Iwata: Wii 2 is "under development", Nintendo

[canand]

Almost two years after Wii launched, and Nintendo's global president Satoru Iwata is already announcing that the company is working on the console's successor.

 

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In an interview with Forbes Magazine, Nintendo's worldwide CEO Satoru Iwata talked a bit about the successor to Wii, the company's most successful home console since the Super Nintendo. He stated that aesthetically, he thinks that it is rather unimpressive compared to Wii.

 

"We are always preparing for the next hardware," Iwata stated. "We are under development. …But the hardware is a kind of box that consumers reluctantly buy in order to play our games."

 

He also implied that creating a truly worthy successor to Wii will be "difficult".

 

"Every hardware needs some revolutionary features," Iwata said. "This time around, it happened to be we had a revolutionary user interface [Wii's motion controls]. Will it be the same for the next generation? I really can't tell."

 

"It's natural for the current customer to expect Nintendo is going to once again do something different," he added. "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."

 

Whatever it is, it will obviously be a while before we see or hear anything major about Wii 2 (just what kind of name will be more unique for a console than "Wii"?). Wii is only two years into its lifetime, it's still more rare than yeti sightings, and we've only seen three (Mario, Metroid and Zelda) of the company's many flagship series make their debuts on the console since. Epic Games president Mike Capps guessed that the eighth generation of gaming won't begin until "somewhere between 2012 and 2018".

 

Souce http://www.hyrule.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=7632

[Grazza]

I think Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus have given us a clue. They will arrive approximately 30 months after the Wii launched. Add another 30 months, and my prediction is Wii 2 will launch Christmas 2011 with Wii Sports 2.

[Guest Jordan]

No way, the Wii's life span is probably going to hit the 6 or 7 year mark. Most people wouldn't put up with the 5 year life span of the last few generations.

 

Still, the next XBOX (by normal calculations) should be out by 2010. Thats only 2 years from now.

[canand]

I think Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus have given us a clue. They will arrive approximately 30 months after the Wii launched. Add another 30 months, and my prediction is Wii 2 will launch Christmas 2011 with Wii Sports 2.

 

Yeah my or it might be 2012.

[Tellyn]

It's not going to be a revolution like the Wii, Iwata (or Miyamoto) previously said that the next console would be like a 'Super Wii', just enhancements on what they've already got. So MotionPlusPlus, an enhanced Nunchuk probably with more powerful gyroscopes, HD visuals, better online, more storage, etc. etc. The next revolution will be about 5 years after that.

 

No way, the Wii's life span is probably going to hit the 6 or 7 year mark. Most people wouldn't put up with the 5 year life span of the last few generations.

 

Still, the next XBOX (by normal calculations) should be out by 2010. Thats only 2 years from now.

 

But then again, the 360 sales have slowed to a crawl, the hardware is almost on a par with a chocolate teapot in terms of reliability, the PS3 will overtake it soon enough in sales and it's the only console missing out on motion sensitive gameplay. The only thing keeping it going is fantastic games, so it's not surprising they'll be releasing a 720 so soon.

[Cube]

This isn't really news at all. It's more like "stating the bloody obvious".

[canand]

Tellyn can you put this on the main site please?

[Cube]

But then again, the 360 sales have slowed to a crawl

 

 

I wouldn't really say that they've slowed down to a crawl.

[Tellyn]

That was an overexaggeration, but they're definitely declining.

[Retro_Link]

It's not going to be a revolution like the Wii, Iwata (or Miyamoto) previously said that the next console would be like a 'Super Wii', just enhancements on what they've already got. So MotionPlusPlus, an enhanced Nunchuk probably with more powerful gyroscopes, HD visuals, better online, more storage, etc. etc. The next revolution will be about 5 years after that.

Agreed!

 

Shigsy said during E3 that the Wii's successor would be 5+ years away, though I can see it coming out like Jordan said, when the Wii is 6 or so years old. I think it will be a year or two behind the next Xbox.

[canand]

I hope wii 2 has got HDD at the start.

