So the Wii U is struggling, even as the 3DS has turned out to be the top-selling console in 2013. So what is Nintendo going to do? They’re totally going to pull a Sega on us, that’s what.
Yes, just like the Saturn came and went, it looks like Nintendo might be preparing to eject the Wii U. At least that’s the rumor, according to Nintendo News:
As many may already be aware, Nintendo is already fast at work on their next set of home and portable hardware. Nintendo, in particular, seem to work on succeeding hardware anywhere from six months to two years after their current generation lineup is released on the market. What we know is that “Nintendo Fusion” is a possible name that Nintendo is using for their next-gen hardware.
They go on to alternate between disclaimers that nothing is set in stone and insisting that their source for this is rock-solid reliable. For what it’s worth, Nintendo News is generally on the money, but it’s easy to understand why they’re expecting skepticism; Nintendo tends to ride their mistakes right into the ground.
Still, there are a few salient points we can draw from these rumors. The first is that the DS will be the lead in Nintendo’s next generation, which is less than surprising considering it’s the system that’s kept the company in hookers and blow. It’ll be fully backwards compatible too, which is a good thing since that’s really been Nintendo’s key advantage all along. The “Wii” followup will be a “terminal” that reads a bit like a bastard cross between a Vita TV and a next-gen console system.
And the hardware list, if it’s a fake, is a surprisingly credible one: For example, the ARM processor Nintendo is supposedly considering for the Fusion DS is built for backwards compatibility. It’s also surprisingly powerful; essentially the “Fusion Terminal” is a Wii U with a octo-core chip jammed in there. The only thing that raises a few eyebrows is apparently Nintendo believes that it’s finally the holographic versatile disc‘s time to shine.
Admittedly, using a weird-ass format that nobody’s ever heard of and makes it pretty much impossible to duplicate is classic Nintendo: Remember those weird, teeny little GameCube discs? But HVD discs are incredibly high-capacity; these things are designed to store terabytes of data. So that raises some eyebrows.
Nonetheless, it’s true Nintendo’s working on something: As Nintendo News points out, work on the next console begins when the latest one ships. Just keep a few grains of salt handy.
via Nintendo News