[Rumor] High-DEF wii scheduled for 2011

[Smigit]

I applaud you for having a clue.

Apparently some people feel bad because their ultra powerful console of choice is losing against what they call "last gen" hardware.

Losing what exactly? Hardware sales? Pfftt who really cares. All I know is theres about half a dozen games for my 360 I want coming out this Xmas and not a single one for my Wii (except Mad World if thats due by then). I could care less which one sells the more hardware, if anything software sales are more important to a platforms longevity IMHO.

The console COULD use some more powerful hardware. Pretty much all the big titles on the machine are Nintendos in house titles. They are really struggling to get anything big out of 3rd parties besides maybe Guitar Hero. If ports were a viable option for some of the more advanced games the Wii would be in an even better position than it is now. I mean, companies such as Epic, Valve, ID and I'm sure others have all said they think the Wii looks interesting yet none have committed to any development because it would require them developing the game specifically for the hardware. It's not totally unrelated to the criticisms the PS3 drew for being too complex to develop for.

[The Teej]

Year 2008

Wii: Standard Definition

PS3: High Definition

Xbox 360: High Definition

Year 2011

Wii: High Definition

PS4(?): Ultra High Definition

Xbox 720(?): Ultra High Definition

:pacifier:

Considering the XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 (XBOX 360 more specifically) is struggling to get anything major running at 1080p @ 60FPS, and games like Far Cry 2 can't even reach 720p @ 60FPS (not that I'm bashing the game, it's just an example), I sincerely doubt they're going to up the resolution standard even higher again. Much the like the N64 (and I think the PS1) made 640x480 possible, the generation after that (PS2, GCN, XBOX) are going to make that the standard for every game (with the odd one or two pushing 720p). This, in combination with the overwhelming majority of TV sets not being able to do anything past 1080p, means 1080p will become the standard, much like 720p is right now for the HD consoles.

[Smigit]

yeah there won't be an increase for the next generation. They would need TV's ect to be available and in most places HD is only just beginning to catch on. It's probably another half decade to a decade before we see another jump IMHO.

[Ricardo Gil]

Losing what exactly? Hardware sales? Pfftt who really cares. All I know is theres about half a dozen games for my 360 I want coming out this Xmas and not a single one for my Wii (except Mad World if thats due by then). I could care less which one sells the more hardware, if anything software sales are more important to a platforms longevity IMHO.

Well, judging by some comments I read here, looks like a lot of people care. Nintendo is kicking ass when it comes to sales and it's also selling a lot of games, even with older hardware, and that seems to raise some hate around here.

So you don't want games for your Wii this Christmas, fine, but you're not everyone else I guess. I'm also not getting any games for the Wii this Christmas, but I'm sure many will and they'll be satisfied.

My main point to everyone is: let Nintendo be Nintendo. If you want powerful hardware, MS and Sony have your back, don't like it, don't buy it. Remember that games are about fun, not MHz.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Well, judging by some comments I read here, looks like a lot of people care. Nintendo is kicking ass when it comes to sales and it's also selling a lot of games, even with older hardware, and that seems to raise some hate around here.

So you don't want games for your Wii this Christmas, fine, but you're not everyone else I guess. I'm also not getting any games for the Wii this Christmas, but I'm sure many will and they'll be satisfied.

My main point to everyone is: let Nintendo be Nintendo. If you want powerful hardware, MS and Sony have your back, don't like it, don't buy it. Remember that games are about fun, not MHz.

Well at least acknowledge my output.

I said Nintendo don't need cutting edge expensive powerful hardware like Sony/MS.

What they do need IMO, is support for current TV's, in other words, support HD.

480p is not HD and looks pretty damn crappy on my 40" TV.

Outputting 1080p, or even just 720p, for simpler games in terms of textures/graphics clearly isn't as taxing. Hence why just about every PSN title/XBLA title can do native 1080p and usually 60FPS.

