Topic: The NEW Wii U (Predictions)

Yeah, this would be a new machine.....If they did this, they might as well wait until the end of this life cycle and make it even more powerful (in 2017 or 2018)

@Haru17 @skywake I think you've both got some sound predictions there since Nintendo does appear to be shifting towards the idea of running the same software on handheld and portable.

I suspect you'll see a shift in the way the second screen is used on the next portable (if there is one) to make the games work better in a two-screen setup like the Wii U than past DS/3DS titles to accommodate this idea. I totally agree we're not likely to see a major overhaul in either platform just to keep R&D costs down and preserve that cash reserve as much as possible.

Unless IBM says they're pulling the plug on Power I don't see that any assumptions can be made about processor tech in the next home console. People are making a thing about PPC vs. Intel being responsible for losing a lot of 3rd party support, but really that's more of a compiler-level issue - it's not like the dev teams are writing machine code here. Platform optimisation is going to be a factor, to be sure, but that will be true even if they're using the same chips as the other systems - unless they dump any proprietary components and basically just try to sell a PC with a custom OS. Apple is often mentioned as an anectodal reason for Nintendo dumping PPC, but they moved away because they were looking at having a new, faster PPC generation every year and IBM was either unwilling or unable to meet their timetables; Nintendo doesn't have this problem. Running the same processor in the portable and console would appear to be a good solution, but you still have a big risk attached.

The biggest question for Nintendo is the risk associated with dropping backwards-compatibility that would be entailed in a platform shift away from PPC architecture - I rather doubt you'd get good enough performance to try running a Wii/Wii U emulator on a successor console system - certainly not at the modest price point they'd be aiming for. It would also be a more attractive upgrade if Wii U owners could just transfer their NNIDs and reconnect their hard drives and have their old game libraries - even if that would mean keeping Wii mode around.

Obviously I cannot speak for everyone, but I'm not a console collector; the reason the Wii U was a launch day purchase for me was because I could just swap out my old Wii and know that at a minimum I could play my old games and there was a very good chance I'd be getting the ability to play some decent new ones (which had been the case). If the next Nintendo console isn't backwards-compatible with Wii/Wii U then there's no way it's an automatic purchase for me and it would take more than a new Mario or Smash to sell me that system - I appreciate the quality they put into their games, but those titles aren't system-sellers for me and I honestly don't know what would be.

Not really. Most games don't really utilize the gamepad enough that they need to require it. Most Wii U games are Pro controller compatible too. The Wii's audience came from a controller that was intuitive and accessible. That's exactly what switching in the Wii Remote would make the system. I wouldn't call that audience unstable.

The WiiU did pick up sales but its still terirble, so please no... i dont think the WiiU trademark is salvageable at this point

Call it Nintendo or NES 2 and be done with the damn Wii trademark... maybe even Ultra Nintendo ? oh and for ffs dont make it less capable than the PS4 and XB1, if anything just wait untill the PS5 and XB2 and make it comparable

go back to old roots, to what people remember the most

I keep hearing this suggestion, and it drives me nutty. Let me bold this for emphasis. Maybe caps as well.

NINTENDO WILL NEVER LAUNCH A VERSION OF THE WII U WITHOUT THE GAMEPAD.

Seriously, please stop posting this. They are not going to remove a piece of the system that is so thoroughly embedded in both the system and the system's public image.

I don't think releasing a version of the Wii U without the gamepad is a good idea. They just need to actually develop games that use it. I was kind of surprised when Mario Kart didn't use the gamepad as a rearview mirror, or that most shooters don't use it to aim.

If there's going to be a 'new' Wii U, it's either just going to be a smaller, more refined gamepad, or they could try putting the entire system in the controller and streaming everything to the TV wirelessly rather than the other way around like it is now.

There you go. If I didn't already own one, I'd definitely go for that.

Yeah, that's not a particularly good idea. On the one hand you'd actually be able to turn it into a proper portable console and that would be cool. On the other hand you've now inherited all the limitations of a portable console including battery life, storage, weight, heat dissipation and so on......

Yeah, I'm sure being sold something roughly the same again will absolutely regain an audience of 90 million.
Not gonna happen. Motion controls were just a one time gimmick. They made their money. Unless they can somehow push the concept forward to new amazing heights, it's pretty much dead. And bear in mind they're gonna have VR to compete with, which a lot of people are saying is shaping up to be pretty awesome.

Terrriblleeeee idea. What's the point? It'd have to be the heaviest controller in the history of gaming to produce something equivalent at the same graphical level. That power would be mostly wasted when you're away from the TV because shrinking 1080p onto a gamepad-size screen is just a waste. You can't detect that kind of detail on a smaller screen. When you're at a TV, you might as well have something you can plug in anyway. And the battery to run a full Wii U power console as a portable would be absolutely insane. The Wii U would run the 3DS battery empty in a few minutes I'd bet (someone can do the calculations, I can't be bothered)

@Dezzy
Actually in a few years and we'll be pretty close to Wii U -ish level visuals in portable consoles. And higher resolution displays at that size are pretty worthwhile, the GamePad could be a fair bit better. What's pretty average about the idea is that by doing it "the other way around" you really limit what can be done. By the time a Wii U -ish level portable is doable you'll be able to do A LOT more than that again in a machine that's the size of the Wii U.

edit: also worth adding. The Wii U GamePad is running on wireless N which is pretty limiting and probably a large part of what limited them to 480p on the GamePad. Amongst a lot of other factors. With wireless AC being able to double, triple the bandwidth or more? A future revision of the GamePad idea paired with a bit more horsepower could be very impressive.

Because kids and casuals of today find it much more intuitive to aim at the TV with a stick than to click on a tablet?