Nintendo: Project Cafe - Wii U

[equalsign]

Question: Why would Nintendo announce a console not coming out until 2012, wouldn't it really hurt the Wii's sales until then? We still have a Christmas season before its "release date", what would they gain by announcing it now?

DSi XL .. meet the announcement of the 3DS.

Facetiousness aside, I can't imagine that sales of Wii hardware will be buoying Nintendo along through this Christmas season. Have you seen the January - June Wii release list? The 3DS has completely cannibalized it. How many more people can Nintendo sell a Wii to, anyway? We need some Wii software to look forward to .. Wii Play Motion, hurray! Well, you say, look at the Virtual Conso-- I mean the WiiWa-- hmmmm. When stacked up against the competition, Nintendo isn't offering anything except a port of an N64 game that requires (they are clearly banking on) a new system purchase.

Bleh.

Yeah. With so little upcoming software I don't know how they'll suport Wii owners through to Christmas 2012. Maybe they're trying to starve us all into buying 3DS'. At least with so much warning publishers (is anyone publishing Wii games anymore?) and games might not get as badly screwed (Ghost Trick). I guess they could surprise us by bringing over some of those recent Nintendo published Wii games such as Pandora’s Tower, Xenoblade, and The Last Story. Also, if they release Earthbound on the Virtual Console I'll gladly shut the hell up and wait patiently through a year long drought. It's not like there isn't enough of a back catalogue for any person who's willing to look.

[YoshiEgg25]

Also, if they release Earthbound on the Virtual Console I'll gladly shut the hell up and wait patiently through a year long drought.

That won't happen. There's way too much they'd need to change to avoid copyright violations these days.

[equalsign]

Also, if they release Earthbound on the Virtual Console I'll gladly shut the hell up and wait patiently through a year long drought.

That won't happen. There's way too much they'd need to change to avoid copyright violations these days.

I know. Basically I'm saying that I won't stop moaning about the lack of Wii releases. Likelihood of Nintendo releasing Earthbound < odds of Segagaga translation being released.

[Weekend_Warrior]

Question: Why would Nintendo announce a console not coming out until 2012, wouldn't it really hurt the Wii's sales until then? We still have a Christmas season before its "release date", what would they gain by announcing it now?

Well, as far as we know there aren't many big upcoming Wii games in the pipeline right now anyway. So by announcing it now, it gives them a chance to build the hype and let all the industry insiders and third-party developers know what they've been working on for the next gen, because in this day and age it's bound to leak to them and all of us eventually. Might as well do it at E3 - the biggest Stateside video game convention.

Also, let's face it... Nintendo has actually had over 5 years to work on "their next console" considering how underpowered the Wii was. So if the console sees an early 2012 Spring release (March/April like the 3DS), then I think revealing many of the details 9 months or so ahead of time is fairly adequate.

[Pichu]

I'm not believing anything until I see Iwata showing me with his own hands. I just don't like the idea of screens in my controllers.

[Rurouni_Fencer]

I remember about a year into the Wii's debut - Nintendo made it clear that they were not in competition with Microsoft and Sony when it came to their home consoles. Instead, they focused on creating an innovative and easily accessible product that not only your parents would want to play, but your grandparents as well. Suffice it to say, Nintendo were well aware of the gap in graphics when compared to a PS3 or a 360.

My point is thus - Until we see what they have planned, I wouldn't get any hopes up on them even competing again with the next-gen market, let alone being a PS3 or 360-killer. They have re-established themselves in the minds of the non-gamer consensus with the Wii, and I doubt very much that they are going to look to deviate from what they started with the Wii.

The name 'Project Cafe' brings to mind interaction, populated lobbies, and hip technology that conforms to arts and society. Based on Nintendo's track record of improving upon the previous generation's technology, I expect a better CPU and graphics processor, both a significant and serious attention to multiplayer interaction, (knowing Nintendo, not only confined to gaming - after all, there has to be something to the name 'Cafe',) and a more in depth embrace of multimedia outside the scope of games, (music, video, etc.)

Nintendo's been at the console business for 25+ years, and regardless of all of the family-friendly shovelware that found its way onto the Wii and the cries of some people claiming they betrayed their hardcore audience, they still managed to serve up games that cater to the hardcore gamer that grew up with the early Nintendo systems, (New Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby: Epic Yarn, the entire Virtual Console service.)
Maybe Project Cafe has this type of gamer in mind - as if to say "we've grown up with you, as well!"

Maybe I'm reading too far into it, but these are just some of my thoughts on the new system. And, as with every new Nintendo hardware announcement, I'm excited to see what they plan on doing next!

[BurningDoom]

I like the sounds of it. But I don't want to get too excited, because I know how these announcements sound so much cooler than they end up actually being.

[the King]

I dunno...

Six inch touch screen? On the controller? The thing is gonna be massive. That just doesn't sound right to me.

People bitched about the original Xbox controller. This would be bigger.

There must be details here that are missing or being misunderstood somewhere along the line of information.

Let alone how much any extra controller with all that jazz would cost.

[BlackDS]

6 inch screen inside the controller is not happening. The DSiXL had 4.2 inch screens, that that is plenty big enough. Come to think of it, I would like to be able to use my 3DS as the controller for my Nintendo WiiWii

[Dakinggamer87]

I'm definitely interested and looking forward to finding out about the new hardware!!