Tachikoma could answer this a lot better than anyone else, but a Dev Kit is usually a mix of software and hardware.

During the first stages of a new console, devs work on powerful PCs with a "Virtual Machine" that simulates the theoretical power that the console will have, as well as the first iterations of the development software (aplications, libraries, etc needed to code the games).

Once the console gets the final specifications (which components will it have and at what frequency will they run), developers get final versions of those dev kits with the exact specs, so that they can port the games they have been working on to that console and tweak what they have to fix to make the game run on it. The software of the Dev Kit keeps being updated for years.

At least, that's what I think is a Dev Kit.

See this pic:

That is (or was at some point) a PS4 Dev Kit. It doesn't look like the console, right?

Update made in OP.

Not to be that guy, but how do we know the email is real?

It's possible. If wsj only has employee emails than this is much more easier to validate as someone just nees to email the guy and double check his official contact email

That being said, I've never heard of NintenGen before this and the person who presented this went on to defend Nintendo Forums, which I also never heard about until their article.

EDIT: Actually story pans out. Just saw on twitter that he pretty much said the same thing

hm, having in mind what we know, the NX is turning out to be a really interesting system with potential to be huge

taking into account the multiple devices connectivity and interaction concept teased a while ago, and the recent expansion with Nintendo games on smartphones, seems like Nintendo is planing to use the huge popularity of the smartphone games on its advantage, to promote the NX system(s) through those games

if done correctly, that could be huge!!

about the specs, we won't really know for sure until it comes out

You think right.

It is ex4remely irritating to read through this thread (even the NeoGaf-type threads) and glance over the nonsense that is written.

At this stage, we are probably in the second or third iteration of DevUnits IF the new platform is supposed to appear in late 2016 as has been guessed by various random people. No thrid party will ever see a first (or even 2nd) gen DevKit, as you want to keep your secrets secret from any competitors. Initial iterations of DevUnits are always high-powered PCs, because the PC hardwre has to emulate "stuff" of the real new console hardware.

Didn't initial XBox One DevUnits have dual gpus? When you add an idiot like misterxmedia into the equation, you get superpowers and his blog.....

If this new console is to appear in late 2016, then it is highly unlikely to contain stuff like HBM2, 14nm parts, etc. That stuff is extremely expensive now (for medium/high end chips) and it will still be extremely expensive in early 2016 (when you have to start manufacturing the chips. Not even thinking about ordering the stuff which happens one to two years before manufacturing even starts). I seriously doubt Nintendo is planning to come out with a >$500 console...

First of all, thanks. It feels good to not be completely wrong .

And I agree with you on HBM and 14/16nm. Those are very new and expensive technologies, two concepts that doesn't fit into Nintendo's historical approach to console tech.

SE have had devkits for the ps2, ps3 and ps4 before each console was officially announced, on non-final devkits that would later be replaced with newer kits as the launch drew closer.

Major third parties not receiving devkits at this supposed point of the development cycle is NOT the norm, major third parties, especially japan based third parties receive their devkits more or less in tandem with first party studios, in the past MS, Sony, Sega and Nintendo have always had not only enough to go around but spares on standby incase of technical issues so that turnaround on replacing defective hardware does not impact projected release schedules, its beneficial to the manufacturer to do this because doing so reduces the chance of a sparse launch lineup.

If the rumor were true and first parties had received theirs already, but third parties had not. It would be the first time in history that major Japanese third parties got left in the cold on it.

So, NX is a dual system...
It's kinda what i expected, but not exactly the same: i thought they would integrate both but at the same time, sell them separately. This seems more like it's just one thing playable at home or on the go.

If this is a way of killing two birds with one stone, than it's pretty much guaranteed that software will be streamlined.

Console price is not the only factor, what if the games were cheaper by $10/£10. I hate the game prices currently.