New Nintendo HD Console to be revealed at E3; Launches after April 2012

[=Splat=]

I might consider buying it if A) It has a reasonable price, B) It is able to last long, and C) It has a decent library of games.

 

[kikie]

I might consider buying it if A) It has a reasonable price, B) It is able to last long, and C) It has a decent library of games.

D) it's much more powerful than the PS3 and Xbox 36

E) there are steering wheels, e.g. Logitech, Fanatec, Thrustmaster compatible with this new console.

 

[Terronium-12]

D is, and excuse me for being blatantly honest, an absolute stupid reason to judge the purchase of one console against two others. It's not a PC, you're only ever going to get what the developers put in to the game.

 

[kikie]

D is, and excuse me for being blatantly honest, an absolute stupid reason to judge the purchase of one console against two others. It's not a PC, you're only ever going to get what the developers put in to the game.

Nope, it's not a stupid reason. Why buy a new console that is only as powerful as the current and old consoles? Game developers aren't going to bother developing next generation games for a less powerful console. Game developers always seek to push the boundries of the graphics and they can't do that with a less powerful console. And not to forget, it's a marketing thing. A new device, that is only as good as older devices won't sell as good as you might think.

Even KY tries to get out of GT5 as much as he can but he can't because the PS3 isn't powerful enough for KY (PD) to implement all the goodies Gran Turismo has to offer.

Believe me if I say that the new Nintendo HD console won't sell as good as they want to if they make it less or only even powerful as the older consoles on the market today.

PS3 and Xbox360 fanboys are still discussing which console is the most powerful of the two, and you say that my reason (D) for buying a new Nintendo HD is stupid? Think again.

 

[rhys159]

Also more simply, it will be profitable if the costs of the peripheral are outweighed by the sales price.

Which is the problem. How much will it cost to make one of these? And how much will they have to sell it for? Its hardly going to be cheaper than an Xbox controller or DS3.

 

[icelt]

Which is the problem. How much will it cost to make one of these? And how much will they have to sell it for? Its hardly going to be cheaper than an Xbox controller or DS3.

Is it? First we must know how much it costs Sony or MS to mfr, package and ship one of their controllers. So how much is that? I have no idea. Therefore I don't know how much profit/markup is built into a Sony or MS controller.

Now lets say they can do all that for $20, just pulling out a number. Looking at controllers at Amazon the PS3 lists for $55 and the 360 for $50. Based on that assumption, maybe there could be around $30-35 dollars of markup versus the list price.

Now I agree that the new Cafe controller is likely more expensive to mfr. However, maybe to Ninty it is only an additional $10 to do so. Therefore, it is very possible that they could sell this new controller at a comparable price and still make a profit on it. They just likely will not make as much profit as Sony or MS does. But that is a business decision for them to make.

So are you now satisfied that it is indeed possible for this new Cafe controller to both be profitable and sell at a comparable price to its competition?

 

[Terronium-12]

Nope, it's not a stupid reason. Why buy a new console that is only as powerful as the current and old consoles? Game developers aren't going to bother developing next generation games for a less powerful console. Game developers always seek to push the boundries of the graphics and they can't do that with a less powerful console. And not to forget, it's a marketing thing. A new device, that is only as good as older devices won't sell as good as you might think.

Even KY tries to get out of GT5 as much as he can but he can't because the PS3 isn't powerful enough for KY (PD) to implement all the goodies Gran Turismo has to offer.

Believe me if I say that the new Nintendo HD console won't sell as good as they want to if they make it less or only even powerful as the older consoles on the market today.

PS3 and Xbox360 fanboys are still discussing which console is the most powerful of the two, and you say that my reason (D) for buying a new Nintendo HD is stupid? Think again.

You realize the Wii's sales figures renders most of your entire argument invalid, right?

 

[buggs1a]

For Nintendo, its about freaking time!

I think all next gen consoles should be more then twice as powerfull as current ones. But just a wish. For reality here's my opinion on specs and features for next gen.

