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[FF Seraphim]

So if they are going to embrace 3rd party developers the new system will be on par with the PS4/XB1? Has to be at least slightly stronger if it wants to ride out the current generation cycle though...

Or are they going after a whole different crowd?

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

Funny, if you mention the PS4 it suddenly is.

Actually I've made it clear before that the PS4 doesn't deserve the success it has gotten. The build quality of the controller is terrible, it lacked major features for a long time and still does in some ways, and Sony's games output has been awful.

 

[WolvenOne]

Actually I've made it clear before that the PS4 doesn't deserve the success it has gotten. The build quality of the controller is terrible, it lacked major features for a long time and still does in some ways, and Sony's games output has been awful.

Mmmhm. 9_9.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

Mmmhm. 9_9.

So I'm not allowed a negative opinion on something without these silly responses? Alright. How about I praise the fuck out of the Vita? Got a ton of great things to say about that system. Got an old man smiles at cloud picture ready?

 

[WolvenOne]

So I'm not allowed a negative opinion on something without these silly responses? Alright. How about I praise the fuck out of the Vita? Got a ton of great things to say about that system. Got an old man smiles at cloud picture ready?

How about you keep complaints or praises of Sony, in a thread dedicated to either praising or complaining about Sony?

This is hardly the time or place.

 

[kirby_fox]

It won't be a phone, but if it is it'll fail big time.

Also "third pillar" is PR speak, they said the same thing about the GBA.

GBA? I recall the DS being called 3rd pillar, but that wasn't just PR talk it was spin in case the device flat out failed to gain traction on the market. I think the experiment with the DS was not knowing if the touch screen would catch on or not, and so they called it third pillar.

I feel this is really similar talk here- trying a new device that they aren't sure will catch on.

This expectation goes directly against one of the very few things Nintendo has explicitly said about the NX, which is:

1. It's a dedicated gaming system (emphasis on dedicated)
2. It's not a smart device (meaning that it's not a multipurpose device - ie: phone/tablet)

It's not. It's somehow both I picture. A hybrid that allows hardcore dedicated gaming while mixing itself with that of a phone. Basically instead of a phone that also games, it's a gaming system that also phones. I'd expect a non-phone version to come out as well if it catches on.

 

[Diffense]

This was on my mind for a while after the NX announcement. One of the things I was wondering about (re different form factors) is the possibility of a Nintendo smartphone. Basically it's a portable gaming system with all the required buttons but also a phone. That would save carrying around multiple devices. It would make sense to make the OS android-based because Android is a very portable (ie works on different hardware) starting point.

It doesn't mean that all Nintendo games would be smartphone games. Some games would be available on third party phones but most would still be exclusive to Nintendo hardware. There would still be a portable gaming system without phone features as well as a home console. But they'd all run on the same software platform though some games would not be installable on certain hardware. A simple mobile game that uses only touch would work on all devices (even 3rd party phones) but that wouldn't be the case for an epic Zelda title.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

How about you keep complaints or praises of Sony, in a thread dedicated to either praising or complaining about Sony?

This is hardly the time or place.

I didn't even mention the PS4 until someone else did. I just responded.

 

[WolvenOne]

I didn't even mention the PS4 until someone else did. I just responded.

Somebody mentioning Sony hardware does not give you license to derail things.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

Somebody mentioning Sony hardware does not give you license to derail things.

I derailed nothing. I continued the conversation. The only derailing here has happened because of your old man yells at cloud picture.

 

[……forgetit]

GBA? I recall the DS being called 3rd pillar, but that wasn't just PR talk it was spin in case the device flat out failed to gain traction on the market. I think the experiment with the DS was not knowing if the touch screen would catch on or not, and so they called it third pillar.

I feel this is really similar talk here- trying a new device that they aren't sure will catch on.



It's not. It's somehow both I picture. A hybrid that allows hardcore dedicated gaming while mixing itself with that of a phone. Basically instead of a phone that also games, it's a gaming system that also phones. I'd expect a non-phone version to come out as well if it catches on.

Yes, that's what I meant.

 

[……forgetit]

This was on my mind for a while after the NX announcement. One of the things I was wondering about (re different form factors) is the possibility of a Nintendo smartphone. Basically it's a portable gaming system with all the required buttons but also a phone. That would save carrying around multiple devices. It would make sense to make the OS android-based because Android is a very portable (ie works on different hardware) starting point.

