Powerful New Nintendo Wii 2 Coming in 2012, Sources Say
Several game industry sources have confirmed rumors that Nintendo will produce a Wii successor soon, and it could be even more powerful than the current Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
According to Game Informer, multiple sources agree Nintendo will unveil the Wii 2 at the upcoming E3 entertainment expo in June. The actual release of the Wii 2 (sometimes referred to as "Wii HD" because of the spec boost) would likely happen in early 2012.
Sources had no hardware details to provide, and there is some contention over just how powerful the Wii 2 will be . Some have indicated that it will be even more powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3, which would justify the rumored Wii HD name. But all agree the Wii 2 will be able to play HD content at high resolution, something the current Wii is incapable of doing — a major point of derision from hardcore Xbox 360 and PS3 fans.
Nintendo is reportedly showing preliminary hardware to publishers in an effort to excite developers. One of Nintendo's problems with the Wii was that its low-end specs made it hard for third-party developers to make games for high-end consoles as well. They had to choose either the Wii or the Xbox and PS3, and this cost Nintendo some of the biggest game releases.
One Game Informer source implied that Nintendo will focus more on the core gamer demographic.
"Nintendo is doing this one right," said the anonymous source. "[It's] not a gimmick like the Wii."
This could mean a variety of things, but the motion-based gaming of the original Wii, while it appealed to families and casual gamers, was seen as a gimmick by traditional console gamers. The source could be indicating that Nintendo will focus on more traditional console gaming fare for the next Wii.
As expected, all queries to Nintendo about the rumors are met with the standard response: "Nintendo does not comment on rumors or speculation."
While these are only rumors for now, they do support recent speculation concerning the relative dearth of Nintendo games. Wii games from Nintendo in-house developers have dwindled in recent months; most of the releases have been third-party games. When in-house game development slows for console manufacturers, it typically indicates that the company is nearing production of the next generation of its hardware. It's purely circumstantial evidence, but it matches well with other rumors coming from the company.
