According to Maxconsole, a reliable source who has continually provided accurate info has leaked a few details from Nintendo France.
- The Wii2 system will feature a Blu-Ray drive with a secondary aim of stopping piracy.
- 1080P and lower resolutions will be supported, for blu-ray movies and games.
- The release date is scheduled for third quarter of 2010.
- The release will be worldwide and on the same day for all countries.
- A scheme will be available in which it is possible to trade in the original Wii for a cheaper price on the new Wii 2.
Moreover, Nintendo wants to make a worlwide annoucement, only one month before release date. Huge publicity and Viral Marketing will be utilized to create the Buzz. Official pictures are not yet available, and more specs will be released in due course.
AcydRaine wrote:
stuffedewok19 wrote:So is this going to bring it up to Xbox 360/PS3 graphics, or is it going beyond, I wonder?
Uhm, no. It is just adding support for those resolutions. The Wii is hardly half as powerful as the other systems. No way it can even begin to compare to 360/PS3 graphics. I HIGHLY doubt u will see Gears/Killzone 2/ Uncharted 2 quality graphics on a Wii......Ever.
I'm sure the same was said about the Xbox before the 360 was released. That being said, I'm interested if this will be just a refresh of the Wii or a completely new system with backwards compatibility.
I have no idea what the specs on the Wii is, nor do I really care, what's fun is fun. Your comment on saying that anything labeled "Wii" couldn't have graphics like a PS3 or XBox 360 would be like saying the original Xbox couldn't get better or the original Playstation couldn't get better. Clearly we have the Xbox 360 and PS3 and those are both leaps and bounds better than their predecessors (besides an Xbox was nothing more than a Pentium III 733Mhz processor with 64MB of ram and a DVD-rom). More than likely this will be a completely (I hope) new system in which case it could possibly have the capabilities to produce some great graphics while retaining the fun value the original had. Then again the PS2 managed to put out jaw dropping graphics only because the developers took the time to do it (I.E. Final Fantasy XII).
I could be wrong and this may just be a refresh that supports Blu-ray with only enough hardware upgrade to make it HDCP compliant. I hope I'm not though because I'd like Nintendo to put something out there that compares to how the N64 was when it was first released. Then again if you step back and not focus on the graphics part of it they did bring some pretty astounding equipment to the market at a price that most thought was un-achievable. I'm excited to see what this Wii2 can do.
Edit: I was curious so I looked up the specs on wikipedia and it looks like the Wii (730Mhz 64 bit processor with ATI Graphics) out powers both the Xbox (733Mhz. 32 bit processor with Nvidia graphics) and the PS2 (300Mhz. 64 bit processor with graphics synthesizer). I wonder why any of the developers haven't produced some nice looking games with it (the Wii)? Some of the games for those machines looked really good at the end of their life.
This is a very very smart move. Once the Dreamcast was hacked Sega tried to ride it out until EOL and wound up going bankrupt... The wii was supposed to last until end of 2011, but with every single game available for free now.. there is no reason to buy the system anymore. Release your next console early and nip that in the ass. Plus.. by the time the Wii3 comes out.. we will only be half way through the life cycle of the latest 360/PS3.. about the same time they are lowering prices. You can buy a brand new wii or a half old 360/ps3... will hurt the big dogs.
I don't think it's a refresh. I think it's a new console but as always Nintendo is being tight lipped about this thing. And I believe comparing a Wii and an Xbox (not the 360) is like comparing an S754 chip to a Core 2 chip. One is 32 bit and single core where as the other is full on 64 bit (and able to utilize two 32 bit threads).
So what is this Wii being hacked, that's the first I have heard of it.
AcydRaine wrote:
...I am betting it is nothing more then a Wii with 1080p support, and a Blu-Ray player. No additional power added.
Well, the system's going to have to be significantly more powerful even if all it will be doing is playing normal Wii games at 1920x1080... that's a hell of a lot more pixels to push than 720x480. That said, I really hope this is a whole new, next-gen system that leaves the PS3 and XBox 360 in the dust, graphics-wise. That would be Nintendo's typical course of action, what they've been doing for years, so I don't see why this wouldn't be the case.
Playing: World of Goo (PC)
Score: 8.8/10
Samuel71 wrote:
AcydRaine wrote:
...I am betting it is nothing more then a Wii with 1080p support, and a Blu-Ray player. No additional power added.Well, the system's going to have to be significantly more powerful even if all it will be doing is playing normal Wii games at 1920x1080... that's a hell of a lot more pixels to push than 720x480. That said, I really hope this is a whole new, next-gen system that leaves the PS3 and XBox 360 in the dust, graphics-wise. That would be Nintendo's typical course of action, what they've been doing for years, so I don't see why this wouldn't be the case.
