Iwata: Wii Is Not Next Gen

[Zeus]

Nintendo Pres Satoru Iwata has openly stated that the Wii is not a next-gen console. Perhaps this was a little lost in translation, but strictly talking Iwata says Nintendo are not creating a next-gen games console because they are not creating an extension to older models but are focusing more on a strategy which will see the Wii reach out to the non-gaming public.


Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has distanced the Wii game console from the rest of the next gen pack by surprisingly stating that the Wii is not a next gen game console. In comments made to Japanese business news service Nikkei Business, Iwata said, "Nintendo is not working on a next-generation console. ‘Next-generation' implies that the console is an extension of previous installments. We believe that extending our current line will not lead to larger markets and could possibly even lead to smaller markets."

The direction Nintendo is taking is to provide a friendly, entertaining game platform that will reach out to the huge untapped non-gaming public. To bolster this philosophy of getting the non-gamer involved, Iwata pointed to the huge success of its handheld game device, the DS. Iwata said, "When Nintendo opted for the dual screens for the DS, more people were shaking their heads. Yet the market turned out favorable to the DS.”


News Source: <a href="http://www.gamernode.com/Wii/News_759/index.html" target="_blank">Gamernode.com</a>

[neilpatel]

thats because its a gamecube with a few addidtional features

[chukz]

as long as the games look like they did at E3 i'll be satisfied.

i'm not looking to spend $200 or $250 for ultra realistic graphics, besides who cares if you can see every detail on a rock if your racing at 60mph anyway.

not saying all graphics should be plain and bland, but again no one stops in a FPS every 10 seconds to stare at the environment.

I'm sure the graphics will end up being only slightly better than the best looking current gen games (Xbox, PS2, or GC) BUT that's not a problem. This is what Nintendo is going for. Microsoft and Sony have decided to push the envelope in terms of graphics and specs, and you can tell by how they show their games at E3, mostly trailers and prerendered movie type sequences, to try and show all their hardware can do.

[evlspcmk]

theres more to a game than graphics, ive been playing circus charlie on the mame emu on the PSP more than any other game latley so i prefer game play to graphics any day

[Cyclone57]

neilpatel has a point. Apparently, the so called Wii at e3 was running off a GameCube. Now, Nintendo could have simply decided that they were going to release a cool motion sensing remote along with a load of games for the GameCube and it would have physicall worked just as well. But releasing a new console for this function was a smooth idea, because hardly anyone will have bought the remote add-on had it come onto GameCube, but now it is already evident that Wii is going to sell better than many Nintendo consoles. The Wii basically is a GameCube with a disc drive that can fit DVD's.

[The Bat]

neilpatel has a point. Apparently, the so called Wii at e3 was running off a GameCube. Now, Nintendo could have simply decided that they were going to release a cool motion sensing remote along with a load of games for the GameCube and it would have physicall worked just as well. But releasing a new console for this function was a smooth idea, because hardly anyone will have bought the remote add-on had it come onto GameCube, but now it is already evident that Wii is going to sell better than many Nintendo consoles. The Wii basically is a GameCube with a disc drive that can fit DVD's.

The Wii is supposed to have more memory, as well as a better GPU and CPU conpared to the Gamecube as well, with ingame graphic abilities as being slightly better than the XBox (first generation). That's why some Nintendo rep was quoted as saying that the graphics in actual Wii games will be three times better.

Otherwise, I agree. So it should turn out to look like more than an expansion peripheral for the Gamecube, and considering how "people typically not interested in video games" aren't likely to already have the Gamecube, it would be stupid for Nintendo to go the peripheral route. I imagine that more than with any other console, social get togethers such as Christmas parties and Birthday parties will sell Wii consoles.

[Cyphix]

thats because its a gamecube with a few addidtional features

The graphics are said to be three times better than the gamecubes. The interface is much different. Built in Wi-Fi, downloadable content and games for the previous consoles. Web Browsing, DVD Playback...

WOW! It is a gamecube with a "few" additional features! :rolleyes:

[SoggyToast]

‘Next-generation' implies that the console is an extension of previous installments.
thats because its a gamecube with a few addidtional featuresWell you certainly couldn't be more wrong. Do you see the direct conflict between what you said and what Satoru Iwata said?

Wii is not a Gamecube 2 - and that is pretty obvious from what was seen at E3.

Ultimately, this was a very sneaky attack at the PS3. Sony seems to market the same product every cycle with updated hardware (and a few stolen ideas). Nintendo seems to have picked up on this and are implying with this statement that, "our ideas aren't stale, we don't simply build off of what we already have, we give you something fresh.

[Hevyduty]

Wii is not a Gamecube 2 - and that is pretty obvious from what was seen at E3.

Ultimately, this was a very sneaky attack at the PS3. Sony seems to market the same product every cycle with updated hardware (and a few stolen ideas). Nintendo seems to have picked up on this and are implying with this statement that, "our ideas aren't stale, we don't simply build off of what we already have, we give you something fresh.

I think you nailed it. When we talk in terms of something being "next-gen" on these forums, we're generally talking about technology. We typically debate whether something is technologically advanced enough to be considered next-gen. For example, is the XBox 360 truly next-gen or merely an XBox 1.5?

But in this case, when Iwata talks about "next-gen," he's talking in terms of "product lines." Although we tend to think of the Wii as the successor to the GameCube, he's thinking of it as a totally new product line, unlike anything else Nintendo has released. Therefore, the Wii is a new first-gen product, not a next-gen product. Much like how the DS is a new product line, separate from the Gameboy line. In these terms, what Iwata is saying makes perfect sense.

And I think it's a smart move on Nintendo's part. I think Nintendo sees the 360 and PS3 as becoming too expensive for non-enthusiasts, game development becoming too costly to developers, and games being too complicated for anyone but the truly dedicated. Instead, Nintendo is trying to apply the "pick up and play" fun of the DS and apply it to the home console. Considering the success of the DS, this strikes me as a rather smart move.

And it's good for gamers. Instead of having three systems all trying to do and be the same thing, Nintendo will give us an alternative. Personally, I have a 360 and I'll get a Wii. That's what's called the best of both worlds and there's nothing wrong with that.

As for those thinking that technologically the Wii is just a motion-sensing GameCube, I guess you missed this:

http://news.spong.com/article/10118?cb=461

Yeah, it's speculation at this point, but all signs point to the finalized Hollywood GPU blowing away anything we've seen from the Wii so far.

[xiaNaix]

thats because its a gamecube with a few addidtional features

And you know that how? Nintendo have released no official Wii specs. Anything that has been posted on the net is pure speculation.

[neilpatel]

And you know that how? Nintendo have released no official Wii specs. Anything that has been posted on the net is pure speculation.


um i am comparing whati saw in HD to RESI 4-it has loads of waxpnsion ports but once again the gc failed because no1 wanted to code on small discs, so i guess it is kinda needed plus it would never launch as just an expansion.

[Azariel Z]

Is true, Wii is not a general "next gen" in terms of technology, adn they did right, NDS wasn t also a next generation chip, is already a N64 updated chip. And works pretty well, the products are different so the marketing and content will be. people worry too much abotu graphics.. Is true are improtant but not the star, look to movies ultra Special FX, without cotnent, they pass away quikly, die without remebering about them, if there is no amrketing, then finished...like Star Wars II and III. Horrible! Wii is new, with updated technology, is not a "next level" on ultra processing power...for what??? Good games needs a good design, so they can be considered "good" and not only "boom" of graphics, with empty scrpits.