Support NeoGAF

[Cyd0nia]

Let me put it slightly differently: Nintendo cannot hope to credibly compete with Sony/MS for the Western core console market *unless* they made huge investments in software aimed at that market a while back and have successfully kept that completely under wraps.

Even in that scenario, though, I still think they'd have a better chance trying another tack given how painfully late they'd be to this party.

If they only go all out to try and please EA, Ubisoft and Activision, I've got a feeling they'll find that's not entirely where the money is, even if it may well be the key to unlocking higher hardware sales.

Sony and PS4 are doing very well this time around, but cumulatively - the 8th generation as a market whole isn't as healthy as the last one. VR might change the game and give the 8th gen a nice boost (sort of like the Wii / Kinect effect), but I've got a feeling its going to be so cost-prohibitive that uptake of VR will be slow. I'd like to see the return of arcades in the West, and I think if people got their heads together - VR could be a huge part of that.

VR pessimism aside - I definitely think VR is something Nintendo should be thinking about. If it takes off, I'm not sure they can afford to not take part.

Capcom's assessment of the hardware markets is spot on IMO.

• Its easier for PC and mobile consumers to part with their cash, because the economy is different, there are more affordable offerings and the actual mechanisms of paying for goods are so mature.
• Console buyers are brand loyal and buy in heavily to sequels.

I think too much acceptance of the latter point is a bad thing. We are set upon a course of major franchise fatigue. I think people are more receptive to innovation and novelty than a lot of people would like to believe. The lack of anything majorly 'new' is to blame for the low end of the market being eaten away so easily. So while I wouldn't like to see a new Wii-U type experiment out of Nintendo -- if they've got any good ideas to change things up, they should definitely execute them. Whether an IOS style merger of their platforms is enough remains to be seen, but it could be a good start.

Levels of success (such as the PS2 and the Wii enjoyed) can only come about when the product not only captures the imagination but also has its library so ubiquitous and easy to access. Things are different today than they were even just a few years ago. People buy a lot more digitally, brick and mortar is suffering. Its the path of least resistance. People spend as little as they can for as much fun as they can, as conveniently as they can. Phone contracts and app markets have changed the game.

I think Nintendo need to keep that in mind. Its always been about balance, what you offer for what you charge.. that much will never change. It needs to have enough power to not be dated on day 1, it needs to have enough power to actually turn heads and regain some of its old audience, but it needs to be affordable for its core audience and represent something truly valuable and convenient.

Making the handheld and console compatible could really go a long way to swaying people on the value perception. They could unlock some serious money and secure some longevity if they make the handheld NX as accessible as possible. It needs to be as accessible as mobile, and ideally, even Android compatible or something. The locked-in eco-system of traditional consoles is facing serious challenges at the moment, but it doesn't have to die. It can co-exist. They just need to make it easy for people. And easy !== 20 second load times and, I hate myself for saying this, "kiddy" menus. Make the handheld the affordable, mass-market targeting device, and make the console the hub that the library can be enjoyed on in new ways and in higher fidelity.

 

[Vena]

People have a very strange misconception of how powerful the Vita is...

It isn't. It has trouble running its games at their native resolution (540p) and at stable to good frame rates.

You don't need high-end chips to easily outperform the Vita in every regard.

 

[StevieP]

That's fair, but dunno how open to negotiations Intel is. They are obviously happy to sell cellphone kits, even though they said they were selling it at a little loss and that they'd cut that out in the near future, so cheap Intel based phones may be out. The Zenphone2 I think is under $300, which is on the expensive side for a Nintendo handheld. But dunno how that applies to designing a console.



They make rad, cheap x64 based cellphones. I don't think AMD does? which makes Intel a better partner for a handheld. It doesn't matter who invented what, since Intel has a license to make x64 chips, in exchange for AMD using the x86 arch. Or something.

You know what's even better than an x86-64 chip for handheld?
ARM

 

[James Scott]

People have a very strange misconception of how powerful the Vita is...

It isn't. It has trouble running its games at their native resolution (540p) and at stable to good frame rates.

