Reports that a next-generation Wii will launch in 2011 and support high definition resolutions are nothing but "pure rumor and speculation," Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has informed VentureBeat.

Word of a new Wii emerged from recently respected industry veteran and ex-EGM editor John Davison. He claimed to learn of the new hardware from multiple developers and publishers who had seen a presentation of new system.

However, Fils-Aime was clear that leaked information from confidential meetings was "not the way [the public] would find out" about Nintendo's plans.

Yet despite the denial, oft-cited Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter still believes that Nintendo is secretly tinkering away on a high definition-capable Wii.

"A Wii HD would really position Nintendo well, which is why I'm absolutely convinced there is a Wii HD coming," the analyst told AFP. "Businesswise, they can't have people saying that their machine is a toy for my mom."

Nintendo is beginning to present its next generation hardware, dubbed Wii HD, to game developers and publishers, according to a report from What They Play.

Said to be "far more than a simple refresh of the current hardware," sources tell the site that the Wii HD is being billed as the true successor to the Wii and should launch by 2011. That fits with the predictions of key industry figures, who expect the next generation of consoles, including the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720, to arrive by 2012.

Along with support for high definition resolutions, the new system is expected to sport backwards compatibility and a focus on digitally distributed content. Sources also indicate that Nintendo is once again placing special emphasis on the controller.

While these may seem like the ramblings of a no-name site attempting to gain traffic, especially as Nintendo is tomorrow throwing a a press event while word of a revised DS circulates, What They Play was co-founded by former EGM editor-in-chief John Davison. A long-time industry veteran, Davison also penned the report.

Davison further notes that something major is in the works at Nintendo, as the company has more than tripled its research and development costs since the Wii launched in 2006, with the company spending $370 million on R&D in 2007.