As if you haven't had enough today, the latest Wii 2 rumour report has emerged - and it's a big one, claiming tech specs and controller details for the not-so-secret-anymore Nintendo console.
French site 01net, which previously released the NGP specs long before any official announcement, has backed up widespread claims that Nintendo will reveal its next console at E3 this year.
According to the latest report, 'Wii 2' is being internally referred to as 'Project Café', and sports architecture similar to that of the Xbox 360, "but a bit more powerful".
It says the console will include a custom IBM PowerPC CPU with three cores, a GPU from the ATI R700 family with a shader unit at version 4.1, and at least 512Mb of RAM.
This would of course make HD console ports very easy for developers, but 'Project Café' will also include backwards compatibility with both the Wii (including all peripherals) and GameCube games, it's said.
The controller has a six-inch touch screen, a front-facing camera, D-Pad, two bumpers, two triggers and "possibly more," and can allegedly be used as a Wii sensor bar.
Late 2012 is the release date, and another "big surprise" about the console is set to be revealed at E3, the report concludes.
As always consider this a strong rumour for now, but it's a good source indeed.
Comments
71 comments so far...
TykerD3 on 15 Apr '11 said:
Sounds Naff. Where is my new all powerful Xbox?
rockstarsean on 15 Apr '11 said:
Any chances that Skyward Sword will be delayed till the new console?
TOKEN on 15 Apr '11 said:
BEWARE WII 2 NEWS COMING THICK AND FAST abit like me,strong in arm think in head.
Mad Garrotter on 15 Apr '11 said:
Reading that has just made my eyes fall out. Gutted as it sounded amazing but now i'll never see it.
infernoxXx on 15 Apr '11 said:
an R700 gpu is basically a HD4800 graphics card, probably the HD4850 or 4870. they are pretty good and cheap, alot better than the current cards in the xbox and ps3. im hoping theres more than 512mb ram and that the triple core cpu has a better architecture then the xbox 360 which also had a triple core cpu and 512mb ram. basically looks like a good cheap console to me.
benedictm on 15 Apr '11 said:
Now am i missing something ehre but i cant see how a colour touchscreen on controller could add to gameplay really
Plus a £100 controller is not exactly fun.
buffig on 15 Apr '11 said:
Why am I already really bored by this?! Normally these things get hyped up and fall a little bit short. Nintendo better have summat special to back this up otherwise it will literally be just Wii HD.
El Mag on 15 Apr '11 said:
Probably wasn't going to find it in a Wii 2 story. We can break into Bill Gates house if you want, i've heard he's already playing the new Xbox. You fight his robot ninja guard dogs and i'll sneak in.
TOKEN on 15 Apr '11 said:
Well really 360 is a dual core celeron but rumours sugest quad core which is 4 or more cores.
buffig on 15 Apr '11 said:
Ive got a 4850 and it's out of date and crap. Also an R700 could be sub 4350, which would be shockingly poor
TykerD3 on 15 Apr '11 said:
On it El Mag, Ninja dogs are no match for my Jason Bourne Styleeee
Seriously, i do want a new Xbox.....E3 2012 reveal then release in Nov 2012 (My prediction)
voodoo341 on 15 Apr '11 said:
Can anyone take a guess at what games will be released for it yet?
BenThomasFoster on 15 Apr '11 said:
6 years later... just powerfuller than xbox 360... haha how crap nintendo i hope you realise we have DX11 these days with tesselation and crap which WILL make a difference to the artistic ability of games
TOKEN on 15 Apr '11 said:
it does say a at least 512 ram could be 600+.
TheLastDodo on 15 Apr '11 said:
Gotta agree with the post a few above this. I'm bored of Wii 2 already, and we know nothing concrete about it yet. Apart from another possible gimmick controller, what is there to get excited about?
gympion on 15 Apr '11 said:
I just can't understand these specs. Surely if Nintendo are going to be the first to launch a new console they should release one thats going to completely blow XBox and PS3 away. If this were a new Nintendo console based around dx11 generation stuff then I'd be excited. By the time its released its going to be below the spec of a decent mobile phone.... just seems like a massive missed opportunity to me!
