Nintendo's Follow Up to the Wii

[bennihana123]

What do you think Nintendo will do for their next home console? Do you think we'll start hearing more details soon?

I'm expecting a similar concept with remote-like controllers but with more functionality, possibly including a microphone or something. And of course, graphics that are HD and on par (and hopefully better) than the current generation Xbox and PlayStation.

[ShockandAww]

I don't know but they better do something amazing because they've turned away a lot of their fan base with the Wii. I know I'm done with Nintendo until they can compete with the big boys.

The casual crowd and many others I'm sure will eat it up regardless so it'll sell well at first like everything else that's new but when the novelty wears off all too fast Nintendo is going to be in trouble next gen.

Edit: Or that's what I hope anyway. I dont want motion controls until they actually work and even then I wouldnt care much for them at all.

[Cap'n_RDM]

I don't know but they better do something amazing because they've turned away a lot of their fan base with the Wii. I know I'm done with Nintendo until they can compete with the big boys.

The casual crowd and many others I'm sure will eat it up regardless so it'll sell well at first like everything else that's new but when the novelty wears off all too fast Nintendo is going to be in trouble next gen.

Edit: Or that's what I hope anyway. I dont want motion controls until they actually work and even then I wouldnt care much for them at all.

I would argue that you aren't done with Nintendo if you are still hanging around the Wii part of the boards. If you truly are though, that's a shame as they've put out some excellent games this gen.

[bennihana123]

A lot of my "hardcore gamer" friends have abandoned their Wiis due to to its lack of technical power... That's always been Nintendo's weak point, along with online play. Its a shame because yeah they really have made some great games for it.

[wesdw369]

im hoping for a hard drive, hdmi port, and online play similar to the big to but unique enough to make it nintendo, so many games could have been awesome with better online play

plus its so much better saying a username than that long code plus the codes for each game

[theflicker]

I think that all that is missing is HD support, a PSN-like online solution, and a larger HDD. The games have been very solid this generation.

[moothemagiccow]

I'd rather not have a hard drive. Things are too damn finicky and I HATE installing games. I plopped down $60, now let me play.

[wesdw369]

I'd rather not have a hard drive. Things are too damn finicky and I HATE installing games. I plopped down $60, now let me play.


it would also mean more apps, dlc when its worth a damn, more space for downloads, music, movies, and pictures could be put on it. plenty of uses for it other than installing games

[Altanis]

I don't think there's really a need for a hard drive either. One thing I would like to see would be more USB ports, and the ability to use a flash drive to transfer save files (instead of an SD card).

I'm probably in a very small minority, but I don't need HD graphics and the latest and greatest technology in a game system. I care more about gameplay and game quality.

[DestroVega]

they would be smart to partner with apple for the dashboard.

and at this point, their motion control has to be like Kinect with no controllers.

[moothemagiccow]

An HDD sounds like such a good idea, but it just ends up being an excuse for all kinds of crap, most of which was previously restricted to PC games. Buggy games (because a patch is possible) , 15 minute installs, HDD crashes, monthly firmware updates, DLC that's been cut out of the game, pre-order exclusives....

Consoles this gen aren't consoles any more, they're PCs. I use my playstation for watching movies more than I do for playing games. I like that Wii is still a game console. It's got the lowest hw failure rate and you never see "my console bricked" threads in Wii forums. And the only thing Wii System Updates prevent me from accessing is the Wii Store, which no one even uses.

I preferred memory cards, or even a USB stick. Never had a USB stick crash. Every hard drive I've owned either has failed or will fail.

[bennihana123]

If they had a Hard Drive I would prefer something like a solid state (SSD), which is flash memory based, which is more expensive, but also faster and more reliable. USB sticks as memory cards sounds like a perfect idea and I'd love to see them implement it. I seem to recall Nintendo promising that the next console will have HD capability, so that's promising.

[crunchewy]

They definitely need a lot more storage, especially if they are going to make it an HD console, and I have to presume they will. HD download games are larger by definition. Plus even a game like Super Meat Boy, not exactly an HD game, proved to be a challenge (and perhaps impossible) due to the restriction on game size, and that restriction is in part due to the paucity of storage space.

As far as patches, it's undoubtedly true that Wii games tend to be less buggy at release then the HD consoles due to the inability to patch, but then again if there is a bug, you're screwed. There's Animal Crossing's unpatchable grass killing flaw, and worse, Metroid Other M's game killing bug that bit some. Send in an SD card with your save on it to have it repaired? That's not exactly a great solution, to say the least, and it doesn't fix the flaw anyway, which might bite you again on a second playthrough if you ever opt to do that, or your kids playthrough, etc. A patch would have fixed both of these problems and I'm sure there's other bugs I'm unaware of in other games, none of which could be patched. Having experienced both, I'll take patch-ability overall, even if it means buggier games on release.

[Altanis]

Something to keep in mind is that it's already been announced that 3DS game carts will have a storage capacity of 8GB. That should give us a pretty good idea that at the very least the Wii's successor will use a storage media that can hold that much.

