It's no secret that the Wii U isn't doing quite as well as it perhaps should be. While it's a great console with a small but ever-growing library of top notch games, not to mention oodles of un-tapped potential for its Swiss army knife-style GamePad, for whatever reason it hasn't quite clicked with the public in the same way its wildly successful predecessor, the Wii, did. Whether it's a failure of marketing (most likely), a lack of software early on, or just changing tastes that are to blame, the innovative system's poor sales are causing more than a few headaches for Nintendo.
Now though, it seems that everyone has an opinion on the state of the Wii U, and what Nintendo's next move should be. After all, while the 3DS is proving to be a fantastic console with more high quality games than you can shake a stylus at, its successes are arguably being dragged down by its under-performing big brother. This, coupled with some pretty disastrous financial forecasts has meant that Nintendo is seen as being 'in trouble'. From armchair experts declaring that Nintendo should 'go mobile' and bring their peerless back catalogue of Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong classics to iOS and Android platforms, to commentators suggesting that the big N should retire from the hardware game altogether and just focus on bringing their big franchises to Xbox and Playstation (effectively 'doing a Sega'), it seems that everyone knows just what the Japanese giant should do next.
It seemed like such a good idea - but the Wii U hasn't caught on like it should have...
There is of course, another option: give up on the Wii U and launch an entirely new console that's designed to go head to head with Xbox One and PS4 in the raw power stakes. Oh, and a new handheld too for good measure. If unsubstantiated rumours that surfaced online this week are anything to go by (they're probably not) then that's exactly what Nintendo has planned.
The 'leaked' specs refer to a pair of closely related systems, both falling under the mysterious blanket title of 'Nintendo Fusion'.
The home console, and supposed successor to Wii U, goes by the catchy moniker 'Fusion Terminal' and seems to tick all the boxes that Wii U doesn't. What's been presented is a list of specs far more in line with Microsoft and Sony's current platforms (while the Wii U is more comparable with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3), and includes nifty additions like wireless charging for controllers and other devices, compatibility with Wii U software (and therefore the GamePad too), and even a choice of an HVD (Holographic Versatile Disc) based machine or a version with no disc drive at all but 300GB of on-board flash storage to store games (compared to the Wii U's modest 8 or 32). Also of note is that the console is said to support up to four Wii U GamePads at once. Currently the Wii U supports two, technically, although extra Pads are not available, and no games that use multiples have yet emerged. Could it be that support for more than one has been shifted to the next Nintendo console instead? It's certainly possible, even if the 'Fusion' turns out to be phoney. Whatever the source or reliability of these specs, some of the details do seem likely to appear at some point in the future.
And this all sounds great, but as of right now there's nothing to back these rumours up. While some of the ideas seem at least plausible, a lot sounds like a wish list written by someone who knows their stuff about hardware specifications. The high capacity HVD format for example, was in development back in the mid-2000's, but never actually materialised. It's far more likely that Nintendo would use Blu-ray (or their own proprietary disc format) rather than go with HVD, yet alone skipping the optical drive completely in favour of becoming a "download-only" box. Plus, of course, it seems unlikely that Nintendo would abandon a system so early in its lifespan (even a less than successful one) and risk upsetting the people who have bought in to the Wii U and are eagerly awaiting the moment it hits its stride (this year, we reckon, with the release of Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart 8.) Still, it's fun to speculate, and the proposed specs of the Fusion Terminal do sound impressive. Perhaps Nintendo should steer away from the 'underpowered but innovative' tactic they played so well with Wii and arguably misjudged with Wii U, and bring a high powered, competitive machine to market that can stand toe to toe with Microsoft and Sony and hopefully win back some third party publishers who've all but written them off. We're looking at you, EA.
The return of Super Smash Bros should provide plenty of momentum for the Wii U
The rumoured handheld meanwhile, intended as a successor to 3DS, is said to be dubbed 'Fusion DS' and features among other things full backwards compatibility with 3DS software, a far more powerful processor and a Gorilla Glass screen similar to smartphones and tablets. We won't bore you with the full tech specs, but it sounds much as you would expect: upgraded graphics, a multi-touch (capacitive) touchscreen, improved connectivity and a second circle pad which is something that should have really been included in the 3DS (as evidenced by the clunky 'Circle Pad Pro' accessory). Again, it's likely that some if not all of these features will be included in an upcoming Nintendo handheld: whether that's the Fusion DS is another matter. We're dubious that Nintendo would want to introduce another handheld anytime soon, as the 3DS is riding a wave of popularity at the moment, with the introduction of the 2DS model and a fantastic 2013 in the bag (we can't wait to see what else is in store for the system this year). Still, by including compatibility with 3DS games, it's not outside the realms of possibility that a new handheld could be on the horizon.
Amid all this wild speculation, let's not forget that Nintendo has a stash of gold coins tucked away that would make Wario's eyes spin like fruit machines, and is more than capable of riding ou the Wii U's lifespan providing excellent first party software like Super Mario 3D World and catering to the Nintendo faithful. They could then come back fighting next time around much like they did with Wii, following the 'failure' of the GameCube. It is possible, given the company's recent decision to consolidate their handheld and console divisions, that the next Nintendo systems might well be closely linked as the 'Fusion' idea suggests (the rumoured home console is said to contain a 3DS card slot, for instance), but whether these specs are real is anyone's guess.
Of course, there is a sort of track record here, even if it did take place over a longer time scale. When Nintendo launched the Virtual Boy, the migraine inducing 3D "handheld", that was effectively a virtual reality visor, sales were somewhat less than stellar, with the machine being widely regarded as a flop. A year into its life, in 1996, Nintendo pulled the plug, and went to work on the successor, the Game Boy Colour, which was released in 1998. The Wii U launched in 2012, so a 2015 launch of a successor would indeed be history repeating itself...
Either way, while a new hardware launch isn't completely out of the question, you can colour us dubious about the 'Fusion'. There's no doubt that Nintendo's next home and handheld systems, whatever form they may take, are already in development behind closed doors: Nintendo is always working on hardware, but we'd be highly surprised if this rumour turns out to be true - even if many of the listed features are very appealing. As we said, the Wii U still has tons of potential, and once some more key games arrive it could well repeat the 3DS' trick of rising like a phoenix after an underwhelming beginning. No matter what happens, there are interesting times ahead.