You don't need high-end chips to easily outperform the Vita in every regard.

I imagine Nintendo will put out something similar to Vita that can achieve native res often while targeting a $199 price range. Not sure how much better it'll be, tho

 

[Vena]

I imagine Nintendo will put out something similar to Vita that can achieve native res often while targeting a $199 price range. Not sure how much better it'll be, tho

This is exactly what I mean. That price will not be "similar to the Vita" unless there's an enormous mark-up or WiiU GamePad involved. The Vita without a screen is worth like 30$, if that. The N3DS innards are probably worth more.

Native resolution, modern OpenGL support, updated shader capabilities, more efficient architecture and GCN, increased RAM pools and more efficient buses, battery efficiency and draws, and more, these features are not "similar to Vita" they are well and beyond it in every regard but resolution is getting in the way of people's understanding of the technology within.

There's a weird misconception on just exactly what the Vita can accomplish, its sort of the opposite understanding of what the old-man 3DS actually accomplishes even if its IQ is piss-poor. Kind of like how people think the 3DS is PSP level.

A handheld with native 540p, robust AA and other IQ solutions, modernized everything I listed previously, is not "Vita level". The only way you'd think that is if you looked at resolution and said to yourself "well they're both still only 540p". The sheer level of modern middleware and engine solutions that would be brought to the table would most certainly not be "Vita level". (You'd also not be stuck using Phyre solutions if you wanted easy cross-overs when modern engines were untenable.)

 

[James Scott]

This is exactly what I mean. That price will not be "similar to the Vita" unless there's an enormous mark-up or WiiU GamePad involved. The Vita without a screen is worth like 30$, if that. The N3DS innards are probably worth more.

Native resolution, modern OpenGL support, updated shader capabilities, more efficient architecture and GCN, increased RAM pools and more efficient buses, battery efficiency and draws, and more, these features are not "similar to Vita" they are well and beyond it in every regard but resolution is getting in the way of people's understanding of the technology within.

There's a weird misconception on just exactly what the Vita can accomplish, its sort of the opposite understanding of what the old-man 3DS actually accomplishes even if its IQ is piss-poor. Kind of like how people think the 3DS is PSP level.

A handheld with native 540p, robust AA and other IQ solutions, modernized everything I listed previously, is not "Vita level". The only way you'd think that is if you looked at resolution and said to yourself "well they're both still only 540p". The sheer level of modern middleware and engine solutions that would be brought to the table would most certainly not be "Vita level". (You'd also not be stuck using Phyre solutions if you wanted easy cross-overs when modern engines were untenable.)

I'm not much of a tech guy, so I just deal with what the visuals remind me of vs MSRP. I imagine it'll be like 3DS being more powerful than PSP but it's harder to differentiate due to devs investing less and resolutions

 

[Lonely1]

I'm not much of a tech guy, so I just deal with what the visuals remind me of vs MSRP. I imagine it'll be like 3DS being more powerful than PSP but it's harder to differentiate due to devs investing less and resolutions

It only takes Resident Evil Revelations.

 

[Vena]

I'm not much of a tech guy, so I just deal with what the visuals remind me of vs MSRP. I imagine it'll be like 3DS being more powerful than PSP but it's harder to differentiate due to devs investing less and resolutions

As was just said, look no further than RE:Rev. That was simply impossible on a PSP.

 

[James Scott]

As was just said, look no further than RE:Rev. That was simply impossible on a PSP.

Like I said, devs tried less this time around so it was harder to tell which was more powerful.
There are a few exceptions early on in the systems life but we didn't see much else afterwards

 

[greg400]

Is there any news on what type of physical media Nintendo will be using (if any)? Think it would be pretty neat if they used high capacity SD cards similar to 3DS games for both the handheld and the console. Would really streamline the purchase process and negate any confusion

 

[Prevolition]

What if you had the option of attaching the portable NX to the console NX and it worked like SLI/crossfire? Lol

I'm thinking more likely there is only one SKU and the console itself is portable with a protected screen and buttons on it, and standard controllers are optional. Basically it's just one handheld that connects to a TV via HDMI.

