• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

NX will launch in March 2017 globally, won't be at E3 (focusing on Zelda instead)

Status
Not open for further replies.

NeonZ

Member
I am getting more and more confused (perhaps I should stop chasing NX related threads!)

Just a question and only with respect to the "handheld hardware", has Nintendo actually made direct reference to making a NX handheld device?

Cos I am thinking more and more that there will be a home console and then an app for mobile phones......

Don't want to add to confusion or speculation or hype, but just wanting to get back to basic facts that can be traced to statements directly from Nintendo if possible...... if anyone cares to answer that is......

There's the recent quote from Kimishima, “However, it’s not merely the successor to the handheld 3DS or stationary console Wii U". However, every single recent quote about the NX has been singular, rather than referencing a family of systems. Although, the old WSJ leak had mentioned portable and console as different "units" and a single dev kit, rather than implying separate consoles, so they could be a single system if they're technically 100% compatible with each other. Personally, I don't think the fact that the 3DS isn't completely left for dead yet means much. That usually happens with successful consoles, with the Wii being a big exception.

This is exactly what I've been thinking the whole time about the shared library talk. Which is why, in that form, it's a bad idea.

However, I still feel what they actually meant by those words was a development pipeline where scaling of assets and code was very easy (relatively speaking) between home console games and handheld software, so that teams wouldn't need to create completely new model assets and toolchains for each one separately, or doing significant grunt retooling from project to project.

In that sense, the idea holds a lot more weight and is more sensible.

The whole "development pipeline" idea would be a complete waste that wouldn't add much. You'd still need to split development resources and use different assets, if we're talking about systems with completely different specs receiving different games. Wasting those resources to make a bunch of similar, but different, games for both consoles (like NSMB 2 vs NSMB Wii U, 3d Land vs 3d World, MK7 vs MK8) would take the development teams' time and resources and lead to Nintendo's usual droughts, especially with Nintendo having to deal with a handheld that likely would have significantly improved 3d capabilities in addition to an HD console on par or near the PS4.

Of course, Nintendo suffering from the same issues once again is a pretty realistic possibility. It's a problem that has been hitting them since the GCN, but I don't see how you can look at the hole that they've created for themselves and say that, yes, that's the route they should take. I guess there's the implication that if the NX has both mobile and console units, and they're actually the same system, we won't see a PS4 level leap with the console, and Nintendo's console hardware will stay behind, even if there are boosts like resolution and texture compared to the handheld versions (like a much bigger 3ds vs New 3ds situation). However, considering their current problems, I don't think a PS4 leap, at this point, in the middle of the generation, would help them at all. The time a hardware like that could have been useful for Nintendo was during the Wii U's launch, not now. Ports of current gen games available in much more established competitor consoles won't help Nintendo. People won't buy the console for them, and they likely won't sell either.

Launching in early 2017 also means missing the entire holiday season and the games there, making current gen ports even more worthless. Their excuse regarding the delay to 2017, about having enough games ready, also suggests that the launch won't be based on a bunch of current gen console ports.
 

Eradicate

Member
Just an update on the thread about that rumor. I got a response and starting a thread on it is a no go. If the original person (who I did PM too!) wants to contact a mod for verification and go through that route, that'd be the only real way. As for now, probably best not to do a thread for it currently!

Also, regarding cartridges and Macronix and such, I hope the original poster doesn't mind, but I wanted to share.

Poking around Macronix's Q1 2016 QR report it seems they have a 32nm node in the testing phase for full XtraROM production later this year. Current 3DS games use a 75nm production line (maxxing out at 8GB last we'd heard), which means quite a density jump! Maybe cheap 32GB+ NX Game Cards aren't so farfetched after all.

It's been heavily speculated that Nintendo would move to cards for NX game media, based off comments Macronix have made about NX being a major future contributor for them as well as the cross device shared software theory. If an NX console and an NX handheld can play the same games a card rom makes more sense than an optical disc.

I also recently discovered by looking through their QR reports that Macronix has a 32nm XtraROM production line in the testing phases being readied for mass production later this year. XtraROM right now is pretty much only used for 3DS game software (not flash), it's not even sold through retail supply vendors and it uses a 75nm production node. I feel like the obvious takeaway here is the new line's likely being developed for higher capacity roms for Nintendo.

