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[malfcn]

Darn, so if I ever want to go old school I gotta find a GCN or Wii.

 

[Blueblur1]

I'm also inclined to believe that this Nintendo HD's graphics capabilities won't be mind blowing. I'd love to be wrong though.

 

[Basileus777]

For the next console, if it plays Wii games, it's because it has the Wii's CPU inside. I doubt Nintendo will also add the GC's CPU.

That's not necessarily true at all. The Wii2 could have enough power to emulate the Wii, and since the Gamecube and Wii have such similar hardware, such an emulator would work for both systems. I kind of doubt Nintendo would really stick the Wii's chipset in a new console when emulation is an option.

 

[Thoraxes]

What exactly would be the benefits of having a screen on the controller?

Genuinely curious.

Gesture based input? So maybe there would be a nice combination of button pressing, touch manipulation, and motion control. Like adding another dimension to what they already have.

 

[pharmboy044]

I wasn't being sarcastic. I meant to say that the reason the Wii plays GC games is because it has the GC's CPU in addition to the Wii's CPU.

For the next console, if it plays Wii games, it's because it has the Wii's CPU inside. I doubt Nintendo will also add the GC's CPU.

Just look at the portables, each new one removes compatibility with the older releases.

Would they want to keep the GC/Wii cpu's in the new hardware? Is it possible to emulate this so that they can save money on the hardware?

 

[Cow Mengde]

Unless Nintendo wants to pack in a GTX580 in Wii2...how about no? I expect Wii2 to have something like a HD5750 gpu, something better than ps360 gpu but not enough power to run dx11 graphics at good framerates.

It's a closed platform. Unlike the PC where you can have very different setup, a console doesn't have that problem. The games can be universally optimized for their hardware. So chances are a 5750 in Wii 2 would be insanely powerful.

 

[NewFresh]

Gesture based input? So maybe there would be a nice combination of button pressing, touch manipulation, and motion control. Like adding another dimension to what they already have.

So I can carry my Chao with me

 

[User Name Here]

The big issue is going to be the slot loader (if they keep that). I think that's a fairly costly component for them so that it can read both the smaller GC discs and the Wii DVDs.

They would probably allow the back catalog of games to be downloadable.

 

[Pociask]

Wait a minute... customizable button layout? Every game having its own choice of what to call buttons? This isn't a new Wii, it's a SUPER INTELLIVISION!

My body is ready, Burger Time!

 

[Blueblur1]

So I can carry my Chao with me

If only Sega still included Chao in Sonic games....

 

[NewFresh]

Wait a minute... customizable button layout? Every game having its own choice of what to call buttons? This isn't a new Wii, it's a SUPER INTELLIVISION!

My body is ready, Burger Time!

Get ready

 

[Faxanadu]

Maybe the screen in the new controller have the same 3D screen tech of 3DS...that could open up all kinds of cool ideas.

 

[mattx5]

What about Virtual Console?

As it stands, game purchases are tied to the Wii, and if they have some kind of next-gen iteration of VC (which they undoubtedly will), people are going to have to rebuy all their games - I don't see any way around this and it's kind of upsetting to be honest.

 

[McHuj]

One thing that tempers my enthusiasm for the next Wii is that I doubt Nintendo will want to get a way from the small, very low power unit. The Wii draws only 18 Watts.

Does anyone expect Nintendo to jump to a 100 Watt ( roughly current Xbox) draw? Even with a 32nm chip I think we're going to be looking at a sub 50 Watt console. Will that be significantly more powerful than the current consoles, I dunno.

 

[Narag]

Wait a minute... customizable button layout? Every game having its own choice of what to call buttons? This isn't a new Wii, it's a SUPER INTELLIVISION!

My body is ready, Burger Time!

B-17 Bomber 2012. Make it happen.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

I'm going to be very blunt; I hope Nintendo's strategy with the Wii successor is a complete 180 from how they handled the Wii. The Wii left such a horrible taste in my mouth, from the way they cobbled together ancient technology and sold it as new, to the lousy software emphasis (Wii Sports, Wii Music, Wii Fit) and especially Nintendo's continued use of extremely played-out core franchises (as usual, it's Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and Metroid for all eternity).

Nintendo has felt like America Online of the 90's for the past 6 years, making truckloads of money by fooling the lowest common denominator and presenting the mirage of earned success. I remember walking into a Gamestop in 2009 and seeing mountains of New Super Mario Bros. Wii copies ready to be sold for Christmas and thinking of just how bad Nintendo's penny-penching corporate culture had become. That game was literally like the cheapest, least imaginative, and most cost-effective way of making lots money with very little investment - just take the successful DS game, use the same established artwork and everything, make some new levels, and then watch the millions come in.