 

[Deleted member 465307]

What if you had the option of attaching the portable NX to the console NX and it worked like SLI/crossfire? Lol

I'm thinking more likely there is only one SKU and the console itself is portable with a protected screen and buttons on it, and standard controllers are optional. Basically it's just one handheld that connects to a TV via HDMI.

I was fantasizing about your first thought earlier today. If only...

It seems like, no matter what, there will be more than one SKU. I don't have the quote on me, but I believe Iwata said as much in a response to someone asking about the number of SKUs; he was interested in making more SKUs rather than fewer. Of course, that doesn't eliminate the possibility of there just being multiple handheld SKUs and no home console one, but I'm in the camp that believes (maybe simply hopes) that the comments from Nintendo point to both a handheld and a home console. (The WSJ article in the OP supports this idea, too)

 

[Vanillalite]

There's a weird misconception on just exactly what the Vita can accomplish, its sort of the opposite understanding of what the old-man 3DS actually accomplishes even if its IQ is piss-poor. Kind of like how people think the 3DS is PSP level.

This is the main issue with the 3ds and the one they need to fix. Despite the relative power the 3ds as fucking god awful shit tier IQ which kills it.

 

[Ogodei]

Wii U sells so far below the 3DS that they'll be leaving money on the table if they release the handheld first IMO.

And yet the 3DS is the one with the more moribund release schedule, and rather has been that way since early 2014, and likely has less first-party software still in the pipeline.

Plus there will no doubt be crossover; GBA and DS kept getting games for about 18 months after DS and 3DS released.

 

[James Scott]

I was reminiscing on how magical the 3DS hype cycle was. It's a system that showed a lot of promise with a lot of devs backing it up. Nintendo dropped the ball with the system's launch especially pre price drop. Sales for software were dire, so much so that a lot of devs left the system and never came back and if they did it was with slashed budgets and poor support like Konami.
Really hope Nintendo manages to have as much hype as the 3DS without as many launch issues. A low price would do wonders as well and maybe best to ignore analysts like Pachter if they say "they'll regret not pricing it higher".
3DS had a ton of support pledged to it and it would've gotten it if did well. I wonder if we'll see a lot from Capcom and Level 5 which stuck to the 3DS

This is the main issue with the 3ds and the one they need to fix. Despite the relative power the 3ds as fucking god awful shit tier IQ which kills it.

Yeah, the 3DS has become mostly unplayable for me thanks to it. It's really really bad.

 

[Astral Dog]

People have a very strange misconception of how powerful the Vita is...

It isn't. It has trouble running its games at their native resolution (540p) and at stable to good frame rates.

You don't need high-end chips to easily outperform the Vita in every regard.

true, still i wonder, as long as you upgrade resolution you will need more resources to keep it at a certain level, NX handheld has to be powerful to get pretty games on TV as well.

Vita level would be very dissapointing.

 

[James Scott]

true, still i wonder, as long as you upgrade resolution you will need more resources to keep it at a certain level, NX handheld has to be powerful to get pretty games on TV as well.

Vita level would be very dissapointing.

The console and the handheld will have different specs so it needs to only be powerful enough to have pretty games at 540p

 

[ZeroMaverick]

I love this. With the PS4 and the X1, we all knew roughly what to expect. We all knew they'd be PS32 and Xbox 3602. But with this, we literally have no fucking idea. It's really exciting.

 

[ffdgh]

I love this. With the PS4 and the X1, we all knew roughly what to expect. We all knew they'd be PS32 and Xbox 3602. But with this, we literally have no fucking idea. It's really exciting.

And somewhat terrifying...figuratively speaking.

 

[ZeroMaverick]

And somewhat terrifying...figuratively speaking.

Yeah, I feel that way too. But for me, Nintendo's been the same since GameCube and DS. I've grown to accept them and let them fill the small niche I have for their particular stuff. I know I shouldn't expect some massive change. They are who they are. Still excites me to no end.

 

[Prevolition]

I was fantasizing about your first thought earlier today. If only...