TOKEN on 15 Apr '11 said:
People who are negative are usally not happy or green with envy.
ste hicky on 15 Apr '11 said:
conflicting reports all over the shop now. ign have quoted sources saying it'll be much more powerful than 360/ps3 and then there's this?
will have to wait and see on this one.
justforkicks101 on 15 Apr '11 said:
R700 Ruby demo
im pretty sure the r700 can do tessellation
Imaduck on 15 Apr '11 said:
IGN does not count as conflicting rumours. They spout bs 24/7.
jim2wheels on 15 Apr '11 said:
Mario, Zelda, Pokermon.
The End.
ste hicky on 15 Apr '11 said:
OMFG!!!
it may be 2 years old but f*ck me that's sweet. never happen in game but if that's what nintendo have in mind: i'm in.
to the guy above: ign may spout s**te fella but they're not the only site i read. kotaku say something similar too btw: http://uk.kotaku.com/5792165/new-ninten ... 60-and-ps3
KesMonkey on 15 Apr '11 said:
If I can play my Gamecube and Wii games rendered at 1080P, I'm happy.
Imaduck on 15 Apr '11 said:
There's no way we'll know for sure until we get the details of course, just saying that well..... IGN are like the Fox news of gaming
ste hicky on 15 Apr '11 said:
fair enough but i do more research than that old fella. trust me.
as you said though we'll have to wait and see but i'm hearing conflicting reports on this one.
i'll say this though,no one has said it's not happening at e3 so there may be truth to that,the tech spec thing is up in the air right now though.
still if the card is even only along the lines of that demo jfk101 posted,it'll do me.
AussieCrysis on 15 Apr '11 said:
6" screen on a controller? That's one huge controller! Will this end up like the Dreamcast?
TheLastDodo on 15 Apr '11 said:
LOL Thats hilarious TOKEN, I'm envious of unconfirmed rumours? All I said was i'm fed up of reading multiple stories featuring rumours. Why so defensive over something you don't own, haven't seen or played or for all we know doesn't even exist?
tmten on 15 Apr '11 said:
r700 family is anything from a 4350 to a 4870. this sounds reasonable as the target spec for a 2012 release would need to've been pinned down around the time of r700's gen. anything older than a r700 type spec would also make little sense, as process tech has moved on enough that it would make no sense economically to target a lower spec. it definitely won't be a hd 4870 level card however as they'd almost certainly want to go with a fanless design again (unless it's built on 22nm. which it won't be.) if they build it using 32nm or 28nm then this should mean something around the level of a hd4670 (which coincidentally is a bit faster than the xenos gpu in the 360.) with the cost of ram these days they could also easily give the gpu 512mb (any more than this would be a waste, as the chip wouldn't be fast enough to use it well enough), and the cpu another 512mb. this would give developers plenty of breathing space, and help to bridge the gap between the current gen consoles and the next gen playstation and xbox, both of which should have several gigs each. 1080p output is a given, although i'll believe the screen on the controller when i see it. sounds a bit gimmicky, not to mention expensive to implement, which is anathema to nintendo.
shellster2 on 15 Apr '11 said:
no smoke without fire.
it seems nobody can keep a lid on their secrets these days so I reckon there's truth in this.
IF nintendo released a piece of kit that blew the socks off the 360 and PS3, which lets face it wouldn't be hard after all these years, THEN 3rd parties might actually bother making core games for it, FPS, Driving games, decent sports sims. f**k it, even Mark Rein might say you can run unreal on it. Now that would upset him!
ste hicky on 15 Apr '11 said:
i think he'd still deny it was possible while grumbling about n64 licensing costs under his breath tbh.
he'd say the shaders weren't capable or something.
Windowlicker79 on 15 Apr '11 said:
If it doesn't have 2 analogue sticks then it can f*ck off.
ste hicky on 15 Apr '11 said:
i can see one stick and a configurable touch screen for aiming. it'd be on a par with mp hunters for speed,at least.
mamotte on 15 Apr '11 said:
he he, I'm sorry, but DX11 and GPU super power is doing nothing to support "artistic" games. What is doing, is getting a human body, add skins like soldiers, kratos and nathan drake, and add polygons to the count. I found more art and design in a Epic Yarn level and in a lot of Indie games, than in the entire COD franchise. But obviously, if polygons mean art to you, I have nothing against. Just my opinion.
BOYD1981 on 15 Apr '11 said:
You know you gotta feel sorry for Nintendo, they probably wanted to do a big reveal at E3 but details have already been uncovered and pasted all over the net. Why can't people just be patient and wait for the official announcements?
dazcarney on 15 Apr '11 said:
Why do people bother even trying to second guess what Nintendo are up to?