Of all the games, to choose the quality New Super Mario Bros? Based on my experience with Wii games, that one felt like more attention and passion was given to it, than say Wii Music, Wii Fit (and Wii Fit Plus), Wii Party. This Wii successor will have to continue those games though...Nintendo needs to adopt the strategy for this new one, no old IP's for the first year or two, establish much new stuff right from the get go.

 

[Dr.Palutena]

Gesture based input? So maybe there would be a nice combination of button pressing, touch manipulation, and motion control. Like adding another dimension to what they already have.

then theres also inventories and hud stuff in games/everything its used for on ds/ gba<--->gamecube connection stuff

when pressing home button it could possibly show friends list/messages etc, allow you to access os options without having to pause the game and if the control has memory in it like the wii remote did then maybe even street pass like features.

 

[Basileus777]

Maybe the screen in the new controller have the same 3D screen tech of 3DS...that could open up all kinds of cool ideas.

Possibly, but that would be expensive, especially for Nintendo whose console business is now built on split screen co-op and party games that require multiple controllers.

 

[Vic]

I AM NOT PLEASED WITH THESE RUMOURS.

 

[ReyVGM]

Wii hardware is just a slightly upgraded Gamecube. There's no reason for the Wii2 not to be able to emulate the Gamecube if it is indeed backwards compatible.

Emulate the Gamecube? Haha, surely you don't know what you're talking about.

 

[Branduil]

It's probably been suggested somewhere in this monster of a topic (practically a new page every time I refresh the damn thing), but all this talk about a touch screen for a console makes a lot of sense to me as the most recent way for Nintendo to bridge their non-gamer efforts of the Wii into more traditional styles of play.

A large part of why the Wii worked to begin with was their thinking that nongamers were scared off by obtuse button layouts and complicated designs, and this would do away with a lot of those problems in a couple of ways. For one, a screen-controller would be fully customizable, meaning that you could generate as many or as few buttons as are needed to control the game. The control layout could shift as needed depending on what's going on in real time.

Maybe simpler in idea but more important in impact, is that screen-buttons would effectively eliminate one of the current barriers of assigning game actions to arbitrary buttons. You don't have to worry about trying to teach people controls in the sense of "press A to jump," then watch the person try and fish out where the A-button is...you'd just have a literal "Jump" button right on the controller. Demo kiosks often have card printouts that tell you button assignments, this would be like having that as an integrated part of the controller itself. You would never not know how to control a game, the only adjustment is figuring out how that action works within the context of the game world. It's a simple but nonetheless exciting proposition.

I think this makes sense. I only hope they've figured out a really good haptic system so you aren't having to look at the screen all the time.

 

[codswallop]

For all the hype of Cell the PS3 and 360 are not nearly as big a gap as people seem to think. If the 360 is getting on in age then the PS3 is. The only flaw the 360 has is it doesnt have the disc space to keep up.

TBH I don't have a PS3 but I still believe in my opinion that it has a year or so life left in it over the 360. But again, that's coming from someone who doesn't have one (but does have a Wii and 360).

 

[NewFresh]

What about Virtual Console?

As it stands, game purchases are tied to the Wii, and if they have some kind of next-gen iteration of VC (which they undoubtedly will), people are going to have to rebuy all their games - I don't see any way around this and it's kind of upsetting to be honest.

They could do what they are doing with the DSi to 3DS

 

[Conrad Link]

Can't wait for all the "F**k Nintendo! They abandoned the casual audience!!!!!" threads popping up on balls4soccermoms.org and NeoGRAN.

 

[DonMigs85]

No. Wii plays GC games because it has an actual GC chip inside.

Erm, no, there are no extra chips. The Wii's GPU and CPU are basically 90nm 50% higher clocked versions of the GCN Flipper and Gecko chips. So in GameCube compatibility mode it simply clocks them down and disables the Wii-specific functionality.

Now I don't know if Nintendo will still use a PowerPC design, but a decent x86 chip and AMD GPU shouldn't have trouble emulating the old hardware. After all, Nintendo's N64 emulator performs pretty well on Wii with its 729Mhz IBM CPU.

 

[meppi]

What about Virtual Console?

