It would be REALLY smart for Nintendo to launch Wii HD now. They'd put out a box that's HD-ready, perhaps as powerful as 360 and could still be $250. Keep the Wiimotes, all the peripherals still work, and everything keeps going just as it was.
They'd take a hit in their net profit per console for now, but they'd add 6 years of viability to Wii right now, when Wii is at its apex, and they'd steal PS360's graphical thunder. WiiHD could still see the flood of casual titles, but additionally a number of higher-powered offerings.
The key would be to treat it like PSP-3000. This isn't a new console; it isn't Wii 2. It's just that Wii now supports HD, and some future HD games may not work with older units. This is basically the SAME thing they did with DSi. It would work.
