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[Lights and Waves]

I'd enjoy the 3D if it worked better and didn't drain the battery/slow games down.

 

[JeffZero]

I wish I could muster enthusiasm, but I realized a couple of years back that I'm just not interested in handheld gaming anymore.

That written, this will still be fun to follow from the sidelines. I'm curious what form this machine will take and excited at the prospect of players getting their hands on it in 2016.

Somehow this excites me even though I know it'd be a waste of money for me.

 

[phanphare]

I'd enjoy the 3D if it worked better and didn't drain the battery/slow games down.

well the face tracking for the New 3DS solves the first problem, proper development prioritization solves the next problem (most first party Nintendo releases run at the same framerate with or without the 3D on), and the third is still up in the air.

 

[Already Torn]

This is gonna be like Smash 3DS and the wait for Smash Wii U all over again, isn't it?

 

[killroy87]

I really hope this isn't a staggered release. And if it is, then both of these consoles better be pretty god damned powerful, because it will mean NX all-in costs$500-600

 

[Somnid]

I really hope this isn't a staggered release. And if it is, then both of these consoles better be pretty god damned powerful, because it will mean NX all-in costs$500-600

Not sure I understand this. Typically staggering costs over a couple months makes it more affordable to people and really has no relation at all to the hardware itself but rather the capacity to release hardware.

 

[Neoxon]

This is gonna be like Smash 3DS and the wait for Smash Wii U all over again, isn't it?

That'd probably be the best analogy for it. With Smash 4, I don't I would have bothered with Smash 3DS if it came out after the Wii U version The same logic may apply to the NX Platform, at least in the West.

 

[Faiz]

That's the thing, though. It's been 12 years of the same two-screen design, and let's not pretend it isn't a gimmick. Nearly every game I've played on any iteration of the DS up to 3DS has failed to make proper use of the screen. Even worse are the games that just force you to use the bottom screen just because it's there! It also makes the device much less portable, and requiring players to move their eyes away from the main action screen diminishes the immersion the player is supposed to experience.

Somehow consoles and every other portable device manage with one screen, but people act like it's a necessity for the Nintendo portable to have two. It's time to move on from the tired gimmick and have a single-screened, sleek handheld that is actually portable. Of course Nintendo is far too conservative to change anything that much, so it'll probably still have the same design, making it just a slightly more powerful 3DS, not a true successor.

Somehow, lots of mobile devices manage with no buttons, no d-pad, no analog stick, but people act like they are necessities for game systems to have them. It's time to move on from the tired gimmick of physical controls and have a sleek all-touch screen handheld unencumbered by these relics of the past.

The DS and 3DS are and always have been perfectly portable. Even the XL models aren't these hulking beasts that naysayers like to pretend they are...but even if you feel like you absolutely have to put them in your pants pocket and they are too big, the DS lite, original 3DS, and n3DS makes it a meaningless argument. If you need something smaller than THAT, then I don't know what to tell you. The GBA micro was kinda neat but in the end really WAS just a gimmick. The small size attracted some buyers but in was shortly seen as pretty pointless to the market at large.

and I've NEVER felt like immersion was broken by slightly altering the angle of my eyes to the second screen. I did have that experience with 4 Swords Adventures on GC/GBA as the screens were vastly different distances from my eyes causing a drastic shift in focal distance, but that's not an issue with the DS and 3DS at all.

 

[Sterok]

The handheld is more important and would sell better even in the west. Best to get that out first, make sure its launch is solid, and stabilize the company. Then the console can come out and broaden the NX's appeal to consumers and developers. They need to make sure their primary business is secure before going into an area where they are traditionally weaker and have far more direct competition.

 

[Pie and Beans]

So, stop me if this sounds too Nintendo.

Nintendo NX handheld releases first up. Its pretty back to basics, has decent oomph and maybe those clickable wheel trigger things. One of its components is underclocked to save on battery.

