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[HeySeuss]

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it wasn't only slightly more powerful than the WiiU with a new UI and account based purchases which are cross-play.

 

[Fourth Storm]

If they put a screen on the controller again, as that patent may suggest, I fear for how that will affect cost/performance once again.

I keep going back to that Sharp Free Form display rumor from last year. I could see them using that for the NX controller and also for the bottom screen of their next dual screened handheld, continuing the trend of a unified interface they seem to be moving towards.

 

[suavelicious]

You guys remember that Black Hound site? (www.ingsoc.org)
They wrote "currently unannounced nintendo console" but if you use the picture naming pattern for the PS4 and Xbox logos with the Nintendo name, you get this:

http://ingsoc.org/images/Nintendo_Platform.png

So yeah - it's 99,99% fake unless Nintendo really names their next console "Dreamcast" (I would love it)

Whoever made this supposedly fake site is a great troll

 

[thefro]

When an NCL employee says it's foolish to expect Nintendo to release hardware at the PS4 level it's pretty telling which direction they're taking with the NX console

I'd love XB1 power though ;p

I don't think that exchange is very reliable at all at this point. It's clearly not from a firsthand source.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Tamaki posted something about one of his NX posts.

Dropping the "I know an NCL employee said this" means nothing, literally nothing. For the record, some of us know employees of the company and subsidiaries, and they are trained to a level that if they actually know something, they wouldn't tell you, and you would have the etiquette of not asking them

The NX hardware is still a premature machine; the architecture and blueprint are probably set in stone, but the final chip set, features, and industrial design are probably in a state of nebulous. Expecting PS4 performance may be out of the question, but if they can provide more powerful hardware than the Wii U (without the taxation of mandatory streaming to the GamePad) and still work with the whole NX console - NX hand held philosophy, that is already a winner.

 

[E-phonk]

If they put a screen on the controller again, as that patent may suggest, I fear for how that will affect cost/performance once again.

To be honest a revamped Wiiu gamepad can be made a lot cheaper. A standard iphone5 touchscreen can be found for less than 10$ on alibaba, i'm sure there are better prices in bulk.

 

[Who]

I'm fine with the NX staying at or around WiiU's power level, it's perfectly serviceable for me. What I'm most interested in at this point is the handheld cross-compatibility.

 

[higgsboson1997]

I'm fine with the NX staying at or around WiiU's power level, it's perfectly serviceable for me. What I'm most interested in at this point is the handheld cross-compatibility.

Yeah, I don't care how powerful it is if it can play both handheld and console fare. I'd buy that thing in an instant.

 

[Pokemaniac]

I personally don't think that is what he was saying. What he was saying is that if you think Nintendo will play the power game "just" to play it then you are wrong. They won't look at it as a oh we have to give our console this much power because Sony has X amount of power. They will like always look at the games (and hopefully) their third party situation and make the determination on the level of power needed.

I concur. This seems to line up with what Nintendo has said about hardware power in the past.

I'm fine with the NX staying at or around WiiU's power level, it's perfectly serviceable for me. What I'm most interested in at this point is the handheld cross-compatibility.

That would involve making a purposely weak console, which the quote denies.

 

[Fourth Storm]

To be honest a revamped Wiiu gamepad can be made a lot cheaper. A standard iphone5 touchscreen can be found for less than 10$ on alibaba, i'm sure there are better prices in bulk.

I'd be interested in knowing where they can shave costs off the Gamepad for next gen. The chipset seems quite basic and the screen itself is low quality, although there is the necessary circuitry for streaming, of course.

 

[Fourth Storm]

Dropping the "I know an NCL employee said this" means nothing, literally nothing. For the record, some of us know employees of the company and subsidiaries, and they are trained to a level that if they actually know something, they wouldn't tell you, and you would have the etiquette of not asking them

The NX hardware is still a premature machine; the architecture and blueprint are probably set in stone, but the final chip set, features, and industrial design are probably in a state of nebulous. Expecting PS4 performance may be out of the question, but if they can provide more powerful hardware than the Wii U (without the taxation of mandatory streaming to the GamePad) and still work with the whole NX console - NX hand held philosophy, that is already a winner.

