With Nintendo expected to use today’s press event in San Francisco to spotlight the arrival of a new version of its market-leading DS handheld platform, gathering Internet chatter also suggests the Japanese gaming giant will reveal its plans for a successor to its groundbreaking Wii home console.
Rumours abound that Nintendo press conference will reveal news of new Wii HD console. Image: tico_24/Flickr.
According to What They Play, the “Wii HD” videogame console has been loitering on Nintendo’s creation schedule for quite some time and has already been banded about to its close development and publishing partners ahead of this week’s official announcement.
Despite being a huge hit with consumers since its launch in 2006, breaking down demographic barriers with its user-friendly motion-sensing controllers and its more casual software portfolio, the all-conquering Wii has still been criticised by some quarters.
For example, fingers have been pointed at the Wii for its relative lack of power and its failure to match the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in offering high-definition visuals; while other detractors have bemoaned the lack of a sizeable internal storage solution to allow for substantial downloads through Nintendo’s growing online service.
According to Eurogamer, the revamped Wii HD -- which is likely to arrive in 2011 -- will address both of those concerns and more by delivering high-definition graphics, a new and improved CPU, backwards software compatibility, digital distribution and a large onboard hard drive.
It remains to be seen whether Nintendo follows Microsoft and Sony in enhancing its digital distribution to include movie and television downloads, or whether its Wii HD will come equipped with the ability to play DVD or Blu-ray discs -- although the latter would require the adoption of Sony-backed technology.
Nintendo has not yet offered any official comment on the rumoured Wii HD, though industry watchers believe a clarifying statement will likely be released tomorrow alongside the unveiling of the third-generation Nintendo DSi.
As reported by The Tech Herald at the tail end of last week, the new DSi will look to pose more of a threat to the expansive mobile phone market by offering users access to a built-in digital camera and also music media playback.
See the new DSi in action by watching the official Nintendo video clip here.
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