Then the next Nintendo home console is just a re-packaged variant of that handheld, an NXTV if you will. The underclocked component no longer is as it doesnt have to worry about battery, and perhaps you get the resolution boost/extra shiny graphics because of it. Maybe its also got some clever link up streaming tech so you can use both it and an NX for "full DS/WiiU port compatibility".

It's time for the 12-16 month later XL refresh, otherwise known as "what we should have released initially but you'll upgrade anyway" model. Larger size so you get a beefier tablet level battery, dock at home to plug into your TV, its the whole hybrid shebang.

Peace out.
Pie and Beans 8)

 

[Papacheeks]

3DS launched in February in Japan then April in USA. And no, it doesn't makes sense to focus on home console.

Thanks for the correct info, I was looking at I think xl, new 3ds dates.

But why do you think it doesn't make sense to concentrate on home console. It's where they are failing the most?

 

[elohel]

I've said before that were incredibly likely to see the NX handheld this year. The timing lines up.

Next year we could see the release of the NX console, with all your NX handheld's games working at launch. But only time will tell.

I agree it seems like the portables are getting lined up

 

[Malakai]

Practical reason is cost. Two screens cost more than one, driving two screens costs more computing power than one. One screen can be bigger and better for the same price as two.

A game design reason is that the second screen is, after a decade of dual-screen games, almost never used for anything important. It is just a map / menu screen now. The idea that it would become a game design essential has long since been discredited.

Another practical reason is because industrial design is important and two-screen design is nothing like what people expect an expensive tech device to look like in 2016. And I don't mean grown-ups, I mean kids who've been born since the iPhone was created. There's a cultural expectation as to what these things should look like, and as to what the minimum quality of a screen should be. I don't know if you can meet those expectations with a dual-screen design. I think you might end up with something dismissed as a 'toy', which is the last thing Nintendo wants or needs.

What games do you even play on the DS/3DS for you say "...game design essential has long since been discredited."?

 

[Pancake Mix]

The handheld is more important and would sell better even in the west. Best to get that out first, make sure its launch is solid, and stabilize the company. Then the console can come out and broaden the NX's appeal to consumers and developers. They need to make sure their primary business is secure before going into an area where they are traditionally weaker and have far more direct competition.

I wouldn't count on that anymore. Depends on what the console is like.

Anyways, Nintendo never treated their consoles as less important and won't start now.

 

[Malakai]

Most phones manufacturing cost are not much higher than $200. They rely on different models, one relies on software sales the other Hardware.

Take the IPhone for example.

http://www.businessinsider.com/analysis-iphone-6-plus-costs-prices-and-profits-2014-9

Very few companies on the face of the planet Earth could buy products at the scale that Apple can.

 

[Griss]

What games do you even play on the DS/3DS for you say "...game design essential has long since been discredited."?

Here is metacritic's list of the greatest 3DS games to date. Find one that relies on the second screen in a crucial way. How far down the list do you have to go? Etrian Odyssey IV, maybe, at position 27?

Now, how many of those games would be utterly unaffected by the removal of that screen other than having to put some options or info behind a menu? That's pretty much the point.

 

[Plinko]

We'd be hearing massive leaks if the NX Handheld was coming this summer.

Not entirely true, although I don't foresee a July launch.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

All these firms and analysts and no actual information. This is a non-story.

 

[Neoxon]

So, stop me if this sounds too Nintendo.

Nintendo NX handheld releases first up. Its pretty back to basics, has decent oomph and maybe those clickable wheel trigger things. One of its components is underclocked to save on battery.

Then the next Nintendo home console is just a re-packaged variant of that handheld, an NXTV if you will. The underclocked component no longer is as it doesnt have to worry about battery, and perhaps you get the resolution boost/extra shiny graphics because of it. Maybe its also got some clever link up streaming tech so you can use both it and an NX for "full DS/WiiU port compatibility".

It's time for the 12-16 month later XL refresh, otherwise known as "what we should have released initially but you'll upgrade anyway" model. Larger size so you get a beefier tablet level battery, dock at home to plug into your TV, its the whole hybrid shebang.