I think ShockingAlberto heard something very similar, though. I too would be very surprised if this quote actually came from an NCL employee. As for the machine itself, I would believe that the chipset is very far along, but perhaps things like RAM and clockspeed aren't quite final. Wii U's GPU was pretty much finalized in 2010 except for tweaks.

Edit: D'oh. Back to back posts.

 

[E-phonk]

I'd be interested in knowing where they can shave costs off the Gamepad for next gen. The chipset seems quite basic and the screen itself is low quality, although there is the necessary circuitry for streaming, of course.

Afaik the problem was that (until recently?) all gamepads were produced before or very close after launch. Nintendo expected to sell so many (5.5m in the first six months), they ordered a huge amount of parts for it. I think it was for +/- 10m consoles. Can't find the sources anymore, but there are discussions about it on gaf somewhere.

So they never were able to cost reduce. In 2016 a similar pad with off the shelf parts and a smaller screen would be a lot cheaper.

 

[Fourth Storm]

Afaik the problem was that (until recently?) all gamepads were produced before or very close after launch. Nintendo expected to sell so many (5.5m in the first six months), they ordered a huge amount of parts for it. I think it was for +/- 10m consoles. Can't find the sources anymore, but there are discussions about it on gaf somewhere.

So they never were able to cost reduce. In 2016 a similar pad with off the shelf parts and a smaller screen would be a lot cheaper.

That makes sense. Yeah, I heard the same thing about them basically still selling Wii Us that were manufactured over a year ago now.

 

[Turrican3]

Genuine question, assuming they're really putting a screen on the controller again: is there any estimate of the actual BOM for the Gamepad?

I mean, the gamepad being a (financial) hurdle for the WiiU has been taken as fact for a long while here, but I can't help but wonder if this is actually the case.

 

[TunaLover]

I think ShockingAlberto heard something very similar, though.

What did he hear?

 

[thefro]

I concur. This seems to line up with what Nintendo has said about hardware power in the past.

Miyamoto also said something like this again around the time of E3 in one press interview.

 

[TunaLover]

So from now on Nintendo won't release outdated hardware from previous generation, but outdated hardware from 2 generations? Jeez :/

 

[Kouriozan]

What did he hear?

This :

He said this back in early July.

Yo that was me.

It was actually that exact line. "It's not like we're building an intentionally weak console."

Take it for what it's worth, I had no follow up questions to the person who gave it to me.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=170937503&postcount=2007

The funny thing is that he was replying to you after you asked me which insider I referred when I originally mentioned what he said. Full circle.

 

[Peltz]

Damn this bump.

 

[wild wild rice]

Damn this bump.

lol...basically

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

I'm fine with the NX staying at or around WiiU's power level, it's perfectly serviceable for me. What I'm most interested in at this point is the handheld cross-compatibility.

That would likely be a huge mistake on their part. A big reason that the Wii U stumbled out of the gate was that everyone looked at it and saw inferior ports and no reason to spend $300 on something that wasn't as good as the Xbox or Playstation they already had. Unless the hook for its gimmick is so must-have that it overcomes any objections over visuals, they'll just be stuck selling to the same contingent who'll show up for whatever they put out. Don't get me wrong, I love my Wii U too, but the market reality is impossible to ignore.

 

[Fourth Storm]

What did he hear?

It sounded extremely similar to Tamaki's quote. Basically, "It's not like we're intentionally making a weak system."

Could be taken a few different ways, but to me, it sounds a bit like damage control. No, it's not going to match PS4 specs, but it should be strong enough and with a modern architecture to receive current gen ports.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

I think ShockingAlberto heard something very similar, though. I too would be very surprised if this quote actually came from an NCL employee. As for the machine itself, I would believe that the chipset is very far along, but perhaps things like RAM and clockspeed aren't quite final. Wii U's GPU was pretty much finalized in 2010 except for tweaks.

Edit: D'oh. Back to back posts.

My point was more along the lines, that an NCL employee doesn't necessarily mean they have access to this top clearance information. Especially considering how compartmentalized the departments are between NCL/NOA and the subsidiaries. It isn't outlandish for anyone, NCL employee or rational forum poster, to provide conjecture like - yeah we are hearing that Nintendo is going to go conservative on the hardware specs and is experimenting with a Mario game.

I think we would all comfortably assume Nintendo is being conservative and working on a new Mario game for NX.