It doesn't mean that all Nintendo games would be smartphone games. Some games would be available on third party phones but most would still be exclusive to Nintendo hardware. There would still be a portable gaming system without phone features as well as a home console. But they'd all run on the same software platform though some games would not be installable on certain hardware. A simple mobile game that uses only touch would work on all devices (even 3rd party phones) but that wouldn't be the case for an epic Zelda title.

They already said the NX isn't a phone, and honestly I highly doubt one would do well on the market.

 

[Fourth Storm]

They could help Nintendo build their first optical media based handheld.
Next system is coming winter 2016 for sure, but would they launch both a handheld and a console at the same time or stagger them?

Good question. In the recent Investor Q&A, Iwata was talking about how the new 3DS sales may have hurt Wii U this past quarter and that they need to think about how they stagger hardware launches. I think even if they play most of the same games, Nintendo will want to sell as much hardware as possible.

That being said, Nintendo seem to like releasing their portables in the spring/summer time (w/ the exception of the OG DS, which was sort of a rush to compete w/ PSP). I think Nintendo want to milk the 3DS userbase some more, so I can see them saving the portable for Spring 2017 while getting the home console out in Winter 2016, since the hardware loses them money and the installed base will not likely grow beyond another 3 million or so.

As far as storage media goes, I'm of the (controversial) opinion is to stick w their current solution on consoles (custom blu-ray + larger HDD) and go all digital w/ the handheld. Game cards need to go the way of the dino. They are too expensive to manufacture and too easily lost/a hassle to carry.

 

[Roo]

Mmmhm. 9_9.

To be honest, he's not completely wrong.
Sony took advantage of Microsoft and Nintendo's stupidity fucking things up left and right before/at launch.
They made sure to hit the right notes at the right time telling people what they wanted to hear.

Sure, PS4 is a solid console and I won't say they don't deserve the success because that would be a lie but they guy you quoted has valid points.

 

[linkboy]

This was on my mind for a while after the NX announcement. One of the things I was wondering about (re different form factors) is the possibility of a Nintendo smartphone. Basically it's a portable gaming system with all the required buttons but also a phone. That would save carrying around multiple devices. It would make sense to make the OS android-based because Android is a very portable (ie works on different hardware) starting point.

It doesn't mean that all Nintendo games would be smartphone games. Some games would be available on third party phones but most would still be exclusive to Nintendo hardware. There would still be a portable gaming system without phone features as well as a home console. But they'd all run on the same software platform though some games would not be installable on certain hardware. A simple mobile game that uses only touch would work on all devices (even 3rd party phones) but that wouldn't be the case for an epic Zelda title.

That was the idea behind this device,

If Sony, with a dedicated phone division, can't make something like that work, what makes you think Nintendo can?

 

[Diffense]

They already said the NX isn't a phone, and honestly I highly doubt one would do well on the market.

I didn't say the NX is a phone but that a phone form factor is a possibility. Basically I don't think NX is hardware but refers to a unified software platform across ("a cross" :wink) different hardware devices.

 

[IsntChrisL]

I think this is a smart idea if Nintendo really does it. The piracy risk is the only negative I can think of.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

I didn't say the NX is a phone but that a phone form factor is a possibility. Basically I don't think NX is hardware but refers to a unified software platform accross different hardware devices.

Are you saying that they could release handheld hardware that plays the same games as their console hardware? That would be really interesting to see.

 

[FrozenCell]

What would Nintendo gain from this?

by working together, both of these now mobile outsiders might give this dedicated mobile gaming thing a fighting chance.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

That was the idea behind this device,

If Sony, with a dedicated phone division, can't make something like that work, what makes you think Nintendo can?

Xperia Play was an interesting idea but the execution left a lot to be desired. I think it's still a concept worth exploring.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

I think this is a smart idea if Nintendo really does it. The piracy risk is the only negative I can think of.

Same. And since it would just be an OS based on Android, I'd think it wouldn't be a huge deal to build in their own encryption etc.

I think piracy risk is largely overstated most of the time anyway. The biggest pirates wouldn't be buying much of the stuff the pirate anyway. And that's probably less of an issue for Nintendo than the other gaming companies since their core is kids, families and more casual gamers and I'd think there are less encryption breaking pirates in those markets compared to the teen-young adult market that's mostly on Sony/MS/PC.

