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Nintendo E3 2011 keynote, live from the Nokia Theater
Do you know what Nintendo's successor to the Wii will be called? No? Us neither. That's embarrassing too, because we're supposed to have the scoop on stuff like this. But beginning at 9 a.m. PDT/12 p.m. EDT, we're finally going to know what Mario and Co. have planned for the year to come. Let's go!
Nintendo Wii HD / Project Cafe rumor roundup: What will E3 hold for the gaming giant?
We're a few days out from E3, that magical place where dreams are made and fanboys and girls from all walks of life are simultaneously appeased and slightly disappointed. Surprises are expected from all of the big three this year -- particularly Nintendo. How will the gaming giant top last year's 3DS debut? All signs point to the announcement of a Wii followup, which we've heard alternately referred to as the "Wii HD" and "Project Cafe." Rumors, leaks, and the occasional bit of confirmed information have been rampant in the months and weeks leading up to the event. We've weaved it all together into one handy guidebook, to make sure that we're all on the same page, come Tuesday morning. Let's start with a genuine bit of information: back in April, the company's CEO, Satoru Iwata, confirmed that Nintendo is, in fact, working on an HD followup to the Wii that is most likely due out in 2012. A few days prior to that revelation, the requisite blurry images of console concepts surfaced, detailing controllers with embedded touchscreens that display the system's 1080p gameplay via a technology called Stream Screen. These certainly weren't the first concepts of the console we've seen -- and they were apparently first brought to light by the folks at 4Chan.
Nintendo details E3 streaming plans
As expected, Nintendo has confirmed plans to stream its E3 press briefing. The briefing is slated to take place on June 7 at 9am PT (12pm ET) and promises to offer the first glimpse of Nintendo's Wii successor (and probably Zelda or something). In order to secure your "virtual front-row seat", be sure to park your web browser at E3.Nintendo.com prior to the event. Additional video content, including trailers and interviews, will also be featured on the site after the briefing is over. "A variety of exclusive content" will also be accessible on the Wii via the Nintendo Channel. We hope your body is ready.
Wii 2 rumors: Only 8GB of storage, 25GB discs, and 1080p isn't a definite
Citing unnamed (and un-numbered) anonymous sources (plural), Kotaku is reporting a handful of notable, albeit predictable, details about Nintendo's upcoming Wii successor, codenamed Project Café. For instance, in lieu of a capacious hard drive, Nintendo will buck industry trends and offer a humble 8GB of flash-based memory augmented by SD card support. If rumors are true and Project Café offers a graphical experience at least competitive with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, we're not sure what the storage solution for DLC (Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare was over 1.5GB) or larger downloadable games (Comic Jumper is nearly 2GB) will be. With that constraint, digital distribution of retail titles would seemingly be off the table. Speaking of retail games: Also rumored is the disc format for Project Café. It's said to hold 25GB of data which is roughly three times the size of a dual-layer DVD and over five times the size of the single-layer DVD that most Wii titles use. Also 25GB? A single-layer Blu-ray disc, though it's not clear if Project Café will use that standard or, even if it did, if it would enable movie playback. Despite using DVDs, the Wii famously doesn't support DVD video playback. Speaking of Blu-ray video playback, the magic number usually tossed about by high-def home theater enthusiasts (and Sony marketing goons) is 1080, as in 1080p video resolution. That's one-thousand-and-eighty progressively scanned lines of resolution. Less popular: 1080i, which, yes, has one-thousand-and-eighty lines of resolution, but they're interlaced. If that doesn't sound familiar, that's because it's been somewhat absent since 1080p-compatible televisions and devices have filled the market. Kotaku reports it's heard "mixed things" as to whether Nintendo plans on offering 1080p (or, as Sony would put it circa 2006, "True HD") or 1080i. As much as we want to believe every Project Café rumor we hear, we can't forget the delta between the console that Nintendo announced at E3 2006 and the one sitting on the shelf: DVD playback! USB hard drive support! Between now and Café's 2012 launch date, it's anyone's guess.