720p would be enough for Nintendo though, just support HD...

yeah there won't be an increase for the next generation. They would need TV's ect to be available and in most places HD is only just beginning to catch on. It's probably another half decade to a decade before we see another jump IMHO.

Um I think HDTVs are fairly common nowadays.

They do not cost a lot of money for a basic 24-32" TV.

Hardly anywhere, if anywhere, sells SDTVs now in large numbers.

[FiB3R]

But Nintendo used to have cutting edge hardware! NES, SNES, N64, were all great for their time, then it all went ###### up with the game cube, and they got left behind.

I feel let down by Nintendo, they haven't grown with me.

[Sethos]

Let's hope they actually create games which benefit from HD, no more huge round heads with a blob of brown suggesting hair.

[The Teej]

They do not cost a lot of money for a basic 24-32" TV.

Decent 32" HDTVs are hardly cheap. They're something like ?450+ (usually in the ?500 range). When I buy a TV, it's a big investment, I don't want to buy some knock off one only for it to die in a couple of years. Plus, I want one with a decent featureset, not something stupid like 1 HDMI port and 2 scart ports, which is ridiculous. Anyway, when you say output at 720p, do you think you'd be comfortable with the Wii having an upscaler (just like 360's HANA)? I'm just curious.

@DARKFiB3R - It actually all went ###### up with the N64, commercially speaking. The N64 was an amazing console, and hosts some of the greatest games of all time (Zelda: OoT, Goldeneye). The Gamecube, while a commercial failure, gave Nintendo a lot of money (which they needed) and still had it's fair share of gems (RE4, Twilight Princess, SSBM)

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Decent 32" HDTVs are hardly cheap. They're something like ?450+ (usually in the ?500 range). When I buy a TV, it's a big investment, I don't want to buy some knock off one only for it to die in a couple of years. Plus, I want one with a decent featureset, not something stupid like 1 HDMI port and 2 scart ports, which is ridiculous. Anyway, when you say output at 720p, do you think you'd be comfortable with the Wii having an upscaler (just like 360's HANA)? I'm just curious.

@DARKFiB3R - It actually all went ###### up with the N64, commercially speaking. The N64 was an amazing console, and hosts some of the greatest games of all time (Zelda: OoT, Goldeneye). The Gamecube, while a commercial failure, gave Nintendo a lot of money (which they needed) and still had it's fair share of gems (RE4, Twilight Princess, SSBM)

Decent 32" HDTVs are hardly cheap. They're something like ?450+ (usually in the ?500 range).

No, taken from large retailers as that's who most casuals would buy from (I can get these TVs even cheaper on more "indie" electronics sites). I think you're a bit out on your pricing of TVs.

Around ?350

Sharp - http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_...gory_oid=-21226

Samsung - http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_...gory_oid=-21226[/uIndie sitess

Sony 32" TVs under/around ?350

Sony - http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk/sony/kdl32v4000.html

Sony - http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk/sony/kdl32p3000.html

If you go to less known brand name TV's, you can get 32" sets for like ?300, sometimes ?250-300.

When I buy a TV, it's a big investment, I don't want to buy some knock off one only for it to die in a couple of years. Plus, I want one with a decent featureset, not something stupid like 1 HDMI port and 2 scart ports, which is ridiculous.

Then you're not the type of person my comments made towards.

I'm talking about people who see HD, then buy a TV in Asda.

We can't bitch about HDTV prices, then categorise the whole UK population as people who will only buy top end HDTVs. That's not the way it's going to work.

People flock to prices primarily, if you can get HDTVs cheap at decent prices, people will buy before thinking "Ohhh I need two HDMI ports/This contrast ratio is lower/ect".

Anyway, when you say output at 720p, do you think you'd be comfortable with the Wii having an upscaler (just like 360's HANA)? I'm just curious.

I'd have to see what the quality was like.

However for the next-gen Wii, definitely not.

I expect HD support.

I'd of been happier with 720p upscaling THIS generation.

[Smigit]

Um I think HDTVs are fairly common nowadays.

They do not cost a lot of money for a basic 24-32" TV.