 

[Trago]

Xperia Play was an interesting idea but the execution left a lot to be desired. I think it's still a concept worth exploring.

There's the W3D from Snail Games having a go at it.

 

[Enlil]

mobile gaming is big business. So don't worry about Nintendo going broke if they chose that route. Let's be honest, Nintendo's best games aren't shooters or even major sports titles. Nintendo's games are Mario, Zelda etc and you hardly need any power to make those games fun. It won't surprise me if the hardware would be outdated as usual. I also don't see Nintendo making a good on-line infrastructure. it can be worse than Wii u hardware. But Nintendo can win everyones heart by releasing a powerful console, but i doubt that it will happen.

 

[Diffense]

Are you saying that they could release handheld hardware that plays the same games as their console hardware? That would be really interesting to see.

Not quite. I'm thinking that a selection of games could work across hardware.

 

[jroc74]

I think this is a smart idea if Nintendo really does it. The piracy risk is the only negative I can think of.

Same. And since it would just be an OS based on Android, I'd think it wouldn't be a huge deal to build in their own encryption etc.

I think piracy risk is largely overstated most of the time anyway. The biggest pirates wouldn't be buying much of the stuff the pirate anyway. And that's probably less of an issue for Nintendo than the other gaming companies since their core is kids, families and more casual gamers and I'd think there are less encryption breaking pirates in those markets compared to the teen-young adult market that's mostly on Sony/MS/PC.

But what I think is kinda odd is piracy concerns are mentioned when the name Android is bought up...like the Wii and Wii U were so secure. Last gen IMO the ease of modding was Wii, 360 and finally PS3. This gen so far its Wii U alone in that dept.

But there are piracy concerns with Android....

Unless the Wii and Wii U use a version of Android right now...then I would see a point for the concern. I understand the concern....but maybe some just dont know how easy it was for the Wii and Wii U. Modding the Wii was almost as easy as rooting an Android phone, jail breaking an iPhone. (which I also find kinda odd when iOS is just as exploitable as Android. iOS just isnt as flexible out the box as Android.)

 

[HideyoshiJP]

Woo. This thing will need a faster CPU and more RAM than the Wii U. Dalvik ho!

 

[freenudemacusers]

everyone fretting about this needs to take a step back and realize nintendo will still find a way to cobble friend codes into the system.

 

[ArchedThunder]

Salesdo not equal quality,and I will fight anyone who says the 3DS hardware is anything but pure shite. Not just in power. Even the ergonomics are mindblowingly terrible. They might be able to sell systems on the popularity of their big franchises, but that doesn't mean their hardware isn't awful and doesn't mean a joint venture with Sony wouldn't make for a much better system.

Also even if you're purely talking sales the 3DS performed worse than PSP.

Gotta agree here, 3DS is one of my favorite systems ever because if its god tier library, but fuck do I hate the machine itself. So cheaply built with horrid ergonomics.

 

[WolvenOne]

To be honest, he's not completely wrong.
Sony took advantage of Microsoft and Nintendo's stupidity fucking things up left and right before/at launch.
They made sure to hit the right notes at the right time telling people what they wanted to hear.

Sure, PS4 is a solid console and I won't say they don't deserve the success because that would be a lie but they guy you quoted has valid points.

Wrong place to bring up those points. Sony deserving success has nothing to do with the potential pros and cons of Nintendo using Android as an OS.

 

[Robcat]

Xperia Play was an interesting idea but the execution left a lot to be desired. I think it's still a concept worth exploring.

I agree. If it was a full fledged ps vita with the full vita and android library of games I think it would have done a lot better. Now with remote play on android we could have a android Nintendo handheld with ps4 remote play app. It would be to good to be true.

 

[Zuhzuhzombie!!]

You mean statements being made that caused Nirolak to make this very post on page 2 - http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=165973241&postcount=239

Beyond that point you still have people miss it and even throw a few Ouya Nintendo meme images in this thread.

The amount of people that confuse Android for a hardware platform rather then a Software based Operating System it is are surprisingly more then I was led to believe based on this thread alone.

Bet the Dreamcast threw some of these people for a loop.

It runs Windows!!!

 

[digdug2k]

Woo. This thing will need a faster CPU and more RAM than the Wii U. Dalvik ho!