Speaking of which, previously Macronix had suggested to investors that NX would release later 2016. I think they have their ivestor meeting/call next week [ACTUALLY ALREADY RELEASED; NO UPDATES ON THIS YET - Eradicate] so I wonder if we'll get any update on NX's impact to their business?

I thought these were great, interesting posts in other threads. Also, looking at their profits and sales, ROM is actually looks a lot more seasonal than you would imagine. They really ramp it up during the 4th quarter, so maybe it's not a long, intensive process after all?
 
Just an update on the thread about that rumor. I got a response and starting a thread on it is a no go. If the original person (who I did PM too!) wants to contact a mod for verification and go through that route, that'd be the only real way. As for now, probably best not to do a thread for it currently!

Also, regarding cartridges and Macronix and such, I hope the original poster doesn't mind, but I wanted to share.





I thought these were great, interesting posts in other threads. Also, looking at their profits and sales, ROM is actually looks a lot more seasonal than you would imagine. They really ramp it up during the 4th quarter, so maybe it's not a long, intensive process after all?

That's pretty cool. Another thing this brings up, is that if they do use carts, they can eschew needing a harddrive, right? Or at least a really large one. The main purpose for HDDs in PS4 and XBO is to offload disc access times and store save content. Carts have always been faster than discs and later in the 16-bit era it was common for games to have battery back-up saves.

Not saying this means NX has to completely rid of the option for users to install HDDs or SSDs themselves, but on the initial offering this would save the system on upfront cost, which would help it out particularly against PS4 (not PS4K explicitly; I mean PS4 regular, which would still be the cheaper option but not that much cheaper by comparison to an NX w/o a HDD). And due to use of carts, it won't create the nightmare that HDD-less 360s eventually produced.

The whole "development pipeline" idea would be a complete waste that wouldn't add much. You'd still need to split development resources and use different assets, if we're talking about systems with completely different specs receiving different games. Wasting those resources to make a bunch of similar, but different, games for both consoles (like NSMB 2 vs NSMB Wii U, 3d Land vs 3d World, MK7 vs MK8) would take the development teams' time and resources and lead to Nintendo's usual droughts, especially with Nintendo having to deal with a handheld that likely would have significantly improved 3d capabilities in addition to an HD console on par or near the PS4.

Of course, Nintendo suffering from the same issues once again is a pretty realistic possibility. It's a problem that has been hitting them since the GCN, but I don't see how you can look at the hole that they've created for themselves and say that, yes, that's the route they should take. I guess there's the implication that if the NX has both mobile and console units, and they're actually the same system, we won't see a PS4 level leap with the console, and Nintendo's console hardware will stay behind, even if there are boosts like resolution and texture compared to the handheld versions (like a much bigger 3ds vs New 3ds situation). However, considering their current problems, I don't think a PS4 leap, at this point, in the middle of the generation, would help them at all. The time a hardware like that could have been useful for Nintendo was during the Wii U's launch, not now. Ports of current gen games available in much more established competitor consoles won't help Nintendo. People won't buy the console for them, and they likely won't sell either.

Launching in early 2017 also means missing the entire holiday season and the games there, making current gen ports even more worthless. Their excuse regarding the delay to 2017, about having enough games ready, also suggests that the launch won't be based on a bunch of current gen console ports.

That is one glistening hope from this disappointing news, I'll admit. Good points all around, but I wouldn't say the shared dev pipeline idea would be a waste of time. At this point for Nintendo, it's a necessity. And another thing is, devs have already been doing this in some way for years now. Just look at current multiplat dev between PC, PS4 and XBO. It's possible more now in a more manageable fashion because the architectures are more similar than ever before, and that's how I'm picturing NX will play out. Yes the handheld will be weaker, but it'll be more or less the same architecture as the home console.

Thanks to that, the teams wouldn't have to spend as much time to redundancy work. Meshes and rendering pipelines wouldn't need to be edited as heavily, saving time. Polygon budgets wouldn't need too much working around, etc. Arguably they've probably been doing this already for some time, like other devs, and more specifically have been fine-tuning the approach with Wii U and 3DS. But maybe this talk of theirs is also in relation to logistical aspects of studio development culture that isn't of interest to most gamers and that, honestly, I'm not privy to as I don't work at a gaming company myself (sadly :( ).
 

Not

Banned
Doesn't it? Twilight Princess was on the GCN and Wii, both ended up with comparable specs. What's to assume the NX wouldn't be much of a leap forward either? As far as the delay goes, might be due to some new control scheme, which we all know is very likely.

