14 DAY TRIAL // You know how people talk about new consoles being launched sometime in 2014 or even later? Nintendo might disagree with that. Sources have been talking to gaming site What They Play saying that the console developer is creating a new product, called the Wii HD, which will represent a significant upgrade over the current Wii while also being very familiar to those who are now playing on the Nintendo gaming console.
The sources cited said that the new console would have all the features users had been clamoring for since the original Nintendo Wii was launched. The new console will be able to deliver high definition video output, there will be a storage solution which can make truly complete digital distributed services viable and will allow gamers to play today's video games on tomorrow's console.
What supports all this speculation is that the Research & Development budget reported by Nintendo has continuously risen since 2006. What They Play says that, in 2003, only 34 million dollars were spent on research while in 2006, the numbers climbed rapidly to 103 million $ only to jump again threefold in 2007 to 370 million $. Such an increase is a sure sign that Nintendo is pumping large amounts of money into creating something new hardware related.
At the moment, there are rumors swirling around that Nintendo is getting ready to launch a new DS, as a response to the impending launch of the PSP-3000 from Sony. Sources say that the new handheld will have a camera and will be able to play music, so it might just be that Nintendo is preparing for a one-two punch of announcements regarding its gaming platforms.
The proof presented by What They Play is pretty much circumstantial but, if there's one console developer which could benefit from a hardware upgrade, then it's surely Nintendo. Its console is now the best selling in the world and it's making tons of money while being weaker in pure hardware terms than the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360. A more powerful console might bring in even better sales for Nintendo and a launch as early as 2011 would catch both Microsoft and Sony off their guard, as they are aiming to release next gen gaming devices no earlier than 2014.