Nintendo Says Wii Replacement Won't Come "Anytime Soon"

[Andy Chalk]

Nintendo Says Wii Replacement Won't Come "Anytime Soon"

Nintendo's [http://www.nintendo.com] Cammie Dunaway says there are no plans to come out with a successor to the Wii anytime soon, adding that the company believes the console still has "a lot of room to grow."

The Wii [http://www.wii.com] has been kicking around for a few years now and given that it was hardly on the cutting edge of technology even when it was new, the passage of time has inevitably taken a toll. Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will see major advances in the near future with the launch of Project Natal and whatever Sony decides to call their ball thing, while the Wii just carries on, seemingly oblivious or indifferent to the changing world around it.

Its popularity is undeniable, but with Microsoft [http://www.sony.com] talking about ten-year lifespans for their consoles, which are already significantly more powerful than the Wii, is Nintendo planning some sort of "Super-Wii" to keep up?

Apparently not, according to Dunaway, the vice president of sales and marketing at Nintendo of America. "I don't think it'll be anytime soon," she told GameSpot [http://uk.gamespot.com/events/nintendo10/video.html?sid=6251936]. "Even though our install base is, at this point, five million households larger than the PS2 install base was at the same point in its life cycle, it still has a lot of room to grow."

"If you think PS2, there's been about 50 million sold - Wii close to 28 million sold - so it says to me there's still a big audience out there that we can access with Wii," she added. As for Nintendo's next console, she said, "We'll have it ready when we think the time is right."

Source: Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/25/dunaway-wii-successor-isnt-coming-anytime-soon/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Fjoystiq+%28Joystiq%29]


Permalink

 

[Quaidis]

Well, this is a good thing. It would be outright awkward to release a new Zelda, Metroid, Mario, and the such with tons of promises of future releases (I'm looking at you, Tales of Graces) then on the same year pull a new system out of their ear.

Timing is everything. The best time the Wii should release WiiX2 with blu ray capabilities and an option to swap between standard def and hd, as well as some snazzy new controller design that involves your tongue, would be when the world economy is on a better foot.

 

[scotth266]

Considering that Nintendo is currently king of the console sales, this shouldn't really come as news to anyone. Nintendo has no reason to release a new product when the old one is still hot on the market.

 

[Jared]

Wonder what the big new announcement will be now...curiouser and curiouser

 

[RvLeshrac]

If you think PS2, there's been about 50 million sold - Wii close to 28 million sold - so it says to me there's still a big audience out there that we can access with Wii,"

Nintendo seems to have forgotten that there were 50 million PS2s sold because they kept breaking. Constantly. I've gone through three or four of them.

 

[mikecoulter]

Then it looks like I'm not getting a Nintendo console anytime soon...

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Nintendo seems to have forgotten that there were 50 million PS2s sold because they kept breaking. Constantly. I've gone through three or four of them.

I have two, one is just weird, but I've barely ever heard of PS2's, or any of the older consoles failing, but more issues with the PS3 and a ton about 360's. Guess they don't make consoles like they used to.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Considering that Nintendo is currently king of the console sales, this shouldn't really come as news to anyone. Nintendo has no reason to release a new product when the old one is still hot on the market.

Yeah. Folks can whine about how low-tech the thing is and will become over time, but Ninty is still raking in the money with both hands.

I mean, I hate the big N, but why would they mess with success? Besides, this is Nintendo.

If you think PS2, there's been about 50 million sold - Wii close to 28 million sold - so it says to me there's still a big audience out there that we can access with Wii,"

Nintendo seems to have forgotten that there were 50 million PS2s sold because they kept breaking. Constantly. I've gone through three or four of them.

Really? I certainly haven't. My sister had hers for a year or two before selling it, then I bought my used one and still have it.

 

[Discord]

So.... multi colored Wii's maybe? Because that's all I want to see like so...

 

[ninjapenguin981]

Except that people who actually like gaming played the PS2 aswell...

 

[ScarBrow07]

They are gonna wait till every bought a wii than release a new one. Like they did with the ds. It would still sell by the bucket load

 

[xyrafhoan]

There was a rumour that they were working on a DS successor anyway. Personally I don't find there's anything particularly wrong with either platform. Some people are obsessed with graphical quality, but for me, as long as the game is fun, the graphics and controls are functional, and the game plays smoothly, then I can enjoy myself. And shouldn't enjoyment be the primary focus of games, anyway?

Also the Wii has been home to some fantastic and overlooked games. Rune Factory Frontier is the most fun I've had in years, and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn was a great installment in one of my favourite series. The Wii isn't starved of good games, it's starved of a receptive playerbase.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Cammie's only talking about the US market here isn't she, I was under the impression Ps2 sales were moe than 50million, two and a half times more at least.

Can't blame her logic though. Even though it spent lest year 'haemorrhaging sales' those haemorrhaged sales still added to up to a lot, lot more than either of their competitors could manage. Indeed the numbers were very healthy for a console that's three years old, why mess with the winning formual?

 

[Aura Guardian]

Considering that Nintendo is currently king of the console sales, this shouldn't really come as news to anyone. Nintendo has no reason to release a new product when the old one is still hot on the market.

Yeah. Folks can whine about how low-tech the thing is and will become over time, but Ninty is still raking in the money with both hands.

I mean, I hate the big N, but why would they mess with success? Besides, this is Nintendo.

If you think PS2, there's been about 50 million sold - Wii close to 28 million sold - so it says to me there's still a big audience out there that we can access with Wii,"

Nintendo seems to have forgotten that there were 50 million PS2s sold because they kept breaking. Constantly. I've gone through three or four of them.

Really? I certainly haven't. My sister had hers for a year or two before selling it, then I bought my used one and still have it.

Lucky you, I had to buy my little bro 4 ps2 until he had enough of them breaking and we bought him a Gamecube. Why we gave Sony a second to fourth chance is beyond me.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

I didn't buy a DS until the Lite came out. The form factor is infinitely better.

I don't need a new Wii, Metroid, Mario Galaxy and Brawl look spectacular in 480p. Even stupid MadWorld is fun to show off. But when one is released, I'll be in line at target at 3am to get one on launch day like I did with my current one.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

There's no need for growth. It will still be selling by the bucket loads a decade from now.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I imagine that they would want to concentrate on the next handheld console for at least a year or two before the next major console. Launching one new platform would be a lot of work for them but doing two would be a nightmare. I'm no Michael Pachter though so my insight might be lacking in certain areas.

 

[Rect Pola]

Suprise, suprise.

What Nintendo really needs to master before the next generation is how to get genuinely good third party games get the praise and sales they deserve.

 

[Greenansatsu]

Hearing this saddens me a bit, I was actually expecting a new nintendo system by 2012. If only to bring its hardware up to that of 360. I doubt increasing its capabilities would increase the cost much, considering how cheap the wii is now anyway.

Oh well I guess.

As an aside I had two PS2's. The first one was a massive misshaped monstrosity and eventually the laser became misaligned so I bought a nice new thin sleek model.