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[Cyd0nia]

Nintendo doesn't have the luxury of sinking billions of dollars into R&D for another commercial flop. They should build one device, and do it well.

If they build one device, it shouldn't be (primarily) a handheld. They're probably more likely to get their market cannibalised in that market in future than the home one!

They should continue to try and define a market for both. If they make something fun and attractive enough, people will buy it.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

Holy shit! let's begin a new series of speculation threads!

That's what I got out of this. Wii x Threee let's goooo.

 

[SalvaPot]

NOA and Microsoft are across the street from one another.

Is Rareware still in the UK? It makes me wonder how awkward would it be if Rare was relocated into Microsft HQ, its like moving out of your girlfriends place and you realize your new girlfriends lives right next to her.

 

[MaximoffZero]

One device that does all will do nothing well.

True, but since when has any console done everything well?

 

[Somnid]

True, but since when has any console done everything well?

That's my point. You need hardware variety because no piece of hardware is suitable for everything.

 

[rambis]

One device that does all will do nothing well.

Worked for PCs.

 

[Plinko]

I honestly doubt we see a new Nintendo system before 2018.

There is absolutely no way Nintendo can singlehandedly keep the Wii U going that long. They'd long be just an afterthought in the console game.

 

[Cipherr]

Nintendo making another console?

Wow gosh golly gee whiz who'da thunk no way that's crazy.

Theres been plenty of people who think this is the last console generation lol. Ive seen that notion tossed around quite a bit, especially earlier last year.

There is absolutely no way Nintendo can singlehandedly keep the Wii U going that long. They'd long be just an afterthought in the console game.

Is this the part where we act like the bolded isn't already the case?

 

[Trevelyan9999]

Most software is written at a fairly high level, it probably wouldn't be a big impact, the biggest issue would be the initial engine port. It's more the differences in architecture and things that bottle neck on one system that don't on another.

I think this is one of the issues with Wii U porting from say the PS4, there is no simple funnel or route to take to not only port the code over, but also make the CPU and edram run it to full effect to get some kind of decent performance. Simply porting code just won't work at all on Wii U and developers can't risk the financial investment to really focus on this aspect of the Wii U hardware.

If Nintendo's next console is ARM based with a GTX 780Ti or something and has no edram to get in the way of developers spending too much time learning the console, porting wouldn't be a problem.

 

[Insane Metal]

Holy shit. You guys have no idea how hard I laughed. LMAO

 

[wrowa]

Is Rareware still in the UK? It makes me wonder how awkward would it be if Rare was relocated into Microsft HQ, its like moving out of your girlfriends place and you realize your new girlfriends lives right next to her.

Most people working at Rare these days weren't around when the company was still owned by Nintendo anyway.

 

[Vibranium]

I really hope Nintendo can get it back on track with the next console, the Wii U is awesome from the short time I've played and all of the great reviews, but they need more sales and third-parties back. I'm going to get a WiiU sometime.

I wonder if they'll look at Nvidia since the company is investing a lot in low-power cards, something that would attract Nintendo. The system also needs a cool name that is a little more attractive.

 

[Somnid]

Worked for PCs.

You're fishing for something, why not just make an argument upfront?

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Before any new console they should implement a proper account system for Nintendo ID's.

 

[robotrock]

I heard it's a handheld AND a home video game console!

 

[Verger]

Nvidia's newest Graphics cards (970/980) Use a much lower power consumption than their predecessors while being more powerful.

Less power doesn't necessarily mean less power

 

[Graphics Horse]

How are those all doing, BTW?

Awful! But none of them have the software support that Nintendo would bring.

 

[Schnozberry]

One device that does all will do nothing well.

If they build one device, it shouldn't be (primarily) a handheld. They're probably more likely to get their market cannibalised in that market in future than the home one!

They should continue to try and define a market for both. If they make something fun and attractive enough, people will buy it.

One device would make their development process easier, and make more Nintendo Games available for the platform. If they didn't have to split time between two platforms, we'd get more games and likely a greater variety of them. That is what Nintendo succeeds at, and avoiding software droughts would keep Nintendo fans invested in the platform.

