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[Taker666]

I completely agree.
Pursuing Western 3rd Parties and Multimedia would be a futile exercise.

I wouldn't say that. Nintendo should really try to do everything they can to get back some EA support ..with mainstream things like FIFA/Madden/Star Wars at least.

It's one to miss out on big gaming franchises like COD and GTA... but losing all the sports games and big licensed titles is even more damaging.

There are things Nintendo can do to win back 3rd party support without having to pay. Waiving license fees for certain key titles/ giving free use of their characters for key titles etc.

 

[Partition]

the NX also needs to take a serious approach at online. No more Miis and Plazas and complicated menus... I think getting the online aspect right is just as important as the specs of the system itself

 

[Sandfox]

the NX also needs to take a serious approach at online. No more Miis and Plazas and complicated menus... I think getting the online aspect right is just as important as the specs of the system itself

I don't really think that requires the removal of things like Miis and Plazas.

 

[goomba]

I also beleive the NX will offer a new type of gaming experience. Nintendo even said themselves that it will be based on a "new concept".

A ps4/xbone like console would do worse than wii u imo. Nintendo have to differentiate themselves and to do so they will take a huge risk again because who actually wants a third console offering nothing new?

 

[Mr. MondayNight]

Because the Gamepad totally made the Wii U a success! They got lucky with the Wii because they took a relatively simple concept (motion controlled games) and made them available for the mass market - something that appealed to everyone. Just because the Wiimote gimmick was a success doesn't mean future Nintendo gimmicks will strike the same gold (Gamepad that you mentioned proves this).

The Gamecube's problem was the birth of the biggest issue Nintendo faces today: lack of western AAA games and third party support. You had games like Halo which was a massive success for the Xbox and birthed the FPS genre, while Nintendo was pushing.... Wind Waker, for example. Nintendo giving no answers to the FPS trend back then began the start their "kiddie/casual" image that led more people to the PS2 and Xbox. You're trying to draw an analogy that their powerful consoles lead to less success, but it's not well founded. Their problem was and always will be going forward the games. They will not get the 3rd party support they need if they don't release a console as powerful as the current generation that's easy to port to (i.e. lack of complicated gimmicky features). Plain and simple. There is no recapturing the gimmick loving casual market they desire as mobile has them locked up.

1. Every console has a gimmick can we please stop using that word as a negative.
2.Halo birthed the FPS genre? Lol no. Did it make online play popular yes, but birthed it? I don't think so.
3. The reaction Wind Waker got showed me one thing, that people will judge anything before they even try it, and most of the anger was backlash from the Space world Zelda video that people we expecting the game to look like and we got Celda.
4. Those casuals that you're talking about are the same people who will go out and buy anything if it's popular enough mobile doesn't have them "locked up" it just has them complacent for now and waiting for the next big thing, and everyone is going to, and is feeling the withdrawal of the casual market not just Nintendo they are just taking the biggest and immediate effects of it right now.

 

[TanookiTom]

I also beleive the NX will offer a new type of gsming experience. Nintendo even said it will be based on a "new concept".

A ps4/xbone like console would do worse than wii u imo. Nintendo have to differentiate themselves and to do so they will take a huge risk again and we should encourage it because who actually wants a third console offering nothing new?

Exactly.

the NX also needs to take a serious approach at online. No more Miis and Plazas and complicated menus... I think getting the online aspect right is just as important as the specs of the system itself

I feel like you don't really get that Miis, the Miiverse etc. are what Nintendo really is about and what sets them apart. If we continue down your line of thinking Nintendo should just make games for the PS4 and the Xbone. You have a modern, streamlined hardware right there with great 3rd party support and modern online-infrastructure. If you want Nintendo to just recreate that, why even bother creating their own hardware?

I do want them to strive for something new, because Nintendo has been responsible for some of the greatest innovations in the gaming industry, and they offer great playful alternatives, such as Miis, the Miiverse and other such "gimmicks" which are part of their whole playful spirit.

 

[Mr. MondayNight]

I also beleive the NX will offer a new type of gaming experience. Nintendo even said themselves that it will be based on a "new concept".

