mortono said:
A Wii HD would have to be a direct successor. When you update graphical capabilities, content is made that is exclusive to the new system. This forces people to buy new hardware and is the definition of a "new generation". The GBC and DSi both have boosted graphical capabilities, yet neither is typically seen as a new generation. Both have exclusive, content, too. The question is, how interesting would it be to previous Wii owners to have a new Wii that only had the addition of HD graphics and nothing else. They didn't buy the PS3 or 360, so why would they buy a Wii HD? About as interesting as adding color, or perhaps some cameras. Some people will jump on board, others won't see a need to. Also, a very large portion of Wii owners skipped the other two systems because the Wii was the only one targeted to them. This is like arguing that no one would buy a DSi because they didn't buy PSPs. And for 360 and PS3 owners, who's to say that they would suddenly be convinced to switch over to the Wii? They would most likely stick with the consoles that already have ample HD content and higher quality online support. Nintendo doesn't, and shouldn't care about fans of their competitors. They have always focused on their own business, and that's why they made more money at their least successful point than Sony has at their most successful point. The install base for a 'Wii HD' would be absurdly low because of this. 3rd party developers, as easy as it would be for them to port over their HD content, would deny Nintendo support (as they did with the Gamecube and N64) and blame it on the low install base. Same with DSi and Gameboy Color. Or Wii Fit or Wii Motion Plus. The idea isn't to sell hardware for software's sake but to sell hardware for hardware's sake. Nintedo makes a lot of money doing that and whether peopel wnat to admit it or not that's actually a good thing for the future of gaming. Don't get me wrong, Nintendo will at some point release a new console with HD graphics capabilities. But that will be the last thing on everybody's mind when it is revealed. It will have something else like 3d, motion controls, or touch controls, that sets it apart from everything else of the market. Actually, you've gotten me wrong. You see, it's not about releasing a new system at all. It's about releasing an updated Wii that has just enough benefits to entice people to make a small upgrade or to get a few extra dollars out of new adopter because there's not much reason in not buying the superior version. Again, think DSi, GBA SP, or GBC. It could litterally be nothing more than a Wii with a built-in upscaler and it'd be enough to extend lifetime Wii sales by a couple of years. As for the current Wii system, all Nintendo needs to do is make awesome, new motion control content and they will extend the life of their system. It also wouldn't hurt to improve their online support, the shopping channel, etc. But they don't need a Wii HD for that (a simple firmware upgrade should do). Unfortunately that's not quite true. Sales are already dipping, and while Nintendo has a couple years left in the system's life they could be reaching new highs instead of giving upso much ground to the competition. You have to also understand, that if Hardware sales decline too much there is little reason to continue supportign it from Nintendo's stance, and typically declines in hardware sales are merely precursors to declines in software sales (which Nintendo is seeing). With added focus being needed for 3DS and 3rd party support never fully earned, a situation that could have potentially been averted if a relaunch w/ WM was properly supported, it's very unlikely that sales won't continue to decline from here on out. |
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