Wii HD to launch in 2011?

The Buzz: Industry veteran has learned Nintendo has been showing early presentations of its Wii successor.

What They Play's John Davison, formerly of 1UP, claims Nintendo has begun early presentations of what has been dubbed the Wii HD.

Davison has heard from multiple sources in the game development and publishing community that the Wii HD is set to hit the market "by 2011". The new console is described as the true "next generation" Nintendo console and won't simply be a refresh of the current Wii hardware. The transition has been likened to the move from the Game Boy to the Game Boy Advance, with the new Wii HD to keep familiar elements of its predecessor while utilising more powerful hardware.

Davison's sources were reluctant to offer specifics, but have stated that high definition visuals are a given, along with a stronger emphasis on digitally distributed content and backwards compatibility. Once again the focus will be on what the consumer will hold in their hands and not the console itself.

To back up his sources Davison also points towards a huge increase in Nintendo's research and development costs, up from $34 million in 2003 to a whopping $370 million in 2007. While he notes this could be attributed to any number of secretive projects, including the heavily rumoured new Nintendo DS, it does support claims that a new console is in the works.