Are Nintendo and Microsoft about to announce their next generation consoles? The industry certainly seems ready for it

In a quiet news week, several months before the massive E3 event, rumours are starting to circulate about the next generation of Wii and Xbox consoles. While the manufacturers themselves are keeping quiet, everyone knows that hardware research and development is an ongoing concern that doesn’t stop for a few years when a new machine launches.

We also know that the console industry usually works to a five-year cycles. Sure, the last generation was so hideously expensive for Microsoft and Sony, the duo have sought to hold off a generational leap by releasing new, slimmer versions of their machines, and by introducing motion control hardware. But progress is inevitable – and that looks to be all the evidence that game sites need to start speculating.

So we’re overdue a refresh. But is one actually on the way? Let’s take a look at the facts.

Wii 2

The rumour: That Nintendo will announce a follow-up to the Wii at E3 in Los Angeles this summer. The device will feature a Blu-ray drive, a quad-core processor and a built-in LED projector, presumably so you can project games onto a wall rather than relying on a large TV display. There are also murmours of 3D support.

The evidence: A lot of the information feeding this gossip comes from an IGN article posted last December, which gathers a range of vague and cryptic quotes from Nintendo personel and third-party developers about the possibility of a Wii sequel. The article includes a chart that shows how each Nintendo hardware iteration since the launch of the NES in 1985 has had roughly a five-year lifespan. And as the Wii was launched in November 2006, we’re due a change-up.

Elsewhere, some sources have observed that a previous title in Nintendo’s massively popular Zelda series – Twilight Princess – was released for both the GameCube and the Wii in a sort of cross-generational baton pass. And Nintendo has a new Zelda title, Skyward Sword, due for release this year. Could Big N be looking to try the same promotional trick twice? Charlotte Martyn, editor of unofficial Nintendo magazine Ngamer, reckons not, according to a quote on Tech Radar, but suggests that, “this year’s E3 would seem the logical time for Wii’s successor to be confirmed, given the dwindling release list for the current console”.

The doubts: The Blu-ray, processor and projector details seem to come from an anime and manga news site named 3anime, which opens its new story by claiming that Nintendo has ‘confirmed’ a successor to the Wii. It hasn’t – not even a bit – and that rather puts the rest of the information into question. Also, Nintendo has never filled its hardware with expensive cutting edge components, so Blu-ray players, quad-core processors and bespoke projectors would seem to be red herrings. As Time Magazine’s Techland blog points out, “projected video doesn’t seem to line up to the company’s commitment to motion gaming. Standing in front of a projector would just make a big shadow.”

The verdict: Forget the tech specs, that’s utter conjecture. But it would make sense for Nintendo to announce Wii 2 this year, with a 2012 launch. The company can capitalise and build on the hype surrounding its 3DS launch, and with Wii sales falling, it can reconnect with its huge mainstream audience. “I’d be very surprised if Nintendo didn’t make a hardware announcement at E3,” says Tim Ingham, editor of game news site, CVG.

“Microsoft and Sony have aggressively moved into the space that Nintendo created, and it can’t compete with hardware that’s becoming outdated. And, of course, people just like to buy new shiny things, it gets as shallow as that. Wii is no longer new and shiny, it’s not something that your broadsheet or lifestyle journalists want to write about.”

But there’s another factor that should be prompting Nintendo to go with an E3 announcement. Yesterday, CVG ran an interview with Christofer Sundberg, the co-founder of Just Cause developer, Avalanche. He argued very strongly that the next generation of consoles would not feature optical disc drives. It’s a point Philip Oliver, co-founder of Blitz Games Studios, has made before: physical media is dead.

Sony is heading in this direction, both through the PSP Go and the recently announced NGP console, which will use flash memory cards, rather than discs. But Nintendo could well be in the best position to bring about the digital distribution revolution. As Ingham points out: “Nintendo is best positioned to go digital-only. It has a client base that’s used to playing games on devices like the iPhone; its core uses are comfortable with downloading smaller games digitally and using these as their main source of play.”

So, with a reasonably powerful Wii 2, boasting a strong digital download service and HD visuals (a must considering the huge rise in LCD TV sales since the Wii), Nintendo can shape the next-gen conversation without resorting to cutting edge hardware components.

Xbox 720

The rumour: Microsoft is gearing up to announce a sequel to Xbox 360, widely nicknamed the Xbox 720 – you know, because that’s two full revolutions. Or something.