Just my opinion here: I'd rather have games that are less buggy to begin with, than ones that I have to connect to the internet and download a patch in order to play them. Sure, you have a couple Wii games now that are buggy, but the number seems to be minimal in comparison to the number of PS3 and 360 games that seem to be buggy on release.

[sciafb]

I think it'll have at least 720p and should have a more robust online setup. But we will need to see how the 3DS's online is to get a better idea of what Nintendo plans on doing, since from the last time Nintendo spoke about what they knew needed to improve for future consoles, was Online capabilities. They KNOW what needs the most work and they want to better it as well so I have faith in that regard.

I never really gave it any thought about storage, I figure they would also have a harddrive that might be swappable like PS3 .. but given how they got their asses handed to them in terms of hacking maybe they are going to try harder and go X360's route (as they have history with - having their own storage devices). I would like a swappable harddrive, I never seen a failed harddrive, and besides wouldn't they finally have a database of accounts that keep track of what you buy and can download?

[bennihana123]

Yeah I'd love to be able to transfer my Virtual Console games to whatever comes next, and the only way I could see that happening is through something like a Club Nintendo account which can track your download purchases. Backwards compatibility would be great of course, but the Wii's successor might not even be remotely similar to the Wii when it comes to the controller.

[Droenixjpn]

I think Nintendo is probably looking at the Kinect right now and saying "They definitely... 1-upped... us... *chuckles*"

At the moment I don't know what Nintendo can offer that beats what's available already. If they want to continue in the direction of motion controls, they'll have to try and beat Kinect somehow. If they want to continue in the direction of playing with a controller, they'll have to figure that one out as well. At least the 3DS is offering something we haven't seen before.

I'm kind of hoping that the Wii will last just a bit longer, as I just got a new Wiimote w/ Motion Plus and a Nunchuk. But, I'd love to see a new console announced next year. Here's hoping 2011 will be a great gaming year!

[Vinny]

Of all the next gen consoles, I think I'm going to be most interested in Nintendo's. Not because I think it'll be the best (far from it)... but because I think whatever Nintendo does, it's the path that MS and Sony will follow.

[cochesecochese]

Tough one.

I want to see much better 3rd party support. 3rd party games are regularly sent on a death march at retail and Wii Shop is proper shite.

[momouchi]

I just hope Nintendo doesn't buy into all of the "graphics are everything" hype. HD would be great and better graphics are always good, but I would prefer Nintendo to focus on something that will be fun rather than whatever the "hardcore gamer" fad is this time around. The PS3 and Xbox360 have nice graphics, but I find many of the games I've played to put graphics over decent gameplay. I think Nintendo should get a better online system but keep it free, figure out a better version of the Wii Shop, and HD functionality. Honestly if the Wii had this to start, people wouldn't be complaining about how it is too casual.

[moothemagiccow]

At the moment I don't know what Nintendo can offer that beats what's available already. If they want to continue in the direction of motion controls, they'll have to try and beat Kinect somehow. If they want to continue in the direction of playing with a controller, they'll have to figure that one out as well. At least the 3DS is offering something we haven't seen before.

I know they will, but I kind of wish they wouldn't. I really dont want a webcam in my living room, it's too 1984. I know you didnt suggest it, but how could they go down the 3D route for TVs when the first wii wasnt hd, and most people dont have or want 3DTVs?

How can we be sure what they come up with will really be any better? I'd be happy to throw down $300 on an HD upscaling Wii right now, but a lot of people still don't care about graphics or HD.

[bennihana123]

One thing that pissed me off was Super Meat Boy's cancellation due to their "maximum size" limit. A better online store is in order. And with graphics, am I the only one drooling over an HD Zelda overworld with next-gen (or even 360/PS3) graphics?

And my Wii library is almost entirely made up of Nintendo-developed titles. Third party games are mostly minigame collections that no self respecting gamer would buy.

[Lone_Prodigy]

A WiiHD could be reasonably priced ($250?), but then that's like a DS->DSL->DSi upgrade: better shop, storage, better online(?), but the games will still look about the same and any new games will have to work on both systems. It doesn't make much sense from a business perspective. With the DS it works because you can have multiples in one household (X has a DSL, Y buys a DSi). You can have multiple Wii's, but not everyone has multiple TV's.

The next Nintendo system should have HD: prices have fallen the past few years and the penetration rate for HDTV's should be quite high now. Beyond that, who knows? A new unconventional feature? Backwards compatibility?

2011 is the year of the 3DS anyway, so I won't expect much from the Wii (just release Zelda SS in 2011 please).

[bennihana123]

I found this article on IGN. http://wii.ign.com/articles/113/1135489p1.html
Interesting until we get more information. Hopefully at this E3.

[deftoast]

Wii 3rd party sales have gotten so abysmal in Japan that Nintendo may have to skip a generation to bring back trust.
-- and the way they're taking now I think that's what they're planning.

