Iwata Talks 3DS Expectations and Wii Successor

The way Nintendo has approached the hand held, that is the 3DS, is to have a very unique experience. The way it is built and the features it has attracts not only hardcore gamers, but also appeals more to the general public. A VERY smart move and VERY wise decision. Nintendo is stepping up it's game and i see a very bright future for anything Nintendo does from now on.

I hope Wii2 is backwords compatable with GCN and Wii and can transfer all VC/WW games

Nice, good thinking Iwata.

for some reason, im more excited about the camera than the games, but thats only probaly because it comes out alot sooner than the games that i really want.

I'm hoping that WHEN the new Wii successor comes out, not only is it backwards compatable with the Wii and GCN, not only can it transfer Virtual Console and WiiWare games, not only can it transfer my game SAVES, not only can it transfer other channels... but it can also have a side-slot for NES, SNES, N64, and Game Boy series titles! =P

Nice!

Well, the future looks bright for everybody. Even non-Nintendo gamers will be brightened by their future conversions.

@5 Yeah, I hate that games that have online capablities cannot be transfered via SD card. I would hate to have my wii loose all my data (since I can't back some of it up it's data), I have spent a lot of time on Brawl and Goldeneye.

@5 thats a lot of memory storage.

even though i have never complaned about the wii's graphics i think they need to upgrade them really soon. and while they are at it make more games that would get people from the ps3 and the 360 to really notice just how awesome of a system the wii is

Groovy! But, other co.s are already doing things non-gaming-specific w/ their handhelds, so Nintendo's jumping in mid-game to the does-more-than-games thing, kinda.

I agree about others needing to notice just how awesome the wii is, danschemen! I feel like I'm always having to explain to non-Wii owners just how great a system it is! No, it doesn't have the graphic horsepower as the other 2, but it offers so much else!

Seems like the Wii will be with us for another 3-4 years. Not that I mind though. I love that thing.

@ 5

Bit much, don't you think?

I kinda think that 3DS is the successor to Wii, but maybe that is just me. I like my Nintendo gaming on portables the best!

but they are losing people with their graphics so they do need a wiiHD

"We'll make decisions about a successor system at the time when software developers cannot offer surprises (on the Wii)."

Soo, the new Nintendo console will be confirmed at this year's E3?

@WolfRamHeart: Exactly what I was thinking

@y2josh only time would tell...
oh and for ppl who are unsure about the 3Ds potential..
Well i think that the 3ds has already broken the pre order record of the wii and there're tons of more promising games than on the ds. Oh and the ds games have been out for like 4+ years now so only in like a few years time can we really compare the success of the two consoles. Who knows? Maybe even sooner

Yep they do, they have to prove to all those buys why the next gen is that much better.

@19 Doubt it... we're still waiting for SS. I'd say maybe an announcement next year, I'd say it'd be too early to start hinting at a new console quite yet...

Besides, who knows what could happen at E3? They might even announce a whole new periphral for the Wii enticing more developers to develop.

I'd hate to see the Wii go without a bang though. It might be less powerful, but god blind me, its a heller lot more fun!

I love my little Wii...

@xDemon720x

They might even announce a whole new periphral for the Wii enticing more developers to develop.

Because developers have gotten all they can out of the Wii Speak and Wii Vitality Sensor. Oh wait...

Back on topic, as well as the range of DS handhelds have sold, I'm optimistically confident that the 3DS will perform even better. The effort that Nintendo is already showing in securing partnerships with companies outside of the gaming industry is a very good sign indeed. It should mean the services will not only be advertised by Nintendo, but by the companies they are working with too. Hopefully.

@tristenj1992: Dreams should be big.

Iwata is a brilliant tactful businessman. Sony could really learn some things by studying him. Nintendo knows how to market their products to the masses.

My god I need a 3DS. I'm so bummed that I wasted my money on an iPod touch, I should have just saved it for the 3DS.

So maybe the successor to the wii will come in a couple of years or so, Nintendo will dominate E3 this year with more games for 3DS, I think Nintendo are a clever company and they have many, many tricks up their sleeves. Sadly I don't see them going down the 3D route just yet, I don't know what the situation is like in Japan but the 3D televisions in the Uk are very expensive. So unless Nintendo have (has) found a way of displaying 3D graphics on the next gen console without buying a new TV then they will 'own' the industry for years to come.

I've been obsessed with Smash Bros. Brawl. It is the one game I play regularly on my Wii. There's just so much to do, secrets to unlock, challenges to master, etc. It's the perfect game!

And if anyone hasn't gotten Sonic Colors yet, go buy it now! It's phenomenal, it truly takes the best stuff from Unleashed (the high-speed stages and tight controls) and improves them in every way. The music is some of the best since the original Somic Adventure, and Sonics new voice suits him perfectly. And the graphics... Stunning.

