Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Silent Hill, Dragon Quest, Skyrim, and More Announced as Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Has Another Big Night and Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2025-2026 DICE Awards
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- The Game Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Racks Up Nine Wins, Including “Game of the Year”, at the 2025 Game Awards
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- We Pitched a Museum a 1993 Game Hint Line (And They Actually Said Yes) – Yarn Spinner (2026)
- The History Of The Word “Metroidvania” And How It Spread – A Critical Hit (2025)
- Creator of Hit Game Shovel Knight Is at a ‘Make or Break’ Moment – Bloomberg (2025)
- Shadow of the Colossus: An oral history – Design Room (2025)
- In 2005, games started rewiring our brains – The AV Club (2025)
Most Recent: Wii U
Nintendo confirms Wii 2 will launch in 2012
In a note to investors released this morning, Nintendo has confirmed that a “successor to the Wii” will launch in 2012.
The rumored code name of “Project Cafe” wasn’t mentioned in the statement, so it’s still just the “Wii 2” for now. But the publisher did confirm that we’ll all get our first look at the system (along with some hands-on time) at this year’s E3 expo, which will be held from June 7th through the 9th.
Nintendo didn’t narrow a release date down beyond “TBA 2012,” but they did say that “sales of this new system have not been included in the finanical forecasts announced today for the fiscal term ending March 2012” so don’t expect the “Wii 2” to appear before April 2012.
Rumor: Rockstar on board with Wii 2?
The Wii 2 rumors are continuing to light up the internet. French site (and original rumor monger) 01net is now claiming that Rockstar is on board. The site’s sources claim that Rockstar Games was the first company to secure a developer unit for the next Nintendo console. 01net’s sources also state that the console, code named “Project Cafe,” is set for release in June of 2012.
To add to the craziness, Gamekyo has rumored that Grand Theft Auto V is set for a 2012 release. Coincidence? For the confused, GoNintendo fits the pieces together: “Rockstar has a dev kit […] working on GTA V (which is sure to hit PS3/360 as well) […] hoping to have it available at launch.”
Are you buying what 01net and GoNintendo are selling? We’ll have to wait for E3 to know for sure.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Grand Theft Auto V
PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 may come 2014 at earliest
The rumors heating up for the Wii 2 aren’t necessarily shocking, as Nintendo remains the only console manufacturer without a High Definition presence. The onset of the next, true console generation? Now, that would really shake things up.
Kotaku claims to have talked to various insiders on the whisperings around Sony and Microsoft board rooms about when they’ll launch new consoles. Many sources are pointing towards 2014, claiming neither company wants to undermine profits by releasing a system that’s too expensive to make. Others hint at greedier reasons, claiming “both MS and Sony are telegraphing to each other that they’re delaying, to milk the current [generation].”
It’s been a while since I took Microeconomics, but I’m pretty sure that would be illegal.
The site also spoke to analysts Billy Pigeon, who believes Microsoft and Sony will probably wait to see how successful Nintendo’s incoming HD system does, and the infamous Michael Pachter, who attests that neither is ready for a new console cycle. Stephen Totilo of Kotaku attempted to agree with them, writing the sentence “it would also make likely that expected but unannounced games from other publishers, the next Grand Theft Auto, for example,” in an apparent lack of cohesion. Personally, I think this generation is just hitting its stride, and I’d at least like to see another Metal Gear Solid before the circle begins anew.
We’ll let you know if Kotaku hurls anymore accusations of criminal collusion at our favorite game companies.
More Wii 2 rumors: iPad-like controller, HD graphics, 2012 release
More Wii 2 rumors have emerged, this time courtesy of French news site 01net (they were also responsible for the initial NGP leak). CVG has kindly translated the report and revealed some rather juicy details about Nintendo’s next console (which should make an appearance at this year’s E3).
According to the report, the Wii 2 is known internally as Project Cafe and will be very similar to the Xbox 360 in processing power. The technical specs bear this out as the system is said to contain “a custom IBM PowerPC CPU with three cores, a GPU from the ATI R700 family with a shader unit at version 4.1, and at least 512Mb of RAM.”
More impressive is the console’s controller, which will include “a six-inch touch screen, a front-facing camera, D-Pad, two bumpers, two triggers and ‘possibly more.'” Wow.
Finally, the system is said to be packed with backwards compatibility options. In addition to games designed exclusively for it, Project Cafe will be able to play GameCube and Wii games (along with support for all Wii peripherals).
But don’t expect to play it this year, the 01net report concluded with a release date of late 2012 for the system.
Rumors grow stronger for Nintendo HD console
The whispers have spoken incessantly about it, the gamers have begged for it, and Michael Pachter has said it would fail. Ladies and gentlemen, the High Definition successor to the Wii is coming very close to its confirmation.
Game Informer reports multiple sources have confirmed that Nintendo will definitely unveil an HD console at this year’s E3, if not sooner. The common denominator from all sources is that it will run in High Definition; whether it will surpass, compete with, or fall short of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is up in the air.
Apparently, Nintendo is showing the console to third party publishers already, in order to garner support early on, and possibly even go after the western gamer. This could remedy the lack of third party support that has plagued Nintendo since the N64 days.
I declare the plausible speculation season for this year’s E3 TO BE OPEN for gamers.
Square Enix planning studio that’ll specialize in PS4/Wii 2/Xbox 720 games
Square Enix plans to open a new studio in Montreal, Vancouver or Toronto next year and hire 100 new developers to work at it. So what, you say, new studios open all the time. Especially in Canada, which is quickly turning into the leading location for video game development.
Well, what if I told you that this studio would be responsible for creating games for the (currently unannounced) PlayStation 4, Wii 2 and Xbox 720. I’ll wait while your brain processes the change from “So what?” to “Whoa!”
The news comes from a report on GamesIndustry.biz, which cites an article in the Canadian newspaper La Presse. Stephane D’Astous, the director of Eidos Montreal, will make the final decision on where the studio will be located. But he’s not shying away from the fact that this studio is being built from the ground up to create next generation games.
“The new consoles from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo will require more attention and more staff,” D’Astous said. “We want to prepare ourselves.”
Maybe the next generation of consoles is closer than we think.
Michael Pachter embarrasses himself again by saying “Wii 2 will fail”
Michael Pachter, video game analyst extraordinaire for Wedbush Securities, was a guest on this week’s Bonus Round talking 2011 predictions with Geoff Keighley. “The Pach” was in rare form during this panel. Most people stop at their feet, but Pachter may have shoved his whole leg in his mouth.
During a discussion about the future of the Wii, Pachter laid out his prediction (once again) that Nintendo will announce a Wii 2 at this year’s E3. Whether or not Nintendo has a Wii 2 planned doesn’t much matter as the analyst goes one further and then claims that the Wii 2 “will fail” without third party support:
Pachter: “So without third-party support, I think the Wii 2, if it’s truly a revolutionary device, will fail. I think they boxed themselves in. No matter what they do, it won’t be as successful as the Wii.”
Just… wow.
ATTENTION INVESTORS! Michael Pachter is a moron. He has no greater insight into the video game industry than your average forum fanboy. I would volunteer to do his job for a quarter of his salary and I would do it better.
For proof, just look at that statement. The Wii 2 hasn’t even been announced yet and Pachter is already writing it off. This is lunacy. Especially when you consider the fact that a Nintendo system lives and dies by its first party support. Even the GameCube, a “failure” against the PS2, was hugely profitable for Nintendo and produced a bevy of classic games.
If you want to watch the hilarity yourself, check out the video after the break. The Wii 2 talk starts at the 17:09 mark. (more…)