The Wii 2 is coming! At this point, we’re not 100 percent sure when it will arrive—some are predicting that a playable Wii 2 unit could be available as soon as June at the annual E3 convention—and we’re not 100 percent what it will look like or play like since Nintendo has kept its’ next-gen console under tight lock-and-key for the last couple of years, but we are sure that it’s coming. And with Microsoft unveiling the Kinect for Xbox 360 last year and PlayStation releasing Move at about the same time, it’s not coming a moment too soon.

Nintendo needs to beef up its’ current Wii in order to keep up with its’ closest competitors. But, what exactly should the Wii 2 be able to do in order to give Nintendo a competitive advantage? We sat down and came up with a list of the five things we’re expecting the Wii 2 to be able to do. Game on, Nintendo!

1. Play games (and movies!) in HD.

It’s always been a little strange to me that Nintendo didn’t do this the first time around. Most people rely on their gaming console to play games and watch movies today. But the Wii has basically been limited to strictly gaming because of the fact that it doesn’t operate in HD. The second-gen Wii has to do it, no questions asked.

2. Revolutionize the way we control our games and movies.

There have been a lot of rumors about what the controllers for the Wii 2 will look like. With Xbox 360′s Kinect using no controller at all and the Move using a very Wii-esque controller, the new Wii 2 controller has to be special. We’ve heard it could include everything from two analog sticks (thus making it more appealing to hardcore gamers—see the next entry) to a touchscreen that would control everything you see on screen. Sounds cool to us. Now let’s just hope something as cool as these two suggestions winds up on the actual controllers that Nintendo releases.

3. Appeal to hardcore gamers as well as casual video game players.

Let’s face it: The Wii was tailored towards families, kids, your girlfriend, and, well, people who aren’t normally into hardcore gaming. But that doesn’t mean the Wii 2 can’t include some elements that make it appeal to hardcore gamers, too. Namely, the Wii 2 should have an improved controller, improved graphics, a better online community, and the ability to handle hardcore games (think: Call of Duty) without lagging behind the other systems. That would make the Wii 2 even more profitable in the end for Nintendo.

4. Have better internal specs than the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

The Wii 2 doesn’t just have to match the specs of the 360 and PS3, it needs to blow them out of the water. In the past, Nintendo opted to use specs that provided good, but not great, gameplay. The Wii’s graphics have never really been anything to boast about and the games have never been particularly fast. So Nintendo needs to improve upon both those things with its’ new console.

5. Do everything we just listed for an affordable price.

Above all, Nintendo has to try and keep the Wii 2 affordable. We realize it can’t be 150 bucks like the current Wii, but we’re hoping that the industry estimates of $350 and $400 are high predictions at this point and nothing more. The Wii has always been the most affordable of the major gaming systems and it’s one of the reasons it’s done so well over the last few years. Hopefully that doesn’t go out the window with the Wii 2. Because if Nintendo can make improvements and keep the Wii 2 affordable, we think the sequel will be just as good as the original.

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