Kokatu writes that the news was revealed in today’s Wall Street Journal. NX looks set to include “both a console and at least one mobile unit,” according to people familiar with Nintendo’s plans for its next product range.
How the devices will work together remains unknown. It is possible that the mobile unit could act as a second-screen for the console — like with the current Wii U — when at home and then morph into its own standalone platform when separated, but it is hard to speculate on Nintendo’s intentions when it has revealed so little to date. With most mobile gaming now completed on smartphones, it is unclear how Nintendo will be marketing the “mobile” aspect of the NX.
Wall Street Journal reporter Takashi Mochizuki clarified on Twitter that there will be “more than two devices” and said consumers will be able to get gaming with them “by end of 2016.” That ties in with comments made by Nintendo in the past as it has promised to start releasing more information on its next generation of products by next year.
The company is apparently building NX into a more appealing option for hard-core gamers. Nintendo’s current Wii U console hasn’t been the greatest success due to its fiddly controller, comparatively low-performance hardware and distinct lack of “serious” games. It also failed to repeat the hit sales of the original Wii which dominated the market during its Christmas 2006 launch period.
The Wall Street Journal writes that NX will feature “industry-leading” processors and graphics hardware to enable developers to build games with complexities similar to that of the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One. It is unknown what controller design Nintendo will be using this time around.
If the report is correct then Nintendo is deviating from its traditional device line-up in a major way. Whereas it has previously kept its DS mobile and Wii console families completely separate, next year it may tie the two markets together to create a unified experience for NX.
Today’s report begins to shed some light on what Nintendo is working on for its future. Although there is much that remains unknown about the upcoming platform, it seems as though the company is hard at work at making its secret designs reality.
It has apparently begun the distribution of software development kits to game creators interested in writing titles for the console. Kokatu writes that its own sources say a wider reach-out to the developer community could be coming later this month, indicating that Nintendo wants a healthy line-up of games to unveil when it eventually lets details of the NX range go public next year.