Until they announce something there is no point speculating because you will be wrong that is why people love Nintendo. In terms of hardware they always cause genuine surpises
martin_de52fzl on 15 Apr '11 said:
Right TOKEN shut up (you know nothing about the xbox360 cpu)
How can a triple core powerpc processor be an intel celeron "YOU NOB".
The 360 uses all 3 of it's cores. it was the early dev kits that only has 2.
The processor in the 360 has been doing the business for years. It may not be as powerful as the CELL but it does do a great job. And because it's been in the 360 for years the price has dropped enough for it to be viable for nintendo's next wii console.
Obscure_Metaphor on 15 Apr '11 said:
The wii is my last nintendo console... it was a massive let down for me, and i dont see them turning their back on all the money they can make, to please people like me.
Cogglesz on 15 Apr '11 said:
Yeah this doesn't sound too good anymore, i've got a 1GB XFX 5770 and that came out in 09, i'd have expected a gpu better than that on a "Next Gen" console, not worse
it seems nintendo is always going to be a Gen behind, it sounds like this was supposed to be the "Wii" only 6 years late though...
SupernovaReigns on 15 Apr '11 said:
If Nintendo releases this console before Sony and Microsoft release their's Nintendo's only going to end up with another Dreamcast. This system will have pathetic specs compared to the REAL Next Gen consoles. Poor Nintendo...they have the spirit and artistic nature to give a good fight but they lack the clear vision to win the battle
R_A_LEE20 on 15 Apr '11 said:
I'd laugh if Nintendo decided to release the Wii 2 on the 22nd of December 2012!
Other then that i can't wait to see what Nintendo are cooking up i all this spec news is true!
Rise_ofthe_Mike on 15 Apr '11 said:
This is cool news...because honestly, Nintendo, having had all this time to work on the console, can probably get it out to us around 300 to 400 dollars. I'd prefer 300 to tell the truth but i'd pay just about anything for HD Zelda. lol
KippDynamite on 15 Apr '11 said:
Any news is good news, but have Nintendo resigned themselves to being almost a generation behind in terms of horsepower?
rbt2 on 15 Apr '11 said:
Being behind horsepower wise hasn't served them too badly this gen though, has it?
bemaniac on 15 Apr '11 said:
This could also be a 4870x2 type of GPU. That would be very powerful.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 15 Apr '11 said:
I really feel sorry for Nintendo. This would have been a massive surprise to everyone and would have had everyone hyped.
Who leaked this ?
rbt2 on 15 Apr '11 said:
Nintendo probably.
KippDynamite on 15 Apr '11 said:
In terms of sales, no. But honestly, it is difficult to play most wii games after some time on the PS3.
Nollog on 16 Apr '11 said:
Huge controllers...
Not sure if want.
ste hicky on 16 Apr '11 said:
here's what some industry experts (and pachter
) think on this one: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/arch ... -news.aspx
kippdynamite: rumours have this machine ahead of the ps3 and 360 in some cases. what exactly would the wii2 fall behind if it can outperform a ps3 with true 1080p output?
i've said all along that if it can do this gens best in 1080p with extra textures it'll destroy what's currently available.
imagine me3 in a proper hd resolution like the pc. sounds good to me.
thinking on,if it turns up at e3 does anyone think we'll see gta5 wii2 or me3,skyrim,etc.. being announced for the machine as was mentioned in the article i linked?
agentxnofx on 16 Apr '11 said:
I really hope they don't expect this to sell as well as the original Wii. I know so many people that have them sitting near their tv's collecting dust that it's not even funny. Also, I really disagree with Dyack, Wii has done nothing to grow the industry, it's just a medium for shovelware for the most part... same as the 3DS, my bet is the best games on there are simply going to be remakes.
KippDynamite on 16 Apr '11 said:
It falls behind because the Xbox 360 and PS3 were released in 2006. It is 2011.
I genuinely hope, if this is all real, that the wii 2 is awesome. But it won't technically be "next gen" at this point. It'd be like releasing the PS2 in 2005 and claiming that it was slightly more powerful than existing consoles. That wouldn't have gotten me very excited.
Donnie on 16 Apr '11 said:
Ok first a correction, the article doesn't claim to know any details about the systems RAM. 512MB is only there guess as a minimum amount based on the other info they do know.
