Apparently, an employee of Nintendo’s marketing division in France has let slip that the company will be bringing out a new console next year.
The original leak appeared on Logic-sunrise.com, a French website, and was republished by Maxconsole.
According to the leak the ‘Wii 2’ will be released in the third quarter of 2010, and current Wii owners will be able to trade their console in for a discount. The Wii 2 is rumoured to feature a Blu-ray player, and it is widely speculated that this has been added to combat piracy on the console.
The console will reportedly be able to render up to Full HD resolutions (1080p) in both movies and games.
Why it may be true
Although this information is still very much a rumor, there a few reasons that we should consider it seriously.
Firstly, it would make sense for Nintendo to bring out a new console next year. Of the three current generation console makers, Nintendo has turned the greatest profit in recent years. This puts them in a position where launching a new console is a feasible option.
Sony in particular only now seem to be hitting their stride with PS3 sales on the rise, and Microsoft also still stands to profit from sticking with the Xbox 360 for a few more years. The Wii on the other hand is looking dated, with sub-HD rendering, no Blu-ray and generally less impressive technology.
Therefore, a hardware revision may be just what the company needs to reassert itself as the dominant console manufacturer. Last month, for the first time ever, the PS3 outsold both the Xbox 360 and the Wii, a telling sign that Nintendo may need to rethink its strategy going forward.
Finally, with ever increasing piracy rates, Nintendo would be wise to follow in Sony’s footsteps by implementing a Blu-ray drive. Of all current gaming platforms, it is no secret that the PS3 has been the least affected by piracy due to its unique disk drive. With the cost of Blu-ray technology on the decline, Nintendo will be able to implement it in the Wii 2 without driving the costs of production too high.
According to Maxconsole, their source – a user known as ‘Artik’ on Logic Sunrise – is known for having access to ‘inside information’ and has proven accurate and reliable in the past.
Why it may not be true
As expected, Nintendo has remained mum on the issue. If the rumor is true, then announcing the Wii 2 so early in advance will only hurt current Wii sales by encouraging users to wait until next year. Therefore, we should not expect any confirmation from the company any time soon. However, until Nintendo confirms the rumour, it remains just that.
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