 

 

Before we get started, let's get one thing straight: It's insanely early to start thinking about the next generation of videogame systems.

 

Developers are only just beginning to figure out what they can do with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. And you still can't even find a Wii on store shelves.

 

But the battle to lead the next generation is a never-ending one in the gaming industry. And while none of the major console manufacturers wants to talk specifics, developers in the know say Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ), Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ) and Nintendo (other-otc: NTDOY.PK - news - people ) are already hard at work putting together their next systems.

 

Game machines typically are on the shelves for five or six years before a console manufacturer rolls out the next one. With the expense and success of this crop of systems--which have been out two to three years--it could be closer to eight years before we see the PlayStation 4, Xbox 720 and Nintendo "Us"--or whatever they end up being called.

 

"One of the things I like about this generation is we are still very early and there's still a lot of room for growth … as we move down those price curves," says Brian Farrell, CEO of THQ (nasdaq: THQI - news - people ). "Those engines have a lot of steam left in them. We think it could be seven or eight years before new machines start to roll out."

 

Epic Games, maker of the hit "Gears of War" series, agrees. President Mike Capps recently said the company estimates new systems will not hit shelves until somewhere between 2012 and 2018.

 

Both hardware and software manufacturers are already gearing up. Work on Epic's "Unreal Engine 4," a graphics engine for next-gen games, has been under way for almost two years now under the guidance of founder Tim Sweeney. "It's not like there's anything to show today," notes Epic Vice President Mark Rein.

 

On the hardware side, the battle seems to be focusing on graphics. Nvidia (nasdaq: NVDA - news - people ), which powers the PlayStation 3 and fueled the original Xbox, is showing its plans for the next generation to the console makers in an attempt to woo them. Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ), meanwhile, is pushing its Larrabee graphics processing unit, which it believes will unseat Nvidia from its leadership position.

 

Nvidia has the advantage of a proven history, but developers are curious about Larrabee--and eager to see if it can live up to Intel's boasts. Meanwhile, Advanced Micro Devices (nyse: AMD - news - people ), which bought graphics company ATI, is actively talking up its next-gen products with all three console makers as well.

 

While every developer has its preferences, they ultimately tend to be hardware agnostic--and will support whoever wins out. The general hope, though, is that the consoles end up using a shared architecture.

 

"The worst case is, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all pick a different interface," says id Software's John Carmack. "That's because you have to program so differently for [the different architectures]. … If we end up with a diverse set of GPUs [graphics processing units], it would make life difficult."

 

Laying odds on who will win the GPU battle is a fool's errand right now. Both Nvidia and Intel are still in the early stages of development and haven't shown proof of concept models for the advanced chips.

 

"The truth is, we just don't know," Carmack says. "No one has done the comparative programming to determine if one of these is better than the other. … If nothing else, we'll have games that are better than they are now, but radical shifts? It's too early to tell."

 

All of this presupposes, of course, that at least one of the console makers will go for the "more power" option and not follow Nintendo's lead from this generation. It's a pretty safe bet. After all, the thought of a next generation without a graphically spectacular "Halo," "Gran Turismo" or "Grand Theft Auto" is pretty difficult to imagine.

 

And, as Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, points out, an advanced machine doesn't necessarily rule out a run at the mass market.

 

"As far as next generation is concerned, I think one of the distinct advantages that we have is we don't have to go in a specific direction," he says. "I don't think the fact that we have a high-end machine keeps us from doing bite-sized casual entertainment. I don't think we're relegated to PC shooters or youth-oriented casual games. We can span the gamut."

 

Nintendo, as you might expect, is approaching things a bit differently. President Satoru Iwata freely admits the company is already working on the Wii's successor (something Microsoft's Shane Kim refuses to concede). However, he adds that he doesn't view the hardware as particularly interesting.

 

"We are always preparing for the next hardware," Iwata says. "We are under development. … But the hardware is a kind of box that consumers reluctantly buy in order to play our games."

