And so it begins.
This is big news. In fact, it’s such big news that I’m not even afraid to start this post with a conjunction. The Mario Bros. plumbing company must have been busy over the last couple of weeks; despite there only being about 4 days until Nintendo’s E3 Keynote, there hasn’t been a single, notable leak. Until now.
Nikkei – a Japanese publication centred on technology, business and finance – has let slip a few details about the upcoming Project Café. Interestingly, it’s all stuff we’ve heard before, which consequently seems to lend credit to a few other rumours. The publication informed us of Nintendo DSi and Nintendo 3DS features and specifications before their official unveilings, and were spot on both times.
The report claims that the Wii’s successor will feature a controller that doubles as a portable console. The translation is somewhat hazy – it’s unlikely that the controller will be truly portable as this would alienate and potentially eat into the 3DS’ market share. Additionally, the controller would then require its own CPU and other innards, resulting in an insultingly expensive peripheral. The controller will feature a six inch touch panel for ‘tablet-like controls’, a camera and a built-in rechargeable battery.
No other comments were made in relation to the controller’s form-factor, or interestingly, the console itself, which seems to suggest that the emphasis is once again on the innovative controller.
Nintendo will show off the console on Tuesday, June 7th at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.
– Rory
O WiiLY? 