Btw, I'm praying for a future version of the 3ds with optional output to traditional 3D tv's /shutter tech to kind of be a portable console in one. (GOD GIVE ME MARIO GALAXY IN 3D!)

[Altanis]

I'm not expecting the Wii's successor until 2012. My reasoning is that 2011 will be the year that the 3DS is released, and Nintendo will focus on it instead. Give the 3DS around 18 months to get settled, and I think that is when we will start to see the Wii's successor begin to come to light.

The Wii is still selling pretty well. The main reason people want a new console from Nintendo is because there's something like 75 million units that have been sold. Pretty much everyone that was going to get one has one now (to use a horrible, inaccurate statement). The biggest thing really is that the Wii isn't in HD- something that quite honestly doesn't matter to the vast majority of people that play video games.

I think Microsoft sent an update out to where the original 360s could get 1080i or 1080p (not sure which) output via component cables. Nintendo could do something similar I would think, instead of releasing a new console.

[bennihana123]

I have component cables for my Wii but it only goes to 480p

[Altanis]

That's all it's designed to do. I simply said that since Microsoft was able to update the original 360's to where they displayed up to 1080i with component cables, Nintendo likely could do something similar.

I have no knowledge of either system tech-wise to say whether Nintendo could or couldn't. I'm sure that when Microsoft did that, Nintendo was probably interested in how.

[antlp89]

Please revert back to classic gaming, motion control bullshit is getting really old.

The worst thing Nintendo that came from the Wii was not crapware waggle games, it was the concept that inspired the production of Kinect and PS Move.

[Droenixjpn]

I actually enjoy the Kinect motion control gaming. Heck, even my close friends who are completely into console gaming (don't really care for handheld gaming) like the Kinect. I think if Nintendo steps in that direction, they can have an awe-inspiring line-up of games.

We'll see though, they might announce something this month when they reveal details about the 3DS.

[Snake2715]

I think Nintendo is probably looking at the Kinect right now and saying "They definitely... 1-upped... us... *chuckles*"

At the moment I don't know what Nintendo can offer that beats what's available already. If they want to continue in the direction of motion controls, they'll have to try and beat Kinect somehow. If they want to continue in the direction of playing with a controller, they'll have to figure that one out as well. At least the 3DS is offering something we haven't seen before.

I'm kind of hoping that the Wii will last just a bit longer, as I just got a new Wiimote w/ Motion Plus and a Nunchuk. But, I'd love to see a new console announced next year. Here's hoping 2011 will be a great gaming year!

Yeah but lets see how far kinect goes with its games. I am not sold on the no controller method just yet, as far as the one up, I would hope someone could do it 5 years later.. I mean C'mon.

The move it just seems dead, I dont hear anything about it at all, so Microsoft made the right choice, a similar idea but different enough to say hey try me out once, and people bought it..

Its going to be very interesting for sure.

[david12795]

better hard drive, better wifi, HD.

[dothog]

I'd like to see more display LEDs of different colors. Why's it always gotta be just a few LEDs of the same color? It's something Nintendo's been afraid to address in previous generations, but anymore, it's like, C'mon, N, get serious. Stop building supposedly next gen consoles with last gen LEDs.

[KingBroly]

Going by what we're seeing in the 3DS, the following are all but assured:

- In-Game Operating System
- Integrated Friends List
- One Friend Code per System
- Messaging System
- In-Game Browser Capabilities

It will have to have HD support as well, perhaps 3D support, but I'm not sure.

[dothog]

Going by what we're seeing in the 3DS, the following are all but assured:

- In-Game Operating System
- Integrated Friends List
- One Friend Code per System
- Messaging System
- In-Game Browser Capabilities

It will have to have HD support as well, perhaps 3D support, but I'm not sure.

That's a good list, though it's missing improved LEDs.

[KingBroly]

That's if it has the Wii Remote as the standard controller or not. My guess is that it doesn't.

[spmahn]

If Nintendo can't get their head out of their ass next generation, they will go the way of Sega. End the motion control nonsense, or at least in it's current form. It was a neat concept at first, but there was a limit to its growth, and we've been seeing diminishing returns from it for a while now.

Establish more good will amongst third party developers, and limit or eliminate the endless amount of shovelware that dilutes the value of your name in the marketplace. I really wish we could go back to the NES days when Nintendo would limit third parties to five games per year, and they had to make sure those five games were really good. Sure, there was a lot of crap, but the motivation was there to make better games.

Ultimately however, I think it's inevitable that Nintendo will either become a third party developer at some point, or perhaps leave the home console market all together. They have spent this generation pretty much establishing the fact that they are not in the some market as Sony and Microsoft. They aren't interested in the hardcore gamer, they still think they can squeeze more money out of the casual crowd, who is quickly abandoning them. Once the casual market dries up and moves on to mobile gaming (which is already happening), Nintendo is going to be left with nothing.