You have a point because except for the Wii compared to the PS3 and 360 they always been there as a leader in console systems in just about all aspects The Gamecube might not have been leading by much but some of it's games could definately stand toe 2 toe with the Xbox and PS2 (even though the Gamecube came out first).
All you guys have to do is look at the name to realize it's a completely brand new console. Unlike other rehashes this isn't the Wii [Add Subtitle]. This is the Wii 2. It's not an Xbox 360 Elite, DS Lite, DSi, PS3 Slim, PSP Go, iPhone 3G S, it's a whole number that comes after 1. Then factor in the fact that you will need A LOT better hardware to run games at a native 1920x1080 resolution and the move to Blu-Ray (for anti-piracy, which means they're going to switch the format of their games to Blu-Ray). This is a brand spankin' new Wii. That is, of course, if this RUMOR is true.
PS2Fish wrote:I'm betting on a new console altogether. Power equivalent to the 360/PS3, if not more so. There's no reason for Nintendo not to jump on getting an edge over them. That would be a huge missed opportunity.
You see, my understanding with the Wii is that it was more of a test by Nintendo to see if the market was there for this type of console. They took a huge risk in creating something with a completely new and innovative control scheme for a console (gamepads have always been the norm) and a move to uber-casual games. In case it was a bust (of which there was a high probability) Nintendo wouldn't be devastated because they didn't invest so much into the hardware and the overall design. Now that Nintendo has blown away the competition in terms of sales and succeeded with the Wii they can go ahead and invest a ton of money into new hardware that can make it as competitive in hardcore games as a 360/PS3 whilst retaining the humongous casual market they dominate in. In other words, Nintendo didn't put all of their chips on the Wii because of its inherent riskiness and now that they eliminated that risk factor they can throw everything they've got. Or at least that's how I would do it.
Natedog51 wrote:I don't think it's a refresh. I think it's a new console but as always Nintendo is being tight lipped about this thing. And I believe comparing a Wii and an Xbox (not the 360) is like comparing an S754 chip to a Core 2 chip. One is 32 bit and single core where as the other is full on 64 bit (and able to utilize two 32 bit threads).
So what is this Wii being hacked, that's the first I have heard of it.
The Wii has been softhacked using the Zelda game. You just need the original Zelda game to softmod the box and then you don't even need that disc anymore. Every Wii game has an updated in it that is supposed to update the Wii so burned discs don't work... however you just make an iso and patch the updated so it doesn't do that. So basically you just need to own the Zelda game and a memory card. Download a little software and you can download and play any game that is available for Wii.
There was a huge stink on several sites about this. Because of the format Nintendo used on their discs, there is no way to stop someone from copying the contents to a PC or mac and changing the updater. They can't even force an update online, because the Wii's model wasn't dependant on a lot of online support like the other consoles. Major design flaw to me.
No this isn't info on hacking.. I am just answering your question as to how it was hacked.. it was basically softmoded. The bane of any console. Hard-mods are possible on the other consoles but you risk bricking the system or the latest update rendering your mod useless.. plus they are tricky.. With the Wii softmod.. there is no hardware changes or soldering or anything.. so any numbnuts can do it.
Huh? I never knew that Sqitso. I do know the PS3 seems to be the fort knox of all things mod because my friend and I did some searching and didn't find anything except you could replace your HDD.
Synch that would make alot of sense and I wouldn't be surprised if that's something Nintendo did with this console. I think that article said something like you could trade in your old Wii for a discount on the new one. If that's true then it would support your claim even more, imo.
I have soft-modded my Wii, and it's no longer necessary to own the Wii version of Twilight Princess to do it (I've never had the game). All you need is a memory card, basically. I wrote up a guide on this a while back.
I just use it so I can play my GameCube and Wii games on my computer (for the higher resolution, mostly).
Playing: World of Goo (PC)
Score: 8.8/10
Samuel71 wrote:I have soft-modded my Wii, and it's no longer necessary to own the Wii version of Twilight Princess to do it (I've never had the game). All you need is a memory card, basically. I wrote up a guide on this a while back.
I just use it so I can play my GameCube and Wii games on my computer (for the higher resolution, mostly).