Peace out.
Pie and Beans 8)

I'm not too sure about the NX Console just being an overclocked NX Handheld. You'd likely expect Nintendo to at least give the NX Console some stronger parts that are still in line with those used in the NX Handheld, especially with Japanese developers adopting Unreal Engine 4 in their games more & more.

 

[RM8]

I'd be super sad to see the dual screens go, they're perfect for lots of games, including important series like Pokémon, Fire Emblem and Mario Kart. Plus why would anyone want a handheld that doesn't have a clamshell design?

I'm also worried that there might be only a big model available, since the XL seems to be the norm now

 

[GribbleGrunger]

Nintendo Xmas

 

[Possumowner]

I can understand launching the handheld first.I just hope the handheld and home system interact seamlessly. I'm trying to keep expectations in check,but I really want Nintendo to nail this

 

[DrROBschiz]

I'd be super sad to see the dual screens go, they're perfect for lots of games, including important series like Pokémon, Fire Emblem and Mario Kart. Plus why would anyone want a handheld that doesn't have a clamshell design?

Because they are awesome?

I dont mind clamshell but the Dual screens SPLITS resources

I would rather have single screen

 

[Blood Diamonds]

PRAYING that the Smash NX port rumor is true. If it's there at launch then I have to say I'm buying the NX Portable tbh.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

Plus why would anyone want a handheld that doesn't have a clamshell design?

1. So they can put a high quality screen in it for a reasonable price.

2. Not a big deal to find a cheap sleeve to protect it while in a backpack etc. I use a cheap garmin God sleeve for my vita.

The NX handheld needs to surpass the Vita in lower and at least match screen quality for me to bother. As much as I like the 3DS library, I play Vita more for those reasons.

 

[10k]

No more dual screen. Free form factor single screen lcd capacitive.

RIP in peace Wii and DS branding.

It's time for a real change.

 

[Luke_Wal]

*Buys 3DS in January 2016 to play Fire Emblem*
*is replaced 10 months later*

Yep, that math checks out.

 

[gigantor21]

I don't know you guys, but I'm fed up with so many speculations, theories and rumours about NX.

Nintendo should organize and event, I don't care if live or digital, and show that fucking console to the world at once. So we get all our questions answered, our doubts resolved, and all those nonsense rumours (like that one about a 900p default resolution lol).

They could show some first and third party games, 2 megatons if possible, and leave the rest to the E3.

I am entirely convinced that the reaction to the actual products will be worse than the current speculation, no matter what Nintendo does.

 

[DrROBschiz]

3DS was a triple whammy of compromise

You split resources again with Two Sceens, Split it AGAIN with the 3D effect and worst of all the hardware was already behind the curve when it launched.... at 250 dollars

Yes It had AMAZING software that carried it to now.

Nintendo can do better

 

[Neoxon]

*Buys 3DS in January 2016 to play Fire Emblem*
*is replaced 10 months later*

Yep, that math checks out.

To be fair, a good number of us (myself included) did mention the incoming arrival of the NX Platform. And even then, the NX Handheld may not be backwards compatible, so your 3DS purchase may not have been useless.

 

[Griss]

So, stop me if this sounds too Nintendo.

Nintendo NX handheld releases first up. Its pretty back to basics, has decent oomph and maybe those clickable wheel trigger things. One of its components is underclocked to save on battery.

Then the next Nintendo home console is just a re-packaged variant of that handheld, an NXTV if you will. The underclocked component no longer is as it doesnt have to worry about battery, and perhaps you get the resolution boost/extra shiny graphics because of it. Maybe its also got some clever link up streaming tech so you can use both it and an NX for "full DS/WiiU port compatibility".

It's time for the 12-16 month later XL refresh, otherwise known as "what we should have released initially but you'll upgrade anyway" model. Larger size so you get a beefier tablet level battery, dock at home to plug into your TV, its the whole hybrid shebang.

Peace out.
Pie and Beans 8)

My take: Sounds possible, but I imagine the home console will be a more powerful box, rather than just a VitaTV situation. But it might not be a huge amount more, and if Nintendo can make it small and low-power like a streaming box then they probably will. I find the idea of them competing with PS4 pretty silly.