[TheLongshot]

If Nintendo can't get their head out of their ass next generation, they will go the way of Sega. End the motion control nonsense, or at least in it's current form. It was a neat concept at first, but there was a limit to its growth, and we've been seeing diminishing returns from it for a while now.

I don't see it as a limiting factor at all. I think the fact that the console isn't HD is more of a limiting factor. It makes it harder to convince 3rd party developers to develop for all three consoles, when likely most are going to choose the one that gives the best graphical experience.

If anything, motion control did get some unique content for the Wii (The Wii version of PoP: Forgotten Sands, No More Heroes, Epic Mickey)

Establish more good will amongst third party developers, and limit or eliminate the endless amount of shovelware that dilutes the value of your name in the marketplace. I really wish we could go back to the NES days when Nintendo would limit third parties to five games per year, and they had to make sure those five games were really good. Sure, there was a lot of crap, but the motivation was there to make better games.

I agree to a certain extent, tho given the position the Wii is being marketed to, it is hard to push that too much, since you need titles to sell.

Ultimately however, I think it's inevitable that Nintendo will either become a third party developer at some point, or perhaps leave the home console market all together. They have spent this generation pretty much establishing the fact that they are not in the some market as Sony and Microsoft. They aren't interested in the hardcore gamer, they still think they can squeeze more money out of the casual crowd, who is quickly abandoning them. Once the casual market dries up and moves on to mobile gaming (which is already happening), Nintendo is going to be left with nothing.

Nintendo's strength has always been with their first party titles, which are almost universally strong. I don't see that flagging anytime soon. Even if the casual market fades, they can still hang their hat on the fact that they still make great games, not to mention probably the most family-friendly games on the market. While Sony and Microsoft are trying to make some inroads into that, I don't see that being as fully entrenched in their being as Nintendo's offerings.

[kodave]

Nintendo is swimming in so much money from the DS and the Wii, and they'll soon be swimming in even more money from the 3DS and whatever follows the Wii (at least initially).

Nintendo is in no danger of becoming a "Sega" any time soon. If anyone deserves fear mongering, its Sony since they blew their money vault of gold coins as a result of the PS2 on the PS3 and now they don't have much to show for it. If Sony wasn't bankrolling the PlayStation, they might be very well working toward going out of existence.

[Altanis]

better hard drive, better wifi, HD.
Why?

They don't need a hard drive. It's another expense, and Nintendo has shown that they are based around value- the console is the cheapest out there and yet still packs an amazing punch. Plus, a hard drive is just going to fail.

The WiFi on both the Wiis I've had works just fine. Maybe they can upgrade it but there's really no reason.

HD graphics don't matter now. Most gamers care more about having a good game than pretty graphics.

[kodave]

HD graphics don't matter now. Most gamers care more about having a good game than pretty graphics.

I think developers find it sort of a pain in the ass if they want to develop across the three major consoles. I actually think a saving grace for the Wii is the fact the PS2 is still alive and kicking. That way it makes sense to stick one development team on the PS3/360 version and another on the PS2/Wii version. And if the developer doesn't want to invest in the lower end consoles, then we just miss out on the Wii.

To be honest I wish the Wii's successor would be graphically on par with the next generation or at least somewhere between this generation's HD consoles and whatever the next gen will have. That way I can get 3rd party games that everyone else is getting, AND first party Nintendo titles. And that would be excellent. But I doubt it'll happen.

[Altanis]

Most developers that are developing for all three consoles (or for the PS2 or DS as well), normally either aren't developing that great a game in the first place (see: just about every movie-turned-video game) or the Wii/DS/PS2 versions get shit out and are abominations (see: Need for Speed HP).

I'm not sure if that's because of the graphics. I don't think it is, I think it's more developers aren't willing to support all the major consoles.

I get what everyone says, I really do. Hell, I would love HD graphics in the next Nintendo console. It's caution that I have though because I have this feeling that HD graphics on the next console will either become the basis of game development (result: pretty but terrible games), whereas I'd much rather just play a really good game (result: good game, not HD).

[kodave]

I'm not sure if that's because of the graphics. I don't think it is, I think it's more developers aren't willing to support all the major consoles.

Whats the basis for that though really? If Wii had HD graphic capabilities, I'm sure plenty of developers would just toss it onto the Wii too because it would take relatively little effort - they could just mandate classic controller use if they were too lazy to implement motion control - but even then if they're making Move compatible games, its got to be easy enough to translate that to Wii. Friend codes are annoying but can be worked around. It wouldn't be all that much more work, I'd think, whereas from what I've read, its a whole different ball game when you're trying to go from high end graphics to lower specs or vice versa. I wish I could recall the developer interviewer I read that statement in but I have no idea which one it was at this time.

I think the 3DS is an interesting situation because it will show just how much more the market is willing to pay for a portable console. Obviously most of that price is because of the 3D aspect. But I'd think that if people are willing to pay $199 for Wii now, the huge audience Nintendo has attracted through the Wii might be willing to shell out $300 or $350 for an HD Wii successor.