Their market is already cannibalized in the home space. Handhelds have dwindled in the US to a large degree as well. Nintendo strives on being innovators, so they should innovate. If I had a handheld that I could set on my coffee table, wirelessly interface with my TV, and pick up a controller to play, I would be satisfied.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

NOA and Microsoft are across the street from one another.

Who can forget the story about that $25B buyout offer from the early 2000s? I wonder what the landscape would have looked like now.

 

[The End]

One device is the smart way to go:

A portable with a 5" screen, tablet guts, and physical controls combined with "dock" for charging+TV output would be a really solid follow up to both the WiiU and the 3DS.

 

[Trevelyan9999]

Nvidia's newest Graphics cards (970/980) Use a much lower power consumption than their predecessors while being more powerful.

Less power doesn't necessarily mean less power

I hope Nintendo doesn't go the x86 route and brings back the magic that a well designed console can do. My question is if a ARM processor can do that?

A big GPU would usually need a big CPU though so it's hard to say what kind of GPU would be able to give amazing performance with a CPU like ARM. Smart phones and tablets just aren't there yet....

 

[Panajev2001a]

I expect Nintendo to go with a semi-custom design from AMD: http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1324307

I expect them to go x86 because I do not see PowerPC working out well for them when even IBM is kind of selling their fans and distancing themselves from it bit by bit.
I think we might get a Nintendo flavored customized Volcanic Island based design which is in line with their approach with the Mario GPU they got from AMD the last time: they targeted a much older architecture, pre GCN 1.0 while their competitors essentially went with GCN-almost-2.0, but they are rumored to have requested a lot of customizations (low latency eDRAM which can be quickly read and written by CPU and GPU for example) according that old Blu's thread.

 

[Conduit]

Wii UU

Wii U2

 

[tronic307]

Nintendo doesn't have the luxury of sinking billions of dollars into R&D for another commercial flop. They should build one device, and do it well.

Why virtualize the platform and then give only one type of device access? Iwata has said that Nintendo is moving away from a hardware-based relationship with consumers. If anything, this allows for multiple form factors for devices, like iOS or Android.

 

[lefantome]

SUPERCHARGED smartphone architecture.

can't wait to see what they have in mind.

 

[TheMoon]

Is Rareware still in the UK? It makes me wonder how awkward would it be if Rare was relocated into Microsft HQ, its like moving out of your girlfriends place and you realize your new girlfriends lives right next to her.

The Rareware name has been dead for years and years. It's just Rare. Also, that girlfriend would have to have all her organs replaced. Hardly anybody (maybe even nobody) from the old Nintendo era even works at Rare anymore.

 

[Dash Kappei]

"Out" meaning the job requisition is coming from the US.
English is one hell of a drug

Well, Mpl90 is italian, cut him some slack.
He's made huge progress since he has started posting here, kinda impressive considering he doesn't even live in an English speaking country.

 

[EdLin]

I expect Nintendo to go with a semi-custom design from AMD: http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1324307

I think that's the wrong URL, it's an article about AMD, but it's about layoffs there. (Apparently that Nintendo job is costing them a lot of money? ;-) )

 

[IAmRandom31]

Yes... but i'm requesting this from Nintendo. But i hope you're right.

lol, that is true.

so yeh maybe PS4 type power from the Wii Z

 

[Kiant]

Wii U2

Damn! beat me to it

 

[anexanhume]

Awful! But none of them have the software support that Nintendo would bring.

After how the Wii U has gone, do you think nintendo wants to try and prop up a system by itself? If they want ports, much better to go with an x86 design.

 

[rambis]

You're fishing for something, why not just make an argument upfront?

Not really, its just an example to counter your point. Nothin more, nothing less. We're grownups right?

Anyway, yeah it is possible to have a platform that does multiple things well. The problem with consoles is that they start from square one every generation. Microsoft is the least worst in this regards to their credit.

 

[blu]

x86 is now challenging ARM in performance per watt in the mobile space. Intel has made great in-roads and so has AMD. Intel has proved x86 can scale down. Is everyone confident that mobile designs can scale up to 50 watt or higher parts?