It seems like, no matter what, there will be more than one SKU. I don't have the quote on me, but I believe Iwata said as much in a response to someone asking about the number of SKUs; he was interested in making more SKUs rather than fewer. Of course, that doesn't eliminate the possibility of there just being multiple handheld SKUs and no home console one, but I'm in the camp that believes (maybe simply hopes) that the comments from Nintendo point to both a handheld and a home console. (The WSJ article in the OP supports this idea, too)

You're probably right. There could be the basic affordable console SKU with mobile graphics and the option to go SLI with the handheld SKU, and the more powerful higher priced console SKU which doesn't need the Ultrabay-like slot that a handheld would attach to for better graphics. Of course I know this isn't how game consoles work... yet.

 

[blu]

The only way to get x64 and unified architecture would be going to Intel and ask for a modification of the chips that power the Asus Zenphones. After the OG Xbox debacle, don't know if Nintendo will risk going to Intel for a chip.

No console manufacturer in their right mind would go to Intel for a chip.

I think it will be all ARM. AMD was preparing an ARM / x64 hybrid chip but stopped it, maybe Nintendo could get some of that tech.

Chances are it will be different architectures, with the unified part being done at the OS and library level.

I'm failing to get your idea here. ARMv8A is a single architecture (like, truly single, not x86-64-with-a-gazillion-of-extensions single). Or are you saying nintendo would go ARMv7 in the handheld?

x86-64 sounds like a terrible choice if they intend to release NX in 2016. The Bulldozer-derived cores are on their way out and were never that great to begin with. And a Zen-based semi-custom chip for 2016 is highly unlikely. After all, the real Zen is slated for late 2016; they're not going to have a semi-custom design based on Zen ready before releasing Zen itself.

I thought the same until last week when we got some buzz that Zen (and K12, for that matter) had taped out. If that is true, with some minor luck Zen will be ramping up for mass market by holiday '16.

 

[Griss]

I love this. With the PS4 and the X1, we all knew roughly what to expect. We all knew they'd be PS32 and Xbox 3602. But with this, we literally have no fucking idea. It's really exciting.

This is exactly how I feel. Anything is possible.

What surprises me is that so much of the conversation is given over to the console (and its fucking 'power', urgh) when the handheld is in my opinion the crucial ingredient to this whole thing, and judging by the sales of the 3DS far more people will be interested in it.

The thing is that the handheld SDK must be fairly fucking clear from the outset whether or not it has two screens and a clamshell design so I'm waiting for that shit to leak any day now. Every week-day morning I turn on GAF and think 'Today's the day we get an NX-handheld leak!' But nothing as of yet.

Personally I think they need to ditch the clamshell in a major way unless they can revolutionise the design of it.

Also, anyone have a link to that thread where that guy set out exactly what Nintendo teams were working on what projects and when they finished?

 

[rjc571]

Wow at those launch titles. They almost make the Wii U's look good by comparison.


GC is especially pathetic.

Smash Bros and Pikmin came out two weeks later.

 

[Trevelyan9999]

Smash Bros and Pikmin came out two weeks later.

Rogue Squadron 2, Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race also say hello.

 

[Ogodei]

Smash Bros and Pikmin came out two weeks later.

GC also had a pretty robust "window." First two quarters added in stuff like Sonic Adventure 2 and Phantasy Star Online (i think?) along with Tony Hawk 3.

 

[Oregano]

This is exactly how I feel. Anything is possible.

What surprises me is that so much of the conversation is given over to the console (and its fucking 'power', urgh) when the handheld is in my opinion the crucial ingredient to this whole thing, and judging by the sales of the 3DS far more people will be interested in it.

The thing is that the handheld SDK must be fairly fucking clear from the outset whether or not it has two screens and a clamshell design so I'm waiting for that shit to leak any day now. Every week-day morning I turn on GAF and think 'Today's the day we get an NX-handheld leak!' But nothing as of yet.

Personally I think they need to ditch the clamshell in a major way unless they can revolutionise the design of it.