Now if we got something actually concrete; like a technology partner or an acquisition or a real game prototype, then even an alleged source is something of interest.

 

[ultrazilla]

Man after seeing the Unreal Engine 4 tech using Mario and Samus, I really hope Nintendo at least makes the NX powerful enough to run the engine. I'd be perfectly fine with that.

 

[Neoxon]

Man after seeing the Unreal Engine 4 tech using Mario and Samus, I really hope Nintendo at least makes the NX powerful enough to run the engine. I'd be perfectly fine with that.

While UE4 support will be important for Japanese third party support, Nintendo's likely going to stick with their own in-house engines.

 

[Isayas]

Why do people think it'a going to best the PS4 in specs? That would be stupid if it doesn't.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Why do people think it'a going to best the PS4 in specs? That would be stupid if it doesn't.

Why would we realistically expect that?

Nintendo has never done it. They make adequate powered hardware and sell it at a high margin

If they plan to stay in a budget space (below the launch price of the WiiU) then I would expect it to be at or below current gen systems

 

[Neoxon]

Why do people think it isn't going to best the PS4 in specs? That would be stupid if it doesn't.

Because of a number of reasons.

• Nintendo likely won't get western third party support back regardless, which would be the main reason for cutting-edge specs.
• It would make the NX Console rather expensive.
• Anyone who cares about power either already own a PS4/XB1/Gaming PC or plan on getting one.

 

[Trojan]

Afaik the problem was that (until recently?) all gamepads were produced before or very close after launch. Nintendo expected to sell so many (5.5m in the first six months), they ordered a huge amount of parts for it. I think it was for +/- 10m consoles. Can't find the sources anymore, but there are discussions about it on gaf somewhere.

So they never were able to cost reduce. In 2016 a similar pad with off the shelf parts and a smaller screen would be a lot cheaper.

Wow, this is interesting. 5.5M is definitely an overzealous prediction for 6 months of sales, but it's not batshit crazy. That miscalculation may have been disastrous for them, as the Wii-U could have potentially had a jolt of sales momentum with some early price cuts a la the 3DS.

 

[Fourth Storm]

Wow, this is interesting. 5.5M is definitely an overzealous prediction for 6 months of sales, but it's not batshit crazy. That miscalculation may have been disastrous for them, as the Wii-U could have potentially had a jolt of sales momentum with some early price cuts a la the 3DS.

Eh, the brand damage done by a second steep discount that soon after launch may have been even more disastrous. They had to make the call back then, and here we are now anticipating the NX launch. Time will tell.

My point was more along the lines, that an NCL employee doesn't necessarily mean they have access to this top clearance information. Especially considering how compartmentalized the departments are between NCL/NOA and the subsidiaries. It isn't outlandish for anyone, NCL employee or rational forum poster, to provide conjecture like - yeah we are hearing that Nintendo is going to go conservative on the hardware specs and is experimenting with a Mario game.

I think we would all comfortably assume Nintendo is being conservative and working on a new Mario game for NX.

Now if we got something actually concrete; like a technology partner or an acquisition or a real game prototype, then even an alleged source is something of interest.

That's true. However, I can see why some people might have thought they'd try to match or slightly exceed PS4 specs after what happened to Wii U and the potential timing of the NX release. But between this and Miyamoto's comments around E3 of still trying to be "unique" and not engaging in a war to get expensive parts down in price, we can start to narrow down our expectations a bit.

 

[Anth0ny]

I have to imagine it'll be at least as powerful as PS4 if it drops in 2016, let alone 2017.

that still follows the trend Wii and Wii U have set: as/a bit more powerful as the last gen consoles, hilariously underpowered compared to the other current gen consoles.

To release a console in 2016 that is less powerful than last gen hardware is fucking insanity. I wouldn't put it past Nintendo, but that seems crazy to me. they could probably put out a PS4 equivalent box in holiday 2016 and sell it for $250 at a profit.

 

[Fourth Storm]

I have to imagine it'll be at least as powerful as PS4 if it drops in 2016, let alone 2017.

that still follows the trend Wii and Wii U have set: as/a bit more powerful as the last gen consoles, hilariously underpowered compared to the other current gen consoles.