Nintendo should be worried about what they have to offer in 2011. There's only five Wii games so far from this year that interest me (Taking into account games released in North America), which is really poor considering that 2007, 2009, and 2010 were great years with (yes I'm serious) 2008 being decent as well.

I am, however, going to start replaying my Wii games again. I feel that I haven't spent enough times on games that I do enjoy and I don't want to forget the reason why I love Nintendo's product so much.

I'm waiting for another Nintendo home system to hit market in 2012 and the 3DS can do better than the DS did with all the stuff it has.

Let's just stop buying Wii systems and they will release another one! hahahaaha

@WolfRamHeart: if not this year, then next year.

THe Wii is VERY underpowered and it's even hard to tell a Gamecube game from a Wii game... Nintendo 3rd biggest thing beside Innovation and fun factor is HORSEPOWER! Seriously make a DECENT powered system please. I have yet to see a Wii game with fully destructible environments and ragdoll physics. That ADDS ON TO THE FUN people, in case you haven't played a real next gen system. The 3DS looks great though.

" case you haven't played a real next gen system"

that's almost as insulting, biased and blatantly elitist as people who use the term "true gamers".

Nintendo CODENAME LIGHTNING will be out in 2012...

2013 the latest.

Anyhow, the 3DS is going to be my focus this year. I may even disregard the Wii, 360 and PS3 as I'm more of a handheld gamer. Always loved Gameboys and the DS. But the Wii was different. Ironically, I've spent more time with the Wii than I have with the DS, unlike the Gamecube where I played my Gameboy Advance more.

Brawl is the culprit when it comes to the amount of time I've spent on my Wii compared to the DS.

I have a feeling things will change when the 3DS comes out in 25 days

I'm not ready for a successor to the Wii

IDC what flaws this thing has. Or any system. I like it, and I'm gonna play it. I am not gonna complain.

If they could just pull in some more third party support, and promote their software better (DEMOS) the Wii could keep going for a while.

I don't see the other consoles launching new machines anytime soon. (What would they do?? :/ )

I think the 3ds will do better. The DS was primarily an rpg and platformer system. This new one already has quality fighting games survival horror games quality racing games and I'm sure some first person shooters will be on the horizon as well. Its already got a lot going for it and bring over all of Nintendo franchise games and you have a recipe for success. Some will also get it for its 3d movie capability as well as its camera. Add in hopefully advanced games to download in the future and you can't go wrong!!

@Wolf

I agree, I'd bet we'll see something at E3 this year, next year at the latest. X-mas 2012 would be my bet for release window.

Count me among those waiting for the new Wii or Wii successor. I'm glad WiiWare finally has a steady stream of demos but now I need a bigger SD card to buy the ones I like. 4gig built in like the Xbox sounds relatively inexpensive and seems reasonable. We have Lego SW on the Wii but after playing the new demo on the PS3 the graphics upgrade is VERY noticeable, doubt the Wii could come close. And yes the Wii is only 4 years old but very few HD sets were in homes back then so they made the right choice for then, but now you have to search far and wide to NOT buy an HD tv, with mostly HDMI ports. And surround sound systems to match those tvs could use an optical out. Nintendo doesn't need a new system as long as they have Just Dance games, but people with Kinect and Move will start to eat into that fanbase as well, so I think they should unveil a new system before people stop caring about the Wii and move on en masse to other "modern" consoles.

Just watched the new Zelda gameplay trailer. I'm not buying it until the new hardware comes out. Anybody who played - or saw the videos of - TP on the standard cables compared to component could notice the big improvement. I guarantee a bigger visual improvement when this game gets played on the new system, either this year or next. I can wait. The people making this game can not be so backwards looking that they aren't making this game HD an downgrading it for the Wii, similar to God of War on the PS2. And I'm not a Sony fanboi, I like the Wiimote much better than the Move. Links Crossbow Training calibrates much better than The Shoot, system integration is a 100 times better. But my 1080p 52" tv weeps when I play some 3rd party Wii games. The new console should be awesome, and it's time for Nintendo to move from the 2000's into the 2010's.

I can see their reasoning. 3ds to the greater masses and to be frank, I believe the wii potential hasn't been maxed out, at least not by 3rd parties.

I don't think developers have made enough party, sport, and mini games on the Wii. We need to see less RPGs and FPSs and more party games!

At the moment Nintendo is no competition for Playstation or xBox in the console wars. Kinect sports has really left Nintendo dead in the water and is a massively superior motion technology. I would say Nintendo needs a new console sooner rather than later, but there is no point rushing out a new console if it doesn't have something considerably better than what the current consoles offer. I find it hard to believe that a new system is released when software developers have nothing new to offer. If that is the case, I would say most developer have been scratching the bottom of the barrel for a while. Skyward sword promises unrivalled motion plus support, but again Kinect sports is probably better than motion plus out of the box.

