Wii 2 Has iPad-Like Touchscreen Controller, Source Says
A source with a solid track record has spilled some remarkably detailed information about the Wii 2, and it includes one particularly intriguing surprise: a controller that's like an "iPad with buttons."
If that concept seems a bit difficult to understand, you're not alone. But French site 01net has received that information and much more from the same source that accurately detailed the Sony NGP and has corroborated rumors that the Wii 2 will be debuted at the upcoming E3 entertainment conference.
Reportedly called "Project Café," the new console will have much stronger hardware and be able to handle HD content. The French source even had information on the processor architecture, which will be similar to the Xbox 360 (IBM PowerPC three-core processor with ATI R700 series graphics processor). The new Nintendo console would also have shader model 4.1 support, which is higher than the Xbox 360 (model 3.0) and meshes well with the previous rumors that the Wii 2 (or Wii HD) will be more powerful than the Xbox 360 .
Also coinciding with previous rumors, the processor architecture would make it easier for Nintendo to incorporate third-party titles made for Microsoft and Sony consoles, thus reintegrating the so-called hardcore gamer crowd.
But let's return to the most surprising part of the leak: the touchscreen controller. The source claims it will be a 6-inch single-touch (as opposed to multitouch) screen, but that the controller will still have a d-pad, L and R bumpers, two triggers and other buttons, making it much more complicated than an iPad . This is both conceivable and mind-boggling at the same time — the former because touchscreens are so popula r and ushering in a new kind of game interaction, and the latter because it all sounds so clunky and complicated, like Nintendo is trying too hard to include the kitchen sink.
The touchscreen controller wouldn't be a full tablet media device, despite the fact that it includes a front-facing camera. The source specifically mentioned that it wouldn't even be able to show 720p content. It seems it will be used exclusively for game interaction. Reportedly, the controller would also integrate the Wii sensor bar into the controller itself, streamlining the overall hardware of the Wii 2.
While this sounds remarkably complex, it would give Nintendo a plethora of features with which to attract developers. The camera and touchscreen would make it capable of playing the kind of games that are extremely popular for smartphones and tablets right now, but the traditional buttons and motion sensing would preserve the more classic gaming elements the Wii has been known for.
