Nintendo Wii 2 "Stream" Leaks: HD And Touchscreen Controllers In Late 2011?

Leaked details aplenty around Nintendo's next-gen console to replace the Wii, believed to be codenamed Project Cafe, with IGN reporting on rumors that the Wii 2 will use innovative controllers with integrated "Screen Stream" technology that can stream games direct to an integrated color touchscreen. Mock-up images of the potential hardware – which may reach the marked as the Nintendo Stream, it's suggested – have been discovered by NeoGAF, meanwhile, showing a somewhat retro, SNES-style console that's said to be around the size of an Xbox 360.

Screen Stream will, it's said, take the 1080p display the new high-definition Stream is capable of, and split the four individual views of multiplayer games, squirting one to each player's controller. The TV can then show different camera angles or even be turned off completely. There's also the possibility of "Virtual Console Games" similar to the tiny titles playable on SEGA's DreamCast controllers.

As for the main hardware, Nintendo is said to be using a custom triple-core processor based on IBM's PowerPC chipset, similar to the Xbox 360, though with higher clock speeds than the Microsoft console. It will be paired with a revamped version of AMD's R700 GPU, expected to be faster than the PS3's NVIDIA 7800GTX-based graphics chip. Foxconn is handling production.

The Wii 2, or Stream, could reach the market as early as mid-October 2011, though it's possible that Nintendo could hold off from releasing the HD-capable console until early 2012. That would allow developers to build up a catalog of titles to take advantage of the Screen Stream technology. Pricing is believed to be in the region of $350 to $400.