| HappySqurriel said: What if Nintendo's "Answer" to Microsoft and Sony's motion controllers isn't a device for a home console? What if Nintendo's DS replacement is announced at the next E3 (before Sony and Microsoft release their add-ons) and is a mind blowing re-imagining of a handheld gaming device?What if this device interacted with the Wii in a way that re-ignited people's interest in the Wii in a way that an add on device never could? I ask this because far too many people get far too caught up in the "Console Wars" and have to respond to a "threat" in a symetrical fashion; which isn't (necessarily) true. |
You raise a very good point here. They don't have to respond to their competition in that manner. However, in the handheld space they have a very iterative strategy. Gameboy -> gameboy color -> gameboy advance -> Gameboy advance SP-> DS -> DS lite -> DSi. This is because handhelds don't have the physical lifespan of home consoles for various reasons. So based on their previous work the next handheld should be designed as a generational system, like the GBA -> DS transition was. However with the DSi new on the market, it makes it hard to predict when they will release its replacement.
Since they don't seem to release their handhelds and their consoles in the same year and they would not be expected to release a new Wii until 2011, they could definately release a new handheld system in 2010. In many ways it would make sense for them to do that. It would give them up to two years where they could be assured that the Nintendo Wii would not be replaced so they could focus on that system. Also as you said, it could be something that they could tie into the Wii or Wii replacement in some way. Btw, how successful has the PSP/PS3 tie in for Japan been?
Tease.