The only thing Intel is challenging ARM at in the mobile space is price dumping. Intel can't even beat AMD's Jaguars there at a fab-node-difference-and-then-some, let alone state-of-the-art ARM designs like Apple's A8.

 

[-Horizon-]

Wii UU

Are those boobs? Senran Kagura launch title confirmed!

 

[AmFreak]

After how the Wii U has gone, do you think nintendo wants to try and prop up a system by itself? If they want ports, much better to go with an x86 design.

The choices for ARM are far bigger then the choices you have if you go x86.
The ISA isn't what the WiiU is prevents from getting ports.

 

[JordanN]

The Gamecube was pretty low power wasn't it? Still a powerful console for its time.

It lacked a DVD drive or internal HDD but power consumption wasn't that different back then. PS2 slim was 31 watts.
Hardware in general uses more power now.

 

[Gbpackers31]

I think that's the wrong URL, it's an article about AMD, but it's about layoffs there. (Apparently that Nintendo job is costing them a lot of money? ;-) )

There's a few sentences in the middle of that article, which is what he is referencing:

The expected revenue declines next quarter will come mainly from sales of game console chips which peaked in the third quarter in the ramp of Microsoft and Sony systems for holiday sales. The good news is AMD secured in the quarter two deals to design new semi-custom chips, one its first for a 64-bit ARM chip.

AMD expects the two wins will generate $1 billion in revenues over three years starting in 2016. Su would not say what the systems were, but observers speculated one could be a Nintendo game system and the other AMD’s first non-console, semi-custom deal.

 

[GhostTrick]

After how the Wii U has gone, do you think nintendo wants to try and prop up a system by itself? If they want ports, much better to go with an x86 design.

Let's face it. Architecture and power isn't the problem at all. Even if Nintendo had the easiest and most powerful console on the market, they wouldn't get 3rd party on board. The problem is something else. And I'd say that that bridge burned a long ago.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I think that's the wrong URL, it's an article about AMD, but it's about layoffs there. (Apparently that Nintendo job is costing them a lot of money? ;-) )

From that article:

The good news is AMD secured in the quarter two deals to design new semi-custom chips, one its first for a 64-bit ARM chip.
AMD expects the two wins will generate $1 billion in revenues over three years starting in 2016. Su would not say what the systems were, but observers speculated one could be a Nintendo game system and the other AMD’s first non-console, semi-custom deal.

I do not expect Nintendo's deal to be about ARM-v8, but they might standardize on that for both console and portable (the jump from PowerPC to ARM might be easier and AMD can work on eterogenous designs even for hUMA configurations). Apple has shown you can create a design more limited by battery power and memory bandwidth than pure horsepower with the Cyclone core (further improved with the revision shipped in the A8 SoC).

 

[Chmpocalypse]

https://nintendo.taleo.net/careersection/10000/jobdetail.ftl?job=140000005E&src=SNS-10380

Stay away from building the console around an unappealing gimmick this time and maybe it'll sell better.

(Maybe. Still need to address the lack of third parties and general irrelevance in today's industry, but it would be a start.)

 

[Datschge]

So basically any company capable of designing ARM based SoCs with adequate GPUs is a possibility. Personally, my money would be on Qualcomm or AMD (ARM based APU), maybe Nvidia.

Nvidia pretty surely is out of question after its effort to posion any well there is, the most recent being suing Qualcomm and Samsung after a reverted offer of sub-licensing that's already taken for granted in the video games space.

AMD gives the best possibility for continuity (both wrt to compatibility as well as technology contacts) in the console space, the only question is if they are able to offer a SoC suitable for portables.

 

[jmizzal]

Pretty interesting they are looking in NA

 

[Panajev2001a]

The only thing Intel is challenging ARM at in the mobile space is price dumping. Intel can't even beat AMD's Jaguars there at a fab-node-difference-and-then-some, let alone state-of-the-art ARM designs like Apple's A8.

Cyclone does look amazing in the articles I have read describing its micro-architecture, I would like to see some detailed analysis of what they achieved on their second generation 64 bits ARM chip.