Interesting. Unless my nephews bring their Wii to my house, there's no Nintendo here. While I like the sports (bowling, tennis, etc.), it always degenerates into a Mario-brother's style game *read BORING*. At least, that's been my experience. Granted, I'm an eye-candy whore, so 1080p support has got my attention.
Samuel71 wrote:
AcydRaine wrote:
...I am betting it is nothing more then a Wii with 1080p support, and a Blu-Ray player. No additional power added.Well, the system's going to have to be significantly more powerful even if all it will be doing is playing normal Wii games at 1920x1080... that's a hell of a lot more pixels to push than 720x480. That said, I really hope this is a whole new, next-gen system that leaves the PS3 and XBox 360 in the dust, graphics-wise. That would be Nintendo's typical course of action, what they've been doing for years, so I don't see why this wouldn't be the case.
Not necessarily. The games could still be rendered at 480p, then just upscaled to 1080p by a video chip, no extra processing horsepower needed. This is exactly what the XBox360 does (though it does render the games higher than 480p, usually at 720p I believe but there are exceptions like Halo 3).
Well, I don't count that. There's no reason a console released in 2011 should not be able to play games at a true 1920x1080.
ICDP wrote:Not necessarily. The games could still be rendered at 480p, then just upscaled to 1080p by a video chip, no extra processing horsepower needed. This is exactly what the XBox360 does (though it does render the games higher than 480p, usually at 720p I believe but there are exceptions like Halo 3).
Playing: World of Goo (PC)
Score: 8.8/10
Samuel71 wrote:Well, I don't count that. There's no reason a console released in 2011 should not be able to play games at a true 1920x1080.
ICDP wrote:Not necessarily. The games could still be rendered at 480p, then just upscaled to 1080p by a video chip, no extra processing horsepower needed. This is exactly what the XBox360 does (though it does render the games higher than 480p, usually at 720p I believe but there are exceptions like Halo 3).
It all comes down to cost and the "average" consume. If the average consumer only runs 1080i or 720p for Hidef... and it is speculated that will be the standard for the life of the console.. then the developer will not invest money for more power. You have to remember in the console world the "power user" is not what drives hardware sales, like in the PC world. HD televisions are becoming more and more popular but 1080p is not standard for anything other than Blu-ray, as broadcast networks will not use it because of the bandwidth it takes. I read an article a few months back that said 1080i was the adopted standard for broadcast television, though some networks choose to show in 720p as a way of trying to seem better.
Werepossum wrote:It might make sense for a Wii. How much detail do you really need for bowling anyway? And does Mario really look less stupid if rendered in true 1080P?
I don't care about bowling, but a Mario game with graphics almost comparable to those in a Pixar movie would be pretty cool. Though what I'm really looking forward to is The Legend of Zelda and Metroid with graphics better than Crysis's. 
Playing: World of Goo (PC)
Score: 8.8/10
sqitso wrote:
Samuel71 wrote:Well, I don't count that. There's no reason a console released in 2011 should not be able to play games at a true 1920x1080.
ICDP wrote:Not necessarily. The games could still be rendered at 480p, then just upscaled to 1080p by a video chip, no extra processing horsepower needed. This is exactly what the XBox360 does (though it does render the games higher than 480p, usually at 720p I believe but there are exceptions like Halo 3).
It all comes down to cost and the "average" consume. If the average consumer only runs 1080i or 720p for Hidef... and it is speculated that will be the standard for the life of the console.. then the developer will not invest money for more power. You have to remember in the console world the "power user" is not what drives hardware sales, like in the PC world. HD televisions are becoming more and more popular but 1080p is not standard for anything other than Blu-ray, as broadcast networks will not use it because of the bandwidth it takes. I read an article a few months back that said 1080i was the adopted standard for broadcast television, though some networks choose to show in 720p as a way of trying to seem better.
1080i is a better resolution than 720p. I think you have it backwards where 720p is the broadcast standard for HD while 1080i would be the better resolution.
"720p features the highest temporal (motion) resolution possible under the ATSC standard. Progressive scanning reduces the need to prevent flicker by filtering out fine details, so spatial resolution (sharpness) is much closer to 1080i than the number of scan lines would suggest"
Like I said, 720p is your baseline and 1080i would be in between 720p and 1080p as far as quality goes. 720p is what is broadcasted by the free channels (ABC, CBS, NBC) as the standard with 1080i being their upgraded signal. Directv', Dish Network, and Cable all broadcast their HD channels in 1080i while Verizon's FioS is broadcasting most of their channels in 1080p....last I knew.