Yeah, if you're doing this I think you'd have to throw out Dalvik (i.e. its kinda shitty). But then I have to wonder why you'd do it at all. The only real advantage I can think of is that there are a lot of prebuilt boards out there that come with Android pre-installed. Putting anything else on them is a pain (although Nintendo's going to wind up responsible for OS bugs/updates anyway, so they'll likely wind up having to do that anyway).

That said, if they are doing this, I'm guessing the decision came from partners, not Nintendo.

 

[Zuhzuhzombie!!]

That was the idea behind this device,

If Sony, with a dedicated phone division, can't make something like that work, what makes you think Nintendo can?

Because Sony's phone division was never meant to join hands and work with the video game side.

 

[cleveridea]

BTW Dalvik is no more from Android L onwards.

Its all ART now. It compiles to machine code at installation time not run time. Also improves garbage collection efficiency and makes debugging easier.

 

[Pandy]

GBA? I recall the DS being called 3rd pillar, but that wasn't just PR talk it was spin in case the device flat out failed to gain traction on the market. I think the experiment with the DS was not knowing if the touch screen would catch on or not, and so they called it third pillar.

I feel this is really similar talk here- trying a new device that they aren't sure will catch on.

You forget that the (awesome) GBA Micro came out after the DS launched. I'm sure if it had sold enough and driven software sales then the GBA brand would have been sustained for longer. It was the combination of DS success with GBA decline that saw one come and the other go.

The same will be true here, if the NX is a runaway success and 3DS sales fall off a cliff, then of course it will replace it. If, however, NX sales are good but it doesn't eat significantly into 3DS market share, then there will be no reason to pull the 3DS's plug. Until we see what the NX actually is, it's hard to say whether they can co-exist, though I agree it's unlikely if NX is simply Nintendo's Vita.

 

[……forgetit]

Xperia Play was an interesting idea but the execution left a lot to be desired. I think it's still a concept worth exploring.

I really gotta disagree with you on that. The market interested in such a device is absolutely tiny. I really don't know a single person that would choose a specific cellphone because of video game support when there are always going to be better alternatives out their.

 

[dcx4610]

Figured this would happen the moment NX was announced. The good is that it's a platform that is easy to port for and has lots of support. The bad is that the 3DS, Wii, Wii U and Virtual Console are not compatible.

Nintendo will have to build a software emulator for those systems or just abandon them all together which is more likely. I fully expect them to do it for Virtual Console however.

The other problem they will run into running Android is people will complain that their phones could play the same games if Nintendo would just allow them. Still, going Android secures their future. Staying with Power PC would have killed them.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

I agree. If it was a full fledged ps vita with the full vita and android library of games I think it would have done a lot better. Now with remote play on android we could have a android Nintendo handheld with ps4 remote play app. It would be to good to be true.

Oh god that would be the greatest. A handheld that can play android, Nintendo and PlayStation games through remote play and PS Now. I couldn't throw my money at it fast enough.

 

[AniHawk]

The PSP got stomped by the DS, which was released at the same time. Not sure why you're comparing the PSP to the 3DS.

because the post i quoted mentioned nintendo doing (present tense) better in the handheld market than sony ever did (all-inclusive), which is not true.

if the 3ds was still a failure compared to the ds, but selling better than the psp, and selling more software than the psp, then that would be a true statement.

 

[lukeskymac]

Nintendo's always somewhat outdated hardware + Android's (lack of) efficiency = hurr

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

I really gotta disagree with you on that. The market interested in such a device is absolutely tiny. I really don't know a single person that would choose a specific cellphone because of video game support when there are always going to be better alternatives out their.

Well you know one now. I would absolutely choose a phone if it had good built in controls and a library that took advantage of that.

But yes people like me are a very tiny market. It's true it may not necessarily take off, but that doesn't stop me from wanting it.

 

[J-Rzez]

Not exactly sure how to feel about this. Not sure if this would be progressive for ninty, or if it will be a negative shot to them and their fans. Wow though. Interesting to see how this pans out if true.

 

[OmegaDL50]

Bet the Dreamcast threw some of these people for a loop.

It runs Windows!!!

Yeah Windows CE Kernel I believe.

But anyways.

To elaborate more on a previous post I made, and expanding on some of the best points made in this thread, borrowing a few choice statements and putting it together.