This is just my opinion on minimum specs for the next gen consoles.

Quad Core CPU @ 3.2 ghz.
4gb RAM.
1 gb video gpu
1tb hard drive or Ssd
Or both. Hdd for bulk and SSD for game files that load for faster load times.
BLU-RAY
N WIFI
GB NIC
Second bay for add on drive.
Backwards compatible with current gen games.
Silent console.

FEATURES.

Faster load times. Years ago when the first xbox came ms and Sony, someone, said load times were the past. Not! Look at how horrible gt is.

Ability to install entire game on disk for faster load times. This one reason to have huge drive.

More on demand games. Brand new games $10 cheaper or so. Don't have to buy the retail game. On demand comes with full game and in game full manual etc.

Way better graphics. I mean way way better.

Milo kinect type games and programs. Be awesome if lionhead released that and others made stuff. Like come home and have a virtual friend that's emotional and fully aware.

Much better GUI. Xbox kinda ugly and ps3, well both need a huge improvement.

Hands free gaming must not have any lag at all like kinect has.

Much better online store and way better 100% web compatible WWW browser. All consoles not just ps3.

Ability to play and stream all av formats. Better media player with playlist etc.

Scrolling text in all menus for lines with too much text to fit. Ms said the very first xbox 360 would do this but never have.

Ip tv like ms talked about years ago and in 1080 p 7.1.

Better then 1080 p video. This is next gen and future tvs will do better.

Upgradable video chip or if not then make sure it has an amazingly powerfully chip.

 

[Bigbazz]

You win nothing - explain why you have 2 different resolutions given please.

Also, anything under 40 FPS isn't worth comparing to the PS3 in most cases, and I certainly wouldn't settle for playing a game at that speed. I can notice when SC2 drops below 60FPS...

GT5 was shown to often drop below 40fps, and many games do. The FPS in games seems to vary with different games. In WOW any FPS above 30 is generally very smooth, where as on iRacing its noticeable below 100fps.

My point in comparison was

Old computer vs PS3. Old computer (2006-2007 era) running higher quality images at similar or superior fps numbers than the console of roughly the same era.


My arguement with HD (which many fail to understand, maybe I fail at explaining it via text), my arguement is with the branding of HD and the marketing behind the technology/name. Nothing to do with the power of ridiculously powered PC's, I'm saying that computer hardware wise (a console falls under this) we already had the capability of those resolutions over 10 years ago, far before the term HD was ever branded.

I can't explain it well enough with text without half of the people who read it not understanding the context of what I am saying.

 

[Ddrizle]

If the Big N has games that I decide are worth buying a system over, I couldn't care less about it's power, the same goes for Sony and MS.

 

[buggs1a]

What did people think of my new consoles ideas?

 

[Alex p.]

What did people think of my new consoles ideas?

The ideas are realistic, but considering the next ps and xbox come out 2014 or later, I'd say 8GB mainram and 2GB videoram please. If they don't do it, they suck.

 

[buggs1a]

Agreed. I was meaning today not in 2 or 3 years. Sadly it may be that long

 

[Robin]

Images of project cafe supposedly leaked on the internet, looks plausible but we have seen so many fake images in the past of various consoles its hard to tell. There was also a video around which was proven to be fake.

 

[Terronium-12]

Looks like the casing for Windows 7.

 

[E28]

Nintendo just lost any hope of me buying that console if it looks like that...

 

[Tesla]

Nintendo just lost any hope of me buying that console if it looks like that...

I really can't see what you can't like about it. It's simplistic, and is very sleek. Assuming all the ports are round the back, I would love to have that as my new centerpiece of gaming 👍

 

[E28]

I really can't see what you can't like about it. It's simplistic, and is very sleek. Assuming all the ports are round the back, I would love to have that as my new centerpiece of gaming 👍

Maybe it'll look better in the flesh, but to me it just looks a bit like they came up with the design in 5 minutes. It's got no defining features, but it's not really very sleek. Basically it's almost trying to be apple, but it isn't.

