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While the following videogame prediction should be kept securely in the realms of fantasy until further notice, the industry watchers over at Australian site GamePlayer.com.au have claimed that Nintendo will launch a successor to the Wii in 2010.
Is Nintendo preparing a Wii upgrade for 2010? Image: Nintendo.
And how has GamePlayer formulated this vision of the future? Well, the team offers up its “educated guess” after looking at the dates that correspond to major platforms released by the Japanese gaming giant over more than 25 years.
Specifically, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was launched in 1985, the original Game Boy in 1989, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1991, the Nintendo 64 in 1996, the GameCube in 2001, various models of the DS between 2004 and 2008, and the Wii in 2006.
When viewing the pattern of home console releases, it would appear that Nintendo is in the habit of delivering a new hardware platform every four or five years, which would suggest something fresh from the production line in 2010 or 2011.
Yet, with Nintendo still selling Wii units at a breakneck pace more than two years since it launched, a new slice of hardware in the next 18 to 24 months would surely only result in it undercutting its own position in a market where it is dominating the competition.
Addressing this point, and clearly keen not to place all of its forward-looking eggs into one basket, GamePlayer notes that while 2010 could see the emergence of a fully-fledged Wii 2 console, Nintendo’s established willingness to tweak consoles such as the DS and GameBoy may see it release something akin to a Wii 1.5.
GamePlayer boldly claims that any updated Wii will “undoubtedly include DVD support, higher resolutions and more memory.” And the team doesn’t stop its overhaul detailing there, offering that the Wii’s successor will also carry a camera, microphone, and improved online integration.
Citing existing development quotes made by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, GamePlayer holds firm to the belief that, “a Wii 2 is definitely in production,” but the 2010 Nintendo offering will likely be an upgrade as opposed to an all-out replacement.
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