Imagine the game is mostly done and the delay has absolutely nothing to do with improving the quality of the NX version and just happened to sell more NXes. I can see it happening, too.

But I can also see it not happening. The Wii was still frankly underpowered when they ported TP to it, and if it turns out they want to show off the NX's graphical prowess, they may crank up the settings a bit. One can hope. Man, though, I have no idea what Nintendo's going to do. Ever.
 
Sounds like if there's a handheld it would come maybe holiday 2017 or later.

Or Nintendo expects the 3DS and NX handheld to co-exist. That would explain why the 3DS is rumored to be getting a price cut.

I think the real evidence is if one of Nintendo's internal teams makes a 3DS game this year. Most of the "revitalized" 3DS games are make by outside teams (HAL, Game Freak) or third parties.
 

MuchoMalo

Banned
Doesn't it? Twilight Princess was on the GCN and Wii, both ended up with comparable specs. What's to assume the NX wouldn't be much of a leap forward either? As far as the delay goes, might be due to some new control scheme, which we all know is very likely.

I don't think that's proof enough of anything. It's a big leap and goes against what we've heard so far (rumors of the games and ports coming to to, LCGeek and Emily Rodgers, Iwata and Kimishima saying that it's not just the new version of Wii U), especially if other ports are really planned. Smash wouldn't be ported for the sake of a gimmick, for example.

I'm just saying that it's not evidence of anything. It could just be overclocked Wii U with a new controller, sure, but Zelda being on both isn't evidence of that either way. Besides that, even if that were the case why would Square Enix bother considering DQXI for an overclocked Wii U but not the original Wii U? That makes no sense.

Just an update on the thread about that rumor. I got a response and starting a thread on it is a no go. If the original person (who I did PM too!) wants to contact a mod for verification and go through that route, that'd be the only real way. As for now, probably best not to do a thread for it currently!

Also, regarding cartridges and Macronix and such, I hope the original poster doesn't mind, but I wanted to share.





I thought these were great, interesting posts in other threads. Also, looking at their profits and sales, ROM is actually looks a lot more seasonal than you would imagine. They really ramp it up during the 4th quarter, so maybe it's not a long, intensive process after all?

32GB still isn't enough unless the "no game installs" dream is dead or Nintendo's willing to isolate third-parties due to cartridges a second time.
 

ultrazilla

Gold Member
Maybe it's been hiding in plain sight the whole time. When everyone went into
an up roar over NX not being at E3 I remembered that Nintendo has apparently
been working on a handheld successor to the 3DS that may or may not tie in with
the NX home console.

So while Nintendo said NX wouldn't be there, that doesn't prevent them from bringing
their new handheld system to debut at the show!

There was a lot of talk with Nintendo launching NX in 2016. Maybe those whispers were right.....for the hand held!

Can you imagine Reggie coming on stage and saying "sorry that we're not able to show you the NX console just yet but we do want to show you this!" He reaches into his coat
pocket and pulls out a slick looking handheld and says "our new portable game system the Nintendo Xtreme!" MEGATON. He goes on to say the system will be playable on the show floor and will release world wide this holiday season.

I just think Nintendo *has* to have something else up their sleeves for E3 instead of just Wii U Zelda.

So I'll throw my hat into the ring and go with Nintendo making a shock debut for their new handheld at E3.
 
There was a lot of talk with Nintendo launching NX in 2016. Maybe those whispers were right.....for the hand held!

I think you're right that they will have something else in store for E3 than just Zelda. Hell, it's possible that some of the backlash they've gotten may lead to them revising their plans. I doubt it because Nintendo is pretty stubborn (I don't really mean that in a negative way toward the company, but they do what they do), but this is the point where they're trying to change up and retake more of the market. The mobile stuff and MyNintendo was just the start of it, so I can definitely see them having something else at E3 besides Zelda.

I don't think they're going to show the NX, but it's possible that they show off something related to it. As you said, maybe they show the handheld component (if that even pans out to have any truth behind it) but I think when they say they're not showing the NX, they're not showing the NX. But... something.
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
Maybe it's been hiding in plain sight the whole time. When everyone went into
an up roar over NX not being at E3 I remembered that Nintendo has apparently
been working on a handheld successor to the 3DS that may or may not tie in with
the NX home console.