To release a console in 2016 that is less powerful than last gen hardware is fucking insanity. I wouldn't put it past Nintendo, but that seems crazy to me. they could probably put out a PS4 equivalent box in holiday 2016 and sell it for $250 at a profit.

They just don't want to compete, Anth0ny. If they put in comparable specs, quite simply, expect a comparable price to whatever PS4 is in 2016. They can't have that with the demographic they target.

 

[StevieP]

I have to imagine it'll be at least as powerful as PS4 if it drops in 2016, let alone 2017.

that still follows the trend Wii and Wii U have set: as/a bit more powerful as the last gen consoles, hilariously underpowered compared to the other current gen consoles.

To release a console in 2016 that is less powerful than last gen hardware is fucking insanity. I wouldn't put it past Nintendo, but that seems crazy to me. they could probably put out a PS4 equivalent box in holiday 2016 and sell it for $250 at a profit.

To put out a console like the ps4 would cost as much as the ps4. Not somehow magically much less. Especially with similar vendors and similar process nodes involved, as there has been very little advancement there. If sony were to try to sell the ps4 for 250 this year (or next) it would be at a loss

 

[Isayas]

Because of a number of reasons.

• Nintendo likely won't get western third party support back regardless, which would be the main reason for cutting-edge specs.
• It would make the NX Console rather expensive.
• Anyone who cares about power either already own a PS4/XB1/Gaming PC or plan on getting one.

None of those are solid reasons. Who cares if it is expensive at least it can run 3rd party games. It is their next console, power matters. If you think you can bring up the PS1 and PS2 examples, they were out first and power enough. Like Nintendo would be stupid if this isn't more powerful than the PS4.

 

[cireza]

I don't understand the power argument. I have a Wii U, and honestly, this console is powerful enough to make very fun and pretty games for HD TVs.

As Nintendo is an enterprise that tries to be profitable from day-one, I think that the power of their next console will be moderate. And this is fine by me.

I don't think that Nintendo should compete to have the Third Party Games of PS4/One. Because people will buy them on PS4One anyway. They should however make even more efforts to have some exclusive Third Party games specifically for their consoles, like SMT x FE, Sonic, Bayonetta, a Capcom Fighter, a Square-Enix RPG etc... This adds value to the system.

 

[Scrawnton]

I don't care about the specs and power of the console, but I hope the handheld NX will be at least as powerful as a vita. The only edge vita had on 3DS, to me, is the indie game love.

 

[Zoon]

I don't understand the power argument. I have a Wii U, and honestly, this console is powerful enough to make very fun and pretty games for HD TVs.

As Nintendo is an enterprise that tries to be profitable from day-one, I think that the power of their next console will be moderate. And this is fine by me.

This. The only thing that bothered me about the games' graphics was the lack of AA.

 

[AmFreak]

I have to imagine it'll be at least as powerful as PS4 if it drops in 2016, let alone 2017.

that still follows the trend Wii and Wii U have set: as/a bit more powerful as the last gen consoles, hilariously underpowered compared to the other current gen consoles.

To release a console in 2016 that is less powerful than last gen hardware is fucking insanity. I wouldn't put it past Nintendo, but that seems crazy to me. they could probably put out a PS4 equivalent box in holiday 2016 and sell it for $250 at a profit.

The time difference this time is much shorter though.
Xbox -> Wii = 5 years
360 -> WiiU = 7 years
PS4 -> 2016/2017 = 3/4 years

all while tech advancement slowed down considerably.

 

[Scrawnton]

This. The only thing that bothered me about the games' graphics was the lack of AA.

The graphics are fine for me, the speed of the OS and lack of multitasking is what I don't like. I just want a faster experience. I would've loved to be able to still run the game on the TV screen and load miiverse on the gamepad at the same time without anything pausing. They kind of made it look like it'd do exactly that in the prerelease trailers. I was so disappointed in the first day it released.

 

[blu]

Can we put several rules-of-thumb for the aspiring nintendo speculator in the OP of each NNST (nintendo next speculation thread)? Something along the lines of:

• similarly specced silicon (as in 'similar transistor counts, from the same IP vendor and same factories') costs similarly in a similar timeframe.
• NNIDs are here to stay; whatever nintendo do with online on the NX, it will be based on NNIDs.
• NX home version will not be weaker than the wiiU -- attested by Matt ™ (and basic common sense)

 

[4Tran]

If Nintendo wants to attract any non-Nintendo fans, then they will either have to build a console more powerful than their competitors or a console with such broad-base appeal that even non-gamers will be drawn in. I don't think that the latter is a realistic option so if Nintendo doesn't go for a competitive console, that means that they're willing to settle for Wii U owners as their customer base. That seems like a very bad idea.

