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

[Chozo Ghost]

I was reading a video game magazine recently (I think it was GamePro but I won't swear to it) and in it that PackTurd guy was saying "Nintendo blew it for good" because they didn't announce a Wii 2. I don't think he's right, but whatever...

[NWR_insanolord]

Most of last year's games came from outside EAD. DKCR was Retro, Other M was Team Ninja/R&D1, Kirby was Good Feel. EAD Tokyo did Galaxy 2, but it came out early in the year, and Nintendo implied that it could have been out earlier but they didn't want it to compete with (read: be annihilated by) New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

That still leaves all four other EAD studios and Intelligent Systems. IS is almost certainly the team making Paper Mario 3DS. EAD 2 is most likely doing PilotWings Resort, likely in addition to a couple other things (hopefully they've started on Animal Crossing 3DS by now). EAD 3 is working on Zelda, which will hopefully be out this year. That leaves EADs 1 and 4, one of which is probably working on Mario Kart 3DS; the other, I don't know (please, God, let it be Pikmin).

So, yeah, not many possibilities for Wii games from internal teams. Maybe we'll see the return of Nintendo outsourcing stuff to other companies, like Next Level Games.

[TJ Spyke]

You are forgetting other 1st/2nd party studios like Genius Sonority, Brownie Brown, Nd Cube, NST, HAL Laboratory, and a few others I can't remember.

[NWR_insanolord]

Yeah, I was just going from memory so I forgot some of the teams. Still, I can't see anything great coming out of any of those studios.

[Ian Sane]

The thing is a Wii 2 coming out this year just fits the pattern.  Super Nintendo in 1991, N64 in 1996, Gamecube in 2001, Wii in 2006.  Hell you could even bullshit around and say the NES counts too because the nationwide launch was in 1986 (1985 was only in select markets like New York).

Of course some of these dates were strictly the American date and it was different in Japan for the SNES.  But the dates have worked since 1996 in both Japan and America.  We're due for the Wii 2 so it is not weird to figure it's on the doorstep.  This is just the standard videogame console timeline.  And it isn't like the Wii is so cutting edge that it doesn't need a successor.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Wii is on the verge of selling 45million units in the US alone and that puts it really close to breaking 100million worldwide before the end of the year.

Reggie said there would be no talk about Wii2 before Wii hit 45 million in the US, so since we are on 45 million's doorstep, I think it's time for Nintendo to start talking.

I think GDC is coming up in a few weeks, so if there is something coming soon, then we should atleast have a few rumors and vague comments coming out of there.

I'm not expecting a Holiday 2011 launch for such a thing as that and a 3DS would be too much for the average consumer pocket to handle, but an early 2012 (FY2011) launch shouldn't be out of the question even if a 2nd Half/late 2012 launch is more likely.

[Stratos]

Nintendo has never launched a console outside of the holiday window, right?

[BlackNMild2k1]

looks at 3DS....

but I know what you mean and to answer your question
The SNES was released in the summer of 1991 (8/23/91) in the US
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System#Launch

[TJ Spyke]

And the N64 was in September, which I never see anyone consider part of the holiday season.

[Luigi Dude]

I think GDC is coming up in a few weeks, so if there is something coming soon, then we should atleast have a few rumors and vague comments coming out of there.

GDC is THIS week.  Iwata gives his speech on Wednesday.

Of course considering the 3DS has just launched in Japan and is close to launching in North America/Europe, he's not going to talk about a new console since the only system he wants people thinking about is the 3DS.  The best we're going to get from Iwata that isn't related to the 3DS is a new Skyward Sword trailer since Iwata has always reveiled a new Zelda related trailer at GDC.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I'm expecting rumors from 3rd party Devs since they are obviously gonna be talking with each other and maybe behind closed doors with Nintendo. GDC is the place for Nintendo to drum up a little interest from some of the smaller Devs that they might not have reached out to yet.

[Chozo Ghost]

I agree that Nintendo probably doesn't want to steal the 3DS' thunder by bringing out information about the Wii 2 before the 3DS has even been launched. Maybe E3 would be a better time to talk about it.

[BlackNMild2k1]

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/atmoney/enterprises/manda/20110228-OYT8T00464.htm

Iwata says (my interpretation from translation): "No Wii successor soon, as it's only 4 years old and is still selling 7 mill a year in the US. They will stick by Wii until their Devs have no more surprises/software ideas possible on Wii."

in other words, the same thing that is always said on the subject when asked directly.

[Stratos]

And the N64 was in September, which I never see anyone consider part of the holiday season.

I almost typed Fall/Holiday because I just knew you would say something . It's close enough to the same thing in terms of console impact. Fall is when the 'holiday' period starts. Sept-Nov is when the hot holiday items are released.

[Mop it up]

I guess TJ Spyke just met the first person who considers September a part of the holiday shopping season.

[Ian Sane]

They will stick by Wii until their Devs have no more surprises/software ideas possible on Wii.

So we should have got the Wii 2 a good three and a half years ago? 
 
Nintendo has been very good at keeping secrets.  Every year there seems to be something that just pops out of nowhere and they're all like "hey this comes out next month!"  I can totally buy Nintendo dropping the Wii 2 at E3, and having it due in November with anyone hearing otherwise of a new system.
 
