During a Forbes piece that takes a look at the future of gaming, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed that Nintendo is already working on their next console. The likelihood that we could actually see or be told anything concrete about it is nonexistent, however. Nintendo's current console is both selling far too well and, we imagine, development of their newest console is in the earliest stages, considering the Wii hasn't been on store shelves for two years yet."We are always preparing for the next hardware," Iwata said. "We are under development. ... But the hardware is a kind of box that consumers reluctantly buy in order to play our games." Well, we wouldn't say reluctantly, because most people seem to be more than happy to pick up a Wii.
In terms of future specs, Iwata commented that every new piece of hardware "needs some revolutionary features." He also added that "This time around, it happened to be we had a revolutionary user interface. Will it be the same for the next generation? I really can't tell." Considering what the company did with the Wii, we're totally expecting bigger and better things from Nintendo.
President Iwata also went on to comment about how hard it is for them to innovate beyond what they've done this generation. "It's natural for the current customer to expect Nintendo is going to once again do something different. If the people are expecting so many different things from Nintendo, it's going to be difficult for us to go beyond that expectation again."
[Thanks, Joe!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-29-2008 @ 3:23PM
Mrblonde said...
"We are under development. ... But the hardware is a kind of box that consumers reluctantly buy in order to play our games." Iwata said it. We are their whores. Not that im afraid to admit it cause I know I am.
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7-29-2008 @ 3:29PM
bambino said...
I won't be buying it. Nintendo have a new primary audience now: The Casuals. If it weren't for Homebrew, I would be sitting here regretting my Wii purchase.
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7-29-2008 @ 3:42PM
Dylan F said...
Why can't hardcore games enjoy casual games? You havn't even tried Wii Music or Wii Sports Resort, so why assume it's just going to suck? I'm sure you've spent a few good hours playing Wii Sports, which is what most would consider a "casual" title. I'm planning on picking up Wii Sports Resort, because it looks fun and looks like somthing new. The Wii was clearly going to attract a whole new audience, because it is the first motion sensitive console. Anyone who thought only hardcore gamers were going to pick up the Wii must be on drugs. Just because it may attract more casual gamers doesn't mean on casual gamers will like it. I bet casual gamers have enjoyed Zelda. So I don't think anyone should assume that just because the target audience is casual, doesn't mean that hardcore fans can't enjoy it too.
7-29-2008 @ 3:56PM
Nathew said...
dude, it's probably at the very least four years down the road. make up your mind then.
7-29-2008 @ 3:58PM
Nathew said...
^this.
7-29-2008 @ 4:02PM
Nathew said...
er, ignore that last comment, i meant it as a reply to Dylan F. i wish you could reply to a reply in this comment system.
7-29-2008 @ 4:31PM
alex said...
that is precisely the reason i now want 2 consoles, one hardcore console for my precision Gran Tourismo, Sports Sims (Madden), and even GTA. I dont see these titles working well on the Wii. But the Wii is its own kind of fun i can even play with my parents so the Wii has a firm spot in my video game lineup despite its "Casual" label.
7-29-2008 @ 5:04PM
Waffala said...
You've got to have a little faith, nintendo may be grovling for the casual crowd, but think of all the extra money they're printing which has to be being shoveled back into their orginal profit machine: real games. Also, with nintendo finally done churning out a new game for each of its major ips (besides starfox :[ ), third parties will finally have a real chance at breaking through on the Wii (provided they're not simply turning out shovelware) just look at Capcom with Mega Man 9, and Konami with a talked about Castlevania.
7-29-2008 @ 7:59PM
Sonic_13 said...
Nintendo's not catering to their hardcore audience and only focusing on casual games?
If that were true, then why we did we get all these "hardcore" games within the first year and a half. Certainly none of them are "casual games"...
Battalion Wars II
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Mario Kart Wii
Mario Strikers Charged
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Paper Mario
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
And that's not including all the third party games.
7-29-2008 @ 3:33PM
KeegdnaB said...