 

To that end, Nintendo will keep its development well under wraps until Wii sales dry up--in other words, not anytime soon--and developers run out of ways to utilize the system's interface (ditto).

 

Nintendo, though, is in an unusual position. With the company's huge success with the current-generation console, consumers are going to expect a lot from it whenever the successor to the Wii is unveiled.

 

"Every hardware needs some revolutionary features," Iwata says. "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.

 

"It's natural for the current customer to expect Nintendo is going to once again do something different," he continues. "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."

 

Fortunately for them, they've got plenty of time to figure it out

[triforcemario]

You obviously copied and pasted that. There's way too few grammatical errors in that text (besides at the very beginning, where you forgot to capitalize the "W" in "Wii".)

[Dante]

No way, the Wii's life span is probably going to hit the 6 or 7 year mark. Most people wouldn't put up with the 5 year life span of the last few generations.

 

Still, the next XBOX (by normal calculations) should be out by 2010. Thats only 2 years from now.

 

2010 that to soon.

I want this gen to last for six years.

[canand]

2010 that to soon.

I want this gen to last for six years.

 

I hope new ones comes out in 2011.

[Ike]

It's not suprising. Didn't they start the Wii development as soon as teh Gamecube launched?

[DCK]

Yes. Wii2 has been in development ever since the R&D team finished the Wii. It's the way it works. The DS2 has probably also been in development for four years now almost.

 

Iwata being so vague only means they're still in preliminary stages (as is to be expected), so this really isn't news.

 

Wii2 will be launched in 2012 earliest, unless there's some huge unexpected salesdrop. I think the Wii can hold its own in sales versus the Xbox 1080 and PS4 if they do release around 2010.

 

If the 1080 and PS4 aren't Wii clones (and I don't really think they will be complete copies) Nintendo can easily afford to be last this generation, and create an advantage with having newer hardware in order to either have a more powerful console or a smaller, quieter and cheaper console (probably the latter).

 

A Wii refinement seems more than logical. If they can integrate WiiMotionPlus, WiiSpeak (and maybe an advanced EyeToy), storage space and way better graphics in one package, I think everyone will be happy. The only problem Nintendo is going to face is that Sony and Microsoft will inevitably copy parts of the Wii concept, and Nintendo will have to innovate more to counter that.

[Grazza]

In all likelihood, the PS4 and Xbox 3 will have sophisticated 3D control. Nintendo, though, has created a very strong brand with "Wii", and might get support for Wii 2 in the same way as Super Nintendo and PS2.

 

From a games point of view, they don't honestly have that much left to do on Wii. The early years were Mario, Metroid and Animal Crossing. The only really big game they've yet to make for Wii is Zelda. Let's say Pikmin 3, Kid Icarus and Zelda Wii arrive in 2009 and 2010, I really don't see much left (Star Fox and Paper Mario 3 would be nice).

[Tellyn]

In all likelihood, the PS4 and Xbox 3 will have sophisticated 3D control. Nintendo, though, has created a very strong brand with "Wii", and might get support for Wii 2 in the same way as Super Nintendo and PS2.

 

From a games point of view, they don't honestly have that much left to do on Wii. The early years were Mario, Metroid and Animal Crossing. The only really big game they've yet to make for Wii is Zelda. Let's say Pikmin 3, Kid Icarus and Zelda Wii arrive in 2009 and 2010, I really don't see much left (Star Fox and Paper Mario 3 would be nice).

 

I love it how every seems to be under the impression that Nintendo aren't capable of new IPs. Granted we've yet to see them, but saying they have nothing left to do is preposterous.

[The-chosen-one]

now i want them to put virtual reality glasses with the new full 3d controllers man that would be just awesome! imagine a game like fatal frame with virtual reality glasses haha your gonna get freaked like crazy

[Foxfear]

I think the WII2 is going to come sooner than you think....Let's face it Wii's graphics aren't fantastic... even now people complain they are outdated, what will it be then in 3 or 4 years, the graphics will look archaic...