So while Nintendo said NX wouldn't be there, that doesn't prevent them from bringing
their new handheld system to debut at the show!

There was a lot of talk with Nintendo launching NX in 2016. Maybe those whispers were right.....for the hand held!

Can you imagine Reggie coming on stage and saying "sorry that we're not able to show you the NX console just yet but we do want to show you this!" He reaches into his coat
pocket and pulls out a slick looking handheld and says "our new portable game system the Nintendo Xtreme!" MEGATON. He goes on to say the system will be playable on the show floor and will release world wide this holiday season.

I just think Nintendo *has* to have something else up their sleeves for E3 instead of just Wii U Zelda.

So I'll throw my hat into the ring and go with Nintendo making a shock debut for their new handheld at E3.

Talking about not paying attention to anything but dreams.

Nintendo doubled down on 3ds in the financial estimations for the next year. Confirmed again in Q&A.
 

Eradicate

Member
That's pretty cool. Another thing this brings up, is that if they do use carts, they can eschew needing a harddrive, right? Or at least a really large one. The main purpose for HDDs in PS4 and XBO is to offload disc access times and store save content. Carts have always been faster than discs and later in the 16-bit era it was common for games to have battery back-up saves.

Not saying this means NX has to completely rid of the option for users to install HDDs or SSDs themselves, but on the initial offering this would save the system on upfront cost, which would help it out particularly against PS4 (not PS4K explicitly; I mean PS4 regular, which would still be the cheaper option but not that much cheaper by comparison to an NX w/o a HDD). And due to use of carts, it won't create the nightmare that HDD-less 360s eventually produced.

Exactly! It's a great scenario if true! Doing all those large game installs really is just "carting it" in a different way. But, it's not ideal when you could, in fact, contain the whole game (or at least the vast majority of the base game) on the cartridge itself and run it right off of that the whole time! They would only really need a very small SSD for the OS and other things and just provide users the choice to buy and use whatever external hard drive solution and size they wanted. Seems the best option!

32GB still isn't enough unless the "no game installs" dream is dead or Nintendo's willing to isolate third-parties due to cartridges a second time.

Well, I don't know about the whole "no game installs" primarily. Again, I think they'd just let people use whatever hard drive they wanted, if they wanted. And I don't really agree that it'd be particularly isolating. Many outside parties are using carts right now anyways...with the handheld! It's not really a big leap or anything like that!

And as far as game sizes, 32 GB is perfectly respectable. For comparison for full game size installations for some major PS4 games found online, just A and B as I'm pressed for time:

Alien: Isolation - 17.28 GB
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - 19.22 GB
Battlefield 4 - 31.57 GB
Bloodborne - 25.32 GB

Many games are far less. Now, there are games that are larger and "day one" patches can be quite large for no real good reason...but again, nothing is precluding or assuming that Nintendo was going fully "hard drive-less" anyway. If anything, they have patents for just using a hard drive and care far more about getting rid of optical disk drives, actually. They could still have the bulk of a game's core be on a cartridge with updates going to the hard drive. Or, people can just go all digital with it like many are doing more and more.

I just think we're a ways away from seeing 32 GB being severely limiting for game developers! By that time, they may have 128 GB cartridges common anyways! It'll all keep up if demand is there!

Has anyone seen this?

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20...ng_to_do_says_nintendo_boss_tatsumi_kimishima

Apparently, the English translation of the Investor Q&A hasn't been posted, but Cheesemeister3k posted a summary of some key points. I did a search for a thread, but found nothing. Thread worthy? If so, can someone make the thread? I'm on mobile and having trouble copying and pasting text from the site.

Awesome, thanks! Was waiting for this! No idea if a thread got done or not for it! Maybe once the English one comes out it'll happen! It definitely seems they want the NX to be a long term thing, which goes in with that iOS/Android sort of idea that's been floating around!

I think you're right that they will have something else in store for E3 than just Zelda. Hell, it's possible that some of the backlash they've gotten may lead to them revising their plans. I doubt it because Nintendo is pretty stubborn (I don't really mean that in a negative way toward the company, but they do what they do), but this is the point where they're trying to change up and retake more of the market. The mobile stuff and MyNintendo was just the start of it, so I can definitely see them having something else at E3 besides Zelda.

I don't think they're going to show the NX, but it's possible that they show off something related to it. As you said, maybe they show the handheld component (if that even pans out to have any truth behind it) but I think when they say they're not showing the NX, they're not showing the NX. But... something.