Still, if you talk about the power budget of a home console, in Xbox One or PS4 terms, I think an x86 based APU by AMD would be preferable to their ARM-v8's first big design win.

 

[Letterbomb]

Stay away from building the console around an unappealing gimmick this time and maybe it'll sell better.

(Maybe. Still need to address the lack of third parties and general irrelevance in today's industry, but it would be a start.)

I actually thought that the GamePad was a really innovative take on home consoles. Much more application than the standard motion sensors. Asymmetrical gameplay has by far led to some of the most fun I've had in years. I still play Nintendoland with my family, cause we have a blast every single time.

Nintendo's real problem is marketing.
Their marketing is atrocious. ATROCIOUS. And they do not learn.
International policies, such as region locking, also hold them back.
They're a bit too traditional in some business practices.
Their hardware really isn't the problem. Their software definitely isn't.

 

[Chmpocalypse]

Nintendo looking for Videogame Jesus confirmed.



Why? So the Wii Them 3 can keep you up at night with the sound of its cooling system? Low power consumption is a huge sell for me, hell, the Wii U consumes less than the Wii.

You leave your consoles on when you sleep?

 

[Somnid]

Not really, its just an example to counter your point. Nothin more, nothing less. We're grownups right?

Anyway, yeah it is possible to have a platform that does multiple things well. The problem with consoles is that they start from square one every generation. Microsoft is the least worst in this regards to their credit.

But it's clearly not, and the brevity hardly suggests a genuine answer. I'm not even sure on what grounds you'd make that claim. Entire categories of applications do not work on PCs. Specifically from the portable realm.

 

[anexanhume]

The only thing Intel is challenging ARM at in the mobile space is price dumping. Intel can't even beat AMD's Jaguars there at a fab-node-difference-and-then-some, let alone state-of-the-art ARM designs like Apple's A8.

I think you're a bit out of date on Intel's capabilities. http://www.anandtech.com/show/7789/intel-talks-merrifield-moorefield-and-lte-at-mwc-2014

The choices for ARM are far bigger then the choices you have if you go x86.
The ISA isn't what the WiiU is prevents from getting ports.

Choices how? In who can make the cores, sure. But in terms of custom CPUs, only Qualcomm and nVidia are doing custom designs.

Let's face it. Architecture and power isn't the problem at all. Even if Nintendo had the easiest and most powerful console on the market, they wouldn't get 3rd party on board. The problem is something else. And I'd say that that bridge burned a long ago.

Where there are arguments every day over 40% GPU power, are we really contending the architecture and power doesn't play a factor?

 

[Plinko]

Theres been plenty of people who think this is the last console generation lol. Ive seen that notion tossed around quite a bit, especially earlier last year.



Is this the part where we act like the bolded isn't already the case?

And that's the point. They've got to do something to get back in it. Wait until 2018 and I don't think it ever happens.

 

[TreasureHunterG]

I actually thought that the GamePad was a really innovative take on home consoles. Much more application than the standard motion sensors. Asymmetrical gameplay has by far led to some of the most fun I've had in years. I still play Nintendoland with my family, cause we have a blast every single time.

Nintendo's real problem is marketing.
Their marketing is atrocious. ATROCIOUS. And they do not learn.
International policies, such as region locking, also hold them back.
They're a bit too traditional in some business practices.
Their hardware really isn't the problem. Their software definitely isn't.

Their marketing is atrocious because they aren't willing to spend a penny on strong advertising. They want results at the lowest cost and the easiest way as possible, so a heavy marketing campaign would be costly for their direction, so they rely solely on the Nintendo brand as selling force.

You want 2 hours battery life on your next portable ?

And the APU used on PS4 and Xbox are also low power compared to the hardware they launched with last generation. Low Power is a relative term. On every new chipset you see nowadays being more power efficient is a keyword - just look at the Qualcomm Snapdragon series, they get more powerful with every year while lowering the power usage.

Huh? Have they confirmed this is portable spec?

 

[SalvaPot]

You leave your consoles on when you sleep?

...Yes. Not on purpose, but I do.