The currently available Wii console does not support high definition graphics, like the competitors do, but this relative deficiency has not impacted on the company’s much higher number of devices sold. Motion-based controllers that the Wii has introduced are now adopted by other companies for their products, such as the Kinect from Microsoft or the PlayStation Move from Sony. Considering these aspects, Nintendo may think it is about time to offer 3D and high definition TV support for the home console it produces.

Sony itself is planning to provide 3D gaming to its PS3 consoles early this summer. Microsoft is also thinking to join forces with LG into similar plans, but this will not happen in the near future.

The current situation shows Nintendo’s Wii to hold the lead. PS3 and Xbox 360 are believed to continue to become stronger, analysts forecasting Sony’s console as becoming the largest platform by 2013. Recent reports present PS3 sales eventually hitting 127 million devices and Wii reaching sales of 103 million units.

Inherent uncertainty is shown by Strategy Analytics when it comes to predicting sales rates for years ahead. Microsoft’s Xbox could sell beyond expectations thanks to Project Natal. At the same time, the motion-based controller of Sony and the planned 3D upgrades may push the PS3 ahead of predicted figures.

The holiday shopping season in December has shown record sales numbers for both Wii and PS3 consoles, with 1.31 million and 3.8 million units, respectively. Overall sales for all brands, however, were down six percent from the previous year, despite the successful winter season. The descending trend is believed to continue this year, SA predicting a further nine percent decline.

EA Sports Active 2.0 is based on three phases and is a nine-week program. New mini-programs can be added in order to keep users motivated. The software will be ready sometime in the fall, but prices are not yet announced.

As the Nintendo official said, the situation was embarrassing for the company and supplying was made at a minimum level during January. The price has dropped to $200 and some high profile games like new Super Mario Bros. Wii were expected to help boosting the December sales. What happened was that the sales have reached 40 percent of the units for all of 2009, so high that they triggered a reverse phenomenon, creating shortages that lowered the next month’s sales. As the Nintendo executive admitted, the company was somehow taken by surprise.

Nintendo’s shortage was certainly to the benefit of the rivals Microsoft and Sony, but the record sales of last December undoubtedly indicate that once the shortage removed, both rivals would face serious problems and the situation could easily reverse as soon as April. Since its launch in 2006, the Wii has almost regularly outsold the more powerful but, on the other hand, more expensive Xbox 360 and PS3.

Infinitec claims that their new drive will be compatible to Windows, Mac OS X and also Linux. It is also very possible that content could be streamed between the IUM and game consoles, like PS3, Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii.

Despite the fact that the IUM has no memory storage on its own, it receives a signal and also content through a Wi-Fi connection. A strong feature for Infinitec’s new drive is the plug-and-play operation, as there is no need in installing any software or drivers and it doesn’t have to be paired with the PC.

Infinitec’s new IUM device doesn’t have a fixed release date yet. Its price is also unknown, but some extra information about the product is expected around March 1st.

In April, the Italian software company Pub Company, affirmed that they will launch a game named Wii Relax but now their webpage is no longer available. We do not known when WiiRelax is going to be available or if is going to be a game, gadget or both but we are expecting Nintendo to release it in 2010.

The new color versions of the controller will benefit from the MotionPlus feature, being accompanied by a protective jacket. Even if the two new colors have already been presented, the versions won’t ship before February 14th. The price hasn’t been mentioned yet, but it is possible to stay at $40. Nintendo doesn’t have in plan to release color-matching nunchucks for either of the two new color versions, as the company did with the black controller.

The system is safer to use, even for children, because there is no plug and has the main advantage of eliminating the necessity of removing the protective jacket and the battery cover, as well as the traditional or rechargeable batteries to plug them in. The charger also works for Nintendo Wii video controllers without the Motion Plus attachment because of included spacers. A full charged battery lasts for 6.5 hours and its charging takes three hours and forty minutes.

The Eneloop charger can be pre-ordered now at a price of ¥7,400, equivalent to $80 in Japan and will be shipped in mid-December.

Speculation of a Wii refreshment with high definition support as the key upgrade has affected the sales of the console and resulted in a drop of the price to $200. This could consequently lead to a release of a new model. There is no word about high definition supporting only improved graphics or, perhaps, Blu-ray movie playback.

The Japanese company is known as the most conservative between the major console makers and is still basing the Wii on hardware of the GameCube era, without HD resolution support or large built-in storage. Compared to Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo was the only one to come with a price cut, waiting two years to take action. Announced about two years ago, in an industry where anything is considered old in a six months interval, for Nintendo not to have changed anything in the console by 2011 is almost unacceptable.

This second generation of the game console is entitled Wii HD will be endowed with specifics which will grant Nintendo a competitive advantage against its rival companies on the market such as Sony with its Play-Station 3 and Microsoft with the Xbox 360. The features which equip the new Wii HD may means that the console will be able to support HD video play and many other multimedia applications which are also supported by the devices of the competitors but at higher costs. Moreover, during his interview, Mr. Wada also stated that Nintendo is going to develop other three gaming consoles that feature the same functionality of the Nintendo Wii HD and an updated motion controller designed by the organization.

Carrying on with the FT`s interview, Yoichi Wada also praised the Project Natal controller developed by competing company, Microsoft. However, he also stated that the motion interface of a gaming console does not represent the most important element in the functions of multimedia and networking of a gaming console. As he stated: “As a user interface it’s fantastic and I think it will become standard.” Reading all these, we can figure out that Nintendo Company finally offered an Internet film service since it was the only organization on the market that stalled this release. However, its device is found only in Japan.