http://www.computerandvideogames.com/289446/wii-2-thq-nods-to-possible-nintendo-announcement/

THQ boss Brian Farrell has indicated that a Wii 2 announcement from Nintendo this year wouldn't be a great surprise to the publisher.

Speaking in a financial presentation at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference yesterday, the CEO said that THQ didn't expect new home console hardware "anytime soon from either Microsoft or Sony".

However, Farrell made a point of differentiating Nintendo from his forecast. He added: "It's difficult on Nintendo - we'll let them announce their new hardware."

Farrell was responding to a question from an investor on predicted console cycles. The shareholder said that new hardware announcements pushed up THQ's share price and "although it's great having great games, I'm here to make money on the stock".

Farrell countered: "And we're here for the same reason. To your point, it used to be that investors would play the console cycles - a new console would mean a period of hyper growth in the industry. 

"Now that games costs have gone up so much, these cycles have gotten longer, so it's harder to understand how to play the console cycle. The other thing that's difficult for investors, but we're starting to get more visibility on it, the transition we're going through right now, is more of the packaged goods to the digital. 

"And it's hard for people to understand: What does that really mean in terms of revenue profitability. Now we're seeing some of these business models emerge like free-to-play, hybrid, DLC as part of the console eco-system... People know get how that's going to work and they're going to make money from them."

He added: "We don't expect new hardware any time soon from either Microsoft or Sony. It's difficult on Nintendo - we'll let them announce their new hardware. 

"What we like about now is we've put most of our capital behind the 360 and PS3 for the next couple of years and that's where we think the action's going to be. So between those two platforms on the core side and the uDraw for us on the causal side, that's how we think we're going to make money."

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Hmm, sounds like he knows something from the way he said it. Does THQ know something?

Not within the launch window of 3DS

I don't think it's right around the corner, but the timing could fit with E3.

Don't see the point. The Wii is only doing bad compared to its past sales, otherwise its sales and software is enough to make sure it is a viable system for at least 2 more years.

I think this year would be too early for Nintendo to annouce new hardware.  The 3DS is being released and I don't think they want to draw attention away from it.  I am guessing that E3 of 2012 is when a possible new hardware annoucement from Nintendo will be made.

E3. Its after 3DS launch so it won't steal its thunder and with nearly all 3rd parties massively walking away from any core Wii development, Nintendo must push up the hardware so they can use tools built for PS360 and there fore not ignore Nintendo's console.

I've maintained 2012 would begin the next gen and I always said at least 2 of the 3 would launch then.

With PS3 and 360's sustained sales in 2010 and foreseable 2011, I think they'll both push off to 2013 while Nintendo will be out 2012 sometime. I expect E3 to be big for Nintendo.

Next Nintendo announced at E3 confirmed. Nintendo are geniuous, they will take the initiative as No. one again.

you're looking at it all wrong though, this is a business decision not a gamer decision.  in the business world you are either growing or declining and people only invest in growing markets.

take a look at this quote, "What we like about now is we've put most of our capital behind the 360 and PS3 for the next couple of years and that's where we think the action's going to be."   this right here is the mentality that nintendo has to be afraid of.

i honestly think nintendo is in a rough spot, if their next gen console is simular in specs to the ps360 then why would anyone want to get it instead of a ps360 with a library that eclipses that of the wii2.  but if the specs are really different (and that could be either raw processing power or the player interface) i really doubt they can convice publishers to choose nintendo over the ps360/npg or the 3DS/psp or apple/android. 

from the game publishing side we've entered a world where being really different is not a good thing.

Wouldn't it suck if Nintendo is going to release a brand new console for this Christmas season while Zelda Swords is coming out on old tech?

It's just wishful thinking on THQ's part, coupled with what kitler pointed out about having most of their capital invested in PS360, they're just wishing that Nintendo will punt something up to PS360 level so they can get more return on that capital investment with quick-and-dirty multiplats

Wii's got a few tricks up its sleeve potentially (Vitality Sensor, Dragon Quest X, and Skyward Sword), but after that, not so much. Nintendo could run those three together for one last powerful holiday season, and push onward next year

The issue, of course, is whether Nintendo's new console will overshoot PS360 power. I'd say so, at least as far as RAM goes, they could easily pump out something in the $300-range with 4x their memory at this point