The evidence: This one has come about due to a series of job listings on the Microsoft website (see Engadget), looking for hardware engineers, specifically Xbox-capable hardware engineers, to join a team that’s currently, “defining and delivering next generation console architectures”. That would very much appear to be the smoking gun of console rumour confirmation.

Also, developers seem to be openly discussing the prospect of new hardware – always a good sign that something is imminent. In that CVG interview with Christofer Sundberg, he said this on the subject of new Xbox hardware:

“It’s actually quite an interesting subject for us – because when we worked on Just Cause 1, the Xbox 360 came out [at around the same time]. We had to do the 360 version in six months. It’s an interesting place again right now, where the projects we’re working on today might be coming out on [Microsoft's] next technology.”

This reflects a comment made last year by Bungie community director Brian Jarrard who said the studio was planning its next title, “to potentially span multiple hardware generations.”

The doubts: Okay, so Microsoft is clearly recruiting for its console R&D division; but we’ve already established that console manufacturers – by their very definition – continue to work on furture hardware throughout the lifespan of the previous product. Indeed, the fact that the team size is only just ramping up would suggest that we might have to wait a little while for the results. Also, Microsoft has stated very publicly, that it’s supporting the Xbox 360 until 2015. Now, that doesn’t mean we won’t see a follow-up until 2015 (Sony is still selling the PS2 five years into the PS3 lifecycle), but it probably means Microsoft has until at least 2013 to start getting serious about a new machine.

The verdict: There’s nothing really here to suggest that an announcement is imminent, and there was a major hardware launch last year: Kinect. “The rhetoric coming out Microsoft is largely, well, Kinect is your new console, it is the next generation,” says Ingham. “That’s fine and a good defensive position, but it’s more about Microsoft’s market growth than it is about technology.”

However, there are some compelling arguments as to why Microsoft should be considering an upgrade. “There are developers out there who are keen to get their teeth into new hardware,” says Ingham. “There was an interesting quote from Cevat Yerli, the boss of Crytek, who said that the console market has remained static for so long that the high-end PCs are effectively a generation ahead in terms of hardware. So it’s little wonder that some teams are getting slightly restless. The in-house studios, especially, are probably thinking, ‘we’re sick of the same old hardware, we want something new’.”

Developer pester power should not be overlooked here. It’s crucial to the console manufacturers to have the best studios onside, and the best studios tend to be the ones with incredibly bright, ambitious coders who want to try themselves against bleeding edge hardware. Sony famously toured the world’s most talented development houses in 1994 taking its PlayStation demos with it – the company knew it had to get the dev community interested before even thinking about consumers.

Of course, Xbox 360 is still selling, and Kinect is performing well with over 8m units sold. But then, there’s no reason why Kinect shouldn’t be compatible with the Xbox 720. Or whatever it will be called, whenever it is announced …

PlayStation 4

A bit more quiet at the moment. In an interview with Japanese site PC watch last month, Sony Computer Entertainment President Kazuo Hirai stated this about the PS3: “Every year, we reveal and release new features. That’s why, we’re not deliberating on a PS4 or a next generation machine, whatever you call it.” (Kotaku has a translation here). R&D is certainly continuing on PS4, but the company is adamant that it’s concentrating on PS3 and NGP this year.

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Keith Stuart

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Read Full Review

Earlier today Nintendo invited us round for a bit of a natter, and a hands-on with its upcoming new console, the Nintendo 3DS. The 3DS is a follow up to the hugely successful DS and DSi handhelds, the major difference being that the 3DS lets gamers enjoy their precious vidyagames in glorious 3D, without the need to wear any stupid-looking specs.

Tell me more about that

Happy to! Nintendo says it works thanks to the layered top screen, which features a parallax barrier over the standard display. That layer is covered in tiny slits so that each eye receives a slightly different image. The result is a stereoscopic display without any glasses.

And how does that feel?

We wont beat around the bush, it feels blimmin marvelous. Wearing specs to get your 3D kicks has disadvantages — not only do the stereoscopic lenses make you look like a bit of a tool, they have a tendency to make the image look washed out, and they rob whatever youre watching of some of its brightness. Thats not the case with the 3DSs display, which is extremely colourful and vivid with a resolution of 800×240 pixels. You effectively see that as 400×240, since those pixels are split between each eye. Its looking nice and sharp too.

The 3D image has astonishing depth, and the games and footage we saw stayed in focus the whole time. Its very impressive stuff, and if the 3D element isnt quite right for you, you can tone the effect down, or turn it off completely using a slider on the consoles right side.

