Topic: Wii 2 ideas

if it were called the wii 2 id would be wiini(wee-nee) cause in japanese ni is 2! so wiini!(weenie)

Thinking about new control ideas and features that I would like to see implemented. I think Sony are onto a winner with their Eyetoy + Motion controller setup and the DSi has introduced some interesting uses of a camera on a console. I think the console-has-a-camera thing is an interesting idea that could be a novel default addition to the next Nintendo Home Console.

That brings me to another thought, include a room-speaker also. The Wii Speak thing is a pretty good idea but the main reason it isn't supported is because.... it isn't supported. Bundle it from the start and throw in a persistent VOIP feature (click on online friend, start chat, say "lets play this game", game loads, keep talking). At this point people start saying "slow down! this thing is going to get crazy expensive!". How much does a webcam and Wii Speak retail for? You can grab a fancy webcam for ~$30AU and Wii Speak costs ~$50AU. In comparison the Wii currently still costs ~$380AU and an OEM Blu-Ray drive costs $160AU. I think they can fit it in.

Obviously the thing will have the same mindset as the Wii. Low power consumption, cheap and small. I think that Tegra rumour could just as easily apply to the next Home Console. Something to think about.

/my 2c

Hmm. Friend Codes can go. I'd have no problem with one Code for all games (like the Wii Number). And extending on that, an overall Wi-Fi hub would be cool. If a friend is playing a game online it would display on the hub, and you can request to join them, or send an invite to them to join whatever game you're playing. Maybe a light on the controller or console would flash if you've got pending requests from friends, so it doesn't interrupt the game in progress, like the Wii does with messages. Then they can be viewed via the Home button.

The hub thing yes, the single code I am not so sure. If all Wii game saves are done in the same way and all have the same space and format for friend codes and friend rosters it could work. I don't know if that's the case.

A search function.

...or two.

To those wishing for a hard drive. Why?
A Solid State Drive would be so much better.

BETTER ONLINE FOR CHRIST SAKE

and HD. Then I'm happy. Oh and an actual racing genre too

Not that I care about new controls, cameras, etc, these are just accessories. Next Nintendo console should be 4 times or more as powerful as a current PS3 (ram, graphics, cpu, storage, etc) and at least equivalent in audio. For all that, "N" doesnt need too much I+D at all, current GPUs, CPUs and RAM are way more powerful than PS3 ones and quite cheap ATM. I would put I+D resources into a DVD or BluRay replacement, cardridge/SD card style. I really love the "old-style" cardrige of NDS, way way way better than any DVD, CD or similar. They just need to reach way higher access speeds.

I'll be happy if it includes:

Updated Mii feature
Ability to transfer purchased Wii Ware/Virtual Console games
As powerful as the rest of the next gen consoles so we can get better multi-platform games
Motion-Plus built in or something
Rechargeable batteries coming with the controller/built in
Very large storage device instead of putting everything on an SD Card

That would put it at the same price the PS3 was at launch..... and for what gain?

We have already past the point where everything can make visual sense in a game and we are very rapidly approaching the point where huge performance gains are producing minimal improvements. Somewhere in the middle of this generation we beat the old yardstick for video game performance... we can do Toy Story in real time now. What's the next yard stick and what advantages does it bring?

at what point do we say "hey, this looks good enough"

Personally, I am assuming/hoping that eventually the gaming industry will decide enough is enough. Consoles should already be starting to have lower costs and a longer shelf life and I am glad Nintendo have already put their foot down. Its about time the other guys and we do the same.

My computer is probably 4x as powerful as a PS3 and it was rather affordable at $880. If Nintendo buys wholesale parts they can decrease that sum substantially. Also, as the next N console probably won't be released for another 2 years or so, they should be able to release such a system at about the same price point as the Wii.

Load times should probably be of concern in the next wave of consoles.
I would like to see Nintendo do one of three things:
1. Move to digital only downloads and use an SDD drive. The feasibility of this is determined by the cost of SDD drives, and how much storage each game requires.
2. Move to digital only downloads. The downloads are stored on a Hard Drive and swapped to a SDD during gameplay.
3. Move to flash-drive format like the DS.

I just think that a 1x PS3 console in 2012, at about the size of the Wii, with low power consumption at $150-250US would be an easier sell and makes more sense than a 4x PS3 at $250-450US console. Especially when we are, as I pointed out, increasingly getting less and less out of these sort of improvements.

Although I do agree with your second point. Load times are easily the biggest candidate for tech advance on consoles. Disk based media is very, very quickly getting replaced by memory cards, thumbdrives, external HDDs and network storage. Its only a matter of time before the consoles move to this tech (probably memory cards/Network as you said) especially when you consider the requirements for console games. For music and movies optical media works because access times and transfer speeds don't really matter but for games these two things are very important.

