New Wii controller.

Wii is getting ready to introduce a new controller and picture have been made available for public viewing. Eagle-eyed observers will have noticed the shoulder-button layout has changed, omitting the two inner-lane circler buttons and replacing them with a classic DualShock shoulder setup. The layout alteration ends any initial idea that Nintendo is releasing additional plastic padding for the already-available Classic Controller; this is a new model.

Beyond what can be seen, however, details of the unit remain scarce. The unit is coming sometime this Summer in Japan, though nothing has been confirmed beyond. Expect the unit attach to a Wii Remote much like the original Classic Controller, but any type of sixaxis-esque motion detection seems unlikely.

What’s more interesting is Nintendo’s own purpose for releasing the controller; whether this upgrade means more 3D titles will come to the virtual console (perhaps beyond N64 games), and whether it means Nintendo is set to release more traditionally-controlled games for the Wii itself.