Andrew Man wrote:

I predict Nintendo to announce a new console (or an updated Wii) at this years E3. With Sony and Microsoft readying their own motion control devices, Nintendo has to catch up, now would be the time. The new console will have to be HD compatible and have some sort of upgradable hard drive if they don't want to be left behind at this point. Their original argument for not including HD on the Wii I feel is valid, but that was three years ago and HD has penetrated many more homes.

They've sold about as many Wiis as they possibly can. It's time to move on. If Nintendo doesn't show a new console at E3 2010 and have it available by November, they're in serious trouble.

GPFontaine wrote:

They don't need a new console. They need more games. Companies like Nintendo lose money on hardware. Software is where the cash is. Make more software, people will buy it. Make a new Zelda/Mario/Metroid/Castlevania every year. People will buy them. EVERY FUCKING TIME.

Companies LIKE Nintendo lose money on hardware. Nintendo does not. One of the reasons the Wii was designed the way it was was because Nintendo was able to sell it AT A PROFIT. That is also one of the reasons that the third party quality control has been less than vigilant; Nintendo was making money off every Wii sold.

They can no longer do so. When the Wii came out, it was, what, $100 cheaper than its closest competitor, an HD-less 360? Now XBox and PS3 have closed the price gap significantly. And the PS3 technology has aged significantly better than the 360 and Wii technology. Also, the Wii's online strategy is broken. Maybe it can be fixed, but at this point, it would be too little, too late. They need a new system with:

A) High definition
B) An online system that doesn't require fucking friend codes for every goddam game
C) An actual hard drive
D) Improved hardware capabilities

The Wii was designed for diversity, and that diversity simply isn't there right now. The limited space and lack of high definition prevent the system from attracting many of the A-List titles that get a dual PS3/360 release. You think Capcom wouldn't have released SF4 or RE5 on the Wii if it were viable? Of course they would have.

Ky-Guy wrote:

D.) What do you mean by "improved hardware capabilities?" If you're referring to the fact the the system memory gets "corrupted" after doing Wii Fit for over a year, then yeah, they need to work on that.

Wait... WHAT? Should I stop playing Wii Fit? Link please.

I mean it needs better hardware. The 360 version of Dead Rising can render something like 800 zombies at once. The Wii version can only render 100 at once, due to the technical limitations of the system, and you sometimes get a little bit slowdown at 100.

Nintendo's argument against HD is bullshit. If they don't want to make games in HD, that's fine, they don't have to. But third party developers have shown that they are going to make games in HD with or without Nintendo, and they don't seem to put anywhere as much effort into the non-HD title they produce for Nintendo, despite the shorter development period they require. In fact, these companies spend so much time, money, and resources on HD games, they don't have the time, money, and resources to make Wii games. Nintendo is at a crossroads, and what they do next will make or break them. On the console front, they are facing a perfect storm of poor third party support, outdated hardware, and strong competition within their price range.

Look, I love the Wii. And I love most of the games Nintendo has made for it. But they have not redefined the market, and they have not captured the imagination of third party developers. Game developers still want to make really, really pretty games that you play through once in 15 hours, then trade in for something else. And people still want to play them. And to be successful, Nintendo needs to get into that market. Right now, their market consists mostly of casual gamers, non-gamers, and fanboys. And they've made some good money doing that. But they need to get back into the market that made then a household name from 1985-1995: ACTUAL GAMERS. And to do that, they need a console that's capabale of running the sort of games those people want to play. And the Wii simply isn't.

Again though, just because your system HD-compatible, that doesn't mean that every fucking game needs to be in HD. If Nintendo doesn't want to make HD games, they don't have to. But since Konami, Capcom, and Namco already are making HD games and seem to be largely focused on doing so, Nintendo ought to give them the option of making HD games for them.