Nintendo's "Project Cafe" gets blurry presentation images, possible name and pricing

Ricardo Trejo Apr 22, 2011 Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Us Gaming, Geek Culture, Industry News, News, Nintendo, Pictures, Rumor, breaking

Rumors are one thing, but when it comes to leaked presentation slides, well, now we’re getting warmer. And it seems that after all the leaks we’ve been hearing about “Project Cafe”, a.k..a the Wii 2, Nintendo has apparently made the rounds to third party developers, perhaps showing off the above slide in closed meetings, introducing them to what may be the next step in the Big N’s planned revolution.

Will it be called “Stream” ?

We’ve recently learned that a possible name for the upcoming, third hardcore console may be the Nintendo “Stream”, which may divulge some sort of idea of where Nintendo is heading with this new hardware. Streaming in the tech world usually means transmitting information or data from one digital location to another; for instance, this concept is more widely known with Netflix being capable of streaming to next-gen consoles, as well as PC’s, and even other set-top devices. This also could denote a changing of the way in which Nintendo handles their online framework and even distribution. This isn’t to say that WiiWare and the Virtual Console are going away, but rather that they could be reworked for better user experience, more fluidity in browsing, and a much more well defined service — something that resembles a Steam or an Xbox Live. However, it could mean something entirely different (see image on right).

The image on the right seems to explain that the streaming concept is being directed toward the Cafe’s controller, which would host a touch-screen and be able to display what’s happening on the player’s tv. This streaming capability has quite a number of applications; such as Mario Kart racing, multiple camera angles, and the list goes on. So it’s really anyone’s guess how far Nintendo takes the streaming idea. Though, we would particularlly be interested in a whole new online system that does away with friend codes and any that sort of business. I really just want to turn on my console, throw in a game, and connect directly with my friends and strangers for some friendly competition.

What’s under the hood?

Some other information we’ve been hearing about the Cafe is what will be going under the hood, as well as pricing. The system may end up sporting an AMD’s R700 GPU architecture, which to me personally doesn’t mean much but I’m sure it’s important. Hey, I keep it real. All I assume is that we’re WAY beyond 64 bits, right? Though it was mentioned that it would be able to outperform the PS3’s processor. The console’s CPU will have a custom built triple-core IBM PowerPC whose clock speed will be faster than the 360’s. In terms of size, the build is supposed to be around the size of the Xbox 360 and look like a modernized SNES, although the images we’ve seen don’t give it that SNES feel that we’re hoping for. 

It’s not $600 is it?

Iinside sources are saying anywhere in the area of a $350 - $400 price point based off the specs and parts mentioned so far in connection to the project.

What does Nintendo say?

When asked about the rumors, Shigeru Miyamoto, the father of both Mario and Zelda, said in a nutshell that ‘you shouldn’t believe everything you read.

Shigeru Miyamoto:

“Don’t ask! Even when the Wii launched we were developing new hardware, work on 3DS had already started. It’s a matter of when we announce it.

Yes, I have read rumours about Café. I want to say it’s normal. You know, for Nintendo, as with the other platform holders, our job is to create new hardware.

We think it takes five years to do interesting R&D. So, I confess there isn’t smoke without fire. We always build consoles. You’ll never see some of them.

But you don’t have to trust all the stuff you read.”

We seem to think that he’s just trying to quell the flames before the whole thing gets unravelled before the system’s even formally announced.