Comments on: Rumor: Nintendo to have new Wii 'by 2011'

A video game blog cites industry sources as saying Nintendo will put out an HD-capable console in the next few years. But why would the company do that?

[gilliguns]

Im sure there will be a new Wii in 2011. I think that the people who made the wii said screw graphics were gonna try something completely new and see what people think. well we all know that everyone loves the motion technology of the wii but if you ever go to the arcade they have games where you can interact like the 911 game, you have to move to dodge the bullets. So im sure the new wii will have more than one sensor which one will be for the controller and the will be for your movement. If you add the wii fit board you can most likely do almost anything with that system and of course they will be getting HD graphics. By the time 2011 comes the quality of HD is going to be some much better.

[sliver1978]

I think this move to HD is actually a pressing matter for Nindendo. Im not sure that Nintendo realized how many people were finally taking the HD plunge, the development of the wii would have been at a time when the majority of people were still on SD contect. Not to say that the mass market is totally HD saturated, but the Wii looks pretty terrible on modern LCD tv's. Its just not easy to scale from 480p up to full HD (1080P). I cant wait for the upgrade, similarly if you have an older PS3 that played PS2 games you would understand that PS2 games are unplayable on most HD sets. Everything looks so washed out, its like playing Atari on a worn out rear projection. The Wii controller interface is so great, the bad thing here is that FPS (probably the most popular game style for console) works best on this type of interface and the majority of great FPS based games require high performace. Lets just say that the Wii controller allows you to have the procision of a mouse without the handicap of having to use desktop space (perfect for a living room). Also the gyromouse is the optimal interface for navigating menus and using an onscreen keyboard. Speeds have been calculated at 70-80% of a full size keyboard (with one hand). Nintendo should find a solid partner to expand online content to a competive level; Micrsoft has a great advantage in this regard, and with all things considered online content/services is the measuring stick for future viability. The point here being, why buy physical media when you can purchase instantly with lifetime registration. As a business model I see the first ones to pass on the savings of non-distrubution/packaging to the customer will be the winner. People love deals, how much cost reduction would you see if a blueray is not needed? How about $30-40 games at the same profit margin FTW. Also I think that Wii HD, and probably current Xbox 360/PS3 should take the plunge to Solid state disc SSD. SSD offers blazing performace, low heat, and no moving parts. They are expensive, but the optimal choice for this application; due to high cost per GP on them, I recommed a data drive also be available; external would be best, and give up the proprietary idea....if you allow people to get a cheap Esata drive from where ever, you have a community of people with plenty of HD space to sell online content.