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IHS: Nintendo portable NX console to launch this year

What is one practical reason Nintendo should go one screen over two? You can't say because one will look better because they can toss two 540p screens in the and make it the same set up as 3ds. What are the gaming advantages of Vita over 3DS? Because last time I checked, I play just as complex and fun games on my 3ds as I do my vita.

I personally have no problem with two screens, but IF the handheld and console do in fact share games (popular theory), it would make sense for those games to be formatted to a single screen.

ETA: Unless there's a second screen on the console controller, which is possible.
 
D

Deleted member 74300

Unconfirmed Member
Please just have one screen. No more of this gimmick crap.

tumblr_m9bm5eYee71qdrpdr.jpg

Can we at least have something to close so it protects the screen? By far the best thing Nintendo has ever done for it's portables.
 

jorgejjvr

Gold Member
How is two screen a gimmick?

It works and it is extremely convenient. Like how I have the map and all the items I need in monster Hunter on my button screen.

It only helps

People call everything a gimmick
 

orioto

Good Art™
I hope that time they have the great idea of not having the tactile screen (i think they should keep the ds form factor cause it's really important in japan) proportionally as big as the top screen. You don't need the bottom screen to be that big on the xl, AND it would give you a bigger place for buttons and sticks, and a way better ergonomics.
 

TheJoRu

Member
Can we at least have something to close so it protects the screen? By far the best thing Nintendo has ever done for it's portables.

I could see them having these kinds of covers or flips that smart phones have.

Samsung_Shows_Off_Smartphone_With_Leather_Flip_Cover_1.jpg


Removable and customizable, of course, like the faceplates on n3DS.
 

Cheebo

Banned
How is two screen a gimmick?

It works and it is extremely convenient. Like how I have the map and all the items I need in monster Hunter on my button screen.

It only helps

People call everything a gimmick
Because it's obvious games will be shared across the NX console version and handheld version. Same game compatible with both versions of the platform. How will the two screen NX handheld games also work exactly as is on the console one when the games are cross-compatible?

Some pushing for two screens seem to ignore this fact, the NX handheld isn't a superset platform like 3DS. It's like iPhone and iPad. Slighly different hardware, same software.
 

takriel

Member
A one-screen handheld is a step back, I can't see this as something positive.

Bring on the three screens, Nintendo!
 
I hope that time they have the great idea of not having the tactile screen (i think they should keep the ds form factor cause it's really important in japan) proportionally as big as the top screen. You don't need the bottom screen to be that big on the xl, AND it would give you a bigger place for buttons and sticks, and a way better ergonomics.

That's basically the free form display Nintendo is using from Sharp, which also has ultra-thin bezels. Imagine a screen that stretches from side to side of the device, with cut-outs over where the sticks and buttons usually are. So it's wider than 16:9 (or 5:3 on 3DS), but you've got all this space around the buttons that's actually touch sensitive and a screen.

This makes for a flexible set-up where the best developers can bring the buttons and D-Pad to life via an interface, tutorial or gameplay elements that point to them and engage with them in real-time, or they could place touch sensitive buttons or actions that easily reachable from your thumbs (e.g. you could comfortable control an in-game camera via swipes). Or they could place HUD elements away from the main viewing area where a traditional screen lies.

And for lazy/resource limited/time limited developers, they can just extend the field of view for their game and claim it improves immersion. It's really flexible.

If there's one legacy the NX handheld will leave it'll be in bringing buttons and D-Pads to life, rather than them being these non-interactive thing off the screen. Should also be good at making these button controls feel natural to a new generation of players in Japan who might start playing on a touch-only smartphone or tablet.
 

orioto

Good Art™
Because it's obvious games will be shared across the NX console version and handheld version. Same game compatible with both versions of the platform. How will the two screen NX handheld ga,Es also work exactly as is on the cons Or one when the games are cross-compatibile?

With a small tactile screen on the home pad ?? That's really not complicated. Not something big like the WiU gamepad. Just the equivalent of the small 3ds one.
 
I could see them having these kinds of covers or flips that smart phones have.

Samsung_Shows_Off_Smartphone_With_Leather_Flip_Cover_1.jpg


Removable and customizable, of course, like the faceplates on n3DS.

I'd definitely like this, with a magnetic detachable face cover like you see on tablets like the Nvidia shield etc.
 
D

Deleted member 74300

Unconfirmed Member
I could see them having these kinds of covers or flips that smart phones have.


Removable and customizable, of course, like the faceplates on n3DS.

Hire this man Nintendo.
 
Because it's obvious games will be shared across the NX console version and handheld version. Same game compatible with both versions of the platform. How will the two screen NX handheld games also work exactly as is on the console one when the games are cross-compatible?

Some pushing for two screens seem to ignore this fact, the NX handheld isn't a superset platform like 3DS. It's like iPhone and iPad. Slighly different hardware, same software.

Your TV is your main screen and your secondary device whether NX handheld or mobile phone is your second screen. I don't really mind two screens, but the 3D I could care less about.
 

