Well so far, other than the HD screen on the controller, and Blue Ray being a possible format for disks, not much has completely surprised me. Like being exceptionally more powerful then the PS3 and Xbox 360 is great, but when has a next generation console be less powerful then the previous generation. THe Wii is the closest console to doing so and it was still quite a bit more powerful then the Xbox Original. The 1080p resolution isn't surprising, considering some sort of HD should've been done this generation, and the XBox 360 and PS3 both support it.
A good rumour was that the Wii will use Blue Ray discs which is what the PS3 currently uses. Blue Ray discs store a lot mroe then normal DVD's, and also are more durable.
Another rumour which is probably the biggest surprise is that the controller will apparently feature a 6 inch, HD touch screen, which sources now confirm to IGN the new Nintendo controller allows players to stream entire games to the device from the console, saying it's like a miniature television. How this will be implemented is questionable. Although it seems gimmicky, Nintendo always has a reason for implementing stuff, and are very trustworthy in my opinion. I think it would be cool to have like in game voice calls, like if you were playing a James Bond game and someone calls you it goes onto the screen, and objectives and stuff could be on the screen. This would also be cool for sending messages online, and for games that use any sort of smartphone technology it would be neat. Apparently the controller will be similar to the gamecube controller with dual analogs, but with the 6 inch screen and possible other enhancements. This is a good thing for me because I loved the gamecube controller. Also supposedly, the controller will also feature six-axis motion controls that outperform a Playstation Move motion controller (in terms of fidelity),as well as a built-in sensor bar. The controller sounds cool, but I'm still left wondering how the screen can be implemented for games. Also how much the screen will add to the controller's price.
Another rumour is that Nintendo is trying to recapture the hardcore audience. Not surprising considering that was one of the negative things about the Wii, but still a nice thing to hear. Nintendo has reportadely been talking to Rockstar developer of GTA, Red Dead Redemption and soon to be released L.A Noire.
The rumoured techinical specs are, CPU is custom IBM PowerPC with three cores, GPU should be an ATI from the R700 family, with a shader unit at version 4.1. RAM should be at least 512MB.
Also rumoured is that the new console will feature complete backwards compatability with Wii games, so Wii owners will be happy to know that they can still play all their favorite Wii games.
Now I am very intrigued by the Wii's sucessor. First of all, it boasts a lot of power and the controller sounds unique. The controller's screen will definetely be interesting, but there are definetely possibilities of the controller being put to good use. Also the improved motion of the controller, and combined with the fact that the controller has all the standard dual analogs and such could make it one of the best and of course can also be one of the worst. Of course I trust nintendo with all their consoles and never have been upset with a nintendo console. Some of the things people might like is that Nintendo is trying to recapture the hardcore audience, so we can expect more third party titles, more online play, and more of what the Xbox 360 and PS3 have over the Wii. Also the blue ray discs will make nintendo able to add a lot more content to their games, and possibly add Blue Ray playback.
Now what really is the question is how is Nintendo gonna do all this, and keep the price low? We all know nintendo likes ot make affordable consoles, but with the techonolgy being put into the new console, it might be a bit pricey. I'm hoping Nintendo can keep the Price at atleast $400 or less.
Now what I want to see on the sucessor that hasn't been rumoured or confirmed yet is:
3D gaming, Nintendo says it's unlikely, but with that much power and with 3D being the new thing, it is a necessity almost. We don't need 3D gaming at launch, but definetely somewhere in the life cycle.
Huge online marketplace, with a gigantic virtual console similar to the Wii's but much more robust. I want to be able to download Wii games and gamecube games as well as the ones already on the Wii's virtual console on its sucessor's. Also I would like to keep the SD card expandable memory included so I could transfer files I bought from the Wii marketplace to "Project Cafe's".
Unionized online. Nintendo's online was definetely held back on the Wii, and look to turn things around with the 3DS having to only input one friend code rather then seperate friend codes for each game. On Project Cafe, I want an Xbox Live feel. Nintendo's already got Mii's which can represent avatars. If Nintendo wants the hardcore audience you need unionized online, which also prevents hacker protection. Also I want voice chat to be standard, it was standard on the Original Xbox, Xbox 360, and PS3, so Nintendo needs voice chat to become standard for online play, rather then just a few games supporting it. Also I want the online to be free. Although I have no problems paying for my awesome Xbox Live account to get great online services, for nintendo to gain an advantage over Xbox Live you need to make it free, and to gain an advantage over PSN, you need it to be as robust as Xbox Live. Also if the console's gonna be pricey, your gonna need to cut as many excess fee's as you can.
An awesome operating system. The Wii's OS and menu's were nice, easy to navigate, and definetely felt new from previous consoles, but I want nintendo to take it to the next step gamers are gonna want freedom like themes, and customization. With all the power of the new console, it's should get more features. Now what gamers want is freedom, no doubt, and lots of people would probably love the freedom to create their own themes for their console and even share it.
Surprise us. Now the touch screen HD controller probably is one of the bigger surprises nintendo has to offer, but with the consoel itself, I would like to see something that's new, like glasses free 3D on the 3DS and motion control on the Wii. Also of course I want the surprise not to be gimmicky or over the top, and want it to contribute positives to the console.
Now, what would you like to see on Nintendo's new console.
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