With Xbox 360 and PS3 currently doing everything they can to catch Nintendo’s Wii as it continues to lose momentum in the market, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has seemingly ruled out the possible launch of a Wii 2 in the coming year.
When asked by Kotaku if Wii 2 is a must for next Christmas” Fils-Aime replied:
No. As we sit here today we’re saying the Wii has many, many more units to sell. After we’ve reached an installed base of 45m here in the US we can have a conversation about the next generation.”
Last week Nintendo confirmed that North American Wii sales currently stand at 30.4m.
Fils-Aime also pointed out that the Wii continues to sell faster than the current home console champ PS2 was at this stage in its life cycle – 23 per cent faster, in fact. And the PS2 enjoyed a sales explosion once it dropped to the ‘magical’ $99/99 price point.
However, Nintendo itself has admitted that should Wii sales fall flat this Christmas it could prove disastrous for the format, meaning that a change of tact cannot be ruled out entirely – though some analysts thinks Wii still has enough muscle left to win the hardware battle this Christmas.
Still, the impending launch of the 3DS – a sequel to a machine that launched two years before Wii – could suggest that Nintendo is still 24 months away from launching a true successor.