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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Source: NX "Is Definitely Not Aiming To Compete With PS4 On Horsepower"

numberwang on 09 July 2015

Let's think about how to mess this up.

NX will be released as a handheld with with 540p screen and Tegra3 chipset for 250$. This device will be too weak to connect to a TV, so we need a dedicated home console and Nintendo overclocks the WiiU to 1.5x the power (like Gamcube to Wii), because it worked so well in the past. Home console will be 350$. Cross releases will take month, if at all, and you have to buy both versions. The WiiU will be discontinued except for some shovelware to milk the remaining customers. Amiboos everywhere.



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JEMC on 09 July 2015
Soundwave said:


If we technically look at the actual quote from Iwata from Feb 2014:

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/140130qa/02.html

Still, I am not sure if the form factor (the size and configuration of the hardware) will be integrated. In contrast, the number of form factors might increase. Currently, we can only provide two form factors because if we had three or four different architectures, we would face serious shortages of software on every platform. To cite a specific case, Apple is able to release smart devices with various form factors one after another because there is one way of programming adopted by all platforms. Apple has a common platform called iOS. Another example is Android. Though there are various models, Android does not face software shortages because there is one common way of programming on the Android platform that works with various models. The point is, Nintendo platforms should be like those two examples. Whether we will ultimately need just one device will be determined by what consumers demand in the future, and that is not something we know at the moment.

Sounds like it was still very much in the air as to whether Nintendo would have multiple SKUs (even more than two) or even just a few as a singular one. 

Which direction they ultimately decided upon is a mystery to us right now. Maybe they decided to go the "brother hardware" route with multiple hardware SKUs, maybe they decided on one integrated SKU. This statement from Iwata doesn't discount either scenario. 

Just based on the way the Unseen 64 guy, Reggie and Tanabe have spoken about it, I'm starting to lean more towards one integrated device. 

The problem of having different platforms, or form factors as Iwata calls them, sharing content thanks to a unified OS is that it reduces the performance of those platforms. That OS ads an extra layer between the hardware and the software like DirectX has been doing on PC for years, and look how happy developers are to finally see that layer being extremely reduced with DX12 and Vulkan. Even Apple has realized this and is working on its own way to do this with Metal.

Nintendo is new when trying to do this things, do you think they'll be able to make those two steps (the unified OS and the low level API) in one go when other companies with more experience and more resources couldn't do it?



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

Miyamotoo on 09 July 2015
Soundwave said:

 

I think this could do OK ... 

PowerVR GT7900 type GPU (or AMD equivalent), runs at full 800 GFLOPS when played at home (plugged in), automatically downclocks to 400-500 GFLOPS when played on the road. 

4GB LPDDR4 RAM + 32-48MB eDRAM

New controller. Yes it's a portable, but it also has a new controller for home play. Possibly the controller can also be used on the fly. 

Can wirelessly send a video signal to the television (the reverse of the Wii U)

6-inch LCD display (single screen)

Custom Nintendo OS, but runs a Android back end so Android apps can be ported very quickly, they can only be autorized by Nintendo, however, who gets a nice royalty fee surcharge on each download. 

$249.99 MSRP. Same launch price as the Wii, except you're getting a home console and a portable all in one. 

But I get the feeling Nintendo will go even cheaper on the GPU/RAM unfortuantely. 

I agree, or something similar with ARM CPU that is more capable and simpler than Wii U CPU.

I only don't agree about new controller, because you already have controls being portable and home console in one and Nintendo will want to have most affordable price. But we have controller that can be bought separate, maybe even Wii U Pro controller support.



numberwang on 03 August 2015

I thought about a potential NX home console and until now I just couldn't see an open market for it. The power market is set by the PS4 (and PC), the casual market by smartphones, etc. Even the XB1 is struggling to find an audience in between. The market seems cramped.


Now the one place that Nintendo still could go is low price. A 150$ Nintendo box, later down to 99$. The price is the gimmick.


4 ARM cores and a GPU by AMD, slightly above WiiU and below XB1. 4GB DDR3 RAM.

No optical drive, just download (maybe cards like 3DS). The WiiU remains the disc based option for some years.

Standard controller with Amiibo support but no screen.

Limited BC though the VC for well selling classics.

Most WiiU games get ported, eg Mario3D, Kart8, Splatoon, ZeldaU.



lonerism on 03 August 2015

Awesome

another nintendo console to skip



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Miyamotoo on 03 August 2015
numberwang said:

I thought about a potential NX home console and until now I just couldn't see an open market for it. The power market is set by the PS4 (and PC), the casual market by smartphones, etc. Even the XB1 is struggling to find an audience in between. The market seems cramped.


Now the one place that Nintendo still could go is low price. A 150$ Nintendo box, later down to 99$. The price is the gimmick.


4 ARM cores and a GPU by AMD, slightly above WiiU and below XB1. 4GB DDR3 RAM.

No optical drive, just download (maybe cards like 3DS). The WiiU remains the disc based option for some years.

Standard controller with Amiibo support but no screen.

Limited BC though the VC for well selling classics.

Most WiiU games get ported, eg Mario3D, Kart8, Splatoon, ZeldaU.

Home console for $150 in 2016. and later for $99!?

That sound very unrealistic, Wii U is still $299 and you are expecting stronger console next year for half of that price. I cant see it, but price around $249 definitely, espacialy if it is a hybrid device.



numberwang on 04 August 2015

Very doable if you cut costs like HDD, optical drive and custom electronics. The WiiU is more expensive because of many things, like the screen on the gamepad and the related wireless tech plus research costs, custom chips from IBM and AMD etc. A fresh off-the shelf solution with no extras doesn't cost much.



potato_hamster on 04 August 2015

Awesome idea! Now about that backwards compatibility - what is that going to run on with those parts removed? Hopes and dreams?