According to a Nintendo marketing employee, Wii is set to have a successor as soon as next year! Some info on the system are as follows…

• Wii 2 will feature a blu-Ray disc drive in a bid to prevent piracy.
• Support for 1080p resolution for both blu-ray movies and games.
• Due to release in the third quarter of 2010, in a worldwide same day release.
• Trade-in scheme for existing Wii owners to receive a discount on the new hardware.
• An announcement would come a month before release date, riding on the back of viral marketing to build hype.

If Wii 2 had the same specs as a GameCube or a Wii (they’re both the damn same anyway) then blu-ray space would be wasted. It could be telling that there is nothing what-so-ever in these key Wii 2 details regarding the systems’ graphical capabilities. Could you imagine if the Wii 2 was exactly the same as the original Wii, but with a blu-ray drive, HD support and nothing else!? That sounds like some shit that could actually fly at Nintendo. Just look at the evolutionary steps from the DS, to DSi, to the the DSi LL. Nintendo aren’t ones to fully embrace current technology. They always prefer to creep 5 years behind everybody else.

And as for the trade-in scheme? I cannot see Nintendo going for that. They made no effort to offer such a scheme for DS lite owners who would like to upgrade to a DSi, so I can’t see them doing it for their consoles. Nintendo are all about printing their own money. Not helping others save it.

A new Nintendo system with a blu-ray drive would be really cool. Even though Nintendo probably wouldn’t allow it to play blu-ray movies without a 16-digit blu-ray movie code.

It’s all speculation, but it’s rather exciting. A new Nintendo console with full HD output and a blu-ray drive would certainly make sense given the current games-scape – which is why I’m inclined to not believe it could happen. Because it sounds like way too much sense for Nintendo to actually go along with. I hope I’m wrong.

[Max console]

A new short little clip from the upcoming Okamiden, the Okami sequel for the Nintendo DS. As jagged and rough as the game looks the art style makes it look gorgeous, just like with the Wii. We also get to enjoy a fair bit of gameplay footage which looks like the obvious transition from the Wii to the DS.

But frankly the clip could have been the little puppy running in on the fields for two minutes and I wouldn’t have minded.

It seems that gamers who are tired of the same “hide n’ shoot” FPS clones or the “Angsty teen with effeminate looks” RPG are getting a real treat next 2010. It’s Okami, the game that got a lot of positive reviews as not just a great videogame in all aspects but a fantastic work of art, and it’s making a somewhat glorious return, now in Nintendo DS form.

The story takes place some months after the first game, with Chibiterasu, a (take a guess. . .) chibified version of Amaterasu (the wolf you used on the first game) and unlike the full-grown counterpart, Chibiterasu still has to awaken most of his power. Add to that the comedic relief of wandering samurai Susano’s son and we may have another Japanese-culture-overloaded masterpiece.

Since the virtual brush is essential for this game to preserve its delicacy and charm, you will use the DS stylus to paint your way out of puzzles and dead-ends. Release date is yet to be confirmed but developers say it’s going to be in 2010 no doubt. *Sigh* I still need to finish the first game, need some 15 hours more or so. . .

[NintendoWorldReport]

The Mushroom Kingdom has been an analogy for many things, the process of maturity, the hero’s journey and even a communist allegory. What with Mario being a plumber, a member of the proletariat, overthrowing the evil regime and all. But Nazi Germany is one of those to which its rarely compared. The folks at Gamervision took it upon themselves to fix that by making this spoof trailer of Inglorious Basterds based on the Mushroom Kingdom.

Inglorious Plummers turns out masterfully done and Toadsworth’s performance leaves me wanting more every time. This could have very well been the intro to Super Mario Bros. 2, it certainly would have added a lot of depth to the game.

While an actual Mario mushroom can make you go crazy and jump down buildings, there’s still hope for your dreams of eating the iconic fungus. Ana The Red, an american bento expert, teaches us how to make this awesome mushroom replica out of a radish and some seaweed. If you want to make a 1-UP mushroom and wait until the radish turns green before cutting it… you might end up subtracting a life rather than adding one after you eat it.

[Ana The Red / Via Offworld]

This week Conan O’Brien took over the Tonight Show and it didn’t take people long to notice something peculiar about his new set. It seems it looks awfully familiar… those curves, those lines, we’ve seen them before. Well, this friday Conan decided it was finally time to address the speculation.

Oh boy, no I’m never going to be able to see it again without thinking about this.  Just like I swear the hills south of San Diego look like the hills in the original Super Mario Bros. game. Have you also seen games where there are none? I’m I the only one crazy here?

Ladies, you know sometimes getting the attention of the special geek may be hard. The shy introvert may take your interest in Fallout 3 and L4D as you just being a pretty cool gal, which of course you are.  But, want to carry around something that is sure to turn heads and possibly make him (or her) swoon? I present you with the NES purse. Built using a system-on-a-chip kit and an old portable DVD screen, this mashup turns your ever-functional purse into the ultimate nerd bait. Easily strike up a conversation whilst sitting on the subway or taking a break at the library.   

This is just the ice breaker. The rest is up to you…go get ‘em!

[Geekologie]

Nintendo’s catching up with the times and finally releasing a video service component to the Wii. Called Wii no Ma (Wii House), its actually a bit more ambitious than a video channel. The service also introduces a virtual home for your Mii, kinda like Playstation’s HOME but stripped down. There’s video voting, sharing with the DSi, calendars and even video coupons that you use at businesses with your DSi.

The weirdest feature of them all seems to be the ordering of services via the Wii, like a Wii shop channel but for actual products. Maybe inspired by World of Warcraft’s /pizza command? Who knows! This also opens up the possibility for adding clothing and color options to the Mii system which is something that’s badly needed.

The Wii House service goes live in Japan on May 1 and no content list has been released so far, much less is known about a western deployment of the service. Nintendo is further pushing the Wii as a sort of family central with this new component but honestly it all looks a little bland to me. What’s your take?

As quick proof that in games the music can make a world of difference here’s a mashup of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks with Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train. This is a game I’d play, I bet it has you riding the train as fast as Zack Wylde’s guitar solos and the Ganondorf final battle would have you do a rock-off against him with link shreading on a triforce guitar. Yeah!

Up next: I’m On A Boat meets Wind Waker!

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This week marks the 20th year since the Game Boy first saw the light of day in Japan, and what a sweet 20 years its been. While not the first portable platform it was undeniably the first that got it right and became the father of modern portable gaming.Though the Game Boy brand is effectively dead since the DS line does not bear the Game Boy moniker, its legacy in the industry will never fade. More importantly though, is its legacy in the memories of many generations of gamers as a staple of our childhood and teenage years.

So let us celebrate and commemorate our old and loyal pal the Game Boy. Share with us your memories with the  birthday boy, your first one, your last one, the one that got lost or stolen, the one that was there to help you through your darkest hours. Let us remember the time when the only color our adventures needed was green.