Hardly anywhere, if anywhere, sells SDTVs now in large numbers.

Yeah they are now but it's only a recent thing and the cheaper ones are still only 720p. Theres plenty of non HD sets out there still and then the low end of the market is being filled with 720p sets so I dont see us going to something beyond 1080p for some time. Nor do I think we need to. 1900x1200/1080p like resolutions is still for many intents a bit of a performance barrier not only for consoles but PC's too. I wouldnt be surprised if higher res computer displays became more common than they are now before we see something above 1080p given computer specifications are a bit more flexible in those regards.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Yeah they are now but it's only a recent thing and the cheaper ones are still only 720p. Theres plenty of non HD sets out there still and then the low end of the market is being filled with 720p sets so I dont see us going to something beyond 1080p for some time. Nor do I think we need to. 1900x1200/1080p like resolutions is still for many intents a bit of a performance barrier not only for consoles but PC's too. I wouldnt be surprised if higher res computer displays became more common than they are now before we see something above 1080p given computer specifications are a bit more flexible in those regards.

A Wii doing 720p is fine for me.

I just strive for basic HD support, that's all.

Makes menus/games much crisper and easier to read/play when you're playing on a 40" HDTV set.

Majority of TVs on the market will be 720p for like, AGES. Most living rooms will probably snatch a 32" set. Those going to 40/42" will probably buy cheap (and end up with 720p) before they buy more expensive 1080p 40/42" sets.

[The Teej]

No, taken from large retailers as that's who most casuals would buy from (I can get these TVs even cheaper on more "indie" electronics sites). I think you're a bit out on your pricing of TVs.

Around ?350

Sharp - http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_...gory_oid=-21226

Samsung - http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_...gory_oid=-21226

Indie sites>

Sony 32" TVs under/around ?350

Sony - http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk/sony/kdl32v4000.html

Sony - http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk/sony/kdl32p3000.html

If you go to less known brand name TV's, you can get 32" sets for like ?300, sometimes ?250-300.

I hate to sound nitpicky (and it's not because I'm trying to be awkward), but to be honest, if I was getting an HD set I'd definitely want Full HD 1080p, 720p will only last me a couple of years and then it'll feel outdated. Thanks for searching for these, though, much appreciated. I wasn't aware HDTVs were this cheap.

Then you're not the type of person my comments made towards.

I'm talking about people who see HD, then buy a TV in Asda.

We can't bitch about HDTV prices, then categorise the whole UK population as people who will only buy top end HDTVs. That's not the way it's going to work.

People flock to prices primarily, if you can get HDTVs cheap at decent prices, people will buy before thinking "Ohhh I need two HDMI ports/This contrast ratio is lower/ect".

Ah, sorry, I guess I kind of took your post out of context t:pn :p The majority of people do, yes, flock to prices primarily. The problem there is, these are the same people that will see stuff like "Wii can do HD!" and then feel they need an HDTV to get anything out of it, which while is untrue, it's a mindset. It's a mindset that may detract some people away from the Wii, or confuse them. Considering this is the casual audience and not the hardcore crowd, this is possible. You could counter argue that you simply do not market this feature, or people who don't understand won't care, but I honestly don't feel this is the case. I've had quite a few people ask me "So do you need an HDTV to play the XBOX 360 then?" simply because it's marketed as an HD console. If this is going to confuse some 360 potential buyers, it's definitely going to confuse some Wii potential buyers. It's a double edged sword.

I'd have to see what the quality was like.

However for the next-gen Wii, definitely not.

I expect HD support.

I'd of been happier with 720p upscaling THIS generation.

Oh yeah, I was talking about this generation. There's no way an upscaler chip and let people do 480p next generation is acceptable. That's not on. If Wii doesn't do 1080p natively, that is taking the mickey. I understand what the Wii philosophy is, but come on, even phones with TV out can bloody output 640x480. I do believe Reggie said the next Nintendo console will do HD, though, so hopefully they stick to that.