 

[Tesla]

Maybe it'll look better in the flesh, but to me it just looks a bit like they came up with the design in 5 minutes. It's got no defining features, but it's not really very sleek. Basically it's almost trying to be apple, but it isn't.

Maybe sleek was the wrong word. Compact would have fitted better.

Defining features? Look at some of the past designs of consoles. Most have been fairly boxy. Gamecube, PS1, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360. They don't have any real defining features about them. Sure, you can differentiate between them if they were silhouetted, but that would be because you've known those consoles for years.

 

[Sprite]

If Nintendo decided to go after the hardcore Market they need a decent machine, just putting a system out that's comparable to ps3 or the 360 is corporate sucide. It's going to have to compete with the at lost Sony of Microsofts next console depending if Nintendo decide to have a short lifespan for this new creation. Having casual gamers is ok but they don't give revenue like hardcore peeps.

I will get this new console if it's backward with gamecube and wii but if not then I will wait till a new zelda comes along then put money in or get a wii version.

 

[brambos]

If Nintendo decided to go after the hardcore Market

And why would they do that if the family/all-ages market is infinitely bigger than the hardcore market?

Read up on Blue-ocean/Red-ocean marketing strategy and you'll understand how Nintendo manages to be so incredibly successful in spite of the (sometimes valid) criticism of the 'hardcore' gaming audience.

The last thing they will do is go after the Sony/MS crowd, and they'll most likely steer their strategy around the developments on Apple's iOS platforms.

 

[Sprite]

That maybe the case but one thing that Nintendo lack is a big stake in genres like FPS games and more adult themed gaming. So if Nintendo play the cards rite they can capture some stake here and keep hold of the casual gamers thus building profit without jeopardising what they have now.

Nintendo know how to make great games and fantastic systems, I'm a huge Nintendo fan (Hell I have a Zelda Tattoo) so I look forward to what they bring to market, I would love and dream of playing as Link in HD. If Nintendo do this correctly then Sony and Microsoft might speed up development and possibly bring the next consoles forward by a year.

I wouldn't critasize Nintendo on hardcore games as they do cater for the hardcore Mario, Mario Kart, Zelda all are well loved games and have hardcore followers. But unless you count Goldeneye on the N64 and Metroid on the GC are the only FPS that have a following of hardcore gamers. If mum and the kids could play on Wii fit the later dad can get his fix of Killzone or GT5 all under one console that would be better for some people. I personally have a Wii and PS3 so best of both worlds.

Nintendo have a double edged sword in the need to innovate in some respects it works Wii remote and balance board, but they also have a failiours like the small GC disks and 3D on the 3DS. I love Nintendo and I hope they do well; it would be a shame if they bomb out (I don't think they will).

I suppose we can all speculate on what they will do but until we see for ourselves where they go and what they do we could be way off.

 

[Tornado]

And why would they do that if the family/all-ages market is infinitely bigger than the hardcore market?

Its no longer 2006. That market is gone, and what is left of it won't be coming back to Nintendo when other companies can satisfy its needs far better than Nintendo can.


If Nintendo wants to survive, they have to compete with Sony/Microsoft. And they have to actually put effort into doing so, rather than half-assing everything like they did with the Gamecube.

 

[Robin]

Some more supposedly leaked info just a few days before E3, its looking like that case design is the real deal as its been in all the leaked shots. Also seems to likely be backwards compatible with Wii and Gamecube games but I'm skeptical about Blu Ray being the storage medium.

