Rumor: Devs already working on 'new Nintendo platform'

[marcel]

Devs already working on 'new Nintendo platform'

Developers are already working on a "new Nintendo platform" ahead of a possible reveal at this year's Game Developers Conference, an industry source has told VideoGamer.com.

 

Earlier this morning we were contacted by an employee at a major international publisher with the following information:

 

"Just heard a rumour that you may be interested in: Nintendo are going to announce a new platform at GDC. Some devs have already started work on it."

 

Our contact had no further information about whether the new platform was a handheld, home console or something else. The source also stated that he was sure of the platform's existence, but that the GDC launch was a less certain possibility.

 

Speculation about Nintendo's next platform has been rife from as early as 2008. However, in recent weeks top Nintendo executives have been quoted discussing the Japanese company's next move.

 

“If asked if making the Wii compatible with high definition - just making it compatible with high resolution - will get players throughout the world to buy it, I would of course say 'do you think it would sell with just that? It needs something new’,” Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told investors during a Q&A session translated by Andriasang.

 

“If there were no rival makers in the world, I could give examples of the things that we are considering," Iwata said.

 

"However, for competitive reasons, I cannot give specifics today on the what or when of the things we're considering.”

 

When contacted for comment, a Nintendo spokesperson told VideoGamer.com: "This is purely rumour and speculation."

 

thats some juisy rumor, could it be the WiiHD? i think that the ds2 will not be announced because in march the DSI XL will launch and it would bomb hard if the ds2 is to be unvailed.

 

And it would be stupid to have a handheld that is more powerfull or the same power as the wii now.

What do you think is it a WiiHD/Wii2 of a DS2?

Edited February 3, 2010 by marcel
Automerged Doublepost

[flameboy]

hmmm tough one to call...yes the DS has been out longer but theres nothing to suggest the sales are slowing down. Whereas the Wii has taken a dip in sales....

[Dante]

Where as the Wii has taken a dip in sales....

 

Really?

[marcel]

WiiHD seems the most obvious, sinse there missing allot of multiplatform games like bioshock, assassins creed en bayonetta.

[Dante]

Also from Iwata interview last week.

 

Iwata recently set the record straight on a number of topics. The first topic up was that interview in which Iwata supposed discussed plans for the DS successor that would involve motion-sensing and better graphics. Below, Iwata explained the full statement.

 

"The next DS will need to have high resolution graphics and include a motion sensor, wouldn't you say? Those are naturally considered requirements. However, do you believe it will sell with just this?"

 

Those last two sentences clarify what Iwata was talking about...and the newspaper report conveniently left them out. Apparently Iwata was just discussing one route Nintendo could take, and not specific details of the platform.

 

Second, Iwata addressed the topic of WiiHD, questioning if a product like that would sell.

 

"If asked if making the Wii compatible with high definition -- just making it compatible with high resolution -- will get players throughout the world to buy it, I would of course say, 'Do you think it would sell with just that? Let's put something new in it."

 

Iwata then moved onto discussion of future hardware. While Iwata did reconfirm that there is research/development going into the next portable/console platforms right now, he really can't go into detail with this topic.

 

"If there were no rival makers in the world, I'd could give examples of the things that we are considering. However, for competitive reasons, I cannot give specifics today on the what or when of the things we're considering."

[Ike]

GDC is in March isn't it?

[Dante]

GDC is in March isn't it?

 

Yes on the 9th of March.

[Emasher]

I think we can assume at this point that it will be at least, if not, more powerful than the 360, and will obviously render games in 720p as standard. There's really no chance at all of them just releasing a Wii that renders, or even worse, just simply upscales games to HD resolutions. Its just to far into the console's lifetime for that to make sense. If it was 2008 it might, but an all new console makes a lot more sense now, especially since there are obviously other things they're planning on improving (judging by what Iwata said).

 

I doubt GDC will be the public reveal though, perhaps to developers behind closed doors, or just teased, but new consoles are really something I would only expect at E3, or perhaps Gamescom (although, Nintendo doesn't attend that one).

 

Timeline Prediction:

 

GDC 2010: Developer Reveal and Public tease.

E3 2010: Public reveal, limited information.

Fall 2010: Blowout of Information.

GDC 2011: Developers given more information behind closed doors. Public is teased again about E3.

E3 2011: Full public reveal, including launch window line up, and tons of gameplay demos.

August 2011: More public information on specifics.

Fall 2011: Final Wave of new information.

November 2011: North American and Japanese Release.

December 2011: European and Australian Release.

[Wesley]

Timeline Prediction:

 

GDC 2010: Developer Reveal and Public tease.

E3 2010: Public reveal, limited information.

Fall 2010: Blowout of Information.

GDC 2011: Developers given more information behind closed doors. Public is teased again about E3.

E3 2011: Full public reveal, including launch window line up, and tons of gameplay demos.

August 2011: More public information on specifics.

Fall 2011: Final Wave of new information.

November 2011: North American and Japanese Release.

December 2011: European and Australian Release.

 

I don't think that the market that Nintendo has created for itself allows them to publicly reveal a console at E3 2010 and release it at the end of 2011.

 

It would just kill Wii sales during 2010/2011, which are still actually really good...

 

I think a much more Apple approach of, "Here it is, it'll be out in 3 months" - 6 at most.