I must know more!

Wed recommend checking out our Nintendo 3DS in-depth preview article for the full report, but before doing so why not hype yourself up by clicking through this photo gallery? We have some very sexy close-ups, honest.

As for availability, Nintendo is keeping schtum regarding pricing, and all we know is that it’ll be available sometime before March next year. Fingers crossed for a holiday release then.

What are your thoughts on the 3DS? Are you convinced by the technology? Is it enough to prise you away from your hard-earned cash? Sound off in the comments, or on our Facebook wall, or write a message on a brick and throw it through our office window.

This site is updated regularly each day with all very latest Slim PS3 news, reviews and features.

Matt Casamassina is moving to the iPhone maker. What does Apple think he can change, though?

Yeah, let’s see Apple match that. Photo by Thomas Duchnicki :: Location Scout on Flickr. Some rights reserved

Matt Casamassina, of the IGN gaming site, is leaving it to join Apple:

“Beginning early May, I will join Apple as global editorial games manager, App Store. In a nutshell, I will be leading the charge for games on the App Store, so whether you browse through iTunes, iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, the games content you see will be handpicked and organized by me and my team. I couldn’t be happier.”

Although he might need to brush up on the difference between ownership and being in charge: “Anybody who has read my work through the years will know that I’ve long been a huge Nintendo fan, but if there is one company that could entice me away from covering Mario and Zelda it’s the one owned by Steve Jobs.” Errr, actually, Jobs runs the company. Shareholders own it. But, you know, easy mistake.

The commenters are positive – and amazed: “I’ve been reading your material since you first began at IGN, when I was ohhhh, about 11. I’m 24 now, and to think I won’t be reading anything from you on IGN is quite weird,” says the first. There are plenty of requests to review one more game…

Casamassina specialised in Nintendo game reviews; Wikipedia tells us that in 1997 (aged 21) he started as editor of the N64 website which then became the Nintendo 64 section of IGN.

You can still find his IGN articles.

What though does Apple want with him? “Global editorial games manager” is an interesting title, but is Apple really just wanting to have someone who chooses what the store should tout?

More useful, perhaps, to see this in the context of the competition between Apple and Nintendo over gaming. The Nintendo DS, as we know, is far and away the best-selling handheld console. But Apple has ambitions there – at least in the form of its iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad (the iPhone OS platform). Nintendo’s US president Regie Fils-Aime was none too positive about the iPhone OS in a recent interview in which he also denied that he was seeing any effect on DSi sales from iPhone OS:

“Apple “is not having an impact on Nintendo when you look at our business, our volume, our hardware, our software,” Fils-Aime said. “I’ve seen data that suggestions that while consumers are constantly downloading Apps, they play with them for a few times and then they are moving on to the next thing.”

“Clearly it doesn’t look like their platform is a viable profit platform for game development because so many of the games are free versus paid downloads.”

“Fils-Aime believes that gamers will stick with Nintendo’s portables over Apple’s because in the end the gaming experiences are very different.”

“If our games represent a range between snacks of entertainment and full meals depending on the type of game, (Apple’s) aren’t even a mouthful, in terms of the gaming experience you get.”

Is the point behind Casamassina’s hiring to change that? Might be interesting to keep a watch.

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Charles Arthur

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According to Nintendo’s President, Satoru Iwata, Team Ninja’s Metroid: Other M will be released on the Wii this summer, pointing to an earlier window for the game’s launch than had previously been anticipated.

This news comes from a financial briefing following Nintendo’s Q3 financial results, although Iwata wasn’t able to specify whether the autumn launch window is limited to Japan or refers to a wider worldwide release.

Slim-PS3.com is updated frequently per day with the very latest Slim PS3 news.

Slim PS3 sales in Japan have spiked following the release of Konami’s PES 2010 footy sim, with the Sony comsole taking the top spot for the week ending 8 November with 48,925 units sold.

Meanwhile, PSP sold through 33,784 units during the same period, placing it above Nintendo Wii, although the DS still managed to nudge ahead of its main competitor with 37,421 units sold. As the PSP and PSPgo are listed separately, if you combine thier figures Sony’s handheld comes out on top.

The full sales figures courtesy of Media Create are as follows:

PS3 – 48,925
DSi – 37,421
PSP – 33,784
Wii – 31,810
PSP go – 13,992
DS Lite – 5,515
Xbox 360 – 4,679
PS2 – 2,066