Also a R700 is actually specifically a HD4870x2, they could have meant as R7xx of course, just thought it was worth pointing out.
justforkicks101 on 16 Apr '11 said:
2GB of GDDR5 memory wouldnt cost the earth
Donnie on 16 Apr '11 said:
That comparison doesn't make sense. The current specs rumoured would make Wii2 much more powerful graphically then either 360 or PS3 (R7xx GPU vs R5xx/NV47, two graphics card generations ahead). While PS2 was less powerful then XBox and GC.
ste hicky on 16 Apr '11 said:
it'll sit ahead of the 2 because it'll be more powerful than either.
i don't think it will hit ps4/720 specs but it'll bridge this gen and the next nicely. christ,it'd be nice to have a console that could actually do 1080p resolutions in game with the extra texures in games like black ops,me3,gta,etc...
so in my reckoning,that would put ps3 second bottom of the pile,360 as the lowest common denominator,wii2 as the high end option (for now) and pc for those who truly want to take the p**s out of console ports like battlefield 3.
let me put it this way,i think the killzone games look fantastic. bland as hell and not much fun to play but you can't argue with the engine technically. if nintendo have got more juice than that to play with,i'm in.
now i imagine that given the projected gpu is just over 2 years old that it'll outperform anything currently available on consoles. allegedly,it's using shader model 4.1 instead of the 360's 3.0 (this will make a massive difference) now someone else may have to correct me but surely an r700 will eat dx.9c in it's sleep and would have a reasonable shot at 10.1 - 11.
my old ati 3850 could do 10.1 and would outperform a 360 without trying. did someone say the r700 series was based on a 4870 x2?
murders this gen,if so.
it can't be argued with.
Donnie on 16 Apr '11 said:
Yeah R700 doesn't point to a family of GPUs, its actually the code name of a specific graphics card (HD4870x2). If the dev kits are using one of those then the system would absolutely blow 360/PS3 out of the water. Or of course they may just have meant R7xx family and confused it as R700.
ste hicky on 16 Apr '11 said:
thx for that fella. i'll be very interested to see what nintendo have up their sleeves here.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 16 Apr '11 said:
This sounds what the Wii should have been in the first place.
Only abit powerful then 360 ? * sigh * looks like Nintendo will always have last gen technology.
Come on Nintendo get with the times.
ste hicky on 16 Apr '11 said:
how's it going drifter? (i saw your zelda in 1080p 0 _ 0 comment on either game informer or eurogamer,you posted the same thing here as vso.)
Donnie on 17 Apr '11 said:
Why are you choosing to believe the worst case scenario?
Windowlicker79 on 17 Apr '11 said:
Here's a thought. Nintendo has always promoted the Wii as the console for "casual gamers", hence the focus on family friendly games (even more so than on previous Nintendo systems) and easily accessible control systems over graphical polish and fast processor speeds. It could have been released as a stop-gap to allow Sony and Microsoft to release their next gen consoles so they could watch how they perform. It would allow them longer to develop their proper "next gen" system. A 2012 release would mean they could release an affordable system much more powerful than PS3 or Xbox 360 a full 3 years before Sony or MS plan to release their next efforts.
Maybe this could be seen as Nintendo's next "proper" gamers console? If this is the case then it would be an incredibly smart marketing ploy. They will have gained a huge number of new casual/family customers that may have otherwise never played or purchased a games console (most of whom will undoubtedly upgrade their Wii to the new backwards compatible system) as well as retaining all the more "hardcore" gamers who will rush to buy a new proper Nintendo console (which, if rumours are to be believed, will be the most powerful console available on release).
If they can successfully appeal to both markets like this then it will sell enormous numbers.
(this was reposted as I'd previously posted it in a thread about the controller)
Welsh Jester on 17 Apr '11 said:
How about making something new that nothing else can do?
A VR console would be nice, if they can make something that no other console can do or PC's it would sell.. as it is.. PC always offers superior gaming.
The only thing that is good about consoles is obviously the (usually) low price.
Windowlicker79 on 17 Apr '11 said:
Saying that PCs offer superior gaming is purely down to personal opinion. I hate PC gaming and always have. I like to type with a keyboard and move a cursor with a mouse, because that is what they were designed to do. Graphics are only superior if you're willing to pay out at least 3 times as much as you'd pay for a PS3 or Xbox 360. Even then you have to upgrade it a lot more often than you'd have to buy a new console. So how else is PC gaming better than console gaming?
sweatyBallacks on 17 Apr '11 said:
Dunno.
