Pachter: Wii HD will provide 360/PS3-like graphics

Wii HD rumors aren’t anything new, especially considering the heavy speculation which popped up last year. But in spite of the fact that Nintendo supposedly ended the gossip only a few weeks ago, the rumors have reappeared and are back in full throttle. Wedbush-Morgan’s Michael Pachter, in his “Money for Nothing, How Ancillary Revenues Can Extend the Console Cycle” report, shared his beliefs that a new iteration of the Wii could be on the way – Wii Plus HD – and might even be in stores by the end of 2010.

“We expect Nintendo to sustain their competitive advantage by introducing a high definition version of the Wii, perhaps as early as the end of 2010, in order to convert its large installed base into true ‘next-generation’ households.”

But that’s not all. Controversially, Pachter went on to say that Wii Plus HD would enable developers to create games with graphics more equal to that of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. As Pachter explains, Nintendo would receive support from publishers but the release of Wii Plus HD depends on numerous factors.

“In our view, if Nintendo can offer such a device by year-end 2010, it will be in a position to seriously damage Sony’s chances of a comeback this cycle. We would expect publishers to support such a move, given that the cost of porting an Xbox 360 game to the new Wii Plus HD format would likely be lower than the cost of building a ground up Wii game. Of course, the timing of such a launch will depend upon several factors, including the cost of production, the price points of its competitors’ consoles, and the willingness of publishers to support a launch.”

“We believe that each of these factors will shift in Nintendo’s favor eventually, and are targeting fall 2010 for a Wii Plus announcement.”