The official announcement isn’t until June 7th, but we’ve tapped up industry insiders to get the scoop on what the Wii 2 will be packing. Read on for all the details on its amazing new controls, how powerful it is, and what kind of games we can expect.
It’s not out until next year, so official details on the Wii 2 are scant, with Nintendo chief executive Satoru Iwata only offering the rather enticing statement, “It will offer a new way of playing games within the home.” But thankfully industry insiders are more prepared to spill the beans on Nintendo’s next gen console.
There seems to be a fair consensus that the controls will be the biggest change from anything we’ve seen so far. “Industry insiders are all saying the controller will have a six-inch screen (about the same size as found on an Amazon Kindle), but with buttons down the side,” says Andy Robinson, deputy editor of CVG. “It’ll work like a mini iPad, for motion controlled gaming linked to the big screen, just like Real Racing 2 HD, but there are other possibilities too, and this being Nintendo, we’re sure to be in for a surprise.”
So what else could the screen on the control be used for? Robinson says you could play DS-style games on it without switching on the main console, or stream games straight to the controller. It could also sync with what you’re playing on the big screen, displaying extra info that usually clutters up your TV, such as health bars and ammo counters. You could even play multiplayer games on the controllers, rather than having to use a corner of the TV each, like in the GoldenEye days.
“The thing is, these are all fairly obvious uses for the screen,” says Robinson, “and you can bet on Nintendo thinking of something no one could predict.”
Jane Douglas, section editor at Gamespot, agrees the controls will be the big reveal come E3. She says some things you can gauge pretty accurately, “but the controllers are trickier to predict. There are plenty of rumours, including a controller with a touchscreen.”
So what else can we be certain about? Well if you want 3D you’d better stick to your 3DS. “It’s pretty easy to rule out 3D,” Douglas says. “Nintendo isn’t keen on the kind of 3D that requires glasses.” She reckons the prevalence of high definitions screens means it’ll definitely be HD, to keep up with the competition. “HD is a safe bet. So many more people are hooking their consoles up to a HDTV now than when the original Wii launched, visuals at anything less than high definition aren’t going to cut it.”
There are also hints it’ll be much more powerful than the original Wii, and that extra graphical prowess implies games of a more adult nature. “Everything Nintendo’s done recently has pointed to it trying to win back the hardcore gamers,” says Robinson, “so hopefully it’ll finally stop making games aimed at my nan. And that’s a pretty exciting prospect.
“I think it’ll be backwards compatible with Wii games, be HD, and be about as powerful as the Xbox 360,” he continues. “Nintendo doesn’t make hardware at a loss, like other console makers, so it’s never going to make a games machine that’s too ridiculously powerful.”
June 7th can’t come soon enough, we’re sure you’ll agree.