Cheebo

Banned
With a small tactile screen on the home pad ?? That's really not complicated. Not something big like the WiU gamepad. Just the equivalent of the small 3ds one.
The WiiU was a colossal failure. They aren't going to anything to remind users of WiiU at all. Another controller with a screen is not happening. No chance.
 
Your TV is your main screen and your secondary device whether NX handheld or mobile phone is your second screen. I don't really mind two screens, but the 3D I could care less about.

That doesn't really work in practice, as a second screen in your hands becomes a secondary, separate place, rather than an extension to the main gameplay screen (this is why Wii U doesn't replicate DS/3DS experiences).

Though you might be referring to setting that second screen away from you, on a stand, like the Pikmin 3 Wii Remote + Nunchuk + GamePad setup?
 

Peru

Member
The WiiU was a colossal failure. They aren't going to anything to remind users of WiiU at all. Another controller with a screen is not happening. No chance.

I hope the NX handheld can be used as a controller for the NX console if only because of Mario Maker.
 

Cheebo

Banned
Your TV is your main screen and your secondary device whether NX handheld or mobile phone is your second screen. I don't really mind two screens, but the 3D I could care less about.
They won't make it so the console NX requires the handheld or smartphone to play the games. Would be like if the iPad required you to own a iPhone. That would greatly limit its potential user base dramatically. Kids don't all have cellphones. Not everyone will make sure to buy multiple versions of the hardware.


The one thing we know about NX with near certainty is that it will work like iOS or Android, in that we will have multiple hardware devices that run the exact same software. How we have iPhones, iPads, and Apple TV's all running the same games and apps. Or Android phones, tables, and android set-top boxes all running the same apps. One version of NX can't have two screens and one does not yet run the same software. That is the big thing that makes the handheld edition having a second screen highly, highly, unlikely. Same reason why there is absolutely 0% chance it will be backwards compatible with 3DS or DS.
 

orioto

Good Art™
The WiiU was a colossal failure. They aren't going to anything to remind users of WiiU at all. Another controller with a screen is not happening. No chance.

They are not that dumb. A tactile screen is very useful. They just have to give the pad a .. pad form factor, and not communicate on the screen like it's a gamepad.
 

Tregard

Soothsayer
You can put me in the single screen camp. One hi-res screen > two low res screens

Yeah the second screen never felt all that essential to anything I played on 3DS, hopefully they drop it for one screen.

Also, I don't think they'll leave that big a gap between the handheld launch and the console launch, I could see them pitching the handheld launch as just "The first part of the NX launch", or something like that.

We need a direct.
 

Neoxon

Junior Member
The WiiU was a colossal failure. They aren't going to anything to remind users of WiiU at all. Another controller with a screen is not happening. No chance.
Nintendo did patent that free-form display for use in their console controllers & handhelds. Plus the likes of Splatoon & Super Mario Maker kinda need some form of touch screen to play as well as they did on the Wii U.

With that said, I don't think the NX Handheld will have two screens, mainly to keep control parity with the NX Console. As for 3DS & DS games, they could be Virtual Console games that you could play on the NX Console, but I don't expect backwards compatibility for either the 3DS or the Wii U (for the NX Handheld & the NX Console respectively).
 

trixx

Member
Why backwards compatibility? Ditch that ds architecture you can buy a 3ds for $99 or less.

They also have ds virtual console games now, which hopefully they'll support. Seriously ditch backwards compatibility and put out some decent hardware.
 

Neoxon

Junior Member
Why backwards compatibility? Ditch that ds architecture you can buy a 3ds for $99 or less.

They also have ds virtual console games now, which hopefully they'll support. Seriously ditch backwards compatibility and put out some decent hardware.
They probably won't ditch the DS architecture since ARM works pretty well for both handhelds & consoles (something that can't be said as much for x86).
 
That doesn't really work in practice, as a second screen in your hands becomes a secondary, separate place, rather than an extension to the main gameplay screen (this is why Wii U doesn't replicate DS/3DS experiences).

Though you might be referring to setting that second screen away from you, on a stand, like the Pikmin 3 Wii Remote + Nunchuk + GamePad setup?

No I was thinking more like the Wii-U game pad. I never owned a Wii-u though so perhaps I'm unqualified to weigh in on this.
 

orioto

Good Art™
Nintendo did patent that free-form display for use in their console controllers & handhelds. Plus the likes of Splatoon & Super Mario Maker kinda need some form of touch screen to play as well as they did on the Wii U.

With that said, I don't think the NX Handheld will have two screens, mainly to keep control parity with the NX Console. As for 3DS & DS games, they could be Virtual Console games that you could play on the NX Console, but I don't expect backwards compatibility for either the 3DS or the Wii U (for the NX Handheld & the NX Console respectively).

