Well, this plays heavily into my theory that the Wii will be a short lived console (2, maybe 3 years tops, before the next true "next gen" console from Nintendo. The Wii just feels like an attempt to test the waters of their new system before moving on to a stronger graphical hardware. Which makes total sense. http://wii.ign.com/articles/746/746380p1.html
That would have been awesome to have a new console for less then $100, but with the DS being more then $100, it obviously wasn't going to happen. And speaking of the DS, I remember reading that the DS was just there to "test the water" of new gameplay technology and there would be a next gen Gameboy that would "really" compete with the PSP. But look how well the DS is doing. So, you may be right that the Wii is just a test for the next Nintendo counsole, but I think the Wiis going to stick around until the release of the PS4 and Xbox 1080.
it'll all depend on how popular it gets....people say the DS was the same way but the DS ruled the handheld market and made it's place (which i'm guessing it pushed the next Gameboy for later)....if the Wii does really great, i can see it too making it's place and keeping the next Nintendo system for later.
still though, the price is very good compared to the other two newest available systems on the market
$250 US, but it also comes with WiiSports. Probably could have retailed for less, but apparantly some sellers complained.
I would say not so much on your conspiracy theory. Sounds to me like the sub-$100 plan went out the window quite some time ago. You have to remember that Nintendo has a lot of people to please with the console - the gamers first, and the developers second. Neither would appreciate having the new system undermined so quickly. Remember, for a "Wii2" to come out in 2-3 years means that rumors would start circulating... now. Those rumors would almost certainly be confirmed within the next six months. That would completely undermine the Wii, alienate developers, and create a very difficult market for the Wii2. Moreover, such a move would be completely inconsistent with Nintendo's philosphy. They've been saying "we're about the games, not the technology" and "we want to make games for all people, not just gamers" for the past 5-10 years. The Wii is essentially the realization of that philosophy. To pull the rug out from under the Wii now in favor of some bells-and-whistles variation would put them in the techno-whore school embraced by MS and Sony. If HiDef takes off the way some people think it will, I can see them shortening the life of the console by maybe a year, but I think most people will accept a 4 year lifespan for a $200 console (not counting the cost of WiiSports). The real question I have is how will Sony and MS react if the Wii goes over huge?I don't think that the Wiimote is something that can be easily copied and integrated into their existing systems with a moderately priced expansion pack.
At the end of the day the Wiimote is just a perhipheral. All Sony and MS has to do is make sure they don't violate IP in intergrating a similar perhiperal. Hi Def isnt just HDTVs though, Computer moniters are also capable of High Resolution progressive scanning. Except for Wii all the consoles of the next gen will be able to output video to these monitors at high resolution
I think the relative low power of the Wii is not some sort of stopgap for Nintendo. It may have started out as a sort of stopgap/experiment (ie, the Virtual Boy) but the DS has changed all that. They can get 5-7 years out of it I'm sure... I mean, however development started for the Wii, the DS's success and (basically) total trounching of the PSP means that Nintendo's plan is sound. On paper at least. I think its always been Nintendo's way of trying to compete against other consoles, not on sheer power but innovation. But to me, that innovation hasn't really been fully implemented until the DS lite.
Which alone will take a couple years of legal and technological research, not to mention however long they wait to see if the public buys into the concept. Nintendo will have more than enough of a headstart. So will the Wii, just not at the same resolutions. That's why there's a digital output cable for the Wii. It won't take full advantage of HDTV or a VGA monitor, but it will still take advantage of it over a standard television. Also, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that even fewer people play their game consoles on a computer monitor than on an HDTV. It's a fraction of what's still only a fraction of the market already so far. Hardly a huge factor at this point.