What actually makes me nervous for developer support is the media format Nintendo is going to go with for the next generation. They didn't bother to allow the Wii's to play DVDs unhacked. I think the Wii game discs are some kind of proprietary discs, although they don't seem too dissimilar from DVDs. Go back a generation and they annoyed developers with the proprietary mini-discs for GameCube, requiring some games to be compressed or split onto two discs. Go back a generation further and they annoyed developers with carts in a CD based world.

I don't see any other option buy Blu Ray for the next round of home consoles (because digital download hasn't caught on). PS4 will obviously play Blu Ray. I'm sure the 360 successor will too as it competes for media cabinet space. But will Nintendo step up to that level? Or will they make their own proprietary disc that's not Blu Ray that has less storage capacity, and prevent people from playing Blu Rays on Wii's successor too? How much will a modest-but-still-not-blu-ray-proprietary-disc piss off 3rd party developers?

[TheLongshot]

I actually think a saving grace for the Wii is the fact the PS2 is still alive and kicking.

Not as of maybe 6 months to a year ago. That's when most publishing houses stopped development for the PS2. Also, Gamestop has pretty much killed their PS2 section, reducing it to the size of the Gamecube section.

I'm not sure if that's because of the graphics. I don't think it is, I think it's more developers aren't willing to support all the major consoles.

Well, it is hard to support all the consoles when they don't all support the same resolution. Combine that with the view that Nintendo isn't for the hardcore gamer (validated by the failure of the hard core gamer to buy games aimed at them), it doesn't convince them that they should put in the effort.

I get what everyone says, I really do. Hell, I would love HD graphics in the next Nintendo console. It's caution that I have though because I have this feeling that HD graphics on the next console will either become the basis of game development (result: pretty but terrible games), whereas I'd much rather just play a really good game (result: good game, not HD).

Well, first off pretty != HD. The Wii has some very pretty games (Muramasa comes to mind). Second, if they don't do something to narrow the gap hardware-wise, they are going to fall further behind, which means even more of a lack of good games. Nintendo could get away with the lack of HD in this generation, since they had something else to sell people on it.

In this day and age when many have HD sets, I doubt that they'd get away with another minor hardware refresh. The good thing is, it should be cheaper to develop an HD console now rather than when Sony and Microsoft developed theirs.

[Altanis]

I didn't say there weren't pretty Wii games. Muramasa is a great game, and it's got great graphics. As do the SMG games, and a number of others.

I said I agree that HD is pretty much a necessity. I just don't want HD in the next console if it's going to result in a bunch of shitty games that look "pretty" when I'd rather have a good game that isn't HD. Everyone's throwing out HD as the standard, that's what I'm going by. The Wii proved that 480p was quite capable of a bunch of good games that are also graphically pleasing.

I dunno. Every generation there's a "non-hardcore" system. Nintendo showed with the Wii that "non-hardcore" could still be amazingly profitable.

[dothog]

As to the fear of Nintendo following Sega into the great corporate beyond, a fear we all share as this is an extremely sound and historically justified viewpoint...

Nintendo's already taken Mario platforming into Sega depths. Mario is now about as compelling a protagonist as Sonic was.

Reminder: Sonic was a blue hedgehog with a funky, fresh 90s 'tude (think Poochie, but not Poochie). I'm aware people celebrate hair metal, too.

[Iron Clad Burrito]

As to the fear of Nintendo following Sega into the great corporate beyond, a fear we all share as this is an extremely sound and historically justified viewpoint...

Nintendo's already taken Mario platforming into Sega depths. Mario is now about as compelling a protagonist as Sonic was.

Reminder: Sonic was a blue hedgehog with a funky, fresh 90s 'tude (think Poochie, but not Poochie). I'm aware people celebrate hair metal, too.

This completely ignores the fact that Nintendo is, and always has been profitable. I think they've posted up two quarters, maybe 3, over the last 2 generations of consoles (9 years overall) where there was a loss, and those are due to the flagging US economy and the bad exchange rate with the yen right now.

So no, it's historically unjustified... it's more of a fanboy dream of getting to play Mario without actually having to be seen with Nintendo hardware. Because they're "kiddy" and all, you see.

[dothog]

Nintendo is, and always has been profitable.
They've been hemorrhaging cash ever since the Virtual Boy and Phillips fiascoes. Get your facts straight.

[crunchewy]

The next gen Nintendo console will obviously have HD graphics. There's absolutely no way that the next Nintendo console will be SD/ED-only. I won't be surprised if they don't support 1080p, but 720p is a given.

[dothog]

Oh Noes! Someone tell the stockholders!

(Subtext: Not only are you wrong, but you sound like a fool making this statement.)

Wait, posts come with subtexts?

[SuperPhillip]

They've been hemorrhaging cash ever since the Virtual Boy and Phillips fiascoes. Get your facts straight.

This is wrong.

[dothog]

This is wrong.

More like SuperPhullofbaloney.

