Nintendo Fusion Rumors (Wii U Successor)

[mizzou]

If they leapfrog PS4/XB1, it could actually be pretty exciting. It should be doable even on Nintendo's budget thinking.

Right now, or the next year or two obviously not (this rumor is beyond BS!), but in 4.5 years it will be the latter half of 2018. We'll be well into the 14nm process range, desktop PCs will probably have 32GB or even 64GB of ram by then, 8GB video cards, 1TB SSDs will be fairly pedestrian.

So a midrange console should be easy to make that's considerably more powerful than PS4/XB1 at that time.

We've been stuck on a very slow node for a loooooooong time with 28nm. So progress has only really happened with massive die sizes. 14nm will take that and put it on its head for sure. By late 2018 a $99 video card should have 4GB of GDDR6 and perform beyond 290X levels.

Unless something really dramatic happens to stop progress, that's what it's gonna be.

Look at this :

Summer 2008 : Nvidia releases GTX280 1GB for $649, Intel releases Q9650 3Ghz for $530. Common ram is DDR2, high end systems typically have 4GB. SSDs are extremely rare.

Summer 2012 : Nvidia has GTX680 2GB for $499, Intel releases 3770K 3.5Ghz/3.9Ghz for $300ish, Common ram is DDR3, high end systems typically have 8GB or more. SSDs are extremely common.

That's less than 4 years, for a good bit more than double the performance across the board. And that's with a pretty good stagnation in process tech. We're finally on the verge of some long-awaited breakthroughs that will have 20, 16, 14 all hitting in the next few years.

So without a doubt 1000%, a midrange console that could be sold for $299 in holiday 2018 could massively leapfrog the PS4/XB1. It might even be able to do 4K decently. However, the big question would remain, would Nintendo :

Want to do what is necessary to attract 3rd parties, and if so, would they be capable of doing so? The hardware is the easy part by then, the business side of things, not so easy.

maybe that was the whole backup plan to begin with.

WiiU is a success, great, they ride it out.

WiiU is a flop, well they didn't lose much $$$....but they will have the upper hand if they push a system out while ps4/xbone are mid life or even earlier.

Sounds plausible! Only big issue is...will third parties even want to dev on it? Would Nintendo make it easy to port stuff over?

 

[Ancalagon44]

Yes, it could, but why would Nintendo want to? What would be the point?

Put it this way, Nintendo will only do so if there is a business reason for it. Right now, the weaker hardware is not what is costing Wii U sales, it is a loss of mindshare because people think the hardware is gimmicky, and perhaps most importantly, the software is lacking. Even Nintendo's own HD first party titles are late, and that I think is a primary reason why people have not bought Wii U.

Normal consumer will examine the hardware and then the available selection of games. If they cant find a game they want to play, they probably wont buy it. That I think is happening here.

The only thing that I think Nintendo's weaker hardware is not helping with, is the fact that some third party Western developers are deprioritizing, or abandoning, the Wii U because of difficulties with the weak CPU.

So, from Nintendo's point of view:
Releasing a new Wii U 2 in 1-2 years with a more powerful CPU is tantamount to admitting that it was a mistake, and also means that all existing Wii U owners get shafted. They have done something similar before with the Nintendo DS Lite vs Nintendo DSi, but I cant see that happening with the Wii U. It is an option though.
Wait 4-5 years and release an entirely new console, just as you suggest. Where I disagree is that I dont think Nintendo will necessarily see the point in leapfrogging the other two. They have also tried to differentiate themselves on price, gameplay features and first party games. I cant see them changing that in favour of a hardware strategy. The Wii U's GPU is already not bad.

The big question to me regarding a Nintendo console released 4-5 years from now, is will backwards compatibility play a role in the new console? Because, full backwards compatibility means that they have to stick the gamepad/touchscreen idea - they cant abandon it. Also it means sticking with a PowerPC CPU. If I were Nintendo, I would abandon backwards compatibility in favour of a better overall experience, but Nintendo has basically never done that before. Perhaps they could make the touchscreen an optional purchase required for Wii U compatibility, which is similar to how it worked for running GameCube games on the Wii, if I remember correctly.