As it stands, game purchases are tied to the Wii, and if they have some kind of next-gen iteration of VC (which they undoubtedly will), people are going to have to rebuy all their games - I don't see any way around this and it's kind of upsetting to be honest.

Think DSi-> 3DS

 

[Slime]

Maybe the screen in the new controller have the same 3D screen tech of 3DS...that could open up all kinds of cool ideas.

Like what? The only things you can do with 3D screens is look at them.

 

[NewFresh]

Emulate the Gamecube? Haha, surely you don't know what you're talking about.

It is easy. Any console with better graphics than another console can emulate it. FACT

 

[Speevy]

Holy crap, I totally thought Nintendo would do this with the Wii. lol

I'm the premature psychic.

 

[The Awkward Wizard]

So, the controller has an touch HD screen? Awesome! Customizable control schemes then. I'm really curious to see the first party software (and maybe some 3rd party software if they're taking this seriously enough)

 

[Dedication Through Light]

If they want to recapture the hardcore...

- Release a new F-Zero that runs at 120 fps in 1080p with 4x MSAA and 60 players online, with vehicle and track editor, and a story sequence where Captain Falcon knees someone it rips a hole in the fabric of space-time, unleashing ectoplasmic Cthulhu-like deities from the other side that must be Falcon Punched back to hell.



I think it's fairly reasonable to assume

What? rofl That would be incredible however, I can not under but one circumstance (they bought and merged with some great connected services company), that they can develop the infrastructure to support 60 players online and those tracks would be crowded!

 

[daegan]

It is easy. Any console with better graphics than another console can emulate it. FACT

joke post right? ps3/360 lol

 

[Dr.Palutena]

So, the controller has an touch HD screen? Awesome! Customizable control schemes then. I'm really curious to see the first party software (and maybe some 3rd party software if they're taking this seriously enough)

it all depends on how big this touch screen is. and hopefully its a haptic touch screen so you can feel something.

 

[ReyVGM]

It is easy. Any console with better graphics than another console can emulate it. FACT

Better graphics? Oh god.

You people don't know a single thing about emulation if you think Nintendo is going to force emulation of the Gamecube on the next console. It will be backwards compatible with the Wii, but not the GC.

 

[Foov]

Of all the games, to choose the quality New Super Mario Bros? Based on my experience with Wii games, that one felt like more attention and passion was given to it, than say Wii Music, Wii Fit (and Wii Fit Plus), Wii Party. This Wii successor will have to continue those games though...Nintendo needs to adopt the strategy for this new one, no old IP's for the first year or two, establish much new stuff right from the get go.

I can't agree more and his attitude just highlights the problem with the visuals obsessed crowd. Can't believe that there are people still to this day who can't recognize how carefully crafted the level and game design was in NSMBW and still obsess over this mistaken belief that it was just using recycled DS art assets. The aesthetic design might have carried over but that's all I'd can agree with - and I have no problem with that when there are many many many big name and lauded franchises this and every generation that do the exact same thing.

 

[Doorman]

I think this makes sense. I only hope they've figured out a really good haptic system so you aren't having to look at the screen all the time.

It would have to be a screen that's A) very durable and B) Most likely capable of some sort of pressure feedback, so you're not just hovering your thumbs over the screen and only touching it when you want to to something.

I have no idea what sort of tech Nintendo has access to or what their plans are, but when you hear things like "the controller is a screen," that's the sort of potential that I'm looking for. It's the best way I can think of to marry this rekindled interest in the "hardcore" with their philosophy this generation of controller complexity turning off too many potential customers. You'd wind up with a classic-style controller that can function like what we're familiar with, but still capable of becoming something very simple when simple games demand it.

 

[Dr.Palutena]

Better graphics? Oh god.

You people don't know a single thing about emulation if you think Nintendo is going to force emulation of the Gamecube on the next console. It will be backwards compatible with the Wii, but not the GC.

its dangerous around here take this -hands you sarcasm detector-

 

[Basileus777]

Better graphics? Oh god.

You people don't know a single thing about emulation if you think Nintendo is going to force emulation of the Gamecube on the next console. It will be backwards compatible with the Wii, but not the GC.

What makes you think Wii backwards compatibility is being done through hardware and not emulation? If they have a working Wii emulator, emulating the Gamecube would be trivial because of how similar the hardware is.

 

[mattx5]

They could do what they are doing with the DSi to 3DS

Oh wow, I didn't know about that at all. Haven't followed the 3DS that closely.

