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WHAT IS THE NINTENDO NX?

19/10/2015

6 Comments

 
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According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Nintendo's next major hardware release is now in the curious grasp of third-party developers. But what is it? What is the NX? And why does it sounds like "an eggs"?

Nintendo's late CEO Satoru Iwata described the NX as "a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept".

The Wall Street Journal states that the NX "would likely include both a console and at least one mobile unit that could either be used in conjunction with the console or taken on the road for separate use".

Which, from that description, feels like an extension of the Wii U (a game pad that could be taken off and played with - basically a combination of DS and Wii) - but hardly a brand-new concept. And a bit boring, after all the speculation.

What's the truth, Trevor?

CONCEPT ALBUM
Whatever the NX turns out to be, the big problem with Nintendo releasing a console with a brand-new concept is expecting third-party developers to embrace it.

You only need to look at how underutilised the Wii U's gamepad has been, or the spectacular failure of Microsoft's Kinect, to see that few developers want to push into unfamiliar territory. They play it safe. Broadly speaking Nintendo, and Nintendo alone, gets the best out of its hardware. 


The risk with releasing something esoteric and new is that it'll be seen as weird. The original Wii controller was catching lightning in a bottle; we can't see how Nintendo is going to achieve that twice.

There's been rumour that the the controller will feature shoulder scroll wheels instead of buttons - which is novel, but hardly a revolution. Another pair of conflicting rumours is that Nintendo will revert back to cartridge-based ​hardware... or drop physical media altogether, and make the NX a purely online-only system. In other words: games would need to be downloaded or streamed.


Of course, there's also Nintendo's much-discussed move into smartphone gaming to throw into the mix. Some are speculating that the NX could come pre-loaded with Android, or turn out to be some sort of weird console/phone hybrid.

Frankly, none of the above rumours get us particularly excited, or suggest the sort of "brand-new" system that Iwata promised. Which is why we're putting our money on the handheld/console whispers. Even then... meh.
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THING IS
If the NX is a combination of handheld and console, well... that's sort of interesting, but it's hardly going to have the kind of mass crossover audience that the Wii offered.

​It's not really going to give us new types of gameplay - merely the convenience of being able to take your games on the bus with you.

Also... would Nintendo really risk its existing handheld business in such a way? And if it would - what sort of compromises would be required in terms of the hardware power?


It's hard to know what the NX could offer that's going to be as epoch-defining as the Wii controller. We remain poised to be surprised - and Nintendo is traditionally the sort of company to keep its nude playing cards close to its chest until the last minute.

But even then, we just sort of wish Nintendo would focus on games. We're not anywhere near as interested in hardware as we are in the next bona-fide Zelda, or Mario, or F-Zero, or Splatoon. Or - better yet - new characters, new types of games.


Nintendo makes the most pure, most unique, original and iconic games in the world. There's nobody to touch it, frankly. And we actually think it lost confidence in the Wii U too soon: the console still had much potential that not even Nintendo tapped into.

Regardless, progress is what it is, and Nintendo wants to move forwards. Current thinking has it that the NX - or whatever it'll eventually be called - will arrive (at least in Japan) towards the end of next year. Our misery will be extinguished soon. An Eggs. 

FROM THE ARCHIVE:
NINTENDO: THE SHOCKING TRUTH
A FEW WORDS ABOUT SATORU IWATA
9 SENIOR CITIZENS WHO ARE TERRIFIED OF THE NINTENDO Wii

6 Comments
lilock3
19/10/2015 01:52:28 pm

If the NX truly is a replacement for both the Wii U and the 3DS then this could be a very good move by Nintendo. They don't seem to have too much trouble attracting 3rd parties to make games for their portable systems, only their home systems, but if these are to be one and the same then problem solved!

In truth though I think that most people buy Nintendo's systems to play Nintendo's games, and so additional 3rd party support may not be what's needed to help them get more sales. Nintendo aren't seen as a serious contender by the "hardcore" gamers of the PlayStation/Xbox generation. This image problem does them as much harm as anything else, and I don't think the solution is any amount of fancy new technology.

Reply
Mr Biffo
20/10/2015 12:29:04 pm

There are too many question marks at the minute, I guess. If it's going to be the most powerful console available - as some reports suggest - then how's the handheld element going to work? You're probably right about the 3rd party thing, mind.

Reply
Gaijintendo
19/10/2015 02:13:03 pm

What it you can throw it at the ground and it will battele other people's NX?
What if it encourages you to make healthier choices by hovering next to you in the supermarket?
What if Nintendo have developed a neural-pun-network which it promises will make you loved in any social situation.
What if it watched you as you slept and woke you if it looked like you weren't breathing (but actually it was trying to stop you snoring so it could try and sleep before you did)?
What if it could be worn in a baseball cap with a visor, and continuously desensitise you to the horrors of childbirth?

Reply
Buu
19/10/2015 08:03:05 pm

Trouble is third parties want to stick their game on every platform, any thing different and they have to make bespoke content for it. Trouble is if it's too good platform holders on the other platforms get annoyed.

Reply
LeighDappa
21/10/2015 12:26:35 am

Nintendo: aNneX.

Do you see?

Reply
Marc Booth link
6/11/2015 07:12:26 pm

I really enjoy my wii u, but have had it less than a year, I hope there's still some life left in this console before and after the eggs come.

Reply



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