sony and microsoft have not announced any new consoles yet. they have expressed a desire for a 10-year life cycle (from 05/06). so we probably will not expect a new announcement until 13/14.
nintendo, however, is rolling out a new console late 2012 this year. this, in many respects, shows the wii's failures. the motion sensing technology and hardware limitations made it harder for third party developers to support the wii. also, hardcore gamers were alienated, largely, to support casual gamers. the wii sold many copies, as it appealed to so many new demographics, but like all innovation, it only works once and it became a cultural fad. so nintendo reaped a lot of profits but now they are back to the less casual gamers.
wii u is coming out the earliest. this means it could be trumped by a later console like dreamcast was to the ps2. it could also mean that the early bird gets the worm, like what happened to xbox 360.
the wii u can dominate the next generation but it needs to satisfy these 5 factors, imo:
1. a good online service, like xbox live. wii, largely, avoided online play. in this era, almost all titles should have some kind of online connectivity. the wii's online service should have profiles, messaging, group chats, and could even be a social network of some kind.
2. better hardware. of course it's confirmed that wii u's graphics will be better than ps3's, but that is a 6 year console. the hardware needs to be as good as a ps4 would be. the hardware needs to be ready for 5+ years of technological improvement, not just one or two.
2. third parties, as the wii and gcn lacked.
4. connectivity. wii u doesn't need to reinvent the wheel. it should connect to youtube, facebook, twitter, etc.
5. apps. lots of apps.
27 Feb 2012, 12:21 pm