A ps4/xbone like console would do worse than wii u imo. Nintendo have to differentiate themselves and to do so they will take a huge risk again because who actually wants a third console offering nothing new?

People who will look at the NX and say my (insert console name here) can do that why do I need an NX are the ones that are asking for a PS4/Xbone clone, I look forward to the ideas and "gimmicks" Nintendo tries because it gives me a new way to play some of my favorite franchises.

 

[Jackano]

I wouldn't say that. Nintendo should really try to do everything they can to get back some EA support ..with mainstream things like FIFA/Madden/Star Wars at least.

It's one to miss out on big gaming franchises like COD and GTA... but losing all the sports games and big licensed titles is even more damaging.

I've same point of view than PdotMichael on this, first thing first:

But releasing another console outside of the production flow of all kinds of third parties doesn't help Nintendo.

It's not about Nintendo losing its special snowflake image in the Nintendo core audience but providing the absolutely basics for a modern console.

Assuming the NX isn't an alienated system like the Wii U and developers are able to work with it within the same process than other hardwares, there is no reason to believe publishers will blacklist another pool of users just because it's been this way with Nintendo in the past.

"Pursuing" developers is another step. IMO, first thing is to come up with a clever, standard design (for today's industry) for the NX series. That is the worrying thing atm.

 

[Mr. MondayNight]

I've same point of view than PdotMichael on this, first thing first:



Assuming the NX isn't an alienated system like the Wii U and developers are able to work with it within the same process than other hardwares, there is no reason to believe publishers will blacklist another pool of users just because it's been this way with Nintendo in the past.

"Pursuing" developers is another step. IMO, first thing is to come up with a clever, standard design (for today's industry) for the NX series. That is the worrying thing atm.

As long as pursuing devs doesn't equate to having to pay out of pocket for every port I'm fine with this.

 

[TanookiTom]

Ha! Wii U launched 7 years after Xbox 360 and barely outperform that. Nintendo does what it wants we can only "HOPE" they learned their lesson. All I have ever asked for is another gamecube minimum please Nintendo another gamecube.

And why exactly would another Gamecube make sense from Nintendo's POV?

 

[Aostia]

And why exactly would another Gamecube make sense from Nintendo's POV?

well, for a portable/home hybrid concept, the main interesting key factor would be...THAT HANDLE!!!

 

[TanookiTom]

well, for a portable/home hybrid concept, the main interesting key factor would be...THAT HANDLE!!!

Hahaha, did anyone really ever used that btw.? ;-)

 

[EatChildren]

My often stupid dumb brain believes the "NX" branding will ultimately cover two platforms, a console and a handheld, with the aim of at least semi-unified software release while aiming primarily to cross parallels with the mobile market moreso than the high end market. While the latter would be nice from an enthusiast point of view, I'm not in the least bit convinced Nintendo is even considering re-entering a race they're already so far behind in and one dominated by two successful competitors. One that is also an expensive investment to compete in properly with great loss upon failure.

I feel Nintendo's main goal will be to cut down on expenditure split between portable and home console software development by unifying the markets; still providing each hardware platform with relative differences, but with much software available on both. This will go hand-in-hand with their attempt to break in indies and mobile development to bring their software to Nintendo hardware, while also keeping Nintendo's own mobile developed games usable on their own hardware. While also continuing to position their hardware (eg: home console) as an individual platform appealing within the market for its own merits and its own unique qualities instead of directly competing with competitors.

I base all of this on my Nintendo head canon.

 

[nubbe]

Hopefully it will be a Gamecube in the sense that the hardware is perfectly balanced
Not that they duct tape 16 of them together

and it will obviously have a twist... No one will give a shit about a third consoles that visually is in the same ballpark as the other two.

Waggle + Miiverse + ? = good stuff

 

[Aostia]

Hahaha, did anyone really ever used that btw.? ;-)

sometimes, bringing it to my PS2-centric friends

My often stupid dumb brain believes the "NX" branding will ultimately cover two platforms, a console and a handheld, with the aim of at least semi-unified software release while aiming primarily to cross parallels with the mobile market moreso than the high end market. While the latter would be nice from an enthusiast point of view, I'm not in the least bit convinced Nintendo is even considering re-entering a race they're already so far behind in and one dominated by two successful competitors. One that is also an expensive investment to compete in properly with great loss upon failure.

