| Soundwave said: I feel like we've had this same discussion before, but if Nintendo can get a 500 GFLOP range portable at a reasonable price (and I think this is doable) ... they should go for it. That's their best ticket for success in the coming generation, if they have a powerful portable it will see a lot of developer support from the get go. The console/dock/companion/whatever other version can then just be your basic PS4+ in horsepower and they both share games, that's probably their best bet this generation. I would probably suggest a few other things but roughly I think unless they have a *miracle* controller again that they have actually product tested with real/normal people and it's blowing people's socks off ... then sure build a system around the controller. But if you don't have that, then a unified platform with a strong portable that takes advantage of the radical leaps in modern portable tech would be it. |
I agree, the handheld part of the ecosystem will be the key for its success. If they can pull it off, japanese support will be guaranteed, and with that, enough 3rd party support for the first year or two. And because the NX handheld will be the only 9th gen handheld in Japan (I have no idea if Sony will keep the Vita around that much), it would have a relative monopoly on the best market for handhelds. That alone is a big success. Imagine if they can push a lot of JRPGs from the 7th-8th gen on a handheld, Japan would be all over that. If big JRPGs like Persona 5, Tales of X or Final Fantasy XV target mainly the japanese demographic, and the handheld is capable of running a tweak version of the game, it would be the platform of choice. The home console will benefit from those games, and it will sell fine to JRPG fans. Not enough to push the PS4 or XBone away, but enough to get decent numbers.
Western developers would only start appearing after the numbers are confirmed, and even then I don't see massive support (or even Wii-like support, mostly AA titles, old ports and shovelware).
I would have released the home console earlier and let the handheld half a year more of developement to guarantee that, but it seems the handheld will release first. I hope it's powerful enough.