Also, anyone have a link to that thread where that guy set out exactly what Nintendo teams were working on what projects and when they finished?

I'm totally with you. I'm most excited about just what form the handheld will take. I love the clamshell, dual screens and 3D of the 3DS but I think they need something different.

Based on their recent patents I think it will be based more around a Tablet/Slate design and have both landscape and portrait mode.

Having a portable designed with portrait mode as well not only opens up possibility for mobile games to be playable but also allows developers to still make stuff like Etrian Odyssey. It could even be BC with DS/3DS that way.

I just wonder how they would position the controls with that in mind.

 

[Gabe3208]

Yeah, I feel that way too. But for me, Nintendo's been the same since GameCube and DS. I've grown to accept them and let them fill the small niche I have for their particular stuff. I know I shouldn't expect some massive change. They are who they are. Still excites me to no end.

Yup, I've accepted them as well with their good and their bad stuff. What's amazing to me about them is that I purchase their console because I can't play their stuff anywhere else. I know some people are like "I'm not buying their hardware just to play their software" and that's cool, but while I'm EXTREMELY satisfied with my game library on my PS4, their attempts (or any other developer for the PlayStation platform) to make something like Nintendo just isn't there, so I revert to purchasing Nintendo hardware to satiate my appetite

 

[ZeroMaverick]

Yup, I've accepted them as well with their good and their bad stuff. What's amazing to me about them is that I purchase their console because I can't play their stuff anywhere else. I know some people are like "I'm not buying their hardware just to play their software" and that's cool, but while I'm EXTREMELY satisfied with my game library on my PS4, their attempts (or any other developer for the PlayStation platform) to make something like Nintendo just isn't there, so I revert to purchasing Nintendo hardware to satiate my appetite

Exactly.

 

[GamerJM]

All this Vita talk is making me wonder, is there a chance NX handheld will have an OLED screen?

 

[Pokemaniac]

All this Vita talk is making me wonder, is there a chance NX handheld will have an OLED screen?

Anything technology that anything resembling an image retention problem has no business on a device where replacing the screen is non-trivial. Especially one where you play video games.

 

[ZeroMaverick]

All this Vita talk is making me wonder, is there a chance NX handheld will have an OLED screen?

In my experience, OLED isn't viable for gaming. They are too prone to burn-in. At least, that's what I've experienced. Plus, the cost.

 

[wrowa]

All this Vita talk is making me wonder, is there a chance NX handheld will have an OLED screen?

I kind of hope not. Vita's OLED is great, no doubt about that, but as someone who mostly plays handheld games at night in bed, those weird dark spots (not my picture) are really distracting me.

 

[Snakeyes]

My fear is that if they go for PS4 performance, they'll price them out of the one market they're good at controlling - the youth market.

This is another myth that Nintendo likes to believe is true. Aside from the Wii, they haven't controlled the youth market on consoles since Sony entered the industry.

There were more kids playing PS1 than N64 in every market.
There were even more kids playing PS2 than GameCube in every market.
There is already more kids playing PS4 than Wii U in every market.

They should just make an appealing product for everyone and just like in every gen, the youth market will follow naturally.

 

[Vena]

All this Vita talk is making me wonder, is there a chance NX handheld will have an OLED screen?

That's not a good screenfor gaming. I have no idea what Sony's engineers were thinking with that.

 

[AzaK]

And yet the 3DS is the one with the more moribund release schedule, and rather has been that way since early 2014, and likely has less first-party software still in the pipeline.

Plus there will no doubt be crossover; GBA and DS kept getting games for about 18 months after DS and 3DS released.

Maybe (I don't really follow 3DS) but that's irrelevant to the bottom line. If Nintendo is making a good profit on 3DS and it's selling well, why kill it early. It can only get more and more profitable as the cost comes down.

That said I don't think they should release the NX and then wait 2 years until the 3DS is dead if they are going to be marketting these things on their connectivity.

Release the console first, before holiday where marketting is all yours because you're not competing with other consoles being marketted at that time. Then sell the handheld in Nov/Dec where your marketting won't really be affected by home machine marketting.