Who knows with them anymore!

Has Nintendo ever revealed major hardware WITHOUT announcing it beforehand at E3 or anything, not even for their investors or otherwise? I'm not up well enough on their release history to know. It seems wild to think, but what do I know?! I'm still waiting for that PDF release they normally do! Old fashioned simplicity!
 

Eradicate

Member
Get ready for disappointment.

F_pI1B.gif
 
Exactly! It's a great scenario if true! Doing all those large game installs really is just "carting it" in a different way. But, it's not ideal when you could, in fact, contain the whole game (or at least the vast majority of the base game) on the cartridge itself and run it right off of that the whole time! They would only really need a very small SSD for the OS and other things and just provide users the choice to buy and use whatever external hard drive solution and size they wanted. Seems the best option!



Well, I don't know about the whole "no game installs" primarily. Again, I think they'd just let people use whatever hard drive they wanted, if they wanted. And I don't really agree that it'd be particularly isolating. Many outside parties are using carts right now anyways...with the handheld! It's not really a big leap or anything like that!

Not even a small SSD or HDD, even. PC's store their BIOS (well, nowadays it's EFI) on FlashROM. Depending on how they set the OS up (and how lightweight it is), they could just use a larger flash ROM for it.

Of course, if that isn't feasible, they could just maybe do a combination of flash ROM and a SD card. Would be more affordable than HDDs or SSDs and pretty much as fast as SSDs.
 

AmyS

Member
As far as handhelds, I'm glad that the home console seems to be coming first.

Because I just hope 3DS is supported in North America long enough so that there's a chance we get an English translation / domestic release of this game:

dragon quest XI
egyVXhp.gif



While PS4 and NX should both have:

dragon quest XI
a3BRL1C.gif



SE and Nintendo seem to be on a roll with releasing DQ games in the west, I hope this climate lasts so that the 3DS version of DQ11 isn't passed on, but wouldn't expect it until 2018 at the soonest.

Don't forget, translations of DQ VIIr and DQ VIII are coming this year.
 

Anarky

Banned
I was thinking. If the NX is a shared library then how will DQ 11 work with that? Like would the handheld NX get the 3ds version or would it be the console version but scaled down for handheld?
 

Eolz

Member
I can easily see HD DQXI coming out only next year while S-E releases 3DQXI this fall.
Would work for the anniversary, and would be better both for HD DQXI (delayed sales), the 3DS one, and FFXV.

for post above, the handheld could probably get a scaled down version, but I doubt it'll get DQXI anyway (apart from BC if possible).
 
I was thinking. If the NX is a shared library then how will DQ 11 work with that? Like would the handheld NX get the 3ds version or would it be the console version but scaled down for handheld?

The PS4 version makes more sense. If the 3DS version is already accessible to Nintendo players then porting it would be redundant.

Meanwhile the PS4 version is more expensive to develop and the market for it in Japan is kind of iffy, so porting it over will likely ensure a better return on investments.

cf post above:
I can easily see HD DQXI coming out only next year while S-E releases 3DQXI this fall.
Would work for the anniversary, and would be better both for HD DQXI (delayed sales), the 3DS one, and FFXV.

That would make a lot of sense, actually.
 

Asd202

Member
In terms of home console NX DQ XI won't even be that big because of PS4 version which will be bigger because of install base. The handheld version is another story. I'm talking about Japan.
 

Eolz

Member
In terms of home console NX DQ XI won't even be that big because of PS4 version which will be bigger because of install base. The handheld version is another story. I'm talking about Japan.

Both will be relatively big for a console JRPG in Japan nowadays. Obviously both won't be even close to the 3DS version.
Just saying that it might be in S-E's best interest to delay this one a little bit, and the NX launch is really the last reason amongst those.
 

FyreWulff

Member
In terms of home console NX DQ XI won't even be that big because of PS4 version which will be bigger because of install base. The handheld version is another story. I'm talking about Japan.

Won't be that hard to outsell the PS4 in Japan. Even the Wii U has a larger install base than the PS4 there.
 
In terms of home console NX DQ XI won't even be that big because of PS4 version which will be bigger because of install base. The handheld version is another story. I'm talking about Japan.

