Wii 2 in 2010:

It’s something that we all knew was inevitable. Back in 2007 everyone’s favorite industry analyst and rumor monger, Michael Pachter, announced that he believed a HD-enabled Wii 2 would be on store shelves within a couple of years. The rumors were exacerbated further in 2008 with Nintendo’s Global President, Satoru Iwata, stating that the Wii 2 was being worked on.  Thus, it makes perfect sense that details have just been leaked regarding the tentatively named Wii 2 and the possibility of its release in 2010.

MaxConsole.net stated late last week that they had received news from an anonymous Nintendo of France marketing employee detailing specifications of a Wii 2 that include full 1080P support for games as well as a Blu-ray drive. The suggestion being that Blu-ray would be to help combat piracy as well as presumably to provide more modern technology for the system. The leak also suggested that the console would be released in the third quarter of 2010; suggesting a launch just in time for the Christmas rush. It all sounded a little too perfect for Nintendo fans, but according to MaxConsole.net the source has provided accurate news from various insiders in the past, so it is plausible.

The rumor has also been compounded by streaming media analyst, Dan Rayburn, who explained in his blog that Nintendo is in the testing stages of bringing the Netflix service to the Wii. Rayburn did however emphasize that, "Nintendo is also considering holding off on the Netflix service until they release their next generation Wii HD unit in early 2010." Early 2010 sounds rather ambitious compared to the previous insider rumor but it does sound a lot more likely that a new Wii iteration could be on its way shortly.

Somewhat ironically this launch would go against Michael Pachter’s latest prediction from May of this year that no "new" consoles would be arriving in 2010 and that 2013 would be much more likely. While it’s always nice to see Pachter suddenly backtrack his analysis, this does however strengthen the possibility that rather than being a brand new console, the Wii 2, might simply be an HD upgrade for the system. This would certainly make a lot of sense considering the various media reports that the Wii is "wilting" and starting to falter a bit in its dominance. Compared to its impressive sales figures of 10 million units sold in the US during 2008 with only around 4 million units sold up until the end of September this year, it does look like the gaming world’s infatuation with the system is waning, making now an ideal opportunity for a rebooted image.

It seems pretty likely to me that the Wii 2 is on its way, although perhaps Wii 1.5 might be more appropriate. With the possible delay of Netflix to ensure it is released at the same time, it seems like a great opportunity to ensure Nintendo retains their dominance on the console market. Rather than investing in a completely new system at a time of great financial uncertainty, it is a wise move to build upon the success of a previous system and add some much needed features, in particular the High Definition capabilities. Now the only real and urgent question is will there be a choice of color schemes upon launch?

Jen says: True