Well, scratch that off your E3 bingo cards; Nintendo is definitely absolutely positively showing off they next gen console at E3 and it will be playable. And if the rumors are true, it’s also aiming to be the single most un-Nintendo product they have released yet. Let’s take a look are some of the crazy predictions about the next Nintendo.
Significantly more powerful than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, will feature resolutions up to 1080p (Source)
This is an interesting tack for Nintendo to take. Historically, the most powerful system tends to not finish the generation in first place: the original Xbox was leagues more powerful than both the GameCube and the PS2, yet it was the first console in that generation to lose support. Another example would be the Dreamcast, which was stonger than the PlayStation and the N64.
Probability: 7/10
Controller will feature dual analog sticks, a standard D-pad, two bumpers, two triggers (Source)
Fair enough. I can dig this. It’s a departure from the Wii, but the Wii was a departure from everything else on the planet.
Probability: 8/10
Controller is a touch tablet with moderate graphic output, much like an iPad with buttons. Also, has a front-facing camera on the controller. (Source)
What? This is the point where they lost me. This sounds a lot like the NGP currently does to me: tons of cool stuff that no one outside of Nintendo and the launch titles will ever use. For individual controllers on a home system, though? That sounds expensive and strange.
Probability: 4/10
Controller will also feature six-axis motion controls that outperform a PlayStation Move motion controller in fidelity (Source)
Fair enough. The PS Move is essentially a Wii HD, so passing that mark should be expected. After all, if the 3DS can do it, the Wii 2 should be able to.
Probability: 9/10
The touchscreen will be 6 inches, single-touch and high-resolution; will also allow players to stream entire games to the controller from the console (Source)
If this is true, it kinda takes the wind out of the NGP sails. “Yeah, what you’re doing with your console and handheld we can pull of with our freaking controller.” On the other hand, do you realize how big and clunky a 6-inch screen in the middle of your gamepad would be?
Probability: 2/10
Will not feature stereoscopic 3D (Source)
Obviously, because no one wants this. The 3DS had this huge glasses-free marketing push, and to have Nintendo go back on it for bigger screens would look bad.
Probability: 7/10
Will be backwards compatible with the Wii (Source)
The Wii is backwards compatible with the Gamecube. The 3DS is backwards compatible with the DS. The (original and lite) DS was compatible with the GBA. The (original) GBA was compatible with the GB. At the very least, the first version of the console will almost certainly be backwards compatible, if only relying on the old wands to do it (like the Wii needs a Gamecube controller to play Gamecube games).
Probability: 9/10
The name of the console will be Stream (Source)
I’m honestly not sure if I’m more worried or excited that this might be true. On the negative side, Stream is an absolutely terrible name. Then again, so was Wii and it did pretty well. On the positive side, Stream is an amazing terrible name. “From the Wii, comes the Stream.” It just goes to show how much Nintendo doesn’t care about what anyone thinks by naming not one, but <b>two</b> consecutive consoles with such, shall we say, phallic implications. Big brass cojones, friends. On the other hand, development names have almost never made it to the final product (see: the Ultra 64, the Dolphin, the Revolution).
Probability: 3/10
If this is all true, Nintendo stands to change the face of gaming again. Granted, everything should be taken with a grain of salt until the official unveil at E3 this year. We’ll find out in June.