Probably Not the Wii 2, Part II: Innovation on a conference table
Upon seeing these clear photographs of what appear to be a physical model of the "Project Cafe" console from this "Innovation Reinvented" slide, we could react in two ways. First, the photographs could lend credence to the slide, suggesting that all of this is real and the Wii successor truly has the listed features and design. Conversely, we could conclude that someone either built or made a convincing 3D model of the device based on that slide, thinking that the hours of labor required would be worth it when someone was maybe kind of fooled. As this is the course of events that would best justify our constant cynicism, it should be no surprise that it's the one toward which we're leaning. [Thanks, David] %Poll-63038%
Nintendo announces Wii successor for 2012
Nintendo has officially announced its intention to release a new console in 2012. According to a note published this morning on the company's Japanese investor relations website, "Nintendo Co., Ltd. has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed Wii, which the company has sold 86.01 million units on a consolidated shipment basis between its launch in 2006 and the end of March 2011." The terse announcement does nothing to clear up rumors surrounding the system, which has been linked to high-definition graphics, motion controls and a handheld touch screen. Less trustworthy industry sources have even indicated that the system's rumored codename, "Project Cafe," hints at its ability to shoot a cappuccino directly into your gaping mouth. According to the investor note (posted after the break), Nintendo plans to show off a playable model of the Wii successor during this year's E3, which takes places in Los Angeles from June 7th. Update: Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is quoted in a Reuters article, saying, "We would like to propose a new approach to home video game consoles." This new approach, as you might expect, does not necessarily include 3D displays. "It's difficult to make 3-D images a key feature, because 3-D televisions haven't obtained wide acceptance yet," he said.
Nintendo confirms next Wii coming in 2012, will preview it at E3
Nintendo has just announced it plans to introduce a successor to its Wii console next year, a "playable model" of which will be shown off at the E3 gaming expo in Los Angeles coming up on June 7th. No details are available as to how the next Wii will improve on the first one, though we imagine Nintendo will be happy if it simply matches the success of its current-gen home entertainer -- the brief note publicizing the new roadmap also comes with a total of Wii sales accumulated between its launch in '06 and the end of last month: 86.01 million. That's said to be on a "consolidated shipment basis," so maybe Nintendo is mixing its definitions of sales and shipments the way Sony likes to, but it's a mighty big number either way. Bring on E3, we say! Update: Bloomberg has provided the first official hint about Nintendo's next console with a quote from company President Satoru Iwata. Nintendo will "propose a new approach to home video game consoles," though it won't be a simple move to 3D, as Iwata notes "it's difficult to make 3-D images a key feature, because 3-D televisions haven't obtained wide acceptance yet." Given that motion gaming is no longer new and 3D is off the table until 3DTVs go mainstream, we're now left facing only one potentiality -- Nintendo is planning on bringing genuine innovation to our living rooms. We suppose it also adds fuel to the rumor of a crazy next-gen controller to go with this next-gen console.
Probably Not the Wii 2, Part I: Innovation reinvented
We're getting so many images, movies and epic poems that purport to depict Nintendo's rumored new HD console, which goes by the (also rumored) codename of Project Café, that we figured it's time to start throwing them at the wall and seeing what sticks. Today's artifact has popped up on several forums and blogs (we saw it on Destructoid, but you may have caught it elsewhere). It's a slide from something that reads "Project Café is simply the most developer friendly SDK the industry has ever seen. Deliver unparalleled next generation performance at current generation costs. It doesn't get any easier than this." Also, there's a picture of a box. Is it the Wii 2? Probably not. If pressed, we'd give it a ... 5/10 for believability. The form factor seems like an evolved Wii, so that's about right, but the wording off the slide feels ... off. What do you think?%Poll-63005%
Next generation Wii controller to feature 6.2-inch display, turn living room into giant DS?
E3 is getting close, just two months away now. As such the next-gen Wii console rumors have heated to a boil. One of the most interesting bits of tattle originates from Kotaku. The gaming site's sources claim (with impressive specificity) that the new 8-button controller features a screen pushing a whopping 6.2 inches, two analog sticks, and a camera. The new Wii console (sometimes called the Wii 2, Wii HD, or simply "Project Cafe") is said to support the new controller in addition to Wii Remote-style controllers for backward compatibility with existing Wii games -- at the moment, however, it's not clear if that implies support for existing Wiimotes. But why the giant display? Here's Kotaku's take: The 6.2-inch screen will receive data wirelessly from the Nintendo console and presents an array of options, from putting the player's inventory or map on the controller screen, to allowing players to combine it with the controller's camera to snap photos that could be imported into a game or even turning it into some sort of glorified viewfinder (we're unclear about whether the camera on the controller points at the player or can be outward-facing; we've heard both - maybe it swivels?). In other words, you can think of the new controller-plus-console combination as a modern Dreamcast system or "glorified mega-DS," as Kotaku puts it, where the TV is the top screen and the handheld controller is the lower touchscreen. If true then we'll likely hear the official first word at E3 which kicks off on June 7th. Update: IGN has its own set of "sources" confirming many of these details. Could this be a Nintendo rumor that pans out, for once? We should know in just over a month.
