No one should have assumed "NX" was coming out in 2016. There is, of course, ALWAYS the chance that it could, but that would be folly on Nintendo's part, for multiple reasons. Such as:
1. The 3DS, while not doing "DS in it's prime" numbers, is still managing to sell an average of 100k or more units a month, worldwide. And there are still many titles coming to 3DS, which gamers consistently continue to gobble up. There is no reason, from a financial standpoint, to abandon a console that is, quite frankly, doing rather well still, and making them money.
2. The Wii U, while it is NOT a sales success units-wise, is still selling game copies at a healthy rate, at least for big releases like Splatoon, and Smash Bros., and now Mario Maker, etc. etc. etc. The eShop is also doing rather well for Wii U, with not only Nintendo but many indie titles seeing strong sales numbers, hence the reason eShop continues to get more and more indie games (similar to the 3DS), and more indie projects continue to get announced for the Wii U eShop. The system is not a success, and at this juncture no one is really arguing that anymore. But that does not mean that they can't, or shouldn't, continue to support it with good exclusive software, at least through 2016, perhaps even into 2017 a bit. There really is no reason to rush, even though a price drop and better advertising COULD give them a slight spike in sales (and they absolutely should, stupid not to). But Wii U, and the dedicated gamers who bought it, deserves to get at least a handful more good releases next year, such as Zelda, such as SMT x FE, etc.
3. If Nintendo were to release NX next year, there is a very real possibility, even IF they are "near completion" on a Pikmin 4, and even IF they were to be dumb and port Zelda to it, etc., that they could "pull a Saturn/Dreamcast" and release a console too early, with not enough games to support it. If they just wait, and release it in 2017, which makes tons more sense, they would have SIGNIFICANTLY more time to finish, say, a new 3D Mario for the new hardware, as well as some other games, like whatever the living fuck Retro has been working on all this time.
This Zelda game should be Wii U exclusive, IE they should not pull a Twilight Princess with it. The system and it's owners deserve that much, and it is still sure to sell millions of copies, especially if it winds up actually living up to some of it's hype/potential, and by virtue of reputation and hype alone could turn into a mega-hit for the system. A good reason for Nintendo to take their time and NOT fuck it up. And they can always make another great Zelda game from the ground up on the new system later.
But regardless, there are more reasons why it would be better for them to release it in 2017, than there are justifiable ones as to why they should rush and release it in 2016. I just think it would be a mistake all around. Let Wii U and 3DS have one more year+ of solid game releases....THEN release your new platform, with a STRONG games lineup, and just as important, a STRONG marketing campaign (which they absolutely failed to do with Wii U).
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