Quote:
Originally Posted by Kraetos
Robo I've been meaning to ask you this: is the next Nintendo system going to have decent graphics/HD video/a controller I work with my thumbs and not my wrists? I just want my Mario and Zelda games as, ya know, normal video games and I'm sick of this Wii bullshit. Kids. Lawn. Off. That kind of thing.
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My best guess is this:
The new controller will be a very low-end (low-res, resistive) game tablet. Everybody making mockups of like a Gamecube controller with a little touchscreen in the middle are way off, in scale if nothing else; the size of the screen will necessitate a flatter, squarer controller (think something that "matches" the current Wii Remote). It will have a d-pad on one side and ABXY buttons on the other, but probably no analog sticks. This "Wii Pad" will be both a controller for the Wii and a stand-alone device that will play games exclusively from Nintendo's eShop. It will form the lowest-end prong of Nintendo's hardware portfolio. The Wii 2 will come with one, and additional Wii Pads will probably cost about $129, making them much cheaper than the 3DS or NGP.
I say "new controller" because I think the Wii 2 will still use the Wii Remote for some games, especially multiplayer-focused titles, where requiring players to own four Wii Pads would be prohibitively expensive. Current Wii Remotes will work, as long as they're Wii Remote Plus models or have a MotionPlus attachment, which will become standard for Wii 2 games.
Basically, the Wii Pad will be a new attention-getting feature to keep the Wii 2 from being "just" as Wii HD, since apparently every Nintendo console has to have a revolutionary controller now; also, it will (as a stand-alone device) help them in the fight against Apple in mobile gaming. It will be a new control option, sort of like the Balance Board was, although it should be supported by many more games.
The Wii 2 will be HD, though. It won't use blue-laser discs, and it probably still won't play DVDs, but it'll have Netflix and maybe a video store.
Pricing won't be announced at E3, but I don't believe the rumors that the Wii 2 will cost $400+ or whatever. It will probably be ~$299 upon launch next year.
Just my guesses. I'll probably look totally wrong on Tuesday, but hey