Rumor: Wii successor has controller with giant touchscreen, also uses motion controls
Some purported new information about the still-unannounced Wii successor paints a surprisingly specific picture of the device's controller. Kotaku reports that, according to unnamed sources, the controller for the "Project Cafe" device will have eight buttons, two analog sticks, a camera ... and an enormous 6.2" touchscreen. For reference, the DSi XL has 4.2" screens. The Kindle has a 6" screen. If these rumors are true, this controller will likely be crazy expensive. We honestly can't see Nintendo getting away with selling $200+ controllers. Kotaku also reports that this won't be the only accepted control method. "Project Cafe" will also reportedly support "Wii Remote-style controllers," the site says, though it's currently unknown whether that means the existing Wiimote or a new motion device.
Rumor: Nintendo courting Rockstar for Wii 2 development
The "Wii 2" rumors are raging again, for sure, but now they're in danger of burning out of control -- so let's backtrack. After delivering some spot-on NGP specs days before Sony's official unveiling ceremony, French tech site 01net earned its web cred. That's why the games media took notice (and some even corroborated) when the wonder site reignited the Wii successor rumors last Thursday, and then tossed in some more fuel the following day. This week, 01net has come out with another intriguing report about Nintendo's supposed next console: Rockstar's on board. The site's sources claim that the Grand Theft Auto creator is the first confirmed company to secure a developer unit of the new Nintendo hardware. The sources add that the system, said to be codenamed "Project Cafe," is expected to be released in June 2012. And here's where the rumor starts to grow more wild. Gamekyo somewhat carelessly throws out there that Grand Theft Auto 5 is also rumored for 2012 -- is it? (There's at least been some recent evidence that the next GTA is in the works.) And then, GoNintendo fits it all together: "Rockstar has a dev kit [...] working on GTA V (which is sure to hit PS3/360 as well) [...] hoping to have it available at launch." Eureka? Not quite. But, boy, if Nintendo is on the verge of announcing the one console to rule them all and has a Rockstar logo to flaunt during the presentation? Talk about printing money ...
Rumor: Wii 2 codenamed Project Cafe, controller includes built-in touchscreen
The towering pile of rumors regarding Nintendo's next generation console, supposedly to be announced at E3, continues to grow today with a report from French news site 01net (which divined the hardware specs of the NGP before its official unveiling). Citing unnamed sources, the site claims the system is currently codenamed "Project Café," and adds that it does feature hardware resembling that of the Xbox 360, such as a three-core IBM PowerPC CPU. The real meat of the report isn't in the specs of the console, but rather, its controller. According to 01net, the peripheral will feature a six-inch single-input touchscreen -- which corroborates a similar report published by CVG yesterday. The French site also says the controller features a standard set of buttons, a front-mounted camera (what?) and can even function as a Wii sensor bar, should the player choose to indulge in the console's built-in backwards compatibility. That's actually pretty believable -- after all, the same effect can be achieved using a pair of candles. We'll keep an ear to the ground for any additional reports of a touchscreen-infused remote for the heavily rumored console. At the very least, we can be certain that over the course of the next few nights, visions of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles and Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures will be dancing through our heads.
Rumor: 'Multiple sources' claim new Nintendo console reveal at or before E3 [update]
Rumors of a "Wii 2" or "Wii HD" have been flying since ... well, pretty much since the Wii launched, but when an outlet the size of Game Informer piles on, it's tough not to take notice. The publication says it's hearing from multiple sources that Nintendo will announce a new home console at or before E3. According to hearsay, the console would arrive in 2012 and would sport HD graphics, though GI's sources are conflicted about how said graphics would compare to the Xbox 360 and PS3. Well, there goes our "Schedule Vacations for E3 Week When All The Video Game Journalist Resorts Are Super Empty" plan. Update: IGN found some anonymous sources of its own, who claim that the new console will be backwards compatible with all Wii games. Its sources say that the console is "significantly more powerful than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360."
Reggie: Nintendo's next home console unlikely to feature 3D
Nintendo believes strongly in glasses-free 3D. The company wouldn't be able to achieve this feat on a home console, short of shipping an innovative TV in the box, so ... it's probably not going to do that. "I think at Nintendo, we realize that any sort of goggle-type 3D technology was not going to work," 3DS hardware producer Hideki Konno told CNN. "In order to make 3D technology viable with video games, we thought we needed to have glasses-free 3D." Konno and his team at Nintendo did experiment with a 3D display tethered to a Wii before development of the 3DS began, but purely as a proof-of-concept for glasses-free 3D. Echoing Konno's remarls, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told CNN, "Glasses-free is a big deal. We've not said publicly what the next thing for us will be in the home console space, but based on what we've learned on 3D, likely, that won't be it." It probably won't be 4D either -- that's been done.