I feel Nintendo's main goal will be to cut down on expenditure split between portable and home console software development by unifying the markets; still providing each hardware platform with relative differences, but with much software available on both. This will go hand-in-hand with their attempt to break in indies and mobile development to bring their software to Nintendo hardware, while also keeping Nintendo's own mobile developed games usable on their own hardware. While also continuing to position their hardware (eg: home console) as an individual platform appealing within the market for its own merits and its own unique qualities instead of directly competing with competitors.

I base all of this on my Nintendo head canon.

I think this is pretty reasonable. I just hope I, as a GAF Nintendo consumer, will get some kind of advantage from this approach, compared to the suffering Nintendo library output (suffering from the lack of third parties), purchase policy (no subscription offers, no cross-buy and so on)

 

[Nostremitus]

Hahaha, did anyone really ever used that btw.? ;-)

I did... I took my GameCube to hangouts to play Capcom Vs SNK 2, Soul Calibur 2, etc...

 

[Mr. MondayNight]

My often stupid dumb brain believes the "NX" branding will ultimately cover two platforms, a console and a handheld, with the aim of at least semi-unified software release while aiming primarily to cross parallels with the mobile market moreso than the high end market. While the latter would be nice from an enthusiast point of view, I'm not in the least bit convinced Nintendo is even considering re-entering a race they're already so far behind in and one dominated by two successful competitors. One that is also an expensive investment to compete in properly with great loss upon failure.

I feel Nintendo's main goal will be to cut down on expenditure split between portable and home console software development by unifying the markets; still providing each hardware platform with relative differences, but with much software available on both. This will go hand-in-hand with their attempt to break in indies and mobile development to bring their software to Nintendo hardware, while also keeping Nintendo's own mobile developed games usable on their own hardware. While also continuing to position their hardware (eg: home console) as an individual platform appealing within the market for its own merits and its own unique qualities instead of directly competing with competitors.

I base all of this on my Nintendo head canon.

This has basically been what I've said to people when I would say that an ultra powerful Nintendo system is out of the question, the profits of the NX will make or break Nintendo and how they approach the console market in the future GameCube bombed and the Wii was a hit, Wii U bombed, NX who knows, but making a Nintendo branded PS4 isn't going to win them any new fans.

 

[E-phonk]

My often stupid dumb brain believes the "NX" branding will ultimately cover two platforms, a console and a handheld, with the aim of at least semi-unified software release while aiming primarily to cross parallels with the mobile market moreso than the high end market. While the latter would be nice from an enthusiast point of view, I'm not in the least bit convinced Nintendo is even considering re-entering a race they're already so far behind in and one dominated by two successful competitors. One that is also an expensive investment to compete in properly with great loss upon failure.

I feel Nintendo's main goal will be to cut down on expenditure split between portable and home console software development by unifying the markets; still providing each hardware platform with relative differences, but with much software available on both. This will go hand-in-hand with their attempt to break in indies and mobile development to bring their software to Nintendo hardware, while also keeping Nintendo's own mobile developed games usable on their own hardware. While also continuing to position their hardware (eg: home console) as an individual platform appealing within the market for its own merits and its own unique qualities instead of directly competing with competitors.

I base all of this on my Nintendo head canon.

Completely agree.

imo software wise nintendo will indeed do a bottom up approach (indies, mobile games) combined with a lot of first party software, crossovers with 3rd parties, japenese 3rd party software that is currently only on handhelds and mobile and trying to get EA etc to bring the likes of FIFA back.

 

[Hoo-doo]

Nintendo has pretty much already cemented the way that consumers view their products. Radically diverging from that strategy would be a net negative.
Consumers expect a low-barrier-of-entry, low-power, low-entry-price home console with a fun and innovative 'hook'. One that plays variations of all the classic Nintendo franchises they know and love and with an emphasis on family fun.

So I think they'll try again to make lightning strike twice with a console aimed at the masses. At this point even Nintendo should know that they can't win back the kind of userbase currently found with XB1 and PS4 so them making a generic Nintendo-branded PS4 with a generic controller is, to me, pretty much out of the question. They simply don't have the big third parties on board to keep that userbase satisfied.

