Nintendo announces Wii 2 console

[TRF_Cymro]

Nintendo has announced it will launch a new version of its Wii console in 2012.

No technical details about the machine have been revealed, but gamers will get an early preview at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles in June.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13186597​

 

[Teh Mite]

Mmmmm. More casual rubbish which your mum will enjoy.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

You love it though :lol:

 

[Teh Mite]

Your mum perhaps. I hate the Wii.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Your mum perhaps. I hate the Wii.

Oh no ... you just did not go there ... :lol:

 

[Getofmeland]

I think Nintendo have to up their game with the next generation of the Wii, they have to contend with the graphics of Xbox and PS3, the online gameplay is going to be key as well. And with the Kinect taking things to a whole new level, it will be interesting to see what they have their sleeve. This could make or break Nintendo!

 

[Duckdee]

Might not strictly be a "Wii 2," can't wait to see what it is at E3!

http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/861761-nintendo-s-biggest-gamble-midweek-feature

 

[TVH11]

read somewhere that they claim the console has graphics more powerful than ps3/360. Probably just a bold claim by nintendo not to be labelled as the "kids console"

 

[dullonien]

From what I've read, it looks like it's going to be a big step up from the Wii, and will easily outperform both the 360 and PS3 in terms of graphical grunt. That's to be expected though, considering the age of Microsoft's and Sony's offerings. The next gen versions of those two will probably trounce the Wii2, although they don't look like appearing for a year or two after the Wii2. Looks like Nintendo is using the same business model as the Wii, get in early and build a following before the competition.

The controller is rumoured to have an intergrated touchscreen, which will both tie in to main games played on the tv, or act as individual virtual consoles independantly of each other. Looks to me as though they're gonna be targetting a share of the ultra casual smartphone market aswell, although the DS would make more sense in that regard. The screened controller is also rumoured to be paired with a standard dual analogue control system, so is Nintendo also targetting some of Sony's and Microsoft's more hardcore gamer market aswell. No word on how motion controlls wil be integrated, but I'd emagine a souped up Wiimote will be present.

Overall it looks interesting, but at the same time looks like they're just shoving everything they can think of into one package. What really worries me is the potential price of accessories such as extra controllers etc. Surely a controller with an integrated touchscreen is gonna set the consumer back a hefty sum! However Ninty could choose to take less profit to make them equivalent to current controller prices. Apparently Nintemdo can manufacture the Wiimote for $6 each, so they make a hell of a profit on them when the retail for over £20 (over £30 for a long lime if I remember right).

read somewhere that they claim the console has graphics more powerful than ps3/360. Probably just a bold claim by nintendo not to be labelled as the "kids console"

Not really a bold claim. It's rumoured to have a similar processor to the 360, a tripple core IMB chip, but clocked at higher frequencies. But the main part is the graphics processor, which is rumoured to be based on AMD's R700 architecture, that is a big, big step up from the ageing tech in both the 360 and PS3 (PS3 is based on a GeForce 7800 for reference). It's still a long way behind current PC performance, which is a further two generations along, but considering Ninty probably started working on this console 2+ years ago, that's understandable. With the improved optimisations present in consoles, and the reletively low resolutions of TV's, it should easily churn out some propper high-def gaming that is at least comparable to the PS3. We should also finally see some decent antialising, something the 360 and PS3 lacks, which will make things look much smoother in comparison.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Does sound very interesting, can't wait to see what they put out


However I do remember that some places were convinced that the Wii was going to be virtual reality when it was first announced, so who knows what'll actually come out

 

[Getofmeland]

The controller is rumoured to have an intergrated touchscreen, which will both tie in to main games played on the tv, or act as individual virtual consoles independantly of each other.

DreamCast!

 

[dullonien]

DreamCast!

Haha, yeh, my first thought aswell.

Just a little bit more info on the expected graphics. I mentioned above that it's likely to be based on AMD's R700 architecture. The equivalent PC graphics card I'd expect is something along the lines of the HD 4870. This is a card I've got in one of my systems, and used for about a year (brother bought me an Nvidia GTX470 for Christmas). This card can play most games at the highest settings on a 1920x1600 res monitor, so when we translate that to a TV with 1920x1080 res, then it should perform very well. AMD will also improve the tech for Nintendo, probably with a die shrink that will allow higher frequencies, lower power and less heat, so the performance should be very very good.

 

[Teh Mite]

Errr.... What does all that mean in English?

 

[dullonien]

Errr.... What does all that mean in English?

Basically. The PS3 is considered to have the best graphics of current consoles. It's based on graphics hardware that's roughly 5 generations old. The Wii2 will be based on hardware 2 generations old.

This should mean it will outperform the PS3 by quite a big margin, especially considering the R700 architecture rumoured to be in the Wii2 was a big breakthrough at the time.

Saying all that, we may not see amazing graphics out of the box, especially in cross platform games. At the moment, cross platform games are usually developed for the worst case scenario and then ported across with just minor improvements, so I'd expect graphics to be quite similar across the board for quite some time. PC gamers suffer from this, as despite having significantly faster hardware, most games are simply ported across from consoles with little improvement.

Sorry for the gibberish, I'm a big follower of PC tech.

 

[Teh Mite]

Ah, buy a Ferrari and be stuck behind a Caravan on a road where it's impossible to over-take.

Same as it's always been then.

 

[dullonien]

Ah, buy a Ferrari and be stuck behind a Caravan on a road where it's impossible to over-take.

Same as it's always been then.

Pretty much. But we should see some awesome looking Super Mario and Tennis games

 

[Teh Mite]

:lol:

 

[TrueSlawter]

If it does have the IBM tri-core and R700 architecture chip it will have some serious power but I still dont see em breaking off from casual gaming.. Either way as soon as the new Xbox and Playstation launch it'll again be bottom of the pile power wise (depending which way Sony and Microsoft go)

Also dull your a member of bit-tech too right? swear i've seen you post on there a few times.

 

[Teh Mite]

I'll bet the PS3 is the next one to be replaced afterwards, after all the recent fluff (and that Sony have already released the death-knell slim version of the PS4), I'll bet they're working their socks off to rush out some positive PR.

Then the neXtBOX (see what I did there!) will come out 2 years later and be an over-powered, over-priced behemoth. Just like the PS2 vs Xbox era.

 

[dullonien]

Also dull your a member of bit-tech too right? swear i've seen you post on there a few times.

Yeh. More of a lurker on those forums though. Always read all their articles and stuff, easily the best PC enthusiast site imo. Great community aswell.