 

[DonMigs85]

It is easy. Any console with better graphics than another console can emulate it. FACT

Not sure if you're serious, but it's not as simple as that. Especially if you're emulating something with a very different CPU architecture or something with complex coprocessors or something.
In the PS2's case, the GPU had very high bandwidth embedded VRAM so the PS3 can't emulate it perfectly, depending on the game at least.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

1. That's what I'm assuming.
2. You think Nintendo put a lot of effort into Nintendogs and Pilotwings? Also, graphics don't matter as much in the handheld arena as you think they do.

I was talking about pretty much every game they've shown: Kid Icarus, Zelda, Star Fox, Steel Diver, Pilot Wings, Nintendogs, etc. None of them look as good as what Capcom is doing. Even the MGS3 demo looked like PS2 quality at best. Note the PSP is near PS2 quality which is why I'm saying I don't put much clout into the hype and speculation saying Nintendo's console will be significantly more powerful than PS3. If you look at Nintendo's actions, there is every reason to believe this speculation is over hyping what the system will actually be capable of.

In a sense, sure, but isn't this exactly the sort of situation that Nintendo wants to avoid as it pertains to third party relations? If we assume that the PS4/Xbox 720 will at least be technologically comparable enough that they can receive multiplatform games, then Nintendo becoming a mid-cycle release would doom them to lackluster third party support for the rest of that strategy's existence. The blockbuster publishers want to get their product onto as many platforms as they can manage, and I have no doubt that MS and Sony would be the "half-gen" to receive the big-backed Western games that Nintendo claims to be wanting to court early in this topic. N6, like the Wii before it, would end up with poor downgrades and the results of the publishers' B-teams.

If the early quotes are to be believed, Nintendo doesn't want to be the home of the B-tier games exclusively anymore. If they want those A-tier games, they're going to have to be at least somewhat close to their competition's tech.

As far as the mid-cycle thing goes, it could end up a wash. You have companies like Ubisoft who rely on new systems and Nintendo could rely more heavily on better multiplatform ports for the first half of their console cycle and then rely more on their first party titles when Sony and Microsoft release theirs. There's a lot of variables here though. It's more likely that they'll release in 2012 and Sony and Microsoft will follow in 2013 or 2014 at the latest.

 

[ZeroRay]

Emulate the Gamecube? Haha, surely you don't know what you're talking about.

It seems like it's you who don't know what you're talking about. The Wii doesn't have any extra chips, it's an overclocked Gamecube with more memory. The reason Dolphin, a Gamecube emulator can easily scale up and play Wii games.

Erm, no, there are no extra chips. The Wii's GPU and CPU are basically 90nm 50% higher clocked versions of the GCN Flipper and Gecko chips. So in GameCube compatibility mode it simply clocks them down and disables the Wii-specific functionality.

 

[reKon]

oh fuck.

OH FUCK



BELIEVE

so nice and clean, wouldn't mind playing my whole Wii library like this!

 

[Conrad Link]

The amount of people that STILL think NSMBW is just a DS port or something is mind boggling lol. You can tell straight away when someone hasn't even played the damn thing.

Such unwarranted 'hate' or disrespect for such a wonderful Mario game. ;(

Makes me wish Nintendo gave it a different-er name.

 

[ReyVGM]

What makes you think Wii backwards compatibility is being done through hardware and not emulation? If they have a working Wii emulator, emulating the Gamecube would be trivial because of how similar the hardware is.

IF the Wii is emulated, then yes, adding GC would be easy. But the Wii won't be emulated because all kinds of problems arise when you use emulators to play games. The easiest solution is just to put the Wii's CPU inside the new console. Which is what Nintendo always does with their portables.

 

[Faxanadu]

Like what? The only things you can do with 3D screens is look at them.

Maybe you use the screen to see things that you dont see normally. It will probably just be touch stuff though.

 

[SouthernDragon]

The new console cycle started on March 27th.

What, with the 3DS? Do things work like that?

 

[Deku]

why would it mean that

Wii is the GameCube. And if its a disc drive, all they need is to make is to that it can accept GC discs like the Wii drive.

It will cost more of course and they may drop support for it.

 

[Cow Mengde]

Hey guys, someone is making a Gamecube emulator for the DS.

http://forums.dolphin-emulator.com/showthread.php?tid=13243

 

[Nose Master]

It is easy. Any console with better graphics than another console can emulate it. FACT

You're trolling right? If not, I'd love to see the Dreamcast/Saturn emu for... well, anything.