Rumors Abound: Nintendo to Announce New Console at E3

The Internet exploded recently with rumors suggesting that Nintendo will announce its next console at E3 this year, and intends to release it in late 2012. As you might expect, none of these rumors are sourced to anything other than reliable, anonymous tipsters.

The various stories suggest that the console will be backwards-compatible with Wii software, though they differ in describing the system’s hardware specifications. Some reports indicate the console will be comparable with an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, while other stories claim the console will perform far better than either platform. It damn well better – those consoles came out six years ago after all.

This leak is apparently from developers that are being shown the device far in advance of the system’s launch. Nintendo is adopting this strategy in response to the launch of the Wii, which caught most Western developers by surprise. By showing the console this early, Nintendo hopes that Western developers can adequately prepare for the system’s launch.

Almost everything else about the system is unknown, though. Whenever asked about the next console for Nintendo, executives have long remarked that the real focus is driving Wii sales. It could be that Wii sales have slowed to the point that Nintendo had forecasted – a theory substantiated by yet another rumor, the pending $50 price cut.

Personally, I think this one could really go either way. I would say that the recent launch of the 3DS means that Nintendo would be focusing all marketing and sales pushes on that platform for the rest of the year, but Nintendo hasn’t displayed such tunnel vision in the past. Either way, this year’s E3 suddenly got more exciting… let’s just hope it doesn’t end with a huge letdown.

[via IGN, Game Informer]