Soundwave said:
NX Portable (Lead SKU) 300 GFLOPS power, ARM + AMD system on chip (20nm) 3GB RAM (1GB for OS) + 32MB eDRAM August-November 2016 Launch Window Cheap 1280x720 LCD screen $200-$220 MSRP
NX Home (secondary SKU) 600-900 GFLOPS power, same ARM + AMD system on chip, just scaled up (20nm) 4-6GB RAM (1GB for OS) + 48MB eDRAM November 2016-March 2017 Launch Window $199.99 (very cheap) Smallest Nintendo Console ever, even smaller than the Wii or Famicom Mini. New controller type can be used with both the console and the handheld (you can set the handheld down and use it like a portable TV if you need to). No disc drive, has a small fan but rarely ever need it. Same games for both systems, games come on either DS-sized cartridges (4-32GB storage) or can be downloaded by eShop. No discs. No direct backwards compatibility but porting Wii U games is relatively easy because the new mobile AMD GPU incorporates many aspects of the Wii U GPU architecture. So things like Mario Maker will end up on NX quickly. Nintendo OS, but Nintendo will quietly have an Android back end which will make it very easy to port Android apps to the system. Nintendo will charge a licensing fee for and they will control the apps that are sold and for how much. Zelda NX (dual-release with Wii U), Mario 3D platformer, Animal Crossing Next (real AC game), Monster Hunter 5, Mario Kart 9, Splatoon 2, all very early in the life cycle. Nintendo will throw everything at the launch window and has been hoarding games for this. |
Wont. Ever. Happen. Not if you want "same games for both systems". That is, unless you expect absolutely zero third party support. You are doubling the costs of over half the parts of a video game's development by doing so. With different specs they might as well be two entirely different platforms to third parties. Everyone who suggests such any type of concept as "two+ consoles, different specs, same games" doesn't know anything about console video game development and the costs associated for developing for a different platform. Seriously. People need to let this absolutely absurd notion go.
Either both consoles will share the same specs, the same control layout and options, and practically the same video output specs, or they will have to be treated as two entirely different consoles. Forcing third party developers to simultaneously develop for two different spec consoles, requiring twice as many (or twice as expenive development kits), twice the man hours for almost every task and and undoubtedly twice the certifcation costs will absolutely force third parties to not even bother giving the platform a chance.
Don't even bother speculating how easy Nintendo could make development. Take a close look at how much the Wii and Wii U have in common specification-wise to see just how easy it is to just "scale" a game from one platform to another. Those third parties with all their Wii experience didn't exactly have an easy time coming to grips with getting the most out of the Wii U, did they? Of course it really doesn't help that Nintendo's developers tools are by far and away the very worst of the bunch. There is no reason whatsoever to think Nintendo, of any of the console manufacturers can pull this off and get third parties on board. None.