Android is just an operating system.

In regards to games and ports, Porting isn't that hard. However porting on a undocumented, not well supported and unoptimised API is. While choosing for android has little significance on porting itself, a big advantage is that a lot of the Android API's are very well documented. If Nintendo would've written their own OS and SDK, they also have to build a support desk for this and write the documentation for it.

http://www.develop-online.net/tools-and-tech/the-top-16-game-engines-for-2014/0192302

Android is covered in alot of these and most of them are the AAA dev engines too.

CryEngine, Unity, Unreal, Havok.

Not listed but have Android support Source 2 and a few others.

As for the ease of piracy on Android applications. There is no reason why they couldn't put a custom encryption/verification model on top of android and only allow encrypted/signed apps to run.

There are benefits to using an existing and flexible OS rather then reuse the Wii U OS for example. For one thing you'd have an unified account system that would tie itself into the Nintendo eShop meaning all of your purchase history would be detailed on the account level and not tied to THAT specific hardware like was done on the both the Wii, DS, and 3DS earlier on.

Nintendo basing their next OS on a mature, extensively documented and widely-supported architecture is certainly a very good thing.

And the biggest thing, It has little baring whatever hardware configuration used. The OS or Software kernel used does not dictate the level of power hardware has, that itself would be entirely dependant upon what CPU, GPU, RAM, etc being used. They could make a console or device at PS4 level of power or comparable to a mid to high gaming PC and still have the Android OS on top.

I'm looking overall at the bigger picture. And factoring all of the above it paints a better picture then what Nintendo is doing now with the Wii U OS / Nintendo Account thing.

 

[……forgetit]

Well you know one now. I would absolutely choose a phone if it had good built in controls and a library that took advantage of that.

But yes people like me are a very tiny market. It's true it may not necessarily take off, but that doesn't stop me from wanting it.

That's fair. I mean if you want it then that's well and good, but it's something that would probably sell much worse than current handhelds even. To each their own though.

 

[OmegaDL50]

Personally I don't think Nintendo is about to come out with a new handheld platform, Not THIS soon after just recently releasing the N3DS that is.

It just seems too soon. Of course It's not like I wasn't surprised before.

I mean the DSi XL came out in 2009 and the 3DS only a short two years later in 2011.

So the N3DS coming out last year in 2014 and the NX if it's indeed a handheld coming out in 2016 or 17 wouldn't be unexpected if we go by what happened from the DSI to the 3DS in terms release time difference,.

 

[Foffy]

Personally I don't think Nintendo is about to come out with a new handheld platform, Not THIS soon after just recently releasing the N3DS that is.

It just seems too soon. Of course It's not like I wasn't surprised before.

It's probably a late 2016/early 2017 project. N3DS looks like an odd stopgap for a hardware boost, just like DSi was. That lasted maybe two years, and had all of the same talking points N3DS had.

- Something new for controls
- Better specs which meant it had exclusive games and features

 

[OmegaDL50]

It's probably a late 2016/early 2017 project. N3DS looks like an odd stopgap for a hardware boost, just like DSi was. That lasted maybe two years, and had all of the same talking points N3DS had.

- Something new for controls
- Better specs which meant it had exclusive games and features

Ah, I didn't see your post when I was editing mine. Yeah your point still stands though.

Of course we consider the general 5 year life cycle of the usually follows a Nintendo Console.

The NX being a console in coming out in 2017 is also a possibility.

So it could go either way being a new handheld or a new console.

We have very little to go on outside of AMD making some new chip for an upcoming Nintendo hardware, and this statement from Nikkei that the NX is using an existing Operating System (Android)

 

[Akhe]

Where is this gif from?

I don't know = / But I'll let you know when I find out.

 

[Raysod]

I imagine a scenario where the NX console (home and mobile variants) will be able to run all the Nintendo first party titles, plus all the mobile games that all Asians love to play at this moment.

That will be a huge thing in Asian markets, but I think that Nintendo will not make again the hardware/software choice that will make all the third party developers to abandon its new platform again.

All the industry is developing for x86 architecture, so I think that Nintendo will chose something similar for its next console.

Android is based on Linux, so it could run very well on an x86 system.

 

[Qassim]

I want someone to justify these suggestions of piracy and increased risk of "hacking".