Nintendo Wii HD could be revealed in June, say anonymous sources
There could be a new Nintendo Wii in the next few months. The follow-up to the smash-hit console is rumoured to pack HD visuals, and a controller with a built-in screen.
File this under speculation, put your rumour-reading hat on and set your eyebrow to sceptical, but whispers are circulating that Nintendo has a new HD-capable home console it will reveal within the next few months.
News site Gameinformer says it's heard from "multiple sources" that the Big N will unveilify a follow-up to the Wii at the E3 trade show, which takes place in Los Angeles in June, and that the new system will be able to run games in HD -- something the Wii is sadly lacking.
"Nintendo is doing this one right," one of its anonymous sources said. "[It's] not a gimmick like the Wii."
Considering that "gimmick" has been filling Nintendo's coffers to bursting for nearly five years, we think this quote casts doubt on the credibility of the source: it makes them sound like an over-excited fanboy. We wouldn't count on Ninty changing the formula too much, but we'd love to see something equally new and innovative.
Nevertheless, that timing would certainly make sense -- the Wii is definitely due a refresh, and having just released the Nintendo 3DS, it would make sense for the company to release a home console soon that worked alongside its handheld. The E3 conference is also the time when gaming companies traditionally flaunt their brand-new wares -- the 3DS was given its first official airing at last year's show.
In other rampant speculation, the next Wii's controller will have a built-in HD screen, according to CVG's "well-placed international industry sources", and the console will be released in 2012.
Nintendo's keeping schtum, of course, so expect more rumours to start flying over the next few weeks. Keep it CNET UK for all the latest, and let us know in the comments (or on our Facebook fan page) what you'd like to see from Nintendo's next console.