I tend to look at the typical console release time like I would at a school year.  Whether it be September or November I think of it as the first half of the school year.  When you're a kid, the time that videogames mean a lot to you, you tend to think in school years more than calendar years.  So the SNES came out around the beginning of the 1991-92 school year, the N64 in the 1996-97 year, etc.  You either start a new school year with a new system or with the hype of new system coming out in a few months.  Expect a release between August and December.

[Caterkiller]

This is the first time Nintendo is holding an official webcast for GDC, so I'm going to get overly excited and believe they will have something good to show.

[TJ Spyke]

I think they are just becoming more aware of media, like how they have been streaming E3 and the Nintendo World event (among others).

[Chozo Ghost]

I hope the Wii 2 will be more powerful than its competitors. It shouldn't be that difficult for Nintendo to pull that off because the Wii 2 is going to be made of 2011 components which are going to be more advanced than what was available in 2005 and 2006 for the 360 and PS3 (respectively).

Being more powerful than the competition is crucial this time around. If the hardware is going to be less powerful then what the hell is the point? It has to stand out and being the most powerful system would probably work well to draw in more of that core third party support that the Wii 1 has been seriously lacking in. Being more powerful is also important because it needs that in order to remain competitive when the inevitable successors to the PS3 and 360 come out. I'm not saying the Wii 2 needs to be so powerful that it can out gun a PS4 or xbox 720, but if it can be like a Dreamcast compared to a PS2 then it will be powerful enough to hold its own.

[Stogi]

If the Wii 2 passed the 360 and PS3 in terms of power, it would send Microsoft (who just released a new iteration of their console and their answer to the wiimote) and Sony (who just released there answer to the wiimote and just started making money on hardware) into a frenzy.

For once, Nintendo could sit on top of the graphics department and still sell there hardware at a very moderate price.

[Kytim89]

I do not see Nintendo going the same graphical level as Sony, but I do see them adopting the same graphics as the current 360. I mean Nintendo could have easily made the 3DS on the same scale as the NGP but they made the 3DS a handheld Gamecube and not a handheld PS3. Nintendo does business by being one step behind their comeptition while at the same offering something unique that makes their console the most wanted of all. Nintendo is mainly going to adopt HD graphics because of both money and the market is moving towards highly detailed graphics. Although I would love to have a Eternal Darkness 2 with the same graphics as Heavy Rain and not have to worry about multi-disced games.
 
The is how I see the Wii 2:
 
Xbox 360 graphics (without technical issues) + Move + Wiimote = Wii 2

[ymeegod]

Well what kills nintendo and helped MS and sony was 3rd party support.  Alot of games didn't getted ported because the developers didn't want to scale down their games.  Think about it, Nintendo had the money, they could easily made the WII more powerful or at least the same power as the xbox 360 which launched a year prior.  They could have sold the WII at a loss and that would have been the nail in MS tomb.  Instead it left enough air for MS to breath and I would think Nintendo will not make the same mistake with this time around.  It has to compete or be close enough so all these great titles get ported to their systems as well.

[Kytim89]

One thing to keep in mind in regards to Nintendo surpasing the PS3 with the Wii 2 is what kind of optical storage will the Wii 2 use? Nintendo is not likely to adopt blu ray, so this seems to leave Nintendo with the option of a similar DVD format as the 360. However, Nintendo has been experimenting with Holograghic disc storage, which uses a similar lense to a blu ray player, but then again the lense would be too expensive for Nintendo to use. What I am trying to say is that if Nintendo wants to surpass Sony then they will need a format that is either equal to or greater than blu ray.What format will Nintendo use for the Wii 2?
 
However, Nintendo does seem to have two advantages over Sony and Micosoft:
 
http://www.psu.com/Microsoft-has-very-few-first-party-studios,-says-Sony--a008640-p0.php
 
This article essesntially points out that Microsoft's first party titles are weak when compared to that of Sony. Arguably Nintendo seems to have a stronger first party cache then even Sony, but then again their games seems weak to harcore gamers when compared to that of Sony based on graphics. So my argument is that Nintendo has stronger first party titles over its competition. Overall, Micosoft is more dependant on third parties then even Nintendo.
 
http://gamer.blorge.com/2010/12/21/ea-sony-ps3-has-almost-impossible-to-supersede-head-start/
 
This second article points out that Sony has a much more credible brand recognition than Microsoft, especially on the international front. How does Sony's brand recognition comapre to that of Nintendo? I would wager that even though Sony has the bigger and badder software and hardware, most people around the globe would notice a Nintendo logo far faster than a Sony logo. Of course the brand battle between Sony and Nintendo boils down to cost. The Sony brand conotates expensive while the Nintendo brand personifies affordability.
 
 

[Chozo Ghost]

I do not see Nintendo going the same graphical level as Sony, but I do see them adopting the same graphics as the current 360.

What the hell difference is there between the two? The PS3 and 360 have pretty much identical graphic quality. If there is any difference at all its only negligible. Therefore if Nintendo can create a system which trounces one of them odds are it will also trounce the other.

[Kytim89]

I do not see Nintendo going the same graphical level as Sony, but I do see them adopting the same graphics as the current 360.

What the hell difference is there between the two? The PS3 and 360 have pretty much identical graphic quality. If there is any difference at all its only negligible. Therefore if Nintendo can create a system which trounces one of them odds are it will also trounce the other.

Sorry my friend, but the PS3 is far superior than the 360 (inner Sony fanboy coming out).