If NX does have a shared library to some extent and Dragon Quest XI is coming to it, having the PS4 version on a handheld would be a big plus to Japanese audiences. And the PS4's install base isn't too big in Japan to begin with. The Wii U is roughly around the same size last i checked, though PS4 is catching up (I think?)
 

Asd202

Member
Won't be that hard to outsell the PS4 in Japan. Even the Wii U has a larger install base than the PS4 there.

Well yeah Wii U if far longer on the market. This year PS4 will pass it sales wise. Overall though home console is a niche product in Japan at this point.

If NX does have a shared library to some extent and Dragon Quest XI is coming to it, having the PS4 version on a handheld would be a big plus to Japanese audiences. And the PS4's install base isn't too big in Japan to begin with. The Wii U is roughly around the same size last i checked, though PS4 is catching up (I think?)

I don't know about the share library thing but it's obvious there's a big diffrence between DQ XI on a handheld compared to home console it definitely won't be a cross-buy. Also Wii U userbase is not really active while PS4 is seeing steady sales hardware and software wise. There's also much bigger JRPG following on PS4 compared to NX thanks to Tales of, Persona, KH, FF XV and FFVII Remake later. I have no doubt in Japan PS4 version of DQ XI will outsell the NX home console one. I really don't see NX doing much better than PS4 is doing in Japanese market right now.
 
NX not being at E3 really hit me today. Again in my mind I got excited that we were just over 1 month from E3! Then I remembered NX wasn't going to be there and I got sad again. sigh.
 

ozfunghi

Member
NX not being at E3 really hit me today. Again in my mind I got excited that we were just over 1 month from E3! Then I remembered NX wasn't going to be there and I got sad again. sigh.

Wishful thinking perhaps, but just getting confirmation of some interesting 3rd party games might make it less painful. Without further specific details of what such a version of a multiplat game might entail.

I'm crossing my fingers for a Deus Ex NX.
 

BY2K

Membero Americo
Wishful thinking perhaps, but just getting confirmation of some interesting 3rd party games might make it less painful. Without further specific details of what such a version of a multiplat game might entail.

I'm crossing my fingers for a Deus Ex NX.

I wouldn't hold my breath.

Unless maybe if there's a GOTY Edition at some point. Or another Director's Cut.
 

Vena

Member
I just think Nintendo *has* to have something else up their sleeves for E3 instead of just Wii U Zelda.

Probably had something of a plan, but its pretty obvious that things changes rather recently and unexpectedly, so its more like let's see what they can throw together.
 

Shikamaru Ninja

任天堂 の 忍者
I think Nintendo will pull out at least a remaster from one of their western contract studios for the Fall. Basically they may be able to muster 1-2 Fall games that may resonate with their core niche, but not be exactly E3 show floor material.

Summer - Paper Mario
Fall - GameCube / Wii Remaster
 

Vena

Member
I think Nintendo will pull out at least a remaster from one of their western contract studios for the Fall. Basically they may be able to muster 1-2 Fall games that may resonate with their core niche, but not be exactly E3 show floor material.

Summer - Paper Mario
Fall - GameCube / Wii Remaster

Remaster the two Fire Emblems into a single package!
 

AniHawk

Member
I think Nintendo will pull out at least a remaster from one of their western contract studios for the Fall. Basically they may be able to muster 1-2 Fall games that may resonate with their core niche, but not be exactly E3 show floor material.

Summer - Paper Mario
Fall - GameCube / Wii Remaster

super mario 3d all-stars

sm64, sms, smg, smg2, and sm3dl redone in the super mario 3d art style/assets
 

Pancake Mix

Copied someone else's pancake recipe
As far as handhelds, I'm glad that the home console seems to be coming first.

Because I just hope 3DS is supported in North America long enough so that there's a chance we get an English translation / domestic release of this game:

Seems pretty unrealistic, when would that be ready for a Western release exactly, 2018? Dragon Quest VIII 3DS might be pushed back to early 2017 as it is. We'll see, but you might need to move on to PS4 (or it appears NX given they already let it slip). Let's wait and see.

thumbsup.gif


I'm not just saying that because I'd rather play the PS4/console NX version myself, but Square Enix localized exactly zero DQ titles on 3DS before some kind of distribution or de facto publishing help from Nintendo, but what's in it for Nintendo to support the 3DS in 2018?
 

