Well I'm sure they will as they will want to compete. But the reason the Wii had to be so under powered is Nintendo was trying to make a statement. Gaming was going to change and this is how it was going to change. If Nintendo had made the Wii on the same power levels of the PS3 or 360 with the motion controls then what would have happened? The Wii would have been seen as a console just like PS3 and 360 with a little motion controller on the side. If that happened then the Wii would have done nowhere near as well as it did now. They had to make the statement that the Wii is about this new way of playing and developers had to adapt to that. They were not just going to use it as a 3rd platform like the GC was used.
Now that they have that motion controller as the front option, it is only smart to move on to the next generation with a more powerful console. Developers and gamers already grasp it as the systems that have motion controls and now with some more power under the hood. Not to mention they will have to have some separation in terms of hardware from the Wii. Just can't have another Wii with a new control setup as eventually those will stop working. I expect the N6 to be a much more powerful system with a bunch of things that 360 and PS3 have now but still spreading the focus of the machine into this motion sensing and new way of playing strategy. Not to mention, they understand they aren't getting huge support from the developers. But imagine if they could take that all away simply by having their next machine on the similar power levels.
So I certainly expect Nintendo's console to be a lot more powerful. Nintendo has never been one to back down in the power department aside from Wii of course. Gamecube and N64 were definitely powerhouses. But like I've always said, the Wii has always been a console to lead into something else. Nintendo has openly admitted this with their strategy. A console that is meant to disrupt the industry and bring it somewhere else. Wii to disrupt the industry and bring on something else. This is their strategy and they will bring on something else that Wii is leading to. Not the same for DS which was meant to be the disruptor and the end product and Nintendo has played that very very well.
Next generation is not going to be as clear cut but it's going to be interesting. Will have Nintendo with their N6 which might just be a more powerful Wii with some extra features. Same on the next MS console. Might be just a 360 with Natal or other "wii similar" features. And then of course Sony might just stick with PS3. Will be interesting but we'll see how it unfolds. I expect in 2010 (mainly at E3) Nintendo and MS to start detailing their next consoles and how to change the market further.
