If you’ve been curious as to when (or if) we would be seeing a new Nintendo Wii system, you can now put that curiosity to rest. Why? Because on Monday the company released a statement confirming that it will reveal the successor to the original Wii during the E3 Expo tradeshow in Los Angeles.
The new console, currently codenamed “Project Cafe,” may feature a new “Screen Stream” controller option that will provide each individual gamer with their own touchscreen display, although Nintendo did not disclose any of the console’s new features in its statement. In addition to the Wii 2 confirmation, the company also announced its earnings for the fiscal year ending March, 2011.
Net sales of ¥1,014 billion ($12.35 billion) were down 29.3% year-over-year and Nintendo’s net income fell 66.1% to ¥77.62 million ($946,110). Hardware and software sales for the United States, Nintendo’s largest market, also fell year-over-year.
Nintendo sold 15.08 million Nintendo Wii units, 3.61 million of its new Nintendo 3DS devices, and 17.52 million of its Nintendo DS portable gaming consoles in the States. In contrast, Nintendo sold 20.5 million Wii units in the U.S. last year. Globally, the company sold 171.26 million Wii units, 120.98 million DS devices, and 9.43 million Nintendo 3DS units.
So, they’re not doing so good. Good thing they’ve got something new coming out. Hopefully, it will spark interest from consumers.
Click through to tread the statement from Nintendo. The E3 Expo takes place June 7-9 at the Los Angeles convention center.
We’ll be there so be sure to check back right here for a look at the new Wii and all the other gaming news coming out of the show.
April 25, 2011
To whom it may concern:
Re: Wii’s Successor System
Nintendo Co., Ltd. has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed Wii, which the company has sold 86.01 million units on a consolidated shipment basis between its launch in 2006 and the end of March 2011.
We will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo, which will be held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles.
Sales of this new system have not been included in the financial forecasts announced today for the fiscal term ending March 2012.