Mario missed the launch of the GameCube and the Wii. Will history repeat itself?

After being beaten to the punch in each of the last three console generations, Nintendo is poised to launch its follow up to the Wii well ahead of the competition. The company has confirmed that it plans to announce new hardware in June. Although its press release is remarkably bereft of details, Nintendo has promised to unveil the system and its specifications at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. The new console will then hit retail in 2012.

The forthcoming unit has been the subject of intense rumour and speculation. Game Informer has published a report indicating that the system will deliver improved visuals in high definition, while Kotaku has suggested that its controller will feature two analogue sticks, a camera and a six inch touch sensitive display. The Wii Remote is also set to return in one form or another. Both publications have cited multiple anonymous sources for their information.

The team discussed this emerging story on the latest episode of the Black Panel Podcast.