14 DAY TRIAL // The Internet is again playing its part as preeminent rumor database and now it seems that Intel and Nintendo may be thinking of a collaboration. Reports that surfaced on PC Watch look at how the current Wii is getting old and how Nintendo might want to shift over to HD graphics and stronger processors if it wants to continue selling its products on a market that is paying more and more heed to the visual aspect of games.
Of course, rumors should always be taken with a big grain of salt, especially those dealing with a company that repeatedly chose not to upgrade to High-Definition, considering that graphical capabilities should not be game developers' prime concern. Back in November, Nintendo seemed content with not advancing at too fast of a pace, deciding to enjoy its console's motion tracking capabilities, which Sony and Microsoft have not yet managed to catch up with.
“The way we at Nintendo do things is, you know, when we will move to a new generation, it's because there are some fundamental things the console cannot do,” Regie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, told Kotaku.
Be this as it may, rumors have once again sprouted, this time implying that Intel may be negotiating with Nintendo on powering its next-generation consoles. Supposedly, the Santa Clara-based chip maker may be working with Big N on a new processor similar to the Larrabee in the way that it would integrate both CPU and GPU functions. If genuine, the upcoming Wii, supposedly touted as the Zii, may not only boast a higher processing power, but might even, at long last, be able to power and run games in HD resolution, even though graphics aren't really Nintendo's main concern.
Of course, these may very well be just rumors, and there's nothing to suggest that they won't die as such, or, better yet, become the successors to the Apple tablet rumors that have been going strong for a year now.
Regardless of the rumors' validity, a new console would most likely improve Nintendo's sales if designed properly.