What do you guys think of the chances that Nintendo would use GDDR5X instead of GDDR5 or HBM?
http://www.guru3d.com/news_story/graphics_card_memory_gddr5x_to_make_an_appearance.html

I didn't research any further after reading the article, but that sounds really interesting and something I could see Nintendo enjoying, assuming the cost was right. No major need to re-architect things for a great speed increase.

 

[Father_Brain]

This is another myth that Nintendo likes to believe is true. Aside from the Wii, they haven't controlled the youth market on consoles since Sony entered the industry.

There were more kids playing PS1 than N64 in every market.
There were even more kids playing PS2 than GameCube in every market.
There is already more kids playing PS4 than Wii U in every market.

They should just make an appealing product for everyone and just like in every gen, the youth market will follow naturally.

"Just" make an appealing product for everyone? Sounds easy to me!

 

[Nightbird]

"Just" make an appealing product for everyone? Sounds easy to me!

It's funny, because thats what they were trying since the Wii era

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

What if you had the option of attaching the portable NX to the console NX and it worked like SLI/crossfire? Lol

I'm thinking more likely there is only one SKU and the console itself is portable with a protected screen and buttons on it, and standard controllers are optional. Basically it's just one handheld that connects to a TV via HDMI.

Not so funny; they may actually do this.

I don't see why it's impossible, and there would be a market for it. It'd keep both the console and handheld affordable, but for those who have both and want more power out of their home gaming experience, just combine the two. It's not like it's an unheard-of concept in the industry; everyone seemed to tried boosting console power with add-ons back in the 16-bit era, that was one of the benefits the cartridge format provided.

Patents already show the NX may not be a disc-based system; while I doubt it'll use carts, the idea you're proposing in a joking manner could be entirely feasible both tech-wise and cost-wise, and solve several problems in one fell swoop without shutting out a gamut of other options.

As for the other thing, I don't think mobile technology is there yet. Remember, Nintendo also wants to entice Western console gamers, and mobile/handheld hardware isn't going to impress them. Now, supplemented with nice console hardware and an innovative way the two work together, that would turn heads. But a pure handheld by itself isn't going to net in the folks like PS4/XBO have managed, not unless Nintendo's trying for a Blue Ocean strategy again and making that handheld like an iPhone competitor.

Which I strongly doubt.

 

[StevieP]

Not so funny; they may actually do this.

I don't see why it's impossible, and there would be a market for it. It'd keep both the console and handheld affordable, but for those who have both and want more power out of their home gaming experience, just combine the two. It's not like it's an unheard-of concept in the industry; everyone seemed to tried boosting console power with add-ons back in the 16-bit era, that was one of the benefits the cartridge format provided.

Patents already show the NX may not be a disc-based system; while I doubt it'll use carts, the idea you're proposing in a joking manner could be entirely feasible both tech-wise and cost-wise, and solve several problems in one fell swoop without shutting out a gamut of other options.

As for the other thing, I don't think mobile technology is there yet. Remember, Nintendo also wants to entice Western console gamers, and mobile/handheld hardware isn't going to impress them. Now, supplemented with nice console hardware and an innovative way the two work together, that would turn heads. But a pure handheld by itself isn't going to net in the folks like PS4/XBO have managed, not unless Nintendo's trying for a Blue Ocean strategy again and making that handheld like an iPhone competitor.

Which I strongly doubt.

Is this like how Microsoft is going to plug their extra hidden GPU via USB?

 

[Vena]

There is already more kids playing PS4 than Wii U in every market.

Not accroding to the NPD... Or Media Create.

So unless the US and Japan do not count, this is not true. In fact the PS4 seems to have a very weak children/young demographic in these regions.

DI 3.0 with a PS4 marketting deal was the worst platform for the title. That says a lot.

 

[Mpl90]

Not accroding to the NPD... Or Media Create.

So unless the US and Japan do not count, this is not true. In fact the PS4 seems to have a very weak children/young demographic in these regions.

DI 3.0 with a PS4 marketting deal was the worst platform for the title. That says a lot.