No surprise....They started work on the Wii only a year or 2 after the Gamecube. I'm curious to see what they'll change.....they could focus more on the technical parts of the system and refine/perfect the motion interface to the point of actually being more intuitive instead of our favorite buzzword "waggle" (more than just the added 1:1 that we should get from MotionPlus)
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7-29-2008 @ 3:34PM
evilfoxhound said...
It had better be backwards compatable with Wii and GC games.
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7-29-2008 @ 4:47PM
Mr Khan said...
Unless they make the seriously bad mistake of using the GC architecture a third time, it won't be as easy, and we'll wind up with either Sony's early solution, with more expensive hardware due to the inclusion of the old chipsets with the new, or Sony's later solution, with cheaper hardware, but a small list of incompatible titles
7-29-2008 @ 10:53PM
manyquestions said...
I'm completely ignorant in this area so don't yell at me for saying something stupid, but why exactly would it be a mistake to reuse the GC architecture? I always thought devs actually liked the GC arch. And it would, as you say, make BC easier to include.
7-29-2008 @ 3:40PM
time said...
The reluctant user he's speaking of definitely applies to me. Even though it's obvious they've started work on the next console, official word of it still makes me happy.
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7-29-2008 @ 3:42PM
o0joshua0o said...
I think Iwata was right saying that the hardware is just something you buy in order to play games...keep the focus on the games, not the hardware.
Also, I think that this time around Nintendo should focus on improved hardware specs, better online, and more accurate motion control.
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7-29-2008 @ 4:06PM
FYIan said...
I think that in order to be worthwhile, the Wii 2.0 needs to have 1) The WiiMotionPlus technology built in, replacing the accelerometer 2) wireless wiimote connection to peripherals 3) A better pointer system, based off of Johnny Chung Lee's 4) Modern hardware (shaders instead of T&L, etc) and preferably HD output and 5) Storage
I would be happy if the Wii, power-wise, became the current 360 with points 1, 2, and 3 from above. Bonus points if they use Johnny Lee's head tracking or add a way to determine the location of the Wiimote in real time.
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7-29-2008 @ 4:13PM
paradox said...
All the Wii2 needs is the ability to play Xbox 720 and PS4 games, however downscaled the graphics (not the rest of the game) have to be. If third parties didn't have to split development into Wii games, and not Wii games, there would be far more quality titles on the system.
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7-29-2008 @ 4:15PM
Dopple Boppler said...
As long as I can redownload all my Virtual Console games on to the new system for free then I'm good.
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7-29-2008 @ 8:05PM
Sonic_13 said...
I'd like to know what they plan on doing about that. I would be surprised if they didn't let you do that.
7-29-2008 @ 4:18PM
Char6296 said...
I think they really ought to add an analogue stick to the new console's controller by default. The best innovation would be virtual reality which really WORKS. But I think they really ought to follow the other companies' examples; make something with the same audience as ages: mildcore (not quite casual, not quite hardcore)/hardcore gamers! (Not hardcore Wii Sports gamers.)
Leave the casuals, they only play Wii Sports.
An example: I live in a family of casuals (save my brother and I); my mum is the worst by far. (At least my sister and dad are willing to go on Mario Kart Wii and DS, and she's eager for NSMB.) Mum says she doesn't want "this Brawl game on" and wants "Wii Sports on, a round of bowling".
So yeah, a young mildcore gamer trapped with casuals. That's the scenario you get with the Wii.
And yes, this is a rant. Vote me down if you disagree.
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7-29-2008 @ 4:24PM
pjsingh said...
Does this mean they're not working on a handheld, just a console, or both?
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7-29-2008 @ 4:26PM
Maattp said...
Who says that the wii2 can't be as powerful or more powerful than the ps4 or 720? Settleing with as powerful as the 360 would be stupid because wii2 would again be the weakling in the pack. I think if wii2 were as powerful as 720/ps4 and had motion control it would be great.
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7-29-2008 @ 4:54PM
Spencer said...
depends on the timeframe that they see the release. Sony's going to try to push it's system's lifespan to 10 years, which as powerful as it is seems plausible. if nintendo puts wii2 out halfway through the PS3's lifecycle, it can safely be comparable in power and not be in any serious danger if it's got good backwards compatibility.
