Nintendo to launch new Wii in 2012

OSAKA, JAPAN: Nintendo will launch a successor to its aging Wii game console in 2012 as it bets on a new hit games platform to win back users lured away by rivals Microsoft and Sony, and reverse a fall in profits.

The maker of the DS handheld games device, which is also facing competition from smartphone makers including Apple, said on Monday it will demonstrate a prototype of the new Wii in Los Angeles on June 7 at the E3 game show.

Nintendo is looking to repeat past successes in the gaming market. The Wii took the industry by storm five years ago by offering family games such as tennis and bowling that appealed to non-traditional gamers. 

Nintendo company declined to provide further details of the new Wii. 

“As for the details of exactly what it will be, we have decided that it is best to let people experience it for themselves at E3,” Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata, told a news conference.

“So I won’t talk about specific details today, but it will offer a new way of playing games within the home,” said Iwata, a former game designer. 

Nintendo launched a glasses-free 3D-capable handheld games device, the 3DS, this year, to fend off increased competition from other game console makers and smartphone makers.