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DélioPT on 24 March 2015
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Soundwave said:
DélioPT said:

 

In that sense, NX cannot be just an experiment. Assuming it's a home console, of course.

Even if Mobile is a success, if the next home console solution is as faulty as Wii U, what will likely happen is that it will give shareholders more reason to call for the end of the traditional home console and focus more on mobile or the handheld.
The next home console still has to be a succes for shareholders to not feel that mobile is the way to go in Nintendo's future.

My personal suspicion is NX is basically this:

1.) A fusion platform built off MOBILE parts (see also: they were looking for a lead graphic engineer/designer with emphasis on experience in low power/mobile chipsets ... hint hint, clue clue). I see a NX system on chip that can run Wii U graphics, maybe slightly better at 540p or 720p resolution. This same chip will also be the heart of the NX console, only because mobile chips are so small and consume so little electricity, Nintendo will be able to use 2-3 of the same chip in the console variant -- hence something 2x-3x more powerful than a Wii U. Decent upgrade, but not mind blowing. 

This is also pretty much the same formula as the original Wii which just re-used the GameCube chip ... re-using the mobile chip for both platforms will save Nintendo a ton of money and lessen's the risk considerable if the platform fails. 

2.) Miyamoto and company have a couple of ideas for gimmick controllers like this 3D glasses patent Nintendo made last year:

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/07/04/nintendo-patents-device-to-enable-3d-viewing-on-2d-displays

Throw in a new type of break apart controller (break apart pad?) and maybe that is basically their NX concept. This is kind of a cheap way of doing a low rent VR experience without the anti-social (putting a mask over your head) way of doing it too. 

3.) Don't expect great third party support. I'd say something on par with the 3DS, which I think Nintendo is fine with. Since in a fusion setting all the "flagship" Nintendo IP like Mario Kart, 3D Mario, Zelda, Pokemon RPG, Animal Crossing, etc. will now be able to be scaled up and down they won't need a lot of third party games to fill in their release list. 

4.) While it will be similar to the Wii in some respects, it won't really be aimed at casuals. Nintendo basically conceeded they can't compete with $1/F2P casual games by surrending to smartphone development, NX will be aimed more towards kids and the family crowd. Nintendo will go down with the Titanic before they let go of those two audiences. It will be more about quirky/fun new ways to play with a shared Nintendo library. It will also be Miyamoto's swan song, the last console he is primarily involved in before he retires. 


I have no doubt that Nintendo will keep going after the kids-family segment. But it's also a fleeing market - more the kids one than the family one.
As you, i too think it will be a Fusion like ecosystem i just don't think Nintendo can have a non-powerful console for the core market. Not that is has to be all that powerful, just something obviously made for the future. Could that happen with those mobile chips you mention?

To satisfy my curiosity, if they go with mobile chips, could they still have a machine that could act as a Steam console?
If 3rd parties fail at bringing their games to NX, at least a Steam account integration could help fix that problem.

A break apart gamepad? Hmmm... wouldn't that interefere with the handheld market? Unless it only works in close range, like Wii U's gamepad.

I think  the VR glasses could happen down the line if it's cheap enough for Nintendo.
In a sense, NEW 3DS kinds does that doesn't it? The difference is that it's integrated in the machine. With the home console it would transfer the 3D image onto the glasses instead of the screen of a handhed. Am i right?