Nintendo doesn't need to push graphical power, though. By not including fringe technology in their devices they keep development costs down and the doors open to more people. Once the industry hit's it's much needed bubble bursting, nintendo's going to be much more survivable than PS3/360 who require millions of dollars invested upfront for games.
7-29-2008 @ 4:50PM
XDragon said...
I'm excited to see Nintendo's next handheld but I wont be interested in their next home console unless it can do a better job of appealiing to me then the Wii has. VC, Mario Party, House Of The Dead and Wii Sports are great but you need more then that. Don't go listing all the "great" games on the Wii; I've played them all and they don't fall under the purchase category for me. There isn't even a title announced that i'm anticipating; ya there's a few more VC games I'd like, but thats re-living my 16-bit RPG days and I don't REALLY need a Wii to do that.
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7-29-2008 @ 4:56PM
Critter3 said...
I would assume Wii 2.0 will be a powerful unit. I imagine the only reason the Wii is so "small" is because the time they needed to put in for the motion sensor. Now that the base is completed for that, I would be disappointed if Wii 2.0 wasn't as powerful as the 720 or PS4.
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7-29-2008 @ 4:57PM
Mr Khan said...
360 was a bit ahead of its time, when multicore processors were only just beginning to become standard on PCs, and when 512 MB of RAM was the standard entry for a medium-high level PC
If 360 had been based off of "standard" technology for 2005, it would have had 256 MB RAM total, and probably worked off a simpler dual-core processor. But in Microsoft's case, they wanted to catch consoles up to PCes (which the new Nvidia sets rendered impossible but a year afterwards)
Next generation won't see such a grand leap forward technologically, as multicore processors are now much cheaper, Blu-laser tech will be accessible, and RAM is now counted in the Gigs, not Megs
My guess is that you will see Sony and Microsoft jump to 2 GB RAM, but go lighter on the processor expansion. Meanwhile, Nintendo will probably go between either 512 or 1024 MB, it will have to be HD compatible (since ATSC will be standard in America by then, and probably elsewhere), with a rechargeable Wiimote, a better speaker, built-in motion-plus, Either HDD or high-capacity solid-state memory built in.
The Wii remote will probably be made more ergonomic, with better button placement, but not much else
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7-29-2008 @ 4:59PM
Ghoti said...
Hey, maybe they'll add the "revolutionary feature" of HD games with Dolby Digital (or better) sound too. Ooh, or maybe they could add a hard drive so people would be able to buy DLC and save it on their hard drive. Nah, they'll probably figure out a reason to leave it out in the next generation as well.
And before you flame me, I have all three current-gen systems. Because of the lesser video quality and sound though, the Wii doesn't get as much play as it might otherwise. That being said, I did really enjoy Zelda, Mario Galaxy, Super Paper Mario, and others I've played. I just wish they had bothered to put in HD and Dolby Digital at the very least.
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7-29-2008 @ 5:02PM
Nadine said...
Well, I hope Nintendo doesn't go the "graphics whores" route with their next console, because the only thing that can come from that is, "The who has the biggest dick/balls contest". (dick meaning graphics) I like this console cycle because it's so different from any other console cycle, IMO. I mean he weakest console with the craziest control setup is winning the battle. (for now) How many times can you out graphics someone? That's just boring to me. (it can't be about graphics all the time)
I know that alot of gamers hate the Wii, but I'm glad that the Wii exist. It's different. (yeah, yeah, call it a gimmick all you want, i don't care) If Nintendo goes HD then i won't be supporting them next time around. Unless, they do something REALLY crazy again. But i know they are going to go HD, because the graphics whores of this generation demand it. Everything has to be in HD nowadays for some odd reason. I personally don't care for HD graphics, but that's just me.
I guess I'll just live in the past all by myself.
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7-29-2008 @ 5:39PM
Hamster said...
Actually the weakest console winning isn't different at all. Historically the weakest console has usually "won the battle":
PS1 > N64
PS2 > GC, XBox
DS > PSP
Game Boy > Too many to mention
I personally hate this generation because of its craziness. Every console maker trying to go down its own little route, trying to differentiate themselves in increasingly unnecessary and contrived ways, meaning all of them have a very weak, limited and lop-sided software library. ie. 360 is the FPS console, Wii is the party-game console, etc. Unless you can afford all consoles, none of us are getting a proper balanced gaming diet and are all missing out on so much. I think it sucks.
