Nintendo’s head honcho Satoru Iwata has told investors that Nintendo will need to do more than simply update the Wii to render HD resolutions if it wants it to sell.
While there has been no official mention of Nintendo’s follow up console to the Wii, some analysts predict that it may hit shelves as early as this year sometime.
Rumours began emerging when a document detailing the Wii 2 was leaked in October last year. The document suggested that current Wii owners would be able to trade in their Wiis for a discount on the “Wii 2”, or “Wii HD”. The leak also suggested that the new Wii would feature a Blu-Ray player, but more as a preventative measure against piracy than for its massive storage capabilities.
Finally, the leak stated that the new Wii would be able to render full HD (1080p) movies and games.
However, Iwata is clearly aware that simply upgrading the Wii to current generation standards will simply not be enough for it to maintain its edge.
“If asked if making the Wii compatible with high definition – just making it compatible with high resolution – will get players throughout the world to buy it, I would of course say ‘do you think it would sell with just that? It needs something new,” said Iwata.
“If there were no rival makers in the world, I could give examples of the things that we are considering. However, for competitive reasons, I cannot give specifics today on the what or when of the things we’re considering.”
Iwata’s comments suggest that Nintendo is hard at work in the research and design phase of the console’s development, and will once again be looking to introduce game changing innovations that will allow it to successfully follow in the footsteps of the Wii.
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