What If The NX Console Is Portable Too?

[Soundwave]

Miyamotoo said:

Soundwave said:

They could have three SKUs. They already do really, the Wii U, the 3DS/2DS, and the New 3DS are all different hardware, yes the 3DS can share games, but that's the same concept we're talking about. Nintendo can have so many different models of the 3DS because they all share hardware/OS/games. 

Low-End: Basic handheld, low-res screen, Mid-End: Hybrid mobile console with better LCD, High-End: Dedicated Home Console. That's how I'd go with it. 

The thing about this is it would "liberate" Nintendo from a lot of the design restrictions they've had on themselves in the past where the home console had to be cheap, but somewhat powerful, for kids, but for adults too, for Japanese tastes but for Americans too, quiet and small with low power draw because Japanese housewives don't want an obnoxious big console in the home (heaven forbid Nintendo draw their wrath), oh and there needs to be a new controller gimmick every time now too ... is it any wonder their consoles have generally sold like shit outside of the four good years with the Wii out of the last 20 years?

How can you possibly make a good console with so many damn restrictions? 

You see the clarity of design with the PS4, there is no mistake who that console is targetting first and foremost and Sony did everything hardware wise to make the console demographic happy.Let the kids have their cheap handheld in bright candy coated colors, let Japan and those wanting something more non-traditional have a hybrid ... but the console can the be built to spec for the *modern* console market ... meaning older gamers in the West first and foremost. 

I see 3DS/3DXL/2DS/New3DS like revision of same hardware so you relly cant say that New 3DS is different SKU from 3DS/2DS like Wii U. We had same situation previous gen with DS/DS Lite/DSI XL/DSi.

With NX, NIntendo will first probably have only one or two devices, but later (few years later) they probably add stronger handheld with better screen and stronger home console that will be on par with competition...that will have same architecture like those first NX devices, that literally could give the opportunity to release one game that will work on all previous devices (but with differents like resolution, better texture and effects), like Nintendo already mentioned they want system like iOS or Android where one game/application works on almost all previous devices.

This would give Nintendo to release hardware more often but in same time not deserving previous device onwers with new one, not to mention bigger number of released more different games that would sale on bigg instal base because of multiple devices.

First good example of this is Monster Hunter Ultimate 4 that works on New 3DS but also on 3DS too, difference are better textures (and probably better FPS) on New 3DS.

But I cant see Nintendo launching more than 2 devices at same time or with small time difference (one year or less).

 

Also Nintendo talked about absorbing Wii U architecture, so maybe Wii U will be also include in this NX plan.

The other problem you run into with a 3DS XL sized handheld is there's only a certain amount of power you can put in there realistically and actually fit a battery inside that could power it for more than 2 hours. 

So if that's part 1 of your "unified ecosystem" and like every other Nintendo handheld, this is the SKU that sells the most ... you kind of have a problem with the console. 

A 300 GFLOP portable and a 2 TFLOP console or something like that the gap is too ridiculous that it negates a lot of the points of a unifed platform because the gap is simply far too large to allow for easy porting in quite a few cases. 

I think having something in between those two extremes makes sense, a more upmarket portable console. That way the small pocket NX can serve the kids market kinda like the 2DS is trying to do right now. Otherwise I think Nintendo is likely going to have to neuter the console and hold back its power, because it they won't want it so far ahead of the portable. 

But here's the thing too -- this obsessive adherence to following traditional market "rules" (ie: there must be a handheld, but it must look like a DS/3DS, there must be a shoe-box sized console for the TV and that's all) is a poisonous line of thinking for designers IMO. You'll never get anything new or really anything interesting if that's all you allow into the conversation. 

"Wait, this is a little different" is not a bad thing. Nintendo should go towards that, not neccessarily run away from it. Keep the good ideas, be pramagtic about it, but don't fear change. If they keep doing what they are doing now in the hardware business, IMO they won't be making hardware in 5-6 years time and iPhone games will be their primary business driver, so I mean shit, if there was ever a time to take a few risks ...