Graphics:
Custom AMD RV770 Chip “WOLF” @ 766Mhz on 32nm process
1398 Gflops

CPU:
Custom IBM Power 6 Chip “FOX” on 32nm process
4 cores, each two way SMT-capable and clocked at 3.5 GHz
175.9 GFLOPS theoretical peak performance (single-precision)
87.6 GFLOPS theoretical peak performance (double-precision)

Memory:
512 MB XDR2 DRAM main memory
+ 1024 GDDR5 video memory
+ 16 MB eDRAM

Storage:
2.5-inch SATA hard drive with 250 GB / 320 GB capacity
Expanded storage via SD and SDHC card memory (up to 64 GB)

Media:
Custom Bluray-Disc, up to 50 GB
Compatible with 7 cm Nintendo GameCube Game Disc and 12 cm Wii Optical Disc

Display:
Video output formats
Composite video: 480i, 576i (PAL)
S-Video: 480i, 576i (PAL)
RGB SCART: 480i, 576i (PAL)
Component (YPBPR): 480i, 576i (PAL), 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
D-Terminal: 480i (D1), 480p (D2), 720p (D4), 1080i (D3), 1080p (D5)
HDMI: 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p

 

[Terronium-12]

RV770? Sweet. That means (if true) it can be anything from a 4730 to a 4870, and judging by the clock speed and (theoretical) peak shader arithmetic I'm honestly onboard believing it's a 4870 or at least a heavily modified 4850, or perhaps a hybrid of the two? And with that 16MiB of eDRAM...well we already know the story there; advanced filtering with little to no performance cost to the GPU. It'd be better if "Wolf" supported MLAA as that really would be better considering the AA is applied after the rendered frame and not while it's still being drawn, but that's still to be officially confirmed or denied. Even if it's a 4730 it's still going to spank both GPUs from the 360 and PS3. The PowerPC 6 arc is also impressive as there's going to be an available maximum of 8 hardware threads available to developers.

I'm skeptical of everything to be perfectly honest, especially the mentioning of Blu-ray (which I don't believe one bit) but if any, most, or all of this turns out to be factual I may just have to purchase this on tech merit alone. I did it for the PS3 and 360...leave me alone, I'm a nerd.

 

[Tornado]

Nintendo will probably build their own Blu Ray knock-off for Cafe, once again screwing everyone who owns the system out of basic multimedia functionality.



I'm doubtful about the GPU, as well. RV770 and the specs outlined implies a 4870 (though it has traits of 4890 as well), and I don't seen Nintendo throwing one in there because the CPU would end up being a bottleneck (and it would generally just be far more than developers would need/could use). I think an RV740-based chipset would be more likely, because it would still be notably more powerful than the RSX or Xenos but it would be a lot more power-efficient and cooler than the card suggested above.


And since SDHC doesn't support sizes up to 64GB, it kinda points towards the entire thing being complete bull anyways (I saw the original images that were on GAF).

 

[Terronium-12]

Bottleneck or not, at 3.5 per core there's still plenty of performance to be had from the entire (for the time being, fictional) arc as the 4000's (especially the X2's) tend to have a knack for liking quad cores clocked above 3GHz. This may be the first time I've heard that supposed specs were more than needed. Actually, no, I think a couple of people expressed the same about the PS3. We all know how that turned out, don't we?

 

[LaBounti]

I could have sworn I heard or read somewhere that NIN will not be using a traditional HDD

 

[Tornado]

Actually, no, I think a couple of people expressed the same about the PS3. We all know how that turned out, don't we?

Considering the most this is going to render games at is 1080p, I'm having a hard time understanding why the system would need anything more than, say, a 4770.

There certainly isn't any reason to throw in a card with a gig of VRAM, especially not when it is supposedly going to have eDRAM to handle stuff like AA work anyways.

 

[Terronium-12]

Considering the most this is going to render games at is 1080p, I'm having a hard time understanding why the system would need anything more than, say, a 4770.

There certainly isn't any reason to throw in a card with a gig of VRAM, especially not when it is supposedly going to have eDRAM to handle stuff like AA work anyways.

True. If any of this is factual the 1G of VRAM might be to prevent from having to optimize games (running at 1080p) at 30 frames. We don't even know what role the eDRAM plays; hell for that matter I've never known what role it played with Flipper.