By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
Soundwave on 30 July 2014
Edit Thread
phaedruss said:
Vena said:
Soundwave said:

Have to agree. Not only is IMO Nintendo's next handheld already in the prototype stages hardware wise I think they're already beginning software development. It has to start to now if any chance of releasing in 2016, and the 3DS simply doesn't have the sales to justify a sales cycle beyond 5 years.


I would suspect 5 years for the 3DS, possibly 6 depending on how big the changes are on the next device (average has been about 6 anyway). If they abandon ARM chips in favor of unifying the systems, handheld and console, over the PPC chipset, then we might see a slightly longer development time as whole new kits and sets have to be made for developers, and old games won't work as they did from DS -> 3DS changes of ARM to ARM. They'll also likely want to have their usual handheld backwards compatability as they did with the DS to GBA.

They're likely in the works already.


I'll go one further and say if you were allowed into Nintendo's R&D facility today you would see working prototypes of their next gen handheld already there. Not just drawings/schematics, but actual physical hardware that you pick up. Maybe even play (they probably have tried porting some 3DS or Wii U software to it, early GBA prototypes were running Yoshi's Story from the N64 on them I think). I think hardware wise they are probably in the final design stages and software development will likely start to ramp up in the next few months. 

My guess is the next Mario Galaxy game and Animal Crossing game will pass on the Wii U and go directly to being launch titles for the new handheld. They will need it -- I think one of the bitter lessons Nintendo learned this gen they can't afford to half-ass a launch, if you do that, then you will be scrambling to "relaunch" for the next several months, even years. 

I think PowerPC is out too -- too exotic (meaning a higher cost to mass produce) of a chip. ARM will be Nintendo's partner, I think Qualcomm will get the nod for the GPU since Nintendo's Tech division head apparently used to work for Qualcomm. ARM + Qualcomm will probably give Nintendo a price that the likes of IBM + AMD simply can't match either.