[Sethos]

I hate to sound nitpicky (and it's not because I'm trying to be awkward), but to be honest, if I was getting an HD set I'd definitely want Full HD 1080p, 720p will only last me a couple of years and then it'll feel outdated. Thanks for searching for these, though, much appreciated. I wasn't aware HDTVs were this cheap.

You are joking right? ...

I bet you also want those glories 1080p in a nifty 26" package?

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I hate to sound nitpicky (and it's not because I'm trying to be awkward), but to be honest, if I was getting an HD set I'd definitely want Full HD 1080p, 720p will only last me a couple of years and then it'll feel outdated. Thanks for searching for these, though, much appreciated. I wasn't aware HDTVs were this cheap.

Ah, sorry, I guess I kind of took your post out of context then :p The majority of people do, yes, flock to prices primarily. The problem there is, these are the same people that will see stuff like "Wii can do HD!" and then feel they need an HDTV to get anything out of it, which while is untrue, it's a mindset. It's a mindset that may detract some people away from the Wii, or confuse them. Considering this is the casual audience and not the hardcore crowd, this is possible. You could counter argue that you simply do not market this feature, or people who don't understand won't care, but I honestly don't feel this is the case. I've had quite a few people ask me "So do you need an HDTV to play the XBOX 360 then?" simply because it's marketed as an HD console. If this is going to confuse some 360 potential buyers, it's definitely going to confuse some Wii potential buyers. It's a double edged sword.

Oh yeah, I was talking about this generation. There's no way an upscaler chip and let people do 480p next generation is acceptable. That's not on. If Wii doesn't do 1080p natively, that is taking the mickey. I understand what the Wii philosophy is, but come on, even phones with TV out can bloody output 640x480. I do believe Reggie said the next Nintendo console will do HD, though, so hopefully they stick to that.

You don't really need 1080p for a 32" set... so yeah, that is quite nitpicky :p

I still think a 720p Wii for next-gen would be fine.

I think unless we're using cutting edge technology 1080p might still be requiring a good effort on hardware/developers next-gen, and I don't see Nintendo going all horse power with the next Wii.

Maybe not but, we're starting to hear of more 1080p native games hitting this generation.

Sadly, if it matters to you, I think Nintendo will continue this trend of delivering under powered hardware that's cheaper out the door.

Unless of course things take a tidal wave of a change this generation, it's still only 2/3 years in, you'd be mighty adventurous to say this generations all wrapped up yet :whistle:

The 360/PS3 have the longevity in hardware power/future proof-ness (excluding BR on the 360), so will things be different for the Wii in 5-6 years time? Would this cause Nintendo to power up the next Wii a little more than a Gamecube 1.25? Who knows yet...

All I know is HD support is a must in some fashion (Y)

[Smigit]

A Wii doing 720p is fine for me.

I just strive for basic HD support, that's all.

Ohh I agree they should have 720/1080. I was replying to the post before mine in regards to the "super high definition" which I assume was supposed to be something beyond 1080. I think the next Wii will be 1080p mind you and it shouldnt be too expensive to produce one if the 360 and PS3 can do it now and they are a couple of years old currently so by 2011 I can't see it being a huge issue.

[The Teej]

You are joking right? ...

I bet you also want those glories 1080p in a nifty 26" package?

I don't see why me demanding 1080p on a 32" set is so out of order when people are playing @ 1680x1050 on 22" PC monitors. To be honest though, I'd probably go for a 36" TV now that they're all flatscreen (and yes, I'd want that to be 1080p).

[MasterSasuke]

ooh, I got news.

My wii looks EXACTLY as the one in the first post.

all it is is a wii in a "Black Knight II-CASE"

nothing special here, i think

[The Teej]

Methinks you are right.

http://images.google.com/images?ie=UTF-8&a...sa=N&tab=wi

First result:

*whistles*

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I don't see why me demanding 1080p on a 32" set is so out of order when people are playing @ 1680x1050 on 22" PC monitors. To be honest though, I'd probably go for a 36" TV now that they're all flatscreen (and yes, I'd want that to be 1080p).