It seems Nintendo always brings out a system first, then Microsoft and Sony try to one up it and release a system later. Too bad in that time, Nintendo gets the sales momentum they need to wipe the floor with more expensive and powerful systems.

EDIT: Don't want to come across as a Nintendo hater, 3Ds is amazing and I hope it hammers Apple's App Store. Also hope Apple's compulsory 3D iPhone response is 2 years away for when my contract is up

I suspect that the Wii will have a surge in the latter stages of its lifespan, much like the PS2 did, with a number of groundbreaking and interesting titles making their debuts. Remember, Katamari Damacy came out four years into the life of the PS2, and Shadow of the Colossus after five.

There's still life in the little white box yet, mark my words.

If anything I think developers need to make more puzzle games or bring back the point n click genre.

Boo. Referring to the lack of a Wii successor any time soon. I'm ready for one. I was really hoping for the followup to come out for xmas 2011.

@rjejr: there's no way that Zelda SS is being made as an HD version as well. Nintendo has never done anything like that, and there's no reason to think they will this time. If you wait for the next system all you will be doing is putting off playing Zelda SS.

When a new console does come out it will be with a new Zelda game (not necessarily at launch). Zelda TP coming out on two consoles only happened because of the timing and the fact that the Gamecube and Wii use identical graphics hardware, making it an easy port.

@Arkaein im pretty sure they delayed twilight princess to make it work for the wii, why else would the wii version come out before the gamecube version. Wii games can easily be played in 1080p, just not on the nintendo wii so all nintendo needs to do is make a 1080p wii and instantly all the great nintendo games can be played with 100% less jaggies.

Sense I've only had a Wii for over a year, I'm cool with waiting a few more years for the next Nintendo console personally.

I'm honestly kinda relunctant to get a 3DS sense Nintendo has a habit of redesigning it's handhelds, and making improved models. I suppose it's kinda hard to imagine a "better" 3DS, but I think I'll wait a li'l and see how the 3DS does before getting one. (And for more games to come out that I want.)

@26, sorry man, had to lol at your comment about 'sony needing to learn how to market', last I checked, dude, Sony owns the title of not just one but the TWO highest selling consoles EVER. Playstation 1 - 100 million, Playstation 2 - 140 million and still selling. Sony's doing just fine.

And as far as the 'next Wii' is concerned, I'm not sure if I would even want it to outpower the current 360/ps3. While those systems have amazing graphic potential, they are also mini space heaters consuming over ten times the electricity that a wii does. And all that heat isn't good for a system's durability. We need not mention the RROD and failure rates of the 360, not to mention early PS3 units are starting to fail with the so called 'YLOD'. These things are barely 5 years old at most. Meanwhile I have yet to hear any major concerns about the Wii's durability. And as far as 'looking like gamecube games', that's because there's a huge glut of shovelware that doesn't show off the wii's potential. How about playing Super Mario Galaxy or Kart in widescreen to show off what the gamecube CANT do in 'extended definition' Yes I know that the PS2 and Gamecube can technically do 480p/widescreen, but they weren't designed specifically for it like the Wii is. Again, I love the fact the wii is a sleek efficient powerful machine that only consumes 14 watts while running full tilt, while 360/ps3 can top out at 200 watts. That being said, IF nintendo can somehow upgrade the Wii's hardware to HD without turning it into a mini cutting torch, I'm all for it. Hmmm.....nvidia's Tegra chips could be the answer.....

"We'll make decisions about a successor system at the time when software developers cannot offer surprises (on the Wii)."

well i think his way of thinking is influenced by the amazing games they get in japan.(yep those we are never going to see)

if they could give a tiny little more resolution and specs for the camera it would be awesome. so far it's good enough for facebook only (which is ok) and clarity is not that great(which is NOT ok). So i hope we won't see the crappy quality images of DSi in 3D this time.

@lipnox: Yes, TP was delayed to make it run on the Wii. The fact that SS is not being delayed for the Wii's successor should tell you that it will not be designed to run on that machine specifically with improved graphics whenever it comes.

And I hate to break it to you, but you are completely wrong about the Wii supporting 1080p. The hardware supports 480p maximum resolution. An improved Wii that did support 1080p would have absolutely no effect on existing games. The best a new system could do is upscaling the video signal the way a Blu Ray player might when playing ordinary DVDs, but this is not even close to offering true HD video.

@57 er, I may be wrong on this, but I believe lipnox is referring not to the actual Nintendo Wii hardware, but to the capabilities of Wii/GC emulators e.g. Dolphin. Little info tidbit here: http://kingofgng.com/eng/2009/12/04/dolphin-emulates-new-super-mario-bros-wii-at-1080p/