Actually you're right about the first thing. Mario maker is a thing now and there will be other iterations, and Nintendo wants their home console to be closer to their portable, so there will be some sort of screen in the pad i think. Again this is not an issue as long as the screen is small and the pad doesn't look like a tablet.
 

Griss

Member
I could see them having these kinds of covers or flips that smart phones have.

Samsung_Shows_Off_Smartphone_With_Leather_Flip_Cover_1.jpg


Removable and customizable, of course, like the faceplates on n3DS.

If it's not a clamshell, then I've always thought this would be a necessity. One of the greatest advantages of the clamshell has always been that it makes the device sturdy and protects the screen - important when many of the users are children. Therefore a non-clamshell would need something like this.

I'd have a lengthways, detachable magnetic cover, and if you can sell customized ones all the better.

I'm against dual-screen but not necessarily against the clamshell. If you had a clamshell device with a touchpad where the touchscreen is on the 3DS I think that would be a really cool idea. Allows the same kind of gameplay but removes the expense of the fairly useless second screen.
 

ElTorro

I wanted to dominate the living room. Then I took an ESRAM in the knee.
I could see them having these kinds of covers or flips that smart phones have.

Samsung_Shows_Off_Smartphone_With_Leather_Flip_Cover_1.jpg


Removable and customizable, of course, like the faceplates on n3DS.

It might be hard to combine such a cover with analogue sticks.
 

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
Because it's obvious games will be shared across the NX console version and handheld version. Same game compatible with both versions of the platform. How will the two screen NX handheld games also work exactly as is on the console one when the games are cross-compatible?

Some pushing for two screens seem to ignore this fact, the NX handheld isn't a superset platform like 3DS. It's like iPhone and iPad. Slighly different hardware, same software.

Obviously the games won't be 100% identical across platforms. They will be tailored to the screens and inputs of each machine, it's just that during development the shared architecture will make development much simpler. Instead of developing for two different architectures they develop on one and make tweaks to each version.

A theoretical Pikmin game could use stylus control on the handheld and Wii style pointing on the console, but the actual game content would be the same and support cross platform saves.
 

Griss

Member
there's a pretty good chance actually. in fact it's almost a foregone conclusion at this point.

How do we know that image is not just the handheld? Why are you assuming it's the controller? Did I miss something? (Not being snarky, honest question.)
 

AmyS

Member
I'm in the 1 screen NX handheld / portable camp. I'm pretty sure they're going to break with the DS / 3DS lines and branding.

At least that doesn't automatically rule out stereoscopic 3D, something I hope stays, at least with one version of portable NX.

As for power, I see no problem it having easily 2x more power than Vita. Especially when you consider the often-quoted 51 Gflops number doesn't take into account the fairly recent light shed on Vita's clockspeeds, lower than first thought.
 

phanphare

Banned
How do we know that image is not just the handheld? Why are you assuming it's the controller? Did I miss something? (Not being snarky, honest question.)

it could very well be the handheld but I think it's more likely to be for the console controller personally
 

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
I'm in the 1 screen NX handheld / portable camp. I'm pretty sure they're going to break with the DS / 3DS lines and branding.

At least that doesn't automatically rule out stereoscopic 3D, something I hope stays, at least with one version of portable NX.

How would they sell DS/3DS software without a dual screen platform? Side by side on one screen would be a dreadful compromise.
 
I'm in the 1 screen NX handheld / portable camp. I'm pretty sure they're going to break with the DS / 3DS lines and branding.

At least that doesn't automatically rule out stereoscopic 3D, something I hope stays, at least with one version of portable NX.

Keeping 3d and getting rid of dual screens would be a impressive 1-2 combo of bad decisions.
 

KAL2006

Banned
They should not ditch backwards compatability. 3DS BC would be extremely appealing especially for gamers coming off from 3DS to the new system. Also if they go for ARM architecture this should be easy to do. As for console NX not being in line with handheld. I have this theory that the controller for NX Console will have a small screen.

The can also make 3DS games playable on NX home Console which would be appealing to have 3DS games playable on the big screen.
 

Jackano

Member
This doesn't make any sense.

"Nintendo is expected to launch NX handheld this year"
because
"Analyst says there will a small recovery in shipments of flat-panel displays"
because
"Nintendo is expected to launch NX handheld this year"

Why is this analyst believing "Nintendo is expected to launch NX handheld this year" in the first place?
This are just the same case of guesstimate, based on our own speculations, of a so-called analyst, that led us to mock Pachter during the Wii era.
 
Ehh...not really trying to buy a portable. If this thing is a hybrid that uses cartridges in both formats I'll probably just stock up on the games until the console releases.
 

ElTorro

I wanted to dominate the living room. Then I took an ESRAM in the knee.
How would they sell DS/3DS software without a dual screen platform? Side by side on one screen would be a dreadful compromise.

In theory they could use one big screen like they are already doing it on the 2DS. (The 2DS just overlays a plastic frame to give the illusion of two screens.) The result would look like this:

LqsJsgd.png


But I do not think that this is likely at all.
 
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