@Duke
PSP-2000
PSP-3000
PSP-Go
PSP-Go Relaunch
PS3 20Gb
PS3 60Gb
PS3 80 Gb
PS3 120Gb
PS3 40Gb
PS3 Slim
Xbox 360 Arcade
Xbox 360
XBox 360 Elite
XBox 360 arcade with 20Gb
XBox 360 Pro
XBox 360 Elite w/250Gb HD
Wii
DS
DS Lite
DSi
DSiXL
@Duke:
"Yet their fanbase generally refuses to call them on it. Further, they release the same tech over and over and the fanboy types eat it up."
For a minute there I thought you were talking about Apple. i.e. iPod touch XL
@redspear
I agree on the psp front, but not on the others. The 360 and ps3 releases are different models. I don't see that the same as how the ds line is more or less the same thing with minor tweaks. Different HD sizes and such for people to choose a price point they can meet isn't the same at all.
the DS sucessor is much more interesting at the moment following the rumours of having tegra 2, motion controls and rumble feedback.
even though i love the DS to bits, I really think its time for the next generation of handheld gaming to start
@commenter7
I WANT THE NEW Wii AND THE NEW DS TO LAUNCH AT THE SAME TIME.
Like a dual partnership between mobile and console.
The features MIGHT ACTUALLY integrate into each other this time.
@commenter7
What I would really hope for in the next DS is a sim card slot. Gaming on my iPhone has shown me the effect of being constantly connected to the internet in portable gaming. Multiplayer everywhere and better online marketplaces are dreams of mine.
They're just waiting for someone to come along and explain what "high definition" means.
@Independence76
Whatever new system they roll out in X years, it'll have more upgrades than just HD and better online capabilities. Motion+ built into every controller, for starters.
Good. I don't think anyone's wallets are ready for a new generation to begin.
@Mach I don't think Sony or Microsoft's wallets are ready for round 2 of selling at a loss/minimal profit gain, let alone the consumer base.
Why would you make a new one, when you can just sell the old one wile making more and more money?
This is reality. This is a Buisness.
@n0ne
thats the whole point of the article, they arent planning any sucessor until the money stops printing
@commenter7 good point. Want a successor to the Wii. Stop buying them.
@n0ne : Counterexample: The iPod nano replaced the iPod mini when the latter was the most popular version.
The picture shows the black Wii.. Is there any information if this is coming to the U.S. ?
@CT0000
I expected them to give us a release of the Black Wii in the US (so I can replace my old one with the defective graphics card). They're giving it to Australia as of Tuesday, so I don't see why we're getting the shaft here.
@CT0000
Wow, I had no idea the US still had no black Wii! Thats pretty crap.
TBH, I'd guess that 70% of people who purchased a Wii have gotten bored of it, I've bought 2 as prezzies (both for girls) and neither are used very often. The graphics are poor by 2005 standards, if MS and Sony can capture the marked gained by the Wii then bye bye Nintendo.
@CT0000
This is the point. Why make a a whole new hardware and software spec when all you have to do is make a black plastic case?
As long as their sales remain high, they won't be doing any refreshes. Look at the DS, its been around since 2004 but sales are still so high that they aren't releasing a successor.