 

I dunno if this reveal at GDC is even true...

 

If there is any truth to it I would say it's just a developer reveal, so they can get started on games.

[Emasher]

Perhaps.

 

Scratch all the 2010 stuff I said.

[LostOverThere]

Personally speaking, I highly doubt we'll see a new console revealed at GDC at all.

[Dante]

Is having HD graphics that good that Square-Enix cant make towns in FF13 and cant remake FF7 with it?

[Ashley]

No. Last I heard they don't want to make/remake FFVII.

[Cube]

Aren't devs always working on the next console?

[killer kirby]

Is having HD graphics that good that Square-Enix cant make towns in FF13 and cant remake FF7 with it?

 

No, Other companies have talent, they can make a decent story and a fleshed out world, they can't, instead they would rather waste years and money on cutscenes rather then gameplay.

 

Oh and about Nintendo's new system....It's going to be anything, it's going to be a handheld, after Pokemon, Zelda, New Mario Bros, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart and Dragon Quest IX making everyone have a DS, I think it won't be long until we say farewell to one of the greatest systems ever to have been created.

[Ren of Heavens]

If anything, this is a new handheld.

 

I dont expect a Wii successor for at least 2 years. It wont make sense to release a new console while Wii is blowing the competition out of the water. I'm pretty sure we'll see Xbox 3 before Wii 2.

[markderoos]

Maybe a new system other than a console or handheld. Just like Apple who release an iPad, which can co-exist next to iPod and iPhone?

[Nolan]

Aren't devs always working on the next console?

 

To what you asked, no. To what you probably meant to ask yes.

 

Developers can't work on the next console until it's nearing final stages, and they're getting ready to not work on current consoles.

 

Engineers (I'm guessing what you meant) are pretty much always working on designing the hardware of what will be released next since it takes such a long time.

[Grazza]

I really think this is a new handheld. GDC is a "handheld" kinda conference for Nintendo, as they announced both DS Zeldas there. Just makes sense to me that they would reveal new portable hardware there as well as the huge games.

 

The fact the DSi XL has not yet launched in Europe is a bit of a spanner in the works, I admit, but it will still have time to sell before the "DS 2" is actually released. Plus, it's been available in Japan for a few months, and I'm sure that's the market they want to keep interested.

 

Also, two weeks ago I'd have said Nintendo would be a bit worried about the iPad. As it happens, that's looking like a bit of a flop, but it may still be influencing Nintendo, making them want to get a better gaming machine out onto the market.

[Zechs Merquise]

I'm not sure about this, I think with the DS and Wii being so far ahead of the pack, it would be madness for them to call time on the systems before they have run their course.

 

I also note, he's writing up a rumour, which he states is a rumour and he has no real facts to back it up. There have been Wii HD rumours since the Wii launched so this may well be more of the same.

[dwarf]

I think we can assume at this point that it will be at least, if not, more powerful than the 360, and will obviously render games in 720p as standard. There's really no chance at all of them just releasing a Wii that renders, or even worse, just simply upscales games to HD resolutions. Its just to far into the console's lifetime for that to make sense.

I disagree with that. The whole philosophy of the Wii has been that the haven't been concerned with the graphics, and I don't see that changing. We'd probably only see a few developers taking advantage of a better processor anyway.

 

If there was one, they'd make it HD, but it won't have graphical power of a 360. They'll probably want to make the system universal, the same sort of alternative that a DSi is to a DS Lite.

[Zechs Merquise]

The only revision I can see that would be logical, is that all future Wii motes would have motion plus built in and still be the regular size and maybe an internal HDD. If anything it is more likely to be a minor revision.

[Nolan]

If there was one, they'd make it HD, but it won't have graphical power of a 360. They'll probably want to make the system universal, the same sort of alternative that a DSi is to a DS Lite.

 

Why wouldn't it? The technology is old enough that it could be sold at a profit at a low price. Advancing is completely required anyways. It would cost more to keep making a large 65nm chip than to just go to the new process of 45nm. It would cost time and money to make the old version go from 65-45, and that time and money could just as easily be spent on a new chip that's 45nm.

 

They have more reasons to upgrade than just graphics. Which if marketed properly, a graphical upgrade could be used to pull in the casual crowd anyways.

[dwarf]

But that for them would be their next generation console because of the graphical difference, new games wouldn't work on the Wii. From Nintendo's perspective, there's not really a point in investing in newer tech. If they do they might have to actually put effort into the graphical quality of first party games. Not to say there aren't a couple of good looking games at the moment.

[daftada]

To what you asked, no. To what you probably meant to ask yes.

 

Developers can't work on the next console until it's nearing final stages, and they're getting ready to not work on current consoles.

 

Engineers (I'm guessing what you meant) are pretty much always working on designing the hardware of what will be released next since it takes such a long time.

 

Actually, developers do start looking ahead at next gen as soon as, and sometimes before, new hardware is revealed. When I was at Blitz games we were designing stuff about a year before PS3 and 360 were revealed to us (the unreleased zombie shit-fest Possesion). Just had to work to estimated specs is all.

 

Ninja Theory started work before PS3 was announced too - they even had a column in Edge for a while, where they talked about the graphical capabilities they expected for this current gen.

 

Ubisoft announced a couple of months ago that they are already looking at designing games for the next generation of consoles too.