Nintendo's Satoru Iwata: no 'immediate need to replace the Wii'
Sheesh... will you folks ever learn? There will never, ever be a Wii replacement. It's the console that keeps on giving, and also the one that'll never perish. It's the end-all answer to the world's gaming needs, and even though greater than 50 percent of the US has an HDTV, Nintendo won't ever have to support that unwanted "1080i" format. All sarcasm, angst and bitterness aside, Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata recently affirmed that there's no Wii successor on the near-term roadmap. Specifically, he stated that he "doesn't think that there is an immediate need to replace the Wii console; but of course, at some point in the future, the need will arise." To cap things off, he added: "We currently do not have an answer as to what point in the future that need will come." As much as we'd love to point out just how far behind the game Nintendo is in terms of graphics, we can't argue with the sales figures, and until the collective consumer wallet deems true HD support a necessity, we suppose the Wii can just keep on keepin' on. Much to our chagrin.
Reggie: Nintendo not 'thinking seriously' about next console yet
In a Forbes interview, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime gave the impression that a new home console from Nintendo is still in the distant future. "The way we approach that innovation," he said, referring to Nintendo's innovative "jumps" (like the Wii), "because we have hardware developers working side by side with software developers, is that when the software developer comes forward with an idea that can't be executed on the current platform, that's when we start thinking seriously about the next system. We're not there yet, from a Wii perspective." Of course, E3 is still a few months away. Satoru Iwata recently commented that a Wii successor would "need something new" in addition to HD graphics to be worthwhile, and Fils-Aime, who has previously, "forcefully" denied plans for an Wii HD model, echoed this sentiment. "So when people talk about high definition for the Wii console, our feedback is that that by itself will not create a brand new experience. Therefore, we're not interested. What we have to push for are groundbreaking new experiences. Technology has to enable it, not to be a means all by itself." [Via Edge]
Dunaway: Wii successor isn't coming 'anytime soon'
GameSpot cornered Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway in a dimly lit back room at yesterday's Nintendo Media Summit and pried loose some information about the Wii's eventual successor. It would seem Nintendo is aiming for PlayStation 2 levels of success with the Wii, which means it'll be around for quite some time before being ousted by a follow-up system. "I don't think it'll be anytime soon," she said. "Even though our install base is, at this point, five million households larger than the PS2 install base was at the same point in its life cycle, it still has a lot of room to grow. If you think PS2, there's been about 50 million sold -- Wii close to 28 million sold -- so it says to me there's still a big audience out there that we can access with Wii." In a less oblique fashion, she added: "We'll have it ready when we think the time is right." The rest of the video is mainly fluff, with Dunaway talking up the large global install bases for the Wii and DS, and Wii Sports Resort's six million-strong success. The full video is embedded after the break.
Console scuttlebutt: multi-core CPU for next-gen PlayStation, Intel inside future Wii
We're but three years removed from the US introduction of both Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3, and already the rumors are running rampant about the future iterations of both consoles. Two separate reports from Japan's Impress touch on both units, with speculation and insider information on the former suggesting that Intel could be in talks with the Big N about powering the second Wii. Hard details are obviously tough to come by, but word has it that the two are mulling a GPU / CPU combo similar to the Larrabee; granted, we'd prefer something a touch more potent in the Wii 2, but we wouldn't be shocked if Nintendo chooses the less powerful path yet again. In related news, it seems as if Sony could be looking for an alternative to its Cell CPU in the PlayStation 4, an alternative that involves some sort of "multi-core CPU." Potentially more interesting is the notion that Sony's next-gen handheld could be out before said console, which is loosely pegged for a 2013 release. We wouldn't take any of this to heart just yet, but we're pretty certain we can't stop the dreamers from going too far.
Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime squashes Wii HD rumors... again
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.
Nintendo's Miyamoto: next-gen Wii hardware could be "more compact, cost-efficient"
There ain't much to glean from Shigeru Miyamoto's recent sit-down with Popular Mechanics, but in the never-ending quest to learn more about Nintendo's next-generation Wii, a few tidbits of interest have been highlighted. Miyamoto, who is responsible for creating the likes of Mario and Zelda (amongst others), spoke at length about current titles, the future of video games as a whole and on his view of the not-yet-named Wii 2. In answering a question about the future of motion-sensing in the Big N's consoles, he ran off topic a bit and noted that "it would be likely that we would try to make that same functionality perhaps more compact and perhaps even more cost-efficient" when speaking about future hardware (which honestly may have been talking strictly about accelerometers). Of course, this is about as predictable as it gets -- hardware tends to always shrink and get cheaper as technology improves -- but hey, there it is! Now, let your imaginations do what they were born to do. [Via TechRadar]
