That's true, when you have nothing to compare it to, we all thought PSone graphics were a blessing, and now they are absolutely horrid.

Not the majority

A large percentage, not the majority but a very large percentage in 2006, today I believe 70% of U.S households if not more own an HD TV.

Where the hell did you get that number? Seriously, where the hell did you get that? The HDTV penetration is barely at 50% now (since the recession slowed the adoption rate momentum, from the very reports of all the companies selling them). There is no way it could have been the majority of households back then.

If it was, Nintendo would have gone HD, as there would have been an audience.

Ha! Good one. *nudge*

leo-j, I think the PS1 is a bad example. It aged bad because the first 3D games, well, simply look like crap. They always have. Honestly, one of the reasons I never got a PS1 was because I couldn't stand the graphics. Many of its games look worse than SNES stuff (polished 2D).

Take the DS, for example. Most people don't seem to have a problem with it, even while it competes with the PSP, which is far more powerful (an entire gen ahead). As long as one picks a graphic style that is advantageous to the hardware (as opposed to always striving for realism), most people won't mind.

Mark Reign of Epic recently said about half of Gears players played it on HDTVs. Also around the time, the Elite 360 dropped HDMI cable packaging.

Wii HD is needed so that we HDTV owners can further enjoy our HDtv's, cuz thus far wii's graphics just won't do...last generation those graphics were good, in fact they were excellent but times change and so do standards...the new visual standard is that of HD consoles...but hey this is my opinion as a HDtv owner.

I'm sure there will be those who still still use their tube tv's who will have an opinion contrary to mine, and that I understand, what I don't understand is some who have a HDtv, and yet are against Wii HD, I mean with a stance like that they may have aswell just stayed with their old tube tv, at least then they have a leg to stand on when they talk...just saying.

my 2 cents.

The reason Nintendo didn't put in HD is because it was too expensive. The price would have been to much for the mainstream audience. Then the wii would have ended up like the PS3 - forced to do painful pricecuts. Besides HD penetration is not even that big now. I sure wasn't then.

What makes you think adding (at least) 100 dollar to the launch price of the wii would have been succesfull?

I agree with Stefan. Nintendo is firmly a gaming hardware company that specializes in console gaming at a competitive, affordable price for parents. $250 US was the right sweet spot. Nintendo doesn't use the razor and blades business model. They don't sell their hardware at a loss. And if you want a $250 console that's not sold at a loss in 2006, it can't be HD. Nintendo made the right choice. It sucks for so-called core gamers that the Wii doesn't have stronger third-party support but Nintendo is making the most profit and they have the largest market share so they don't really need more of that so-called core gamer pie. I endorsed Nintendo right at the start of the generation because of their competitive price point and their focus on gaming (as opposed to Blu-Ray and other extras). But after seeing the third-party support go mostly to the HD consoles, I decided to get a HD console.

All the higher ups, from Miyamoto to Iwata, have been hinting that their next console will be featuring 'HD' graphics. Even Miyamoto himself has stated he hopes the next console will go in that direction as well as it will have graphics 'in better competition to its competitors'.

But as for releasing a HD 'Wii', its just not going to happen. Its been dismissed by everyone, including Reggie just 2 days ago. And its pretty clear why. Even if they released a new Wii, it wouldn't change their position with third parties. They need to work on the software end, not the hardware. And if Third Parties don't want to work on the Wii altogether, then they just need to bring out a new console sooner, all the while making bank off the current Wii.