[Dazkarieh]

I think the WII2 is going to come sooner than you think....Let's face it Wii's graphics aren't fantastic... even now people complain they are outdated, what will it be then in 3 or 4 years, the graphics will look archaic...

 

And does it matter?

 

As long as you can't find any console on the shelves, you won't have a new system.

 

You can also argue that X360 and PS3 don't have a decent game pad, so they'll have to launch a new console early.

[Grazza]

I love it how every seems to be under the impression that Nintendo aren't capable of new IPs. Granted we've yet to see them, but saying they have nothing left to do is preposterous.

 

I'm not doubting them, I'm just saying 2009 and 2010 gives them plenty of time to release everything important they want to for the Wii.

[darkjak]

We can agree that it will take a good while for the Wii 2 to come out. I don't think Nintendo will want to start the next generation too early, and since the Wii wasn't that graphically advanced in the first place, there wouldn't realy be a point, since the Wii won't age the same way the other consoles will. Sony have a very expensive format, so if the PS4 would come out, making the PS3 obsolete, that would just cause an outrage. The first to come out with a new format is either Microsoft, or some other party (Sega, EA, Apple, who knows). The 360 is becoming more affordable, and the sales are quite good right now, so they won't make an announcement very soon either. But they will undoubtedly be first.

 

 

What I expect from the Wii2 is that the Sensor Bar will be removed (the camera in the Wiimote 2 registers what's happening on the screen instead, perhaps by the TV emitting a few dots of invisible light beyond what the player expects to see). I think that the new Solid State Harddrive technology will get cheaper, and that Nintendo will lead the way by going back to cartridges. The upside? No loadingtimes, no piracy and saves on the cartridge (like downloadable content, savefiles, replays, login for playing online and so on). Wii2 will have HD, since Miyamoto said so in an interview a fair while ago.

The Wiimote will have rechargable batteries.

 

That's all I can come up with.

[Emasher]

I'm thinking:

 

1080p (Since by then alot more people will have HDTVs)

Composite, Component, and HDMI right out of the box.

S-Video, DVI, VGA available but sold separately.

SCART available separately in Europe and D-Terminal in Japan.

Both Accelerometer and multi axis gyroscope built in to both new Wii Remote and Nun-chuck.

Nun-chuck will still be wired.

Wii Remote Will have rechargeable batteries.

Updated classic controller with rumble, wireless, and rechargeable batteries in the box.

80 Gig Plus HDD.

4 USB 2.0 (or maybe 3.0 by then) ports.

Built in Wireless "N" and Gigabit ethernet.

More powerful than the PS3 but not the 720 and PS4.

Game Cube, Gameboy, Gameboy Colour, Gameboy Advance, Maybe Saturn and Dreamcast Games added to Virtual Console.

Awesome Casual and Hardcore games at launch to get Wii owners to upgrade and to attract more people.

Better online system.

Proper Media Player.

Under $400.

[Blue_Ninja0]

What I expect from the Wii2 is that the Sensor Bar will be removed (the camera in the Wiimote 2 registers what's happening on the screen instead, perhaps by the TV emitting a few dots of invisible light beyond what the player expects to see). I think that the new Solid State Harddrive technology will get cheaper, and that Nintendo will lead the way by going back to cartridges. The upside? No loadingtimes, no piracy and saves on the cartridge (like downloadable content, savefiles, replays, login for playing online and so on). Wii2 will have HD, since Miyamoto said so in an interview a fair while ago.

The Wiimote will have rechargable batteries.

 

That's all I can come up with.

 

Agree with everything. It's quite probable solid state memory will be exponentially cheaper by the time. I have always been a supporter of cartridges, like the DS for the reasons you listed.

 

The only thing I think is not possible is the removal of the sensor bar. I don't think it's possible for a TV to emit light in non visible frequencies (as IR).

And yep, I remember Miyamoto saying Wii 2 will be HD, but that's kinda obvious. It will probably be the underdog in the horsepower category again, so that we don't have to pay 599€ for it.