jarrod said:
Wii 2 may actually help both games in Japan. DQVII being launched so soon after PS2's introduction in Japan seemed to actually help it attract attention thanks to backwards compatibility (and no real launch games worth bothering with). Having a ton a new Wii 2's out there driving sales may be just what Zelda/DQX need to help combat the general Wii malaise in Japan.
Anyway, an E3 announcement wouldn't surprise me, but if it happens then we're looking at a spring 2012 launch for the west (similar to the 3DS timeline). They could do it, but I sort of question if Nintendo's internal teams and external partners will really have enough ready to go by then in terms of games... more likely I expect some more Wii announcements (Pokemon BR2, Pikmin 3, Mario Golf, possibly Star Fox, etc) to carry it through E3 2012, with Wii 2 being announced first around TGS, revealed around GDC, playable at E3, for an eventual summer (Japan) / fall (west) 2012 launch. Nintendo may also tie the first announcement to their financial calendar instead, depending on how their stock fares through the year. For what Wii 2 actually is, I'm expecting a PS3-plus spec chipset (likely from IBM/AMD again), 1080p/i/3D standard, Blu-ray drive, modest flash drive (say 8GB) with SD card expandability, full Wii backwards compatibility (Wii, WiiWare, Virtual Console) but no GameCube, similar control setup (Wii Remote Plus & Nunchuck) though the Nunchuck will likely have additional motion sensors and the remote should have a biofeedback sensor (aka: Vitality Sensor) built in, 3D camera in the sensor bar, eShop and other channel services, universal friend code, probably a Classic Controller (Pro-ish) and Wii Sports 3D disc bundled in, all for about $299. The big "hook" imo is going to be the biofeedback based expanded gameplay functionality, which is something Valve seems to coincidentally be talking about, while the HD/3D visual upgrade, improved online functionality and evolutionary camera/gyro controls take more of a backseat promotion wise. Biofeedback should be Nintendo's next big differentiator, though if it takes off you can probably expect it grafted on to PS4 and Xbox 3 a year or three down the line. |
If we do get a showing at E3, it would probably be a FULL unveiling of the console. Nintendo may also hold events around the globe for launch titles and stuff (like they are doing with the 3DS). If the Wii2 does launch in 2012, it may lack launch games, because most Nintendo teams are busy with the Wii and 3DS.
If the Wii gets fully revealed in 2012, your release plan seems pretty accurate.
On the topic of the console itself, I don't expect the Wii2 to be a Wii 1.5. Nintendo may go with IBM/ATI again, but somthing tells me they willwork with Intel, or Toshiba to make a Wii2 specific engine that is about twice as powerful as the PS3, or more, and has shaders, and all that stuff.Nintendo has said that it will be HD, but 3D may not be in it. Unless 3D TVs get a major price drop, I doubt the Wii2 will support it. It will probably use a modified Blu-Ray format to avoid licensing fees to the DVD Consortorium. My guess is that it will have at least a 40 GB flash/hard drive, but it depends on how Nintendo adopts digital distribution.
I'm betting it may or may not have GC backward compatibility through VC (again, it depends on Nintendo's stance on digital distribution), but GC disc compatibility is a given. Everything else you said, I agree with