There are lots of assertions here but no fact. None of this matters, anyhow, as Nintendo will eventually be bought out by MS or Apple before it's too late.

[kodave]

More like SuperPhullofbaloney.

There are lots of assertions here but no fact. None of this matters, anyhow, as Nintendo will eventually be bought out by MS or Apple before it's too late.

Provide some facts to back up your assertion that they are hemorrhaging money since the Virtual Boy then.

Because the monthly sale charts have often indicated Nintendo is raking in money hand over fist with the Wii and the DS in terms of units sold. Just look at this chart: http://www.vgchartz.com/hardware_totals.php

There have been no indication that Nintendo has been blowing all of that profit on hookers and booze, so if they've been losing money since the mid 90s with Virtual Boy, where is it all going?

The FACT is Nintendo isn't hemorrhaging money and like another poster said, have very rarely posted a loss, and their most recent one was due to a one time hit because of the yen exchange rate.

At this point though, we're all just feeding the troll by responding to you.

[TimPV3]

I thought it was VERY obvious he was being sarcastic, maybe you guys don't have sarcasm on the Wii board?

[sciafb]

Why?

They don't need a hard drive. It's another expense, and Nintendo has shown that they are based around value- the console is the cheapest out there and yet still packs an amazing punch. Plus, a hard drive is just going to fail.

The WiFi on both the Wiis I've had works just fine. Maybe they can upgrade it but there's really no reason.

HD graphics don't matter now. Most gamers care more about having a good game than pretty graphics.

The way they handed "storage space" on the Wii, supports having some kinda harddrive or swappable storage media. I personally think Nintendo would go with a cost-effective solid-state harddrive if they went the harddrive route. That or they are going to support usb drives and maybe that will be the standard way to save your stuff around (That would be nice actually -forward thinking). But there most likely will always be a core storage included on-board the console, how much is the question.

[Hakudoshi]

Personally I am happy with the Wii as it is. I like the idea of the Wiimote and Nunchuk being separate unlike regular controllers, which require you to keep your hands close together. What other game console can you play with your arms crossed over the back of your couch or chair. ^_^

On another note, related to the what Nintendo should do next... That's hard to say to be honest. I would be happy with a very similar console with similar control schemes but just more refined and such. High definition output would be nice, but it's not graphics that make a game, its all about game play to me. While a lot of people were passing the Wii entirely because it wasn't HD, I was enjoying some awesome games. Though I have to admit a lot of the 1st party games are the only good ones, yet some 3rd party games are good too. I think for the next console they should try for better 3rd party developer support so we can see some more games. Possibly better use of the controllers as well, only few games make good use of the controllers sadly enough.

[Iron Clad Burrito]

Oh Noes! Someone tell the stockholders!

(Subtext: Not only are you wrong, but you sound like a fool making this statement.)

Actually I think (hope) he was being sarcastic. :lol:

[Dr Mario Kart]

Hasnt been updated for a while, but its a classic:

Sony Nintendo Microsoft Total
Y/E 1998 $902,811,090 $1,023,333,867 $1,926,144,957
Y/E 1999 $1,102,563,557 $1,301,350,000 $2,403,913,557
Y/E 2000 $722,738,949 $1,368,207,547 $2,090,946,497
Y/E 2001 -$449,776,290 $677,576,000 $227,799,710
Y/E 2002 $629,101,056 $895,872,180 -$1,135,000,000 $389,973,237
Y/E 2003 $935,569,253 $834,333,333 -$1,191,000,000 $578,902,586
Y/E 2004 $627,195,212 $993,161,303 -$1,337,000,000 $283,356,515
Y/E 2005 $419,888,799 $1,056,056,202 -$539,000,000 $936,945,001
Y/E 2006 $69,129,058 $774,478,055 -$1,339,000,000 -$495,392,887
Y/E 2007 -$1,970,923,859 $1,914,666,388 -$1,969,000,000 -$2,025,257,471
Y/E 2008 -$1,079,994,103 $4,322,637,887 $426,000,000 $3,668,643,783
Y/E 2009 -$664,313,787 $5,691,428,301 $169,000,000 $5,196,114,515

Y/E 10Q1 -$413,541,667 $420,843,750 $312,000,000 $319,302,083
Y/E 10Q2 -$653,333,333 $710,655,556 $375,000,000 $432,011,111
Y/E 10Q3 $210,629,750 $2,087,904,452 N/A N/A

Total
$387,078,407 $24,072,504,822 -$6,157,000,000 $16,004,049,028

DOOOOOOM

[SuperPhillip]

I thought it was VERY obvious he was being sarcastic, maybe you guys don't have sarcasm on the Wii board?

Sorry. Don't know him. Don't care to know him, don't know his sarcasm.
I do know of people who go to the Wii board just to one star topics. That's the type of people we have on the Wii board.

[KingBroly]

I honestly think the Vitality Sensor is going to be the controller for Nintendo's next system. That, or a Wiimote with 4 buttons and a bigger D-pad.