I also don't think they'll ever produce a true hybrid.

Lastly, damn, how fast did the Vita age? It looked incredible at the time, but in the smartphone world the bezel looks so chunky and fat... it just looks old. Nintendo better make something that looks better than that. Or at the least more unique.

3DS was a triple whammy of compromise

You split resources again with Two Sceens, Split it AGAIN with the 3D effect and worst of all the hardware was already behind the curve when it launched.... at 250 dollars

Yes It had AMAZING software that carried it to now.

Nintendo can do better

This has been my take forever. If Nintendo can sell 55m 3DSs despite what a monstrosity it was hardware-wise, and do so purely through the best portable software on the planet, then if they had actually decent hardware they should have no trouble at all.

 

[Neoxon]

I don't know you guys, but I'm fed up with so many speculations, theories and rumours about NX.

Nintendo should organize and event, I don't care if live or digital, and show that fucking console to the world at once. So we get all our questions answered, our doubts resolved, and all those nonsense rumours (like that one about a 900p default resolution lol).

They could show some first and third party games, 2 megatons if possible, and leave the rest to the E3.

You do realize that it probably isn't gonna be just one simple console, right?

 

[RM8]

1. So they can put a high quality screen in it for a reasonable price.

2. Not a big deal to find a cheap sleeve to protect it while in a backpack etc. I use a cheap garmin God sleeve for my vita.

The NX handheld needs to surpass the Vita in lower and at least match screen quality for me to bother. As much as I like the 3DS library, I play Vita more for those reasons.

I understand this perspective, but it's important to remember that fancy handhelds don't set the world on fire by virtue of being fancy. I mean, these days handhelds don't set the world on fire, period, lol. And I think it's very risky trying to ape the losing competitor in the race. I'm pretty sure they can make a much better screen than the 3DS one while having two of them.

 

[Alienous]

I'm just now reminded that Nintendo made a glasses-free 3D device, haha.

It would be interesting if they went down that road again. Having all games designed with that kind of capability would probably make implementing VR down-the-line on the home console versions of the games a lot easier.

 

[DrROBschiz]

My take: Sounds possible, but I imagine the home console will be a more powerful box, rather than just a VitaTV situation. But it might not be a huge amount more, and if Nintendo can make it small and low-power like a streaming box then they probably will. I find the idea of them competing with PS4 pretty silly.

I also don't think they'll ever produce a true hybrid.

Lastly, damn, how fast did the Vita age? It looked incredible at the time, but in the smartphone world the bezel looks so chunky and fat... it just looks old. Nintendo better make something that looks better than that. Or at the least more unique.



This has been my take forever. If Nintendo can sell 55m 3DSs despite what a monstrosity it was hardware-wise, and do so purely through the best portable software on the planet, then if they had actually decent hardware they should have no trouble at all.

Exactly

They have a chance to knock it out of the park with NX

 

[Graphics Horse]

home console having 4x the handheld gpu seems fair, but could be clocked higher too. Will be interesting to see what AMD are cooking up if it is them, they have dropped some hints about going for the handheld market.

 

[Griss]

I'm just now reminded that Nintendo made a glasses-free 3D device, haha.

It would be interesting if they went down that road again. Having all games designed with that kind of capability would probably make implementing VR down-the-line on the home console versions of the games a lot easier.

Would it? VR games are tough to make because of the unique design considerations, rather than any kind of programming difficulties. As I understand it modern VR APIs basically do the 'transforming 3D space into appropriate VR output' for you.

There's no cross-over between 3D gaming on a 2D screen and proper VR as far as I can tell.

Exactly

They have a chance to knock it out of the park with NX

Yes. United in optimism!

 

[DrROBschiz]

I understand this perspective, but it's important to remember that fancy handhelds don't set the world on fire by virtue of being fancy. I mean, these days handhelds don't set the world on fire, period, lol. And I think it's very risky trying to ape the losing competitor in the race. I'm pretty sure they can make a much better screen than the 3DS one while having two of them.

