At least, that’s what analyst Michael Pachter says. This will probably result in a High Definition capable Wii 2 that will boast higher specifications in order to go toe-to-toe with the Xbox 360 and PS3. Pachter thinks that the Wii remains a “fad”, but somehow or rather that doesn’t seem to be reflect in the sales charts. In fact, the Wii is still doing fantastic sales all over the world, with the PS3 being the tortoise in this current generation race. Nintendo’s direction in reaching out to casual gamers seem to be a huge success, attracting new demographics of female and older gamers who have stumped game publishers when it comes to releasing games.

According to Michael Pachter, “Sega, of course, has games like Sonic that resonate well with this audience, so I’m not singling them out as having an issue, but it appears to me that these non-traditional consumers baffle most of the publishers. As they are unaccustomed to dealing with them this early in the cycle, they have to justify their oversight in not anticipating the strength of the Wii with this group by labelling the group as having no staying power, resulting in the labelling of the Wii as a fad.”

Do you think the Wii 2 will be realized, or will the purchasing power of the general populace win out over what hardcore gamers want? Xbox 360 or PS3 level graphics with waggle controls certainly sound appealing, but Michael Pachter still thinks the PS3 will emerge as the victor in the end as long as the price is cut down to $199 and Blu-ray winning the high definition format war. All those predictions are a good 3 years off at least, so I’ll be enjoying my Wii in the meantime.

Source: Games Industry

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