Wii Successor Rumors Continue, May Launch Early 2012

Alleged sources have come forward with what may be new information on the successor to Nintendo's Wii home console, including information on the system's architecture, design, and possible name. According to sources speaking to consumer video game site IGN, the system will have a graphics chip based on AMD's Raedon R700 GPU, which if true would outperform the PlayStation 3. The CPU, says the report, will be a custom-made triple-core IBM PowerPC chipset. The system is also alleged to be capable of supporting stereoscopic 3D, though such a feature would go against prior statements by the company condemning the use of 3D glasses. The console itself, says the report, will have a size "comparable to that of the original Xbox 360," and "is likely to resemble a modernized version of the Super Nintendo." Allegedly, an estimated retail price based on manufacturing costs wold put the console in the $350 to $400 range, and it is said to be shipping from Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn in October for a holiday 2011 or early 2012 release. The same sources also suggested that one of the names being considered for the console is Stream. As previously reported, Nintendo's next console is rumored to have touchscreen controllers, 1080p output, and an E3 announcement. Nintendo has yet to comment on any of the above rumors, though development head Shigeru Miyamoto did respond to a question from French publication GameBlog.fr (as translated at NeoGAF) by saying that "where there's smoke there's fire," though he added that "you shouldn't believe everything you read."