Yeah but once again you are increasing cost and dividing the power of the system

Which means to achieve performance you would have to drive up internal components even higher raising the cost again

I say simple is better going forward

 

[optimiss]

Also, I'd be willing to pay a higher cost for 3D. Doubt many others would though.

I would too. I love the 3D.

I wouldn't mind if they finally dropped dual screens though. I'd rather have one touch screen of higher quality/resolution/size.

 

[Kyzer]

I expect the handheld to be powerful enough and architecture modern enough for the assets to be scaleable across several platforms and resolutions.

 

[redcrayon]

Handheld gaming pretty much is gaming to me, so with It looking like the Vita being Sony's last handheld, I'll be following the NX news like a hawk this year.

 

[DrROBschiz]

I expect the handheld to be powerful enough and architecture modern enough for the assets to be scaleable across several platforms and resolutions.

Considering how they are going to this synergy as a theme it seems likely that they wont repeat the dual screens

 

[jblank83]

*Buys 3DS in January 2016 to play Fire Emblem*
*is replaced 10 months later*

Yep, that math checks out.

I mean, the 3DS was launched 5 years ago.

All systems are replaced eventually. If this was mobile you'd be looking at a far smaller window til planned obsolescence.

3DS is a solid system though. With both the DS/3DS library, the thing can see use for years upon years. I just started Radiant Historia for instance. Next up is Chrono Trigger DS. Then Dawn of Sorrow.

 

[RM8]

Yeah but once again you are increasing cost and dividing the power of the system

Which means to achieve performance you would have to drive up internal components even higher raising the cost again

I say simple is better going forward

Well, I guess they could make something like the GBA SP. Clamshell is just way better IMHO. But it'd still be really sad to see the dual screens go

 

[Kyzer]

Considering how they are going to this synergy as a theme it seems likely that they wont repeat the dual screens

Either that or they commit to two screens on everything forever :O

 

[AdanVC]

Watch Nintendo releasing it with no HD screen and another crazy gimmick that will be forgotten and unused 6 months after the handheld launch. The meltdowns are going to be spectacular.

 

[Neoxon]

Watch Nintendo releasing it with no HD screen and another crazy gimmick that will be forgotten and unused 6 months after the handheld launch. The meltdowns are going to be spectacular.

That depends, would you count 540p as HD?

 

[DrROBschiz]

Either that or they commit to two screens on everything forever :O

They would have to repeat having a controller with a screen on the console version...

Which I think has already somewhat been ruled out right?

 

[Deleted member 752119]

I understand this perspective, but it's important to remember that fancy handhelds don't set the world on fire by virtue of being fancy. I mean, these days handhelds don't set the world on fire, period, lol. And I think it's very risky trying to ape the losing competitor in the race. I'm pretty sure they can make a much better screen than the 3DS one while having two of them.

I don't think that really applies to Nintendo. There franchises sell portable hardware. Sony's don't obviously.

Nintendo just has a stranglehold on what's left of the portable market. While most Sony fans just don't give a shit about portables and just want to play Uncharted, Killzone et al. on their big screen.

Having a better screen, and costing $170-180 (3DS post price drop) at launch with a great game line up should sell well. Probably won't hit 3DS numbers as the portable market will continue dwindling. But it wouldn't be very likely to flop like the Vita IMO.

And we get the benefit of playing great looking Nintendo games on a portable, as well as the third party stuff, rather than suffering through poor graphics like on DS and 3DS for 3D games.

If they can do it with two screens, while keeping price down and battery life up, then I'm fine with it. I just don't want crappy screens, or crappy battery life, since I don't play many games that make great use of the second screen (I'm tired of exploring big worlds so maps don't apply much, tired of games that require inventory management etc.). I'm mostly playing pick up and play indies (i.e. roguelites), fighting games, platformers etc. lately.

 

[Kimawolf]

All these firms and analysts and no actual information. This is a non-story.

Actually some of them talk to suppliers for their info.