7-29-2008 @ 6:38PM
Brucie B said...
Everything has to be in HD nowadays for some odd reason. I personally don't care for HD graphics, but that's just me.
LOL
*Upgrade that SD 4:3 TV*
8-02-2008 @ 11:52PM
zchry said...
To Hamster: I thought that the N64 was technically weaker than the PS1. I'm not an expert, though; I was way too young to care then.
7-29-2008 @ 6:22PM
SoshiKitai said...
Wow... other fanboy sites are more optimistic about their console-affiliation.
Wii Fanboy has a lack of "fan" in it.
I still like the Wii for what it is, and I don't see much problems with the hardware and devices itself. Yeah, storage is a problem, but I'm one of the few that actually has the patience for the long loading time for SD cards. (it's also called: do something else while waiting)
The games are the problem though. I have a good number of Wii games that are great, and I still have yet to buy ALL of the great games I wanna' get.
...but the ratio between good and bad Wii games... *sigh* All the "great" titles aren't coming out soon enough, mediocre titles aren't that great without having company over, and the bad Wii games are coming out so quickly in such large numbers, it's hard to find anything on the shelves worth looking at.
At least in the 360 department, I could pick up a random game and be at least 89% sure it's going to be "pretty" good.
At least in the PS3 department, there's so few games that I can easily spot what I'm looking for. XD
...the only problem I've got with the Wii, is its games.
...that ain't Nintendo's fault, that's third party developers not giving a care.
I still wuv my Wii, but I always have to wait a LOONNGGG time to at least get a decent game.
COME ON 3RD PARTIES, YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!!!
As for the upcoming "Wii 2.0". Can't say I'm excited 'til I know what GAMES are coming out for it. :P
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7-29-2008 @ 10:41PM
manyquestions said...
THANK YOU!
I've noticed this disturbing trend too that lately NWF has forgotten how to be a fansite. It's almost like these people WANT to be disappointed. Wake up, it's not THAT bad.
Optimists love longer! :)
7-29-2008 @ 10:42PM
manyquestions said...
Err. . . LIVE, optimists LIVE longer. Oops. :)
8-03-2008 @ 12:00AM
zchry said...
I agree wholeheartedly with the statement that mediocre games aren't that fun without company over.
For example, I hardly ever play Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. It's an excellent title when I have energetic friends over, don't get me wrong. It was the centerpiece of my track team's party. But alone, I get bored way too quickly. The title gets swept under the rug when I'm alone by games like Super Paper Mario and Twilight Princess because they're focused for one player.
Honestly, that is my only complaint about the Wii. I freaking love that thing. It's the best $250 I've ever spent. But there aren't enough titles made for one. Still, the console's young, and my library's not that large. This complaint could easily be fixed by third party developers. It's not something Nintendo can do all by themselves, but I don't think they've forgotten to try.
7-29-2008 @ 6:38PM
W.Breaker said...
Here's the deal. For all you hardcore gamers who grew up and loved nintendo all your life do not get your hopes worked up for the next system. I have been a huge nintendo fan all my life, and yeah the wii let me down for a few reasons (though it does have some good games) but nintendo is all about the casual, and theyre smart for being that way. They are making the money, and like any business, they wont stop what theyre doing until they stop bringin in the cash. In this case i guarentee you the next system will be exactly what we all dont want it to be, but deep down inside we all know it will. If you dont like casual games gotta learn to deal with it and do what i did and jump on 100% with microsoft or if youd like sony. (Unless someone like EA or Apple would come out with a system which i wouldnt be surprised with)
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7-29-2008 @ 7:09PM
OtakuReborn said...
I'm intrigued to see what Nintendo has in store for the next generation, though it's definitely way to early to make any calls, but I'm hoping it's going to be something so brilliant I can't even imagine right now.
I hope backwards compatibility, for one, does not go away. I enjoy playing older games on newer consoles. Solving the issue of retaining backwards compatibility might be an issue though. Because, as said above, it'll be tricky to tackle and is pretty much the same boat Sony was in for the PS3's launch.
