According to this article on Gamespot, Nintendo has sent out their NX dev kits. The console is stated to be a Console/Mobile hybrid, highlighting that the hybrid is not only for 3ds, but is for mobile, leaving some to the imagination.
The article lead on to say:
One prominent third-party game company that might already have a NX software development kit is Square Enix. During a broadcast in July, Square Enix announced Dragon Quest X and Dragon Quest XI for the NX. However, the company later tempered its comments by saying these projects were only "under consideration." It's possible Square Enix initially spoke too soon.
Exactly what form the NX will take remains unclear. WSJ's sources say the NX, which is still a working title, will come with 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." The NX will also reportedly use "industry-leading chips" in the devices that will presumably allow for better graphics and deeper functionality.
A new Nintendo Console with updated technology would make sense because of Nintendo's new stance towards the market, as well as the news that Nintendo is starting to break into the mobile app market. For now, it's anyone's guess what the console will be like, but if the information about Dragon Quest is correct, Nintendo's new console is on its way and might be Nintendo's answer to the struggling Wii U system. As for the Wii U, its anyone's guess what will happen to the console, but dual porting is not out of the question.
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I mean, it would be awesome if Nintendo could make me care about a TV-connected console for the first time since the SNES days, but these rumors don't do much to stoke my enthusiasm. Especially since the tablet form factor is the opposite of being physically accessible for me.
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It's all speculative, but I'm wondering how long before we see a new Nintendo platform.
The original article that the other sources have been quoting from appears in the Wall Street Journal: http://www.wsj.com/articles/nintendo-begins-distributing-software-kit-for-new-nx-platform-1444996588
According to 'inside sources', Nintendo's plan is for a 2016 release. If true, I'm thinking E3 megaton, followed by holiday release.
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Some stuff. First: Nintendo's new development portal http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1125554
Second and more distinctly rumor-y, report from http://www.nintendoforums.com/threads/nintendo-nx-will-have-incredibly-powerful-hardware.1963/ from an purported insider suggesting that Nintendo has a very high-poly tech demo running on their system, which it states pushes top-end CPU/GPU stuff. This one i find less likely, but a man can dream.
The speculation is that it is a portable device (like Game Boy) that you can connect to a cradle that is HDMId to your television, pick up a controller and play like a home console, with powerful enough hardware that the image on the television doesn't look horribly pixelated.
A late 2016 launch seems strange. I mean, Nintendo used to be the top contender and are now slipping farther and farther behind two competitors after releasing a console with unusual addon peripherals and are now going to launch a "powerful" console in the middle of a console gen that they're hoping will turn their fortunes around that will let you take part of it on the road to play games on...
Holy shit.
Nintendo is the new Sega.
I could see the logic in such a move, and in fact can imagine the Nintendo press release line for line, but I can also understand why people would be upset.
In bird culture this is considered a dick move.
edit: On a side note, as someone who isn't much of a Nintendo or Legend of Zelda fan, I still thought that the "mirroring" effect that distinguished the Gamecube and Wii versions of Twilight Princess was a particularly clever way of solving the "Link is canonically left handed, but 90% of people who will be playing this on the Wii will be right handed" issue.
I suppose it depends on if the NX is indeed going to be out next year and how quickly Nintendo wants to put a bullet in the Wii U and let people move on with their lives. It wouldn't surprise me at all, if that stuff holds true. The outcry would be brief and quickly overshadowed by excitement once the new system was revealed/released.
and that timeframe makes sense with the sdk being released now, and then I'd guess actual hardware devkits in about a year. Giving 3rd parties about 2 years to make/port a few games for the launch window.
Sheesh, where were you guys when I suggested this very thing a few weeks back? ;P
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Then that'll get shelved for something friendly and more easily pronounced by younger audiences,
VAGiNA
If it succeeds, it's divine. If it fails, you can say it's passed away and going to the afterlife just like its name.
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Nintendo, you have my number. And I will acknowledge, I don't own www.vagina.com
Nintendo can't possibly get Wii U to carry them through 2017. It would have a release schedule worse than Wii 2012 (which was already painfully anemic), with a console that's been comatose since 2013, while the competition is hitting their stride. It's poisonous for mindshare and would make their challenges for the NX all that much worse.
