Nintendo’s Next Console May Come Sooner Than Competitors

Sony has been constantly reminding the public that their strategy for the PS3 is one of long-term goals. With the PS3 still picking up steam and the PS2 still going strong, it seems to be an effective strategy for them. Rumors are already flying about Microsoft’s plans for their next-gen console, but some are saying that Nintendo will beat everyone to the punch. I tend to be a bit scornful of analysts that discuss the video game industry, as usually whatever they say that’s considered important enough to be reported is high on the “duh” scale, but for once there’s one who’s saying something actually worthy of thought.

While most people in the industry agree that it’s going to be three or four years before we see a new generation of consoles, Nintendo might jump the gun by releasing a new home console. While the Wii is incredibly popular the console lags behind the others in terms of storage space, DVD capability and processing power. All are very simple to fix, especially given that the unit is capable of playing DVDs with the aid of a homebrew application. The storage issue is definitely something that will be addressed in the near future with the ever-growing number of Virtual Console and Wiiware titles. The big question though is will the crowd that the Wii appeals to– the laid back, ‘casual’ gamer– run out to buy a new console?