Topic: The OFFICIAL Big N rumor thread *bring your own salt*

[Kytim89]

As for the size of the Wii 2, keep in mind that for the exception of the N64 all of Nintendo's console have taken on a suare or rectangle formation. The original NES and Gamecube took on a square shape and Wii and SNES had a retangular shape. I am convinced that the Wii 2 will be about the same dimensions as the 360 slim because it has a rectangular shape.

[Chozo Ghost]

Wii Stream is so utterly ridiculous you figure this is a joke.  It's like blatant defiance in reaction to all the Wii jokes.  If they use Nintendo Stream my concern would be brand confusion with Steam, which is the same market (but I can imagine Nintendo, in their bubble, being completely unaware of the existence of).

The rumor is that its going to be called "Stream". BnM only called it "Wii Stream" as a joke. The rumor seems to indicate the "Wii" brand name is being dropped from this console (which I heartily approve of). So at this point we should just call it "Stream" and just forget about the "Wii" business unless we hear otherwise. While this console is the next Nintendo console, it takes a polar opposite design philosophy. Its like how Coca-Cola makes both Diet Coke and TaB, but even though both drinks are diet colas they use very different recipes. For all we know the Wii brand might continue on as a "third pillar" which is designed to appeal to casuals, but this Stream thing is aimed at core gamers.

And if you think about it, the name makes perfect sense, because one thing all the rumors seem to agree on is the console STREAMS content to the controllers, so its a very apt name for it. Probably the most apt name for the console that there could be.

[Ian Sane]

But if you think about it, the name makes perfect sense, because one thing all the rumors seem to agree on is the console STREAMS content to the controllers, so its a very apt name for it. Probably the most apt name for the console that there could be.

Keen observation there.  I just assumed NCL comes up with these names by flipping through an English dictionary until they find something they think sounds cool.

[ShyGuy]

XStream Sandwiches!

Nobody is mentioning RAM in these rumors. It makes me nervous.

[ThePerm]

If the price is 300 im never buying it even if the price goes down. WTF world?

[Stogi]

All these rumors...the rate at which they've came is ridiculous.

If any of these end up being true, it's very un-Nintendo like.

During the lead up to the Wii, we barely had any rumors and mostly based our guesses on deals Nintendo made with companies (such as gyration).

[NWR_insanolord]

Well if Nintendo really is going after third parties in a big way it makes sense that we're hearing more, because more people know details than Nintendo usually allows this early.

[Chozo Ghost]

Its also a lot harder to hold back leaks these days too, because of advances in technology and communication and whatnot.

[BlackNMild2k1]

These leaks won't matter at all if Nintendo actually launches this thing this year and it truly stomps on current console performance.
Neither Sony nor MS will have any time to respond and will be scrambling to throw something together if they plan to counter release before end of next year.


If they can deliver on these rumors, then I will pay the asking price of $349.99. $399.99 if it comes with a game packed in and Skyward Sword launches with it in 1080p.

Of course that extra money is coming out of my imaginary 3DS fund.

[NWR_insanolord]

Sony and Microsoft are no different from Nintendo; they too are always working on hardware. They must be pretty far along on prototypes of their next machines, and I doubt they'd have too much trouble launching by the end of next year if they wanted to. They'll probably wait to see what Nintendo's got up its sleeve at E3, though. If the Super Wii is only as powerful (or slightly more so) than the 360 and PS3, they can probably wait an extra year milking the already-profitable current hardware.

[Chozo Ghost]

The way I see it is $350-$399 seems like a lot of money on the surface, but if you figure it ends up being a console with a 10 year life span as opposed to one with only a 5 year life span then its definitely worth the extra investment. Think about it, would you rather have a $249 console that will be supported 5 years, or one that's hundred dollars more but will be supported for 10 years? Do the math and you'll see this is better in the long run.

[SixthAngel]

Don't expect graphics to be too much better than 360 or ps3.  Nintendo is a software company too and they know the ridiculous costs of making games on the hd consoles now and I doubt they will suddenly increase their development costs by such a huge margin, especially with the diminishing returns the higher you go.  If the console does turn out to have great specs it will probably be so it can do things like stream multiple videos like the rumor suggests.

Out of curiosity is there anything stopping a console from functioning like a DVR?  Now that they will all have hard drives it seems like a no brainer.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I expect the graphics on a technical level to blow PS360 out of the water. To the untrained eye (99% of the masses) you might not really notice all that much of a difference, but once you compare the capabilities as a bunch of numbers and simultaneous effects, I'm expecting to be very impressed by what I see.

Here is a chart of what we may be able to expect depending on which R700/HD 4XXX class GPU we get.

To put things into perspective:

Xenos (360): 48 shaders, 16 TFU, 8 ROPs

HD 4350 (Super low-end R7xx GPU): 80 shaders, 16 TFU, 4 ROPs.
HD 4650 (Low end, gaming grade GPU): 320 shaders, 32 TFU, 8 ROPs.
HD 4730 (Low-Mid end GPU): 640 shaders, 32 TFU, 16 ROPs.
HD 4870x2* ("family" highest end GPU): 1600 shaders, 80 TFU, 32 ROPS.


*also codenamed R700

So depending on what they meant by R700 GPU, we could be getting a beast of a processor.