Edit: early 2017, yes. Zelda U could be enough to make holiday '16 worthwhile. But they can't last a whole year without software, which is what's going to happen after November 2016. It's quite clear Nintendo has nothing in the pipeline that we don't know about (reminding that we know about Pikmin 4 as well)
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People have been saying this literally since the day Zelda U was delayed, and it hasn't slowed since.
I'm just waiting for the game to be released so it can stop , either way.
I for one am super excited for the whole shoulder bumpers being replaced with mousewheel buttons deal, that one recent patent has revealed. It's an idea I've been shouting into the void of the internet for a couple of years now. It makes so much more sense than just a regular button. It gives each shoulder button at least 3 bindable actions. Turn left. Turn right. Push in. And that's besides being perfect for zooming in cameras and quick selecting items/weapons/gadgets. The only shame being that Nintendo patented the idea, instead of all console manufacturers adopting it. I guess beggars can't be choosers. I shouted loudly into the void, and somehow the world granted me my wish. It's got to be good enough.
Another point that Nintendo has finally to get right is their online network. Games being tied to specific hardware instead of my account? Nope, that's bullshit. Friendcodes? Are you crazy? Nintendo has to deliver a comparable experience to PSN/Xbox Live/Steam/Origin etc., with equal or better usability and comfort. Something along the lines of PS Plus would also be very welcome.
There's a 101 ways to fuck this up, I just hope Nintendo will finally make a system that invites me back into the fold, so that I can enjoy all the upcoming Nintendo games, and experience all the games I missed out on since the Gamecube. I haven't had Wii or Wii U. Slowly but surely, there's a bunch of 'em that I really want to play.
How "hybrid" it is is up to debate. If you read Iwata's commentary from after NX was revealed, he very clearly said that they were not making a straight hybrid device. He said they wanted systems that could be "brothers," and pointed towards iOS. That this WSJ article implies opposite to that, well, Iwata can't contest them anymore, but i don't see how anything would have changed.
So it's likely that they'll unify architecture, unify APIs for devs, create one OS for both, possibly have software playable on both unless the developer's making a more ambitious console game or the handheld developer specifically opts out. Scalable assets similar to PC games at least for first-party titles, but they're not making a 2-in-1.
And like @Mr Khan mentioned they used iOS and smartphones as an example of what they were going for.
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They've mentioned the idea that the new structure will conform to the Wii U, which could explain why they've been trying to get all Nintendo platforms, not just home consoles, running on Wii U VC.
Although they have to cut away from some of the Wii U stuff. PowerPC architecture would be an albatross.
So they're taking the Vita/PS4 relationship to its natural extreme? That sounds awesome to me.
This approach would be problematic from a few angles. First, western third parties. As slim as Nintendo's chances are with them, they shouldn't completely box themselves into a corner on the chance that, say, Activision will start throwing them a Call of Duty here or there again. If the device is as you describe, it runs as a handheld-first mindset inherently, which essentially sinks chances with western development, since western developers have happily neglected handhelds for the last five years or more. Sony gets some pull with Vita, but only by virtue of both being Sony and by having in-house people do porting to Vita for certain games.
Second, power and value. While the "player" aspect of the device would naturally upscale for HDTVs, would it have anything more potent under the hood? Or is Nintendo selling just a Vita with Vita TV in this scenario? In the latter case, they run the risk of people accusing them of selling a warmed-over Wii U for a higher price (which is what they did with Wii, but in this case because the handheld is the center, the device would actually be weaker, but surely cost more too).
I very much hope that patent was just filed to cover their bases and is not what they're actually doing. Companies with a lot more mobile/internet-of-things experience have been failing to do anything very compelling/functional with smart home stuff for a while. There's no one standard smart home communications protocol/API for Nintendo to hook into, and they don't have the clout in this space to establish one (and probably not the manpower to support everything). Even Google is still trying to figure this one out.
Like, it's a huge undertaking, and that's on top of actually making a competent game console.
This article heavily implies 2016 release for the NX.
Perhaps instead it's a hybrid of that, where it's simply it's own console but any of whatever the 3ds successor ends up being can connect to it as a controller similar to the Wii U tablet.
Just launch it with that new Zelda and Mario Galaxy 3 and I am sold!
(Edit: Wow.... triple post. That's a record for me)
(Edit 2: Oh fucking nice. Top of the page as well. Oi.)