Difference being scalers in TVs are better than those in monitors in most cases.

Hence why monitors look like **** if ran under their native res, where as a 40" 1080p TV, if ran in 720p, still looks sharp/crisp.

[The Teej]

Difference being scalers in TVs are better than those in monitors in most cases.

Hence why monitors look like **** if ran under their native res, where as a 40" 1080p TV, if ran in 720p, still looks sharp/crisp.

Ok, fair point. But still, I don't see why I'm being frowned upon so badly just for wanting a 1080p set on a 32" TV (which like I said, to be honest, I'd probably go for a 36" instead).

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Ok, fair point. But still, I don't see why I'm being frowned upon so badly just for wanting a 1080p set on a 32" TV (which like I said, to be honest, I'd probably go for a 36" instead).

Not frowned upon, I'm just giving some advice.

Buying a high end 720p 32" set is money better spent than going after 1080p support at that size.

36" would start making more sense for 1080p, although the general "rule of thumb" people kick about is 1080p for 40"+.

[Sethos]

Ok, fair point. But still, I don't see why I'm being frowned upon so badly just for wanting a 1080p set on a 32" TV (which like I said, to be honest, I'd probably go for a 36" instead).

Because 1080p is not a technological advancement over 720p, it's just to 'compensate' for the bigger TV. You can barely see the difference between 1080p and 720p on a sub-40" TV.

This discussion always comes up every time there is talk about flatscreen TVs. So stop seeing 1080p as superior over 720p like its a hardware upgrade.

Oh and Full HD is not a quality stamp either.

Bit like saying your new Ferrari is obsolete because it can't use 24" rims, just a matter of size!

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Because 1080p is not a technological advancement over 720p, it's just to 'compensate' for the bigger TV. You can barely see the difference between 1080p and 720p on a sub-40" TV.

This discussion always comes up every time there is talk about flatscreen TVs. So stop seeing 1080p as superior over 720p like its a hardware upgrade.

Oh and Full HD is not a quality stamp either.

Bit like saying your new Ferrari is obsolete because it can't use 24" rims, just a matter of size!

But it is a technological advancement?

It's outputting more pixels, therefore better quality.

Not really compensating for the real estate, as the TV scaler will happily do that for you scaling 720p/any other input to fit the screen.

However on sub-40" TVs, having your eyes try to notice the difference would be a task, therefore making it near pointless investing in a TV that size that outputs at that resolution.

[The Teej]

Ok, thanks for the advice guys.

[Ricardo Gil]

Well at least acknowledge my output.

I said Nintendo don't need cutting edge expensive powerful hardware like Sony/MS.

What they do need IMO, is support for current TV's, in other words, support HD.

480p is not HD and looks pretty damn crappy on my 40" TV.

I see your point, and I somewhat agree with it. This is a problem you get between technology transitions (SD->HD in this case), Nintendo opted for SD this gen... HD support would be nice indeed, and I have no doubt it'll be in Nintendo's next console.

The only thing that bugs me Audio, is people wishing the Wii to be something it's certainly not.

In my point of view, Nintendo segmented the Wii very clearly from the beginning. It was an entry level, party-oriented console. You can clearly see that from the games available, the "waggle" control schemes and the low price.

It's not supposed to be competing in horse power with the other consoles, it certainly wasn't designed to be a media do-it-all, it's merely an entry level console system for the masses, so asking for the Wii to be like a PS3/360 is like asking Peugeot to make the 107 with a 300HP engine and leather seats.

One could say that MS made a smart move by providing different models of the 360, so that it would cater to both "low end" and "high end" markets. Sony opted as we know for the high-end market alone and Nintendo stuck with the low end. Can we really blame them for that? Personally I don't think so, because I believe there's a console for everyone between these 3 brands.

To sum it up, I think in a few years HD sets will be widely available, with HD support being mandatory at least. Right now the Wii is just a "low end" home console and I think it does its job very well.