 

[Doppel]

As a target ~4 years out I could see it easily. But yeah, by then it wouldn't be a RX 200 series anyway. To say the least, this rumor is silly to the extreme.

Still unlikely. The Wii U came out six and seven years after the PS3 and 360 and is, at best, marginally more powerful than they are. Coming out four years after the ps4 and xb1 and being 2-3 times more powerful is really a non-starter for Nintendo unless they are changing their entire approach to things (in ways they never have).

 

[007ELmO]

The market can't support another ps4/x1 competitor. Those consoles are too alike. 3rd parties won't join because it won't have the hardware sales, why on earth would someone by a "3rd" ps4/x1 type machine?

Nintendo should maintain their niche and be OK with tertiary sales. A tide may come where gamers just want games again and not all the other integrated nonsense.

 

[zebrax2]

A console ~4-5 from now with a VR headset would be pretty cool and would follow what they have been doing lately providing something different

 

[cmdrdredd]

A console ~4-5 from now with a VR headset would be pretty cool and would follow what they have been doing lately providing something different

There are too many people who get sick from those headsets that it will not ever be able to exist as a mainstream device. The same thing happened with 3D to some extent. There are a lot of people who dont want to put headgear on or simply cannot view it comfortably.

 

[Adrenaline]

The market can't support another ps4/x1 competitor. Those consoles are too alike. 3rd parties won't join because it won't have the hardware sales, why on earth would someone by a "3rd" ps4/x1 type machine?

Nintendo should maintain their niche and be OK with tertiary sales. A tide may come where gamers just want games again and not all the other integrated nonsense.

The market can support it due to exclusives. Nintendo has some fantastic exclusives. I have a PS4 and a Wii U and enjoy them both.

From my personal experience, MS makes horrible consoles that break down too much. I have zero interest in buying an Xbox One due to the hardware failures I went through on the last two MS consoles (I had two Xboxes break and four 360s break). Why on earth would someone look at a "3rd" MS console?

 

[TheAdvocate]

Wii U bashing would seem like a trend. But it's really just a bunch of fanboi's desperate to kill off the platform and get the games they want to play on their preferred system.

Sorry, the Wii U is not dead, it's just slow out of the gate. As they start releasing more IPs and once they bundle SMB3DW with consoles, it will pick up similar to how the 3DS did. The launch was mismanaged, but the console isnt dead. And it doesn't have to be top in sales to be successful.

I still think the best way to game is PC + WiiU. And I freaking love that gamepad on the WiiU. There are no arguments in my house when daddy has to interrupt one of the kids' gaming sessions to watch the ball game on the plasma. It's wonderful.

 

[ImpulsE69]

The market can support it due to exclusives. Nintendo has some fantastic exclusives. I have a PS4 and a Wii U and enjoy them both.

From my personal experience, MS makes horrible consoles that break down too much. I have zero interest in buying an Xbox One due to the hardware failures I went through on the last two MS consoles (I had two Xboxes break and four 360s break). Why on earth would someone look at a "3rd" MS console?

While I have no interest in the Xbox One (or the PS4 for that matter) at the moment. My original Xbox is still running just fine. Personal experience doesn't always equate to everyone elses experience. While failures are well documented, they are fairly high on both consoles, not just MS's.

 

[Aikouka]

I would really like to see Nintendo work on the operating system for all of their consoles. If you don't use any other console, you probably won't really have any qualms. However, if you use a Vita and then use the 3DS, you'll see how archaic the 3DS feels. I mean... if you exit out of the settings on the 3DS, the system has to reset regardless of the changes (or lack thereof) that you made. The Vita feels a bit more like a phone/tablet except it only allows one game at a time, but you can open as many apps as you want.

