More details of Nintendo’s recently announced console, codenamed Project Cafe aka Wii 2, have been revealed to the gaming news site IGN. Images of the much talked about controller has also been revealed.
According to IGN, Nintendo’s next console could have a retail price of anywhere between $350 and $400 based on manufacturing costs, and will ship from Taiwanese manufacturer, Foxconn, this October, putting the earliest possible retail release anywhere between mid-October and early November.
Additionally, IGN reported that the system will be based on a revamped version of AMD’s R700 GPU architecture, not AMD’s Fusion technology as previously believed, which will, as previously reported; outperform the PlayStation 3′s NVIDIA 7800GTX-based processor. Like the Xbox 360, the system’s CPU will be a custom-built triple-core IBM PowerPC chip set, but the clocking speeds will be faster. The system will support 1080p output with the potential for stereoscopic 3D as well, though it has not been determined whether that will be a staple feature.
In terms of the design of the console itself, the overall size will be comparable to that of the original Xbox 360 and the system is likely to resemble a modernized version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).
The controller looks has a similar layout to a PS3 or XBOX 360 controller, with two analogs and a D Pad between them. The screen in the middle is what sets this controller aside from the rest. The HD screen looks sharp and has the potential to reinvent the typical console controller once again. Nintendo’s Wii controller was revolutionary at the time, and since Sony and Microsoft have use motion control on their own consoles.
Nintendo is considering multiple names for the console, including “Stream”. Hopefully they don’t use that as I find it lacking any oomph. More news about Nintendo’s new console will be revealed as E3 nears closer. Stay tuned!
Subject: Nintendo reveals latest console specs 
Sat Apr 23, 2011 8:02 am