[aptanor]

I'd really like to see a normal controller being the standard and motion controls being an option next time around. Would incite a lot of third parties to work on it without the constraint of the controller, or worse forcing the game into the motion controls when it really doesn't fit like we've seen so much of.

I also don't see the reasoning behind saying no to a hard drive. Between game saves and the virtual console I'm out of space on my Wii and it's quite frankly irritating to have to uninstall something just to save a game.

[Altanis]

You do know you can use SD cards right? You don't have to delete anything at all....

[200STM]

I would like to have this in a N6 (my nickname for the next Nintendo console since its their 6th one clever, no?).

Memory card slots to support any memory format other than SD
While we are at it lets put a gameboy player built into the console thats right this baby should be able to play old gameboy games.

A hard drive would be good but it is also a good idea to have it support a usb external hard drive

Make use of headsets and microphones remember Nintendo you gave only one reason to buy wii speak just for animal crossing.

I would like to see a dvd player and I know its best to be a video game console but come on it should have one by now.

Thats what I would like to add for now.

[seanr1221]

Here's what I'd like to see/think will happen.

- Announced at E3
- A little more powerful than 360/PS3
- Backwards compatible with all wii games.
- Games still work with wii mote and nunchuck
- but they also produce a controller thats a bit slicker than the current ones (obviously WM+ will be built in)
- Classic Controller Pro, or variant, included
- Ports of 360/PS3 classics announced...think Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, which will all use the CC Pro.
- Built in HDD
- 720p but no 1080p
- no DVD playback
- 299.99 with free game (Wii Sports 2).
- Upscaling for Wii games (like Dolphin emulator)
- The double Zelda release...again.

[cochesecochese]

I honestly think the Vitality Sensor is going to be the controller for Nintendo's next system.

I do think that as well but it will almost certainly be built into the controller. I imagine something along the lines of sensor pads built into the controller as opposed to the finger clamp.

[kodave]

I do think that as well but it will almost certainly be built into the controller. I imagine something along the lines of sensor pads built into the controller as opposed to the finger clamp.

That makes sense. Sort of like the heart rate monitors on gym equipment like ellipticals.

That actually makes a lot of sense, for two reasons:
1) The current fitness/dance craze will probably continue (because it doesn't require plastic instruments), and if those games are going to require you to hold the Wii remote, then you can incorporate the HR monitor in the remote so you don't have to strap on something else.

2) It makes it easy to get inventive and incorporate it into non-fitness games like horror games without requiring some peripheral that clamps on your finger.

[utopianmachine]

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/03/10/analyst-expects-new-nintendo-console-announcement-at-e3.aspx

Analysts predict next Nintendo console reveal at E3.

I'd be surprised but delighted if this was the case. I don't care about backwards compatibility, but I'm sure it would be. I just want a proper system with a proper controller and a decent online interface. It's so not too much to ask.

[ROB64]

I doubt the Wii remote/nunchuck will be changed with the next console. They've gotten mostly positive reviews of it, and sales are pretty high (and we all know Nintendo refuses to look at anything but sales.)

[shieldwolf]

Nintendo mantra has always been fun over tech in their consoles. I for one am a big fan of the wii. It's original design and gameplay were refreshing. Nintendo relys on their classics to sell their systems. Typically there will be 1-10 new games that really capture the systems abillites (besides the remade franchise games) . That's why I buy Nintendo and another system if I can afford it.

What I'm not a fan of is the bandwagon from other consoles, especially ps3. So see that the wii is doing well and decide to copy it... fine then do it but do it better or at least as well. Don't put out a device with very limited support and games that are graphically superior but are poorly made or just cheap novelty products (I'm looking at you xbox)

If you asked me about 2 years ago I would have said something like the kinect, but now no clue. they'll build off what they've learned and whatever it is will either be amazing or will be passable till the next console gen.

[Sir_Fragalot]

I'd be surprised but delighted if this was the case. I don't care about backwards compatibility, but I'm sure it would be. I just want a proper system with a proper controller and a decent online interface. It's so not too much to ask.

I agree. I mean having a playstation 3 kinda spoiled me with online services. It's fast, quick and I don't have to worry about friend codes per game. Also I would like to see proper third party games, not 10,000 shovelware titles to one good game. Another interesting idea would to have an achievement like system in their games. I don't play games for achievements, but if a game has achievements, I like to try and get as many as I can within a normal playthrough because they usually offer fun new challenges I might have not thought of trying before.

[crunchewy]

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/03/10/analyst-expects-new-nintendo-console-announcement-at-e3.aspx

Analysts predict next Nintendo console reveal at E3.

I'd be surprised but delighted if this was the case. I don't care about backwards compatibility, but I'm sure it would be. I just want a proper system with a proper controller and a decent online interface. It's so not too much to ask.

The Wii is still selling quite well, better then the PS3 I believe I just read, but not as good as the 360. That isn't an indication that they are currently hurting. Of course Microsoft's huge success with Kinect has to have them shaking in their boots a bit. But so far Microsoft hasn't exactly come through with games for it. That's just a matter of time, though, especially given the sales success.

