Jon Lindemann: My reaction is honestly kind of a shrug. Beyond the news of a touch screen-enabled controller, there's nothing in these new console rumors that really surprises me or gets me excited. It'll be HD, but that's been done by Sony and Microsoft for years. It'll be more powerful than either of those consoles, but that's to be expected because they're both more than five years old now; Xbox 360-level hardware has reached a mass-market price already, so that shouldn't be hard to deliver.
What I want out of this console is a competent online experience. I'm talking Xbox Live level quality, which is what Nintendo should be giving us at this point. They dropped the ball in a big way with Wii, with a clunky interface, friend codes, awful voice chat, fridge cleaning, forced re-entry of credit card data, and a slew of other issues that make online play and purchasing/managing downloaded content a constant headache. They need to get their online presence in order, because that's the only hope they have of stealing any "hardcore" gamers from their competitors. If all they do is provide current gen-ish hardware and a sub-par online experience, today's 360 and PS3 gamers will simply keep playing on those consoles, since they'll already have a superior online experience and roughly equivalent hardware.
Nintendo also needs to court better third-party support, which goes hand-in-hand with having hardware that's roughly equivalent to its competitors. Long gone are the days when Nintendo was the third party's choice. Third parties now focus on spreading their projects across as many platforms as possible to dilute development costs, and if Nintendo can bring the hardware chops to the table they can be a part of that. However, if they go off the reservation again, we can look forward to this next console being dominated by Nintendo software yet again. They can skate by with that, and have for roughly three console generations, but as a gamer it doesn't get me jumping up and down.
Overall, I'm skeptical. I have no doubt that we'll get some great Nintendo games out of this next device, but beyond that we'll just have to wait and see what we get.
Jonathan Metts: I love this part. When a new console rumor engine spools up, I get all a-flutter with excitement, optimism, and anticipation. This is when we look back, not only at the mistakes that can be corrected, but at everything we love about Nintendo that can be revisited and amplified with the promise of a new system.
That the new console will be more powerful is a boring fact. I don't need inside developer sources to confirm that it will transfer electrons faster than Sony's 2006 technology, or that it will display enough pixels to fill 90 percent of televisions being sold today. The rumor of a touch screen on the controller is much more exciting. This feature would play into Nintendo's long-term interests (going back to the GBA-GameCube link) and established development expertise in touch screen handheld devices, while diversifying away from the motion control arena that is now crowded by competitors with superior technology and, for the most part, similarly banal mini-game collections.
Pedro Hernandez: In my honest opinion, these leaks seem to be legit. Nintendo is a
console generation behind in terms of technological prowess. To go into the next generation with the same mentality as the previous one, it would be foolish, so of course Nintendo has to make a system that is more powerful than the current HD systems.
A lot of people are saying that Nintendo will be "leaving behind" the casual market in favor of catering to their fanbase. I don't see that happening. What I DO see happening is a nice mix between the two, much like it is happening right now with the 3DS. You have "Blue Ocean" titles such as Nintendogs + Cats alongside releases like Super Street Fighter IV. One thing the gaming industry learned this past generation is that there is money to be made with the casual market. Love them or hate them, casual games are an important market trend right now. So for Nintendo to abandon the market they helped give strength to with the Wii and its games would be silly. So I expect them to have a solid balance, and if it's true the system is very third party friendly, Nintendo systems can finally get the same high profile games the HD systems receive.
I also expect an innovation or "gimmick" with this new system, that's pretty much a given. Even "traditional" systems like the GameCube had ideas like the GBA-to-GameCube transfer and microphone-controlled games. Personally, though, I don't believe that the controller will have a screen like many reports have indicated. It might happen since Nintendo has experimented with the idea in the past (like the previously mentioned GBA-to-GC link cable), but the way people are presenting it sounds like it will be too much of a hassle for Nintendo. It will be cool if it's real, but I am taking that with a grain of salt.
Regardless whether the system will be the hardcore gamer's dream made real or another system that caters to the casual section of the market, this will be an exciting time for many. This E3 should be a really fun one if the rumors are to be believed.