My qualm with the Wii U's OS is more related to the design. I don't like that some things (like the eShop) require me to use the Gamepad.

 

[SaurusX]

a hybrid device called the Nintendo Fusion. It will look to build on the success of Nintendo’s various portable video game consoles like the 3DS by combining a handheld console and a home console

Now that is indeed novel. Nobody has ever--oh wait, yeah Nintendo already did that.

 

[Rakehellion]

Wii U bashing would seem like a trend. But it's really just a bunch of fanboi's desperate to kill off the platform and get the games they want to play on their preferred system.

Sorry, the Wii U is not dead, it's just slow out of the gate. As they start releasing more IPs and once they bundle SMB3DW with consoles, it will pick up similar to how the 3DS did. The launch was mismanaged, but the console isnt dead. And it doesn't have to be top in sales to be successful.

I still think the best way to game is PC + WiiU. And I freaking love that gamepad on the WiiU. There are no arguments in my house when daddy has to interrupt one of the kids' gaming sessions to watch the ball game on the plasma. It's wonderful.

Are you being paid by Nintendo? The Wii U has sold like crap since its release.

 

[Adrenaline]

While I have no interest in the Xbox One (or the PS4 for that matter) at the moment. My original Xbox is still running just fine. Personal experience doesn't always equate to everyone elses experience. While failures are well documented, they are fairly high on both consoles, not just MS's.

Too bad I worked at a repair facility for the original Xbox and know how awful their failure rate has been. Nintendo and Sony do not even come close.

I really liked my 360s but they just failed over and over.

 

[Tweak155]

While I have no interest in the Xbox One (or the PS4 for that matter) at the moment. My original Xbox is still running just fine. Personal experience doesn't always equate to everyone elses experience. While failures are well documented, they are fairly high on both consoles, not just MS's.

I still have a working release console as well (well, I gave it to my little bro but he uses it weekly).

I also had an Elite that died in ~5 years.

 

[zerocool84]

Wii U bashing would seem like a trend. But it's really just a bunch of fanboi's desperate to kill off the platform and get the games they want to play on their preferred system.

Sorry, the Wii U is not dead, it's just slow out of the gate. As they start releasing more IPs and once they bundle SMB3DW with consoles, it will pick up similar to how the 3DS did. The launch was mismanaged, but the console isnt dead. And it doesn't have to be top in sales to be successful.

I still think the best way to game is PC + WiiU. And I freaking love that gamepad on the WiiU. There are no arguments in my house when daddy has to interrupt one of the kids' gaming sessions to watch the ball game on the plasma. It's wonderful.

When each of your competitors have sold more in a matter of weeks compared to what you have sold in just over a year, that's a problem.

 

[007ELmO]

I really don't think I'm the only person with an X1/Ps4 collecting dust, but the unfortunate part is you don't really have another metric to see if a console is a "success".

 

[exdeath]

When each of your competitors have sold more in a matter of weeks compared to what you have sold in just over a year, that's a problem.

And Angry Birds and Candy Crush have outsold Halo and Uncharted. OMG Sony and MS are doomed!

Mainstream outselling niche, Im just so shocked.

All Nintendo ever was before was niche. NES. SNES. N64. All niche, when video games were shunned as little kids toys by the same people who now have PlayStations and Xboxes. Just because the previously non existent mainstream creeped up around them changes nothing.

Nintendo would do well to just stay Nintendo and not just become a third Facebook+Call of Duty box.

We've seen what happens when small companies have CoD envy. SquareEnix and Capcom for example. Destroyed their most beloved franchises and bleeding money trying to keep up with the AAA CoD Jones's instead of just staying focused on what they were good at and what made them in the first place.

 

[smackababy]

NES outsold its competitors. SNES outsold its competitors. N64... Oops, should have taken that Sony partnership after all.

Up until then, Nintendo was not a niche in gaming. They were gaming. They got back to big sales with the Wii, which proved they weren't a niche. That console is the definition of mainstream.