Yeah, it seems Europe is the only region where children/young demos-focused games can sell more on PS4 (not every time, but it happens most of the time). Xbox One, many times, fares better than PS4 as well in terms of US sales for games relative to that specific segment of the market.

 

[Lonely1]

Not accroding to the NPD... Or Media Create.

So unless the US and Japan do not count, this is not true. In fact the PS4 seems to have a very weak children/young demographic in these regions.

DI 3.0 with a PS4 marketting deal was the worst platform for the title. That says a lot.

That's because Playstation's kids are hardcore and only play Call of Duty.

 

[Gurgelhals]

I thought the same until last week when we got some buzz that Zen (and K12, for that matter) had taped out. If that is true, with some minor luck Zen will be ramping up for mass market by holiday '16.

Although I'm going to be very disappointed if Nintendo goes with a Bulldozer- or Bobcat-derived x86-64 design for NX, betting on Zen being ready for fall 2016 seems like a huge gambit - one I'm not sure a company like Nintendo is willing to take. It's an entirely new design on a new process and it's not going to launch as a standalone product until late 2016. There's just so many things that can go wrong between tape-out and high-volume availability and you generally don't want unproven, cutting-edge silicon in a mass-market product such as a game console; the risk that you're going to end up with another RRoD debacle is just too high. You want a reliable product in steady supply at a cost that is as low as possible.

In that regard, 2016 just seems like a rather inconvenient year to launch a new console. Although AMD will finally both phase out out their old platforms (which were never that great to begin with) and switch to 14/16nm next year, it's probably still going to be a bit too early for these new designs and processes to be used in a mass-market product such as a game console.

 

[Vena]

That's because Playstation's kids are hardcore and only play Call of Duty.

Damn those hardcore 4-12 year olds! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

Is this like how Microsoft is going to plug their extra hidden GPU via USB?

Well see they can't do that b/c USB speeds would be way too slow, and they have no I/O expansion port.

They're stuck w/ what they've got. Nintendo doesn't have to be.

 

[methodman]

Nintendo hasn't officially confirmed a Corporate Management Policy Briefing for October 29, but I think it is fair to assume that one will happen together with the Second Quarter Financial Results Briefing for FY 2015. While the big reveal won't come until next year, I think we can expect at least a few comments on NX.

IR schedule: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/schedule/index.html

The earnings release briefing is usually 10 AM JST. That converts to:

And of course there will be the earnings release on October 28 as well of course. Updated release slates, The Legend of Zelda for Wii U perhaps absent?

Also, I wonder how they will respond to my "dev application".

here's rosti's post about the october financial report. talk about the mobile game + the club nintendo replacement already... damn

 

[Vena]

here's rosti's post about the october financial report. talk about the mobile game + the club nintendo replacement already... damn

This isn't an "already" its largely expected.

 

[Haines]

Has there been anymore nuggets of info or is this thread just kind of dedicated to speculation and discussion of past hardware?

 

[xxbrothawizxx63]

I'm of the mind that the NX handheld and console will remain completely separate entities like most people. Incredibly similar OSs and hopefully similar architectures of some overlying software/dev tools that will allow easier porting of engines and assets.

My greatest fear of the console is the idea that it may just end of being an Apple/PS tv like device. I don't necessarily think it would be a bad business decision because the low entry price while providing Nintendo experiences is exactly what the casual market that played the Wii would want (as long as the games had clean IQ, there would likely be little complaint from that market), but it would be disappointing to fans like me hoping for a core machine that could satisfy both markets.

I'm incredibly excited by the prospect of the interaction between the handheld and console. The Vita is just a taste of this functionality but with two devices built with this as a focus in conjunction with Nintendo's work with the Wii U and hopefully input parity (I pray their Wii U streaming tech will be built in to the handheld, hopefully with a bit of a range boost), the two screen concept could live on in a successful way. The fact that it's likely in my opinion that the handheld user-base will be larger than the console user base and those that own an NX console will be incredibly likely to own an NX handheld makes a focus on this connection far more viable than with PS3/PS4/Vita.