So i'm thinking their 'NX' will be a home console with lightly spruced up Wii-U hardware capabilities, a low entry price, small footprint and a new engaging and innovative way to play that hopefully strikes the same chord as the Wii-Mote did back in 2006. Get those families on board, not just the 15-30 year olds.

 

[geordiemp]

This has basically been what I've said to people when I would say that an ultra powerful Nintendo system is out of the question, the profits of the NX will make or break Nintendo and how they approach the console market in the future GameCube bombed and the Wii was a hit, Wii U bombed, NX who knows, but making a Nintendo branded PS4 isn't going to win them any new fans.

My interest is the marketing standpoint,...I just dont think Nintendo is going after new fans.

If they have say 50,000 DS fans, and say 12,000 WiiU fans.....

Then having a unified NX system they want those 62,000 fans to buy both the console and the hand held (if software is cross platform).

Of course some will have both WiiU and 3DS, but imagine if they could entice every hand held player to continue their game progress when they get home...50 or 60,000 home consoles is well worth it.

So Nintendo are planning to sell more to their existing fans, rather than chase the multiplat gamer or the casual gamer is my opinion. They have started that trend already with Amiibo.

(numbers for illustration purposes only lol)

 

[magnumpy]

I'm always baffled by the amount of people who basically suggest that Nintendo make a third platform that is just like the PS4/Xbone but maybe slightly less/more powerful. What would be the winning strategy here? What would be the USP? The Nintendo IPs?

A market like this could be seen during the GC/PS2/Xbox Generation and it didn't work out for Nintendo, despite the fact that the GC had great 1st party games and a very decent 3rd party support (for a Nintendo system) and it was cheap too.

kind of true, but it also had the retarded small dvds that couldn't hold as much data as the competition. that was the reason it didn't get as much third party support as the competition.

 

[TunaLover]

Nintendo has never actively persued western third party support, the competence is pretty good making deals with other companies. If a third party is not convinced on your platform you reach it, offer a deal, marketing, incentives, whatever, Nintendo is extremely pasive in this regard.

 

[E-phonk]

but it also had the retarded small dvds that couldn't hold as much data as the competition. that was the reason it didn't get as much third party support as the competition.

No it wasn't. It was the reason nintendo lost customers because people wanted a dvd player that could play games, but not why they lost third parties.

It was PS2 being a juggernaut and having almost the entire japanese dev market for itself (+/-85% in a time where the japanese console market was very important) and MS having a console that was almost like a PC, with serious power and introducing an online gaming platform (Xbox Live) as a gamechanger. MS brought a lot of previous PC only devs into the console space, and it's the start of a shift towards western games (and the FPS as a major genre for consoles).

It was a hard generation with a big (financial) battle between marketleader sony and newcomer Microsoft who had a lot of money ready to enter the console market as an entry into the living room.

Gamecube got decent third party support btw, but indeed less than PS2 and Xbox. Also don't forget it's the generation where we lost a major first party console manufacturer (sega, although partly their own fault).

 

[thefro]

Nintendo has never actively persued western third party support, the competence is pretty good making deals with other companies. If a third party is not convinced on your platform you reach it, offer a deal, marketing, incentives, whatever, Nintendo is extremely pasive in this regard.

I'd say at least they actively pursued western third party support in the N64 days.

Obviously it's been different ever since Howard Lincoln left NOA.

 

[Neoxon]

Nintendo needs to go 'center of the home entertainment setup' route with NX....But do it much better than Wii U.

Play DVD and Blu-ray movies, media player, DLNA, etc. Nothing to do with specs. WiiU could've done these things but Nintendo didn't want to license DVD/BRD movie playback.

The web browser (which I understand was great from the start) and recently improved Netflix was a start. Miis & Miiverse have gotta go, and it will, given they're certain to drop the Wii-branding with NX.

A serious Nintendo Online network is key, though. But who would build it in the west? I don't know what DeNA could do outside of Japan. How might Nintendo find a way to raise the bar for themselves to rival Live and PSN ?