 

[purbeast0]

lol @ calling nintendo niche, especially from the NES days.

in fact they were so niche that my mom used to call my genesis a nintendo!

 

[ImpulsE69]

I think his point was that back then gaming was much less mainstream than it is now.

 

[exdeath]

Up until PlayStation vs Xbox video gaming in general was niche and largely shunned by the mainstream as nerdy or kiddy.

The people not buying Nintendo now but have a Xbox or PS, would never have been caught dead with a NES or SNES back in the day. These are not and never have been and never will be Nintendo owners. Its a waste of time pursuing them. Ask Capcom and SquareEnix about targetting those people who never cared for you in the first place while alienating your core fan base in the process.

While people who had a NES or SNES and now have a PS or XBox either have or are considering a Wii U or at least have a DS.

All I'm saying is the distance from the Earth to the Sun doesn't change the distance from the Earth to the moon that has always been there.

A chain restaurant opens down the street and has millions in sales, and the mom and pop local favorite still gets the same steady business it always has. Why must we compare the two and say the mom and pop place is suddenly failing when nothing has changed ?

 

[purbeast0]

Up until PlayStation vs Xbox video gaming in general was niche and largely shunned by the mainstream as nerdy or kiddy.

The people not buying Nintendo now but have a Xbox or PS, would never have been caught dead with a NES or SNES back in the day. These are not and never have been and never will be Nintendo owners. Its a waste of time pursuing them. Ask Capcom and SquareEnix about targetting those people who never cared for you in the first place while alienating your core fan base in the process.

While people who had a NES or SNES and now have a PS or XBox either have or are considering a Wii U.

All I'm saying is the distance from the Earth to the Sun doesn't change the distance from the Earth to the moon.

yeah, and now all those nerdy kids are making a ton of money and buying video games more than ever. and they are also having kids, and their kids are getting into it. of course it's going to be more popular now.

i am not buying nintendo now, have an xbox1 and a ps4, and also still have my nes and snes. and no, right now, i'm not considering a wii-u since i haven't even turned on my wii in over a year and a half. i don't even know why i have it hooked up but i do.

exdeath being close minded about video games? noooo wwwaayyyy that couldn't be possible!

 

[dguy6789]

Still unlikely. The Wii U came out six and seven years after the PS3 and 360 and is, at best, marginally more powerful than they are. Coming out four years after the ps4 and xb1 and being 2-3 times more powerful is really a non-starter for Nintendo unless they are changing their entire approach to things (in ways they never have).

Wii U has 4 times the RAM of the 360 and a significantly more powerful graphics chip. It's closer to being 2x as powerful overall than that generation.

Console performance doesn't really win the generation. PS1 and PS2 were less powerful than N64 and Xbox and Gamecube and they won. Wii was less powerful than 360 and PS3 and it crushed them. Historically it's a combination of games and marketing and price point.

Wii U is also significantly closer to the PS4's performance capability than the Wii was to the PS3's for comparison.

On topic: Wii U's problem now is really a marketing one and nothing else. People are confused by what it is. The name was a mistake of epic proportions. They think it's just another Wii when in reality Wii U is more like what the traditional Nintendo consoles have been. The tablet controller doesn't get in the way of enjoying the game at all like the Wii controls did and for people who can't stand the tablet the Wii U has an excellent traditional modern controller that works with every game. The machine has a ton of killer games that people aren't being made aware of and that is solely Nintendo's fault.

 

[purbeast0]

lol @ "winning" the console "war" each generation. man i thought this forum was over that but apparently not.

 

[smackababy]

I think his point was that back then gaming was much less mainstream than it is now.

But, it's wasn't. Nintendo has continuously led the market. The Gameboy sold over 120 million units in 1989. The NES, sold over 60 million. That is almost as much as the PS3.

Whether you want to believe it or not, a large portion of those buying a Xbox One or PS4 today HAD an NES or SNES growing up.