[Kytim89]

I just hope that Nintendo prices this thing at $299.99 to spite Sony and Microsoft. If Nintendo could offer a better HD console for the same price as its competitors then they could really hurt them in the long run. Nintendo themsleves ahve admitted that they realized that they could have sold the Wii for more than it was worth back in 2006, but the components for this kind of console seems to be cheap enough that Nintendo could offer it for three hundred dollars and still make as profit. The only problem with this is that the value of the dollar has fallen since 2006 and thus you have to spend more for the same product.
 

[bustin98]

I'm just waiting for how much RAM is going to be available for gameplay. I'd like to see 2GB minimum though 6 - 8 GB would be awesome.

[King of Twitch]

Have you people completely lost your minds? There is no way WiiH is going to even approach PS360 level graphics. It'd be like giving a child who's been used to making macaroni fridge art a copy of Photoshop.

KIDS DON'T KNOW PHOTOSHOP

[bustin98]

Actually, I think it'd be more like being handed keys to a lamborghini only to find out a gas governor is keeping you at 35MPH. Nintendo knows how to create a capable system, they just lack the incentive to provide the services to back it up.

[BlackNMild2k1]

an R700 class GPU already approached and then passed the PS360 graphics by assuming they didn't go with teh lowest model downscaled even further.

assuming they chose the R700 itself (4870x2) and modified it, then not only would Wii2 be able to do everything PS360 could do, but it could do it in 1080p @ 120fps on the bigscreen while simultaneously streaming (480p?) to 4 separate controller screens and still have time to make you coffee.

p.s. I don't know if all that  is true, but I know that the R700 GPU would run circles around the 360 on a technical and graphical level.

[Kytim89]

Allow me to use a Star Wars analogy for the home consoles of this generation.
 
Wii = Millenium Falcon
360 = Star Destroyer
Wii 2 = Super Star Destroyer
PS3 = Death Star

Check out this concept art of the controller with a screen.

http://technobuffalo.technobuffalo.netdna-cdn.com/files/2011/04/Project-Cafe-Controllers.jpg

[Chozo Ghost]

Allow me to use a Star Wars analogy for the home consoles of this generation.
 
Wii = Millenium Falcon
360 = Star Destroyer
Wii 2 = Super Star Destroyer
PS3 = Death Star

/positions cursor over smite button.

[Caterkiller]

The Wii is nothing more than an At At. At first glance it looks really interesting and amazing, but upon further inspection you realize it can barely stand on its own legs.

[ShyGuy]

This thread is moving so fast, has anyone mentioned this?

Pointed out on the Beyond3D forums

The DS handheld gaming console, released in 2004, is now the hottest-selling portable video game machine. Did the success of the DS influence your design decisions?

Ashida: The DS had a huge impact on the Wii's design. We had the DS on our minds as we worked on the Wii. We thought about copying the DS's touch-panel interface and even came up with a prototype. But then we rejected the idea, since the portable console and the living-room console would have been exactly the same.

Miyamoto: The DS prepared the way for the Wii. The DS's unique interface had traction with nongamers. That made us think we had a shot at reaching a broader audience. But if the DS had flopped, we might have taken the Wii back to the drawing board.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2006/tc20061116_750580.htm

[Kytim89]

This thread is moving so fast, has anyone mentioned this?

Pointed out on the Beyond3D forums

The DS handheld gaming console, released in 2004, is now the hottest-selling portable video game machine. Did the success of the DS influence your design decisions?

Ashida: The DS had a huge impact on the Wii's design. We had the DS on our minds as we worked on the Wii. We thought about copying the DS's touch-panel interface and even came up with a prototype. But then we rejected the idea, since the portable console and the living-room console would have been exactly the same.

Miyamoto: The DS prepared the way for the Wii. The DS's unique interface had traction with nongamers. That made us think we had a shot at reaching a broader audience. But if the DS had flopped, we might have taken the Wii back to the drawing board.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2006/tc20061116_750580.htm

I remembered reading a while back about how the success of the DS was what influence the design and appearance of the Wii. Although it appears that Nintendo took design ques from the DS Lite, particularly the white one, to build the Wii, so they could easily do the same with the 3DS and Wii 2. In fact, if you have a black or white DS Lite compare its finsih and shape to that of the Wii. Do you notice any similarities? If so, I would wager that the Wii 2 will look simialr to the 3DS in terms of shape and finish, which means I have to deal with that damn glossy finish again. Why the hell does Nintendo not make their systems with a matte finish? That is what I liked the most about the DSi.

[MaryJane]

too late....

[Spak-Spang]

I really can't believe any of these rumors...but if they are true.  I think I understand what Nintendo did with the Wii more now.

Nintendo used the Wii to disrupt the market...but also used it as a temporary system.  HD gaming was not quite ready for prime time, and Nintendo knew that...so they waited. 

Now, we have cheaper hardware that can produce HD games and more consumers with HD televisions and fast broadband internet.  It is the perfect time to launch an HD system.

I think Nintendo is launching a system that they hope will be powerful enough to last much longer on the market than other systems.  A gaming hub that will be the center of your gaming universe...but a controller that can evolve and be more than a controller.  Could Nintendo be launching a system they think can be on the market for 6-8 years without need for a successor?  A new system that is basically a Wii, and next generation system?  If that is Nitnendo's big plan, I think it might work and $400.00 for that system will be nothing, if they come prepared to deliver oon the experience.