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bonzobanana on 21 May 2015
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padib said:
Aeolus451 said:

Is that confirmed 100%? Console and handheld sharing all or most games? Why buy a console if you can play the same game on a handheld? Even if both are sold together in the same package deal, the handheld will hold back the power of the console. Why buy a weak console if the handheld will play the game? Would 3rd party devs work with it or will it be another wii u with no support from 3rd party. How much would a family of devices cost compared to just a console or handheld?

All but confirmed, honestly all the info we got from Nintendo since 2012 on their next system says it. We haven't seen it with our eyes but they have officially said so. It's a family of brother systems that share an API.

So, the gamer will be buying the game on an account-based system, and then can play it accross a variety of devices, whichever suits that user. Depending on the console played on, certain features will be turned on or off depending on the capability of the console.

In essence, you buy games and choose whatever hardware you want to play them on. It's a good solution that follows the ipad/ipod strategy (a metaphore they also used officially).


I'm not sure that sounds like a successful commercial product. It sounds like something that could destroy Nintendo commercially by damaging their handheld market with a confusing product line. I don't understand a lot of Nintendo's recent decisions and understand this less than the wii u. I realise we haven't seen the full concept yet but there is a lot of underpowered hardware about now. Many tablets provide hugely more power than the old and new 3DS and yet cost a fraction of the price. There is now so much under-powered hardware about I feel nowadays a home console has to justify itself by being reasonably powerful and with a range of exclusive software. Nintendo like selling cheap under-powered hardware at huge profits and this looks like another attempt to find someway of selling rubbish hardware. If there is a handheld system that can run the same software then clearly the home console part is going to be seriously weak even if its got a few extra bells and whistles. 

Nintendo just need to launch a decent home console in the mid-generation position away from Playstation and Xbox launches ensuring it is at least a bit more powerful than those systems so can get a couple of years under its belt as the most powerful system with the best looking games and more importantly Nintendo exclusives. 

At this point I'm thinking Nintendo may have to bow out of home console hardware in the near future and perhaps if they do serious damage to their handheld business perhaps hardware altogether. We shall see how it unfolds but amazing games sell hardware but such software is difficult to create on low performance hardware.