 

[StevieP]

If Nintendo wants to attract any non-Nintendo fans, then they will either have to build a console more powerful than their competitors or a console with such broad-base appeal that even non-gamers will be drawn in. I don't think that the latter is a realistic option so if Nintendo doesn't go for a competitive console, that means that they're willing to settle for Wii U owners as their customer base. That seems like a very bad idea.

People who actually care about power (beyond the requisite console warring digital foundry agenda posting) aren't gaming on consoles.

 

[Fourth Storm]

If Nintendo wants to attract any non-Nintendo fans, then they will either have to build a console more powerful than their competitors or a console with such broad-base appeal that even non-gamers will be drawn in. I don't think that the latter is a realistic option so if Nintendo doesn't go for a competitive console, that means that they're willing to settle for Wii U owners as their customer base. That seems like a very bad idea.

Depends on what you call a "Nintendo fan." I'd reckon any owner of prevous gen Nintendo console is a one-time Nintendo fan. If they could just win some of them back, they'd be in the game. Nowhere near all their fans are currently on Wii U.

Edit: Bringing it back to the possibility of the patent in the OP to be NX-related: Are the "Speed Control Unit," "Identification Information Obtaining Unit," and "Selection Unit" basically just software programs designed to run on the CPU? Not custom hardware?

 

[Hello? This is Hailun!]

What are the chances that Nintendo really wants to get on the x86 platform to facilitate easy porting?

 

[Rolf NB]

What are the chances that Nintendo really wants to get on the x86 platform to facilitate easy porting?

If they pick anything but ARM the whole concept goes down the toilet.
So I'd say 65%.

 

[Neoxon]

If they pick anything but ARM the whole concept goes down the toilet.
So I'd say 65%.

ARM is proven for both console & handheld. x86 is doable on handhelds, but isn't as efficient to my knowledge. So yeah, I agree on Nintendo going for ARM.

 

[Oregano]

If Nintendo wants to attract any non-Nintendo fans, then they will either have to build a console more powerful than their competitors or a console with such broad-base appeal that even non-gamers will be drawn in. I don't think that the latter is a realistic option so if Nintendo doesn't go for a competitive console, that means that they're willing to settle for Wii U owners as their customer base. That seems like a very bad idea.

That kind of implies that anyone not gaming on PS4/XBO are non-gamers.

I think Nintendo's best play is trying to play up their Japanese content. On the 3DS they've done very well at cultivating a fanbase based on games like Fire Emblem and Bravely Default. They've also got an actual chance of capturing the majority of Japanese support. EDIT: Forget to mention for JP support power isn't as important.

 

[10k]

Can't get x86 to work on handhelds? Fuck handhelds then

It'll probably be ARM-based.

 

[Neoxon]

Can't get x86 to work on handhelds? Fuck handhelds then

It'll probably be ARM-based.

If Nintendo wants the console & handheld to be the same platform with the same architecture & OS, the. ARM is the best choice. x86 isn't impossible on handhelds, it's just not efficient. The Japanese won't care as long as the NX Console is supported by Epic for UE4.

 

[Peru]

If Nintendo wants to attract any non-Nintendo fans, then they will either have to build a console more powerful than their competitors or a console with such broad-base appeal that even non-gamers will be drawn in. I don't think that the latter is a realistic option so if Nintendo doesn't go for a competitive console, that means that they're willing to settle for Wii U owners as their customer base. That seems like a very bad idea.

That doesn't ring true. With the common OS idea the console will get mpre software and each piece of software will sell more - already a win. Competing with competitors is pointless. They need to sell the console on nintendo properties and on exclusively 'console' experiences, largely from jp decelopers. In other words try to separate yourself from the competition. Not with gimmicks or power, but focusing on your strengths. Wii sales figures won't be achieved agsin, but a solid niche is well within reach because they're offering something f ex steam owners won't get.