As for the games, I think we can all expect Nintendo's flagship titles to return with a new Mario Platformer, another Zelda adventure, Metroid's return, some massive version of SSB, the 11th installment of Fire Emblem, along with whatever else Nintendo has made. But since this is at least 2 - 3 years down the line, speculation seems excessive at this point.
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7-29-2008 @ 8:04PM
Sonic_13 said...
Not surprising. It's what they do every generation. As soon as one is done, they start thinking of what to do for the next one.
In line with comments already stated by Iwata/Miyamoto and others, as well as just looking console history we can expect the next system to be "essentially the same, but refined".
NES --> SNES : refinement of 2D graphics
SNES --> N64 : jump to 3D graphics
N64 --> GCN : refinement of 3D graphics
GCN --> Wii : new motion controls
Wii --> ??? : refinement of graphics (HD) and motion controls
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7-29-2008 @ 8:26PM
Garst said...
Come November 19th, will Nintendo truely be able to say that the Wii has been "on" store shelves for two years?
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7-29-2008 @ 9:27PM
nintendo1889 said...
Hamster said: "Actually the weakest console winning isn't different at all. Historically the weakest console has usually 'won the battle':
PS1 > N64
PS2 > GC, XBox
DS > PSP
Game Boy > Too many to mention"
Finally, someone who agrees with me on this! Don't forget that with the whole SNES vs Genesis thing, the Genesis may have been more "powerful" (CPU-wise), but the SNES ultimately won.
So far, the Wii is slaughtering PS3 and Xbox 360 sales in less than two years after its initial release; and like what Hamster said, the weakest of the console in any given generation has, on average, beat the competition. Nintendo hasn't had a system this successful since the Super Nintendo.
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7-30-2008 @ 3:15AM
Soiden said...
-Make a powerful console, more than PS3 and X360, but not too far.
-Mind-control games [Today, this technology is starting to show up, in a few years it could be very accurate].
-Continue with motion-control games, but something better than Wii [Real 1:1].
-Blu-Ray discs?
-Wii backwards compatible [GC would be cool too, but it's not neccesary].
-Transferible VC and new WiiWare [With another name, of course].
-Up to 8 players connected to the same console, at the same time.
If I see/read this stuff in a few years, I'll be happy.
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7-30-2008 @ 11:37AM
Daimyo Nintendo said...
No doubt, which is why for the next console Nintendo should focus on having a decent size hard drive (especially in this day and age) as well as bringing the graphic capability up to par with the "new" Sony and Microsoft consoles or at least PS3 or 360 visuals. But again that would not matter if the game developers are lazy and make horrible looking games with terrible AI. Bottom line is as long as we have fresh unique games it should all be good. Its not like these issues have never been discussed before. We all know when it comes to new unique innovations Nintendo is always on top and ahead of other companies, however for mundane things like graphics and internal storage (which really aren’t unique but they are nice to have compliment those wonderful innovations) we all know Nintendo is ALWAYS behind a generation on that. So I say again that the Wii was pretty darn innovative, I love it, so I am not expecting much in the way of innovation from Nintendo's next console but I would like to see the internal storage issues dealt with and I would like to see superior graphics (because that could never hurt.)
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7-30-2008 @ 11:44AM
Daimyo Nintendo said...
Oh...and lets not forget high definition.
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7-30-2008 @ 2:19PM
Sam said...
Personally, I'm not too excited for a new console yet. I JUST got my Wii about 2 weeks ago, and although it won't be out for another 3 years or so (2011, right?), I don't really like to have to think about getting a new console while playing this one. I mean, the Wii graphics are already superb, I'm not too big on graphics as long as the games are good, which they seem to be.
As for what it is, I really doubt that Nintendo is going to come up with anything more revolutionary that motion sensing, at least for a while. My guess is that it'll probably be improved graphics and storage space. Maybe something slightly big, like a new controller or something, or advanced motion sensing, like with WiiMotion Plus, but the basic element of the Wii will probably apply, which is motion sensing.
So... yeah.
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