With a steady rise in the spread of HDTVs and the phasing out of “standard” definition, it would seem that Nintendo would likely be considering updating its console with HD support.

Reggie Fils-Aime of Nintendo of America has come out with a definitive answer — no. Nintendo is certainly not planning to give the Wii HD graphics.

Oh well.

The graphics capability of the PS3 is becoming more apparent as first- and third-party titles begin to show off more of the system’s power, says Steinberg:

“I think that we’re seeing, graphically, PS3 games starting to create some distance.  Some of the other competitors are going to feel that they’re getting long in the tooth, looking quite dated, because they haven’t created that ten-year vision from a horsepower standpoint.”

And indeed, games like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Gran Turismo 5: Prologue are starting to widen the gap in the appearance of the systems, and give the PS3 more unique titles that would make it a worthwhile system.  (We’re still curious to see the difference between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Final Fantasy XIII.)

Steinberg went on to deny claims that they’re developing a Wii-like controller, and re-affirmed their core market: gamers.

“…as a brand, Nintendo’s got their thing, and we’re not trying to get the senior citizen group to get into gaming.”

The console wars continue…