From possible games to specs, here's everything we know about Nintendo's next games system (this thread was approved by Platina) !
January 30th, 2014 – The following statement was mentioned by former President of Nintendo – Mr. Satoru Iwata:
“We only had device-based relationships with consumers in the past. As we were connected with a single consumer differently on different devices, we had some natural problems.”
The statement also highlighted:
“If the transition of software from platform to platform can be made simpler, this will help solve the problem of game shortages in the launch periods of new platforms. Also, as technological advances took place at such a dramatic rate, and we were forced to choose the best technologies for video games under cost restrictions, each time we developed a new platform, we always ended up developing a system that was completely different from its predecessor. The only exception was when we went from Nintendo GameCube to Wii. Though the controller changed completely, the actual computer and graphics chips were developed very smoothly as they were very similar to those of Nintendo GameCube, but all the other systems required ground-up effort. However, I think that we no longer need this kind of effort under the current circumstances. In this perspective, while we are only going to be able to start this with the next system, it will become important for us to accurately take advantage of what we have done with the Wii U architecture. It of course does not mean that we are going to use exactly the same architecture as Wii U, but we are going to create a system that can absorb the Wii U architecture adequately. When this happens, home consoles and handheld devices will no longer be completely different, and they will become like brothers in a family of systems.”
“Still, I am not sure if the form factor (the size and configuration of the hardware) will be integrated. In contrast, the number of form factors might increase. Currently, we can only provide two form factors because if we had three or four different architectures, we would face serious shortages of software on every platform. To cite a specific case, Apple is able to release smart devices with various form factors one after another because there is one way of programming adopted by all platforms. Apple has a common platform called iOS. Another example is Android. Though there are various models, Android does not face software shortages because there is one common way of programming on the Android platform that works with various models. The point is, Nintendo platforms should be like those two examples. Whether we will ultimately need just one device will be determined by what consumers demand in the future, and that is not something we know at the moment. However, we are hoping to change and correct the situation in which we develop games for different platforms individually and sometimes disappoint consumers with game shortages as we attempt to move from one platform to another, and we believe that we will be able to deliver tangible results in the future.”
December 16th 2014 – There was rumor of Nintendo possibly being “interested” in Sharp’s Free-Form Displays.
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It’s noteworthy that 3DS’s screen is being manufactured by Sharp, so Sharp can certainly be considered as Nintendo’s biggest partner.
According to the report, Nintendo could be Sharp’s “first customer” to implement this technology for their latest gaming platform, which is rumored to be officially announced in 2016.
The displays are an evolution of Sharp's IGZO technology, and can be cut into virtually any shape. The gate driver circuits are embedded into the active area of the display, allowing for ultra-thin bezels and unprecedented form factors.
You can check out some pictures of Sharp’s Free-Form Displays and video below
December 22nd 2014 : AMD’s CFO Devinder Kumar said that the company had two major new design.
“I will say that one is x86 and the other is ARM, and at least one will be beyond gaming, right … They [the customers] are going to announce it and then … you will find out that it is AMD’s APU that is being used in those products.”
March 17th 2015 - “As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business, let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under the development codename NX” – said Satoru Iwata.
During his speech in March 2015, Satoru Iwata officially announced the development of mobile games to Nintendo’ stockholders and representatives. At the same time he confirmed the next generation gaming platform NX’s existence as proof that Nintendo will further develop new gaming platform instead of solely focusing on new direction that is mobile game.
March 27th 2015 – The Legend of Zelda Wii U delayed beyond 2015, skipping E3
People anticipated this meant Nintendo had intention of porting Zelda Wii U to new platform NX, though others had opinion, that because a Zelda console title meant a lot to Nintendo, everything must be treated utmost care so delay is unavoidable.
August 5th, 2015 – Nintendo NX might be the first region free console since NES!
"Removing region-locking from current game machines presents various issues, so we don't consider that to be very realistic, However, regarding NX, given the customer feedback and proposals from the market, while nothing has been decided yet, we're currently investigating internally what problems there would be in realizing it. You can think of that as the current situation. I understand your desire, so I'd like to look at it optimistically going forward." – responded by Satoru Iwata when he was mentioned region’s issue.
July 2nd 2015 – Digitimes reported Nintendo’s console will be manufactured by Foxconn Electronics and Pegatron Technology.
+ The orders are expected to be finalized in February or March 2016.
+ Mass production will start in May or June 2016.
+ Nintendo reportedly is looking to ship 20 million Nintendo NX in the first year.
+ The console's official launch may take place around July 2016.
July 28th 2015 - Dragon Quest X and XI might be the first known Nintendo NX games.
During conference, Square Enix had expressed their interest in bringing Dragon Quest X and XI to Nintendo NX.
August 9th 2015 - Nintendo NX could get a port of MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
August 20th 2015 – Nintendo filed new patent application, which might be a big hint to Nintendo NX.
The following info can be obtain from the mentioned patent:
- + Nintendo NX is a console platform without optical disk. It can be connect to TV to play game.
- + It will utilize digital-only content, but it won’t the reason to limit the hardware’s power. Digital content might be cheaper.
- + There are HDD, Internet card, CPU, GPU, RAM as any existing consoles.
- + The console can be quickly booted up due to OS having its own memory.
- + The OS can be tested whether hijacked or not by checking memory and recover the broken database.
- + Fully support multitasking.
- + Game can be downloaded to the console and installed on HDD.
- + Digital game’s code can be used on more than 1 console, a certain hardware will be used to decide if the code is valid.
- + Support external HDD.
- + Can emulate reading/writing speed of various HDD for games using special code. “Speed Control” function to be applied.
- + Controller can be charged normally or by connecting to the console.
- + There is a screen on the controller, might have similar function as GamePad.
- + Save files will be stored on HDD.
- + “High Texture Download” function to be applied.
- + Read SD card (for games or updating OS). Various content on SD card might be utilized.
September 17th 2015 – Nintendo GamePad patent showed L/R shoulder buttons with Mouse Scroll Wheel.
This device has a lot similarities with Wii U GamePad, but seems to be thinner and there are only 2 button along with touch screen. The only difference is L/R shoulder buttons now can be pressed and scrolled like computer mouse.
October 16th 2015 – Wallstreet Journal (WSJ) hinted Nintendo NX to be a combination between handheld and console.
“The exact shape of the NX hardware isn’t yet clear. People familiar with the development plans said Nintendo 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. They also said Nintendo would aim to put industry-leading chips in the NX devices, after criticism that the Wii U’s capabilities didn’t match those of competitors.” – mention in the article.
Nintendo was also noted to begin distributing NX development kit to third-party software developers.
On the same day, the author of the WSJ’s article had replied to Nintengen owner’s mail with lot of interesting info:
-And an important thing to remember, probably you know well already, is that chip specs won't be finalized until much closer date to the release.”
It’s too early to know how much of power horse NX will be over PS4 and X1, but these info certain tell us a lot about the “powerful” spec of Nintendo NX.
