Nintendo Confirms Wii Hardware Revisions Coming

[gunntims0103]

news via dailytech

The Wii may see a hardware revisions sooner than expected

Video game consoles are essentially a closed platform. Once the hardware is finalized, the specifications usually remain the same throughout the lifecycle. There have been little tweaks here and there with the more home consoles towards the end of their life cycles, such as slimmer and smaller PlayStations, but game systems usually keep the status quo.

Handhelds are a different story, however, as Nintendo has written the book on how to reinvent and redesign portable systems. Nintendo clearly realizes the profit potential of incrementally improving its hardware—not so much as to introduce new functionality, but to increase usability—so that customers may even buy the same system twice.

The most recent example of this is the Nintendo DS, which saw an initial release form of a bulky, sturdy folding brick, and later reinvented into the DS Lite, a sleek, shiny iPod-like fun machine. Considering Nintendo’s great success with this strategy, it should not be surprising to learn that the games maker is plotting a similar strategy for the Wii, perhaps even earlier than most expected.

In an interview, GameDaily asked Nintendo of America VP Perrin Kaplan if the ‘hardware revision model’ would applied to the Wii, to which she replied succinctly, “Sure, absolutely. You'll see the ways in which we do that.”

Kaplan’s assertive, but tight-lipped answer points to more than just adding something like DVD video playback. In fact, a DVD movie-enabled Wii has already been announced for release later this year. Kaplan comments on the DVD playback as something minor in the scheme for Wii: “I think it's just to give them a choice. We've not yet come out with a firm date; we haven't talked about it too much. It's not the top thing on our list.” When asked if DVD video capability was part of the plans for a new Wii hardware revision, Kaplan says, “There are always lots of things in the future.”

The Nintendo marketing VP isn’t showing any of her cards, but one thing is for sure: there will be another Wii. The obvious things that Nintendo would do to make the Wii more attractive are add new colors, increase its internal flash memory, include rechargeable batteries for Wii Remotes and component cables. There isn’t much merit to making the console any slimmer or lighter, and high definition support isn’t likely to happen.

The Wii is attaining mass-market appeal, much like the iPod. It may only be a matter of time before Nintendo adopts Apple’s hardware redesign strategy.

Give feedback via comment

[Accordion]

if there is a major redesign within two years i will not be happy...nintendos trend of remaking everything all the time is very annoying

[Kramer]

It better not be within two years because that's way too soon for a console revision and it would seriously piss me off.

[iniquitous_beast]

Look on the bright side. The sooner nintendo makes a slight revision to the wii hardware, the sooner our 1st-gen wii's become collector's items. Besides, you know that no hardware revision would require us to replace our wiis. It would undoubtedly be small stuff that makes little real difference.

[eLAy12]

Why should they focus on a new one? I think those brainiacs should think of a way to shell out more wii and especially more wii accessories rather than thinking of improvements for a brand new console. I mean come on, lets have more games or work on online gaming for the wii.

[mastersho]

I don't think that it really matters because Nintendo can just lauch the "DVD Channe"l or the "Movie Player Channel"

[Shrygue]

Nintendo should leave it at least 5 years until any major console hardware revisions happen.

[Accordion]

Nintendo should leave it at least 5 years until any major console hardware revisions happen.

unfortunately nintendo's main aim since the gameboy has been to keep remaking consoles, games and anything else they think people will buy...and we probably all do
heres an example:
gameboy
gameboy pocket

gameboy colour

gameboy advance
gameboy SP
gameboy micro

DS
DSlite

Wii
???
Wii colours
Wii HD
Wii DVD
Wii 1GB
Wii multi8!
and so on... a slight extreme but it is posible