Nintendo prez: there is no Wii HD

Nintendo’s trying to gum up the rumor mill, denying any plans to release a high-definition version of its wildly popular Wii console.

Behind the uncertainty is Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, who told Gametrailers TV that a Wii HD isn’t going to happen. Fils-Aime was addressing speculation from industry analyst Michael Pachter, who insists that a new Nintendo console is on the way.

“Michael continues to be the only one who believes that this is gonna happen,” Fils-Aime said. “I don’t know how forcefully we can say there is no Wii HD.”

Now, there is a hole in Fils-Aime’s comments. Pachter’s not the only one who has foretold a new console. What They Play’s John Davison “heard from multiple sources” that the Wii HD is coming in 2011, and Square Enix president Yoichi Wada predicted the same thing. Additionally, a report that the Wii will get Netflix streaming said that this feature could come with a new Wii console next year.

It’s not as if no one but Michael Pachter is talking about this.

Also, Nintendo doesn’t have an honest track record when it comes to denying rumors. As Joystiq points out, the company dismissed reports of a slimmer Nintendo DS handheld in 2006, only to announce the DS Lite 10 days later. And last week, Nintendo said reports of a large-screen Nintendo DS were “speculation,” just days before the company announced the DSi XL.

So when Fils-Aime wonders how he can possibly convey that Wii HD rumors are false, my only answer is that Nintendo should stop dismissing rumors that turn out to be true.

I do think that an upgraded Wii is inevitable. In time, the current console will stagnate, and meanwhile, demand for high-definition content will proliferate. The question is “when,” and I can understand that Nintendo will only make an announcement when the time is right. Until then, the company’s denials mean very little.