I certainly hope they announce it at E3. I love Nintendo, but I really want an HD, good online, demos for all downloads from day 1, HDD or other large storage sporting, followup ASAP. I hope they change their minds about a global achievements system too.

[moothemagiccow]

I agree. I mean having a playstation 3 kinda spoiled me with online services. It's fast, quick and I don't have to worry about friend codes per game. Also I would like to see proper third party games, not 10,000 shovelware titles to one good game. Another interesting idea would to have an achievement like system in their games. I don't play games for achievements, but if a game has achievements, I like to try and get as many as I can within a normal playthrough because they usually offer fun new challenges I might have not thought of trying before.

I dont know why people always complain about shovelware. Bad games are a necessity when a system is successful. The Wii is the best-selling console, so it has the biggest audience, so everyone's going to want to sell a game for it. Games are much bigger now than they ever were, so a lot of people see them as a great investment and more games are developed.

Nintendo doesn't control who gets to make a game or how good or bad the game is - what good does it do for them? Locking down publishing to a select few publishers only benefits whiners on the internet. No one brings up the same argument about, say, movies or the Apple App Store. You think the signal to noise ratio is particularly high there?

[Sir_Fragalot]

I dont know why people always complain about shovelware. Bad games are a necessity when a system is successful. The Wii is the best-selling console, so it has the biggest audience, so everyone's going to want to sell a game for it. Games are much bigger now than they ever were, so a lot of people see them as a great investment and more games are developed.

Nintendo doesn't control who gets to make a game or how good or bad the game is - what good does it do for them? Locking down publishing to a select few publishers only benefits whiners on the internet. No one brings up the same argument about, say, movies or the Apple App Store. You think the signal to noise ratio is particularly high there?

I am not complaining about that there is shovelware. I am complaining that there is really few good third party titles compared to first party titles. I mean every console has shovelware I don't mind that, but it becomes a problem to me when there is a lack of good releases and only shovelware is coming out. I mean with the PS3, or 360 there is a stream of good games coming out almost constantly and the Wii it could take a month or two to get a decent game on the system sometimes and I tend to notice all the crap that is coming out when in reality something good could be coming out.

[crunchewy]

I think it's safe to say that Nintendo recognizes the 3rd party problem with the Wii. See the launch of the 3DS, where there's really no top-tier 1st party game at all. The closest thing is Nintendogs + Cats. They are trying to get 3rd parties to step up to the plate, by not brushing them under the rug by having a bunch of big 1st party titles at launch. I'm pretty sure they are going to use the same approach with the Wii's successor.

Having said that, it's not really a problem for me. I don't play games with nearly enough speed for it to ever to be an issue. There's still many 1st party Wii games I haven't played, and more I have played, but I've never finished.

[SuperPhillip]

I am not complaining about that there is shovelware. I am complaining that there is really few good third party titles compared to first party titles. I mean every console has shovelware I don't mind that, but it becomes a problem to me when there is a lack of good releases and only shovelware is coming out. I mean with the PS3, or 360 there is a stream of good games coming out almost constantly and the Wii it could take a month or two to get a decent game on the system sometimes and I tend to notice all the crap that is coming out when in reality something good could be coming out.

That's because all the third parties decided early on stupidly this gen that the Wii wasn't worth developing for. Then the Wii sold well, and they tried to throw crap to consumers who weren't biting.

[Corvin]

Personally I am happy with the Wii as it is. I like the idea of the Wiimote and Nunchuk being separate unlike regular controllers,

I really love this, especially with a wireless nunchuck. Unfortunately it loses points for only having a single button. Give us the 4 standard face buttons and you have a winner.

Don't put out a device with very limited support and games that are graphically superior but are poorly made or just cheap novelty products (I'm looking at you xbox)

I think Kinect Sports is more fun than Wii Sports. K. Adventures is pretty fun too.

[crunchewy]

What I'm not a fan of is the bandwagon from other consoles, especially ps3. So see that the wii is doing well and decide to copy it... fine then do it but do it better or at least as well. Don't put out a device with very limited support and games that are graphically superior but are poorly made or just cheap novelty products (I'm looking at you xbox)

I really don't get this jab at the Xbox. I presume you're bashing Kinect? Kinect is pretty darn amazing and if Nintendo doesn't do something soon they're going to lose a significant part of their audience because of it. The fitness games are superior, Kinect Sports is great and it has online play, and the online play in that is fun even for me (I can't compete in most online games, not even Bomberman or Snoopy Flying Ace), etc. Kinect is that improvement on motion control. It's not really even motion control - it's body tracking. It's precisely what you were calling for. Microsoft didn't do what Nintendo did, they did something new and different, and it works pretty darn well. AND it's in HD, something that most people can take advantage of now. They're even going to be improving Kinect this Spring with a substantial update that will add the ability track facial expressions and such. The Wii can't do updates like that at all, incidentally.