So yeah, in terms of tech... I'm putting my money on a PS3-ish speed console with out a doubt at 1080p with a ~32GB SSD, an interesting new control scheme and possibly some media that's not an optical disk (SDXC!). I'm putting a ~2012 date on it. I expect Sony and MS (if they both stay in this game) to do a higher end and probably 2k res console (if 2k takes off) in 2014 unless they decide that Nintendo are onto something here...

I like my Wii just the way it is. Gosh, I had my NES for like 8 years before I even thought about getting a SNES. You people these days. You need to slow it down or we are all going to have to shell out $400 bucks every three years and then before you know it BOOM, time has flown by and we will all be crazy old. Take your time, enjoy the Wii.

TVs have been outputting at 1920x1080 and no higher for quite some time now. Some monitors display better resolutions, but I haven't seen any indication that any companies are working on a higher-def TV. Only time will tell, I suppose.

But I doubt we'll see anything higher than 1080p next gen... the big 3 will probably be really focused on speed.

1) Keep motion controls.
2) Tie the Shop Channel purchases to an account NOT to a particular Wii. That way, if your new Wii ever melts or you just buy a new one, you can simply redownload everything. This is a big hinderance to me whenever I consider buying a downloadable game.
3) Hardware that matches or exceeds competing consoles. How much more awesome would a new Mario or Zelda game be with powerhouse hardware under the hood? It almost makes me shudder, lol.
4) Backwards compatible with existing Wii games.

The ability to play movies and other non-gaming stuff really doesn't interest me. It would be neat, but not a must for me.

Here are my ideas. Warning, they are probably very unrealistic:

HARDWARE:

• Five times as powerful as the Playstation 3 and a rule that all games must be more powerful then Playstation 3 used 100%.
• Avoid high failure rate. Rushing the system can result in high amounts of failed consoles. One of the reason why I will never get an Xbox 360, let's hope Nintendo doesn't repeat this mistake next generation.
• Reasonable pricing. Remember how expensive the Playstation 3 was at launch? The console was a failure in it's early years. If Nintendo expects to avoid this, they need to keep the price at no higher then $400.
• Blu-Ray or at least DVD support. The lack of DVD support outraged me, next time, Nintendo will not be so lucky if they choose to skip on DVD support. I also recommend they add Blu-Ray support.
• Games definition support to at least 720p. Speaks for itself.
• Needs HD. Luckily, it's going to be getting it.
• Try to use a format beyond DVD's. If Sony let's Nintendo use Blu-Ray, Nintendo should take advantage of the oppertunity.
• Hardrive at least 30GB. Nintendo Wii hardrive was so patethic that Nintendo had to give us some kind of solution. Let it not be repeated again.

GAMES:

• Set some quality controls. The Nintendo Wii, while has tons of games, is flooded with shovelware. I know it's the same thing as in the NES day, but they need to control it and I would like to see some form of quality control and standards on the next console.
• No more shoddy ports. Another one of my complaints with the system is the huge amount of shovelware ports that could have been spent on an original game that was fun. Hopefully, this will change next generation.
• Have an equal balance between casuals and core games. Now even thought Nintendo's main focus is the casuals and I'm fine with that and that core support has been great, it would be nice if they did 50/50 support. Not too gritty, not to cute, but a balance in the middle. It'll get core and casual players enjoying the system.
• Bundle options. Having an Wii bundle is great, but it would be nice to choose your bundles. Have a deal for casual gamers, ones for pure Nintendo fans like me, and the core bundle.
• Western publishers supporting the Virtual Console. Not a single western company aside from Activision is supporting the system. Let's hope that changes soon.
• Fix the licensing/copyright issues. I cannot comprehend how much I hate this. Is it that hard to get a licensed game (Just one) on the Virtual Console? That's not including Lucasarts games.

ONLINE:

• Much better online. I personally think the Nintendo Wii has decent online, but it can be improved.
• Demo features for Virtual Console, new downloadable titles, and new retail titles. It'll encourage consumers to buy more products.
• More DLC support. It's nice to see games support it, but I am very disappointed that Nintendo is neglecting DLC support. I want to see full-fledge support, and that includes Nintendo.
• Better voice chat support. A few games are supporting it, that's nice. But what is it's future after Endless Ocean 2 and The Grinder? If it ends there, that that's a shame, for it had so much potential. It really needs support badly.
• The ability for a downloadable game to have up to 4 GB of space. It'll be able to support much larger games and more great games.
• Be able to invite friends. You should be able to invite people to be your friends, invite online friends to play with you, and vice versa.
• Better handling of Friend Codes. A twelve-digits friend codes for every game is unecessary. Try reducing it to ten-digits and only make us use it once.
• Let us have an option outside of Friend Codes. Almost everyone hates friend codes, so let's have an option outside of it for players thirteen and up. We should have gamertags or at least Nintendo's ID or something like that.

The next controllers should have batteries that recharge when you turn it off.
If that's possible.

Sooo...when do you wanna start at Nintendo?
Today, or after the Holiday season?
lol

@Chrono Cross: When I get an college degree in making video games and prepared to work at Nintendo as soon as possible.