If it's just 'more powerful' than the six year-old 360, then I'm not very excited. But if it's a lot more powerful, as some have suggested it featuring a graphics card at least 2 generations ahead, then I'm interested.
Well I'm interested in general actually, cos I want the 'next gen' to arrive sooner than most.
The_KFD_Case on 17 Apr '11 said:
According to the latest report, 'Wii 2' is being internally referred to as 'Project Café', and sports architecture similar to that of the Xbox 360, "but a bit more powerful".
Nintendo had better hope that neither MS nor Sony deviate from their much publicized declarations of "another 5 years blah blah blah" for both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 (although technically that could be true while they each also release a new console a la Sony with both PS2 and PS3 sales continuing simultaneously). At least in so far as the "hardcore" gamers crowd is concerned. Sure, some still try and swear by Nintendo and the Wii, yet it seems to me that increasingly Nintendo's credit and good will with the enthusiast segment of the gaming market is running low/wearing thin.
If a new console really is going to be released, and if it's going to be "HD" (none of the current consoles are actually HD), then it needs some staying power given the very real possibility that MS and Sony will answer in kind within the next few years. True, Nintendo might corner the console market again for a couple of years like they did with the Wii, yet a HD console is bound to be more expensive to produce and there is also the question as to whether or not the casual crowd that primarily fuelled the astronomical success of the Wii will return for a second serving? Especially if it's more expensive and given the casual crowds' more whimsical support and purchasing of games.
The_KFD_Case on 17 Apr '11 said:
I tend to agree. I have mixed feelings on the notion of new consoles. On the one hand I'm quite content not to invest in new console hardware for another few years, yet at the same time my PC gamer heart almost weeps when I think of all the deliciously powerful hardware that is available, that is not being utilized, and in some cases is even being held back due to ageing console hardware.
New consoles might also see some developers and publishers be willing to take bold new risks in regards to game designs, as well as usher in new IPs that may otherwise be held back due to a concern over the return investment of a new IP launched so late in the consoles' life cycle.
The_KFD_Case on 17 Apr '11 said:
That debate is one that is both old and has already been settled. Technologically there is nothing the consoles are able to do that even a low-end-medium spec'ed PC can't do today, and probably better to be frank. The only thing console games for the most part (there have been an exception or two) do not yet have to deal with is DRM, yet that may change in the future; if not with the current generation of consoles then possibly in the next generation. Should that happen I may as well stick with PC gaming entirely. However, from your tone it seems quite apparent that there is little point in expending further time and effort in trying to persuade you. If you want to hold on to that personal opinion of yours, have at it.
richard99 on 18 Apr '11 said:
It's designed for Wii and it looks pretty close to finished so I'm guessing it'll end up on there.
It might end up on two consoles like Twilight Princess did but it'd still look like a Wii game with a HD upgrade.
THERANDOMGAMEOVE on 18 Apr '11 said:
wii haters just cause one console is released by nintendo that is crap don't mean that you should give up hope before the next console is even released and i don't know how people can laugh at this news when its just a rumor id laugh in all them fanboys faces who think nintendos crap if they released some beast with 10 times more powerful than the xbox and ps3 and that would be the first of the next gen released itll just be like before all over nintendo gets out first pwns the other consoles when they come out and slowly gets knocked down by the other consoles and there fanboys until we are at this situation again LOL random speech
jeffery6803 on 18 Apr '11 said:
i can`t believe people are bringing up DX11 the reason why consoles can look as good as pc games is because of the limitation DX places on developers nintendo`s console will be just fine graphically i`m willing to guess it will be superior to the ps3 and since game developer shall be able to communicate directly with the hardware not a directx shell the games will benefit the beauty of consoles is this, being a set standard of hardware allows developers to maximize graphics for it just a hint a 8800 gt is more powerful than any of the modern consoles but because of directx and pc`s having different hardware standards you will never really see the full power of theses cards directx is a limitation it is not and advantage
FoxySnake on 21 Apr '11 said:
Why's this hardware so funny to some people? yeah it's not that powerful but look at the PS3. PS3 graphics card is similar to nVidia 7800gt which was around before PS3 so a 4000 series is fairly nice in a console just not groundbreaking
The current Wii has hardware that is well outdated but is doing well (just not graphically lol)