MuchoMalo

Banned
Exactly! It's a great scenario if true! Doing all those large game installs really is just "carting it" in a different way. But, it's not ideal when you could, in fact, contain the whole game (or at least the vast majority of the base game) on the cartridge itself and run it right off of that the whole time! They would only really need a very small SSD for the OS and other things and just provide users the choice to buy and use whatever external hard drive solution and size they wanted. Seems the best option!



Well, I don't know about the whole "no game installs" primarily. Again, I think they'd just let people use whatever hard drive they wanted, if they wanted. And I don't really agree that it'd be particularly isolating. Many outside parties are using carts right now anyways...with the handheld! It's not really a big leap or anything like that!

And as far as game sizes, 32 GB is perfectly respectable. For comparison for full game size installations for some major PS4 games found online, just A and B as I'm pressed for time:

Alien: Isolation - 17.28 GB
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - 19.22 GB
Battlefield 4 - 31.57 GB
Bloodborne - 25.32 GB

Many games are far less. Now, there are games that are larger and "day one" patches can be quite large for no real good reason...but again, nothing is precluding or assuming that Nintendo was going fully "hard drive-less" anyway. If anything, they have patents for just using a hard drive and care far more about getting rid of optical disk drives, actually. They could still have the bulk of a game's core be on a cartridge with updates going to the hard drive. Or, people can just go all digital with it like many are doing more and more.

I just think we're a ways away from seeing 32 GB being severely limiting for game developers! By that time, they may have 128 GB cartridges common anyways! It'll all keep up if demand is there!

Why don't you look at some more recent games so it doesn't seem like cherrypicking?

Either way, going for smaller HDDs wouldn't happen. For one, you still need a lot of space for DLC and patches (the cards are ROM, so these cannot be put anywhere except internal or external storage). More importantly, I will be beyond shocked if Nintendo doesn't make a huge digital push with NX. They'll want as many people to go digital only as possible, since that means higher profit margins. Going with a small amount of NAND just for the OS would be completely counter-intuitive to that strategy. And no, it's not as simple as just telling people to buy an external drive if they want because they want/need to actively encourage digital purchases. They need storage now more than ever no matter what they choose to do. At best, it means that they can get away with a 500GB HDD more easily. If I were them, I'd offer a core model with 64GB NAND + an empty 2.5" HDD slot for people with extras they can use, and a 64GB NAND + 500GB model for those that who don't.

Could AMD cut down a Polaris enough to make it portable friendly?

Sure. 2CUs @500MHz should do it.
 
I think Nintendo will pull out at least a remaster from one of their western contract studios for the Fall. Basically they may be able to muster 1-2 Fall games that may resonate with their core niche, but not be exactly E3 show floor material.

Summer - Paper Mario
Fall - GameCube / Wii Remaster

This seems like a super last minute change of plans, so I'm struggling to see how they could have a remaster ready to go unless it was already in development.
 

Shikamaru Ninja

任天堂 の 忍者
This seems like a super last minute change of plans, so I'm struggling to see how they could have a remaster ready to go unless it was already in development.

I mean they project things well before they announce them. I don't think these are last minute plans at all - but rather the time an official announcement took place.
 

ozfunghi

Member
I wouldn't hold my breath.

Unless maybe if there's a GOTY Edition at some point. Or another Director's Cut.

Not holding my breath, but the release schedules do line up pretty well. If NX turns out to be much easier to develop for, with a similar HW setup as PS4, a port could be very straightforward. They get a few extra months before the NX launches so they could use that to bring it to NX. The WiiU game got critical acclaim, though circumstances weren't in its favor. Very late port (not just a couple of months) on a small userbase. If the rumors about the FF games are true, DE should also be possible. Hell, they can have SR do the port this time too.

I'm really hoping it will. Together with Pikmin 3, DE:HR was my favorite WiiU game, and on the same level with games as the original Metroid Prime or RE4 in my book. And also the kind of game that should appeal to Nintendo fans, or at least, the same fans that liked games such as Metroid Prime. I think there's a lot of overlap in target audience. Adventure game, action, first person, science fiction... "not just" a FPS etc... In fact, it's a direction i hoped Retro's new game would take.
 

jdstorm

Banned
At this point, maybe it's safe to say online Mario Party isn't something Nintendo ever wants to do?

It would be such a great money maker though. Make customers buy an Amibo to be able to use that character online. Then charge for online like Sony and Microsoft.
 

clem84

Gold Member
Won't it be the first time in history that a major console launches in March in the US? Color me skeptical...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom