Nintendo Confirms New Console for 2012, Details at E3 2011

While you were asleep, Nintendo confirmed plans to release a brand new console in 2012. The device will make its first public (and playable!) appearance at E3 2011, which kicks off this June 7 in Los Angeles.

The official word comes via a brief note released on Nintendo’s Japanese investors relations Web site. The document is a stiff pairing of paragraphs that, unfortunately for us, reveal nothing more than the fact that Nintendo plans to release a successor to the Wii in 2012.

== TEASER ==“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,” the statement reads. “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,” it continues. 

The word on the 'net suggests this will be a HD-capable console that might be more powerful than the current console juggernauts, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Other reports allege its tech will be on par, while still others only maintain the device be able to output HD. In other words: it'll be more powerful in some way. How much more? Shrug.

A Kotaku report claims the device's "main" controller is host to dual-analog sticks, a total of eight buttons, a front-facing camera, and a 6.2 (diagonal) touch screen. A source has told CVG since this screen will be able to display HD visuals. Rumors (are you sensing a trend?) stemming from 01net indicate the controller will have a built-in Wii sensor bar as well, which leads us to other rumors the console will continue to support motion control. Next-Gen.biz is reporting, at least, that the device's motion control capabilities will be better than what Sony is offering with Move. 

Also, the console is supposedly set to be backwards compatible with Wii and GameCube games because...why not, right? What doesn't this console have? A cappuccino machine?
 
According to a recent IGN report, apparently Nintendo is thinking about going with “Stream” as its official name. Project Cafe is reportedly the codename.

[Mock-up images via IGN and 01net respectively.]