Wii 2 launches in 2012, playable at E3

By Hector Cortez Apr 25, 2011, 8:17 GMT

Nintendo\'s newest console is set to launch in 2012.

Nintendo has announced plans to release a successor to the Wii in 2012, with an unveiling set for E3 in June.

No firm release date has been announced but there are two possibilities based on the timing of the unveiling and the details found in the announcement. The Wii 2 (as I'll refer to it for simplicity's sake until an official name is revealed) will either launch during the traditional holiday season of 2012, or in the second quarter of the year based off Nintendo's fiscal term ending March 2012 and the unveiling occuring at this year's E3 instead of next year's. 

It's also unclear if the playable model will be on the show floor or if it will only be playable by Nintendo staff during their annual E3 press conference.

From what we've gathered, the new machine is being referred to internally as "Project Cafe" and has been in the works for quite some time, with publishers such as Ubisoft, Activision and EA having received their development kits months ago.

Also, reports indicate our initial Q2 launch assumption is accurate as the tentative release date communicated to developers is June, 2012.

The most interesting leaked news is regarding the new controller. Apparently it will feature a six-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 800x500. At this point the screen is only single touch like the DS family, and not multitouch like the iPhone/iPad. Below is a mockup image that's closest to the real thing.

Players will be able to stream games, movies, and more to multiple controllers without having the TV on--the console, however, must be on as it serves as the "server" handling all the processing, while the controllers are simply "receivers." This approach will keep costs down significantly.

As for the actual console, it will be powered by a custom triple-core PowerPC and an AMD/ATI GPU. RAM amount is currently unknown. Nintendo, as was the case with the Wii, is not interested in pushing graphics as this new machine is only slightly more powerful than an Xbox 360.

Backwards compatibility with original Wii games hasn't been confirmed, neither has the inclusion of a Blu-ray Disc drive.

Via: 01net.com

Below is the official announcement made public today:

Nintendo Co., Ltd. has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed Wii, which the company has sold 86.01 million units on a consolidated shipment basis between its launch in 2006 and the end of March 2011.

We will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo, which will be held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles.

Sales of this new system have not been included in the financial forecasts announced today for the fiscal term ending March 2012.