If Nintendo releases updated hardware more often, I agree every year would not work but maybe every 3-4 years. New games for 2020 hardware should work with the 2016 hardware. Software should always work with 1 generation back of previous hardware.

just some random thoughts.

the NX also needs to take a serious approach at online. No more Miis and Plazas and complicated menus... I think getting the online aspect right is just as important as the specs of the system itself

The Miis have pretty much transcended their link to the Wii, & their inclusion in Smash pretty much ensures that they aren't going anywhere. Plus Miiverse was one of the standout features of the Wii U (so much so that it was added to the 3DS family in later updates), so I doubt that Nintendo would just up & ditch it. And adding Blu-Ray & DVD support would just be an unnecessary cost since, not only is Nintendo supposedly moving away from a disc drive (which makes sense if they want a shared physical medium with the handheld), but also the fact that they'd have to deal with licensing fees.

Nintendo has pretty much already cemented the way that consumers view their products. Radically diverging from that strategy would be a net negative.
Consumers expect a low-barrier-of-entry, low-power, low-entry-price home console with a fun and innovative 'hook'. One that plays variations of all the classic Nintendo franchises they know and love and with an emphasis on family fun.

So I think they'll try again to make lightning strike twice with a console aimed at the masses. At this point even Nintendo should know that they can't win back the kind of userbase currently found with XB1 and PS4 so them making a generic Nintendo-branded PS4 with a generic controller is, to me, pretty much out of the question. They simply don't have the big third parties on board to keep that userbase satisfied.

So i'm thinking their 'NX' will be a home console with lightly spruced up Wii-U hardware capabilities, a low entry price, small footprint and a new engaging and innovative way to play that hopefully strikes the same chord as the Wii-Mote did back in 2006. Get those families on board, not just the 15-30 year olds.

We already know that the NX Console won't be intentionally weak (I.E. what you're describing). Likewise, there's too much evidence towards the NX being a platform with multiple SKUs rather than just one home console to just dismiss the idea. And besides, the casual audience have all since gone mobile.

 

[vagabondarts]

I'd say at least they actively pursued western third party support in the N64 days.

Obviously it's been different ever since Howard Lincoln left NOA.

Man, that's the absolute truth.

If they don't want to court EA, that's fine, but they need some kind of sports games for the people who choose to buy a Nintendo console and can only buy one.
Americans love sports games.

and no, Wii Sports doesn't count.

They don't even have to be licensed. Translate the Famista games

 

[Neoxon]

Man, that's the absolute truth.

If they don't want to court EA, that's fine, but they need some kind of sports games for the people who choose to buy a Nintendo console and can only buy one.
Americans love sports games.

and no, Wii Sports doesn't count.

Sports games tend to go to systems that sell. If the NX Platform proves itself at launch, said sports games will follow. The thing that Nintendo will have to court EA on is their other games, which I doubt will happen. Though I fear that mandatory support for the NX Handheld may be a deal-breaker, considering that EA has since abandoned handhelds.

 

[vagabondarts]

Sports games tend to go to systems that sell. If the NX Platform proves itself at launch, said sports games will follow. The thing that Nintendo will have to court EA on is their other games, which I doubt will happen. Though I fear that mandatory support for the NX Handheld may be a deal-breaker, considering that EA has since abandoned handhelds.

I'm not suggesting that a third party make these.... They need to find someone to make them for their platform as a Nintendo release. In NES and SNES and N64 days they just contracted them to be made for their platform. They were so important, It was unthinkable to not have them available.

My guess is they think that people only want the licensing and wouldn't care for an unlicensed sports game.

Maybe they have data that proves why pursuing that is ridiculous, but it's a glaring omission in their systems lineup.

 

[Jackano]

Sports games tend to go to systems that sell. If the NX Platform proves itself at launch, said sports games will follow. The thing that Nintendo will have to court EA on is their other games, which I doubt will happen. Though I fear that mandatory support for the NX Handheld may be a deal-breaker, considering that EA has since abandoned handhelds.

?
If NX is good/easy/similar to others enough to develop for, and sell decently, EA will be back there indeed.

But the fact the platform will be scalable down to the handheld form factor will not break the deal, on the contrary, there is more chances EA comes back to a handheld version of their games rather than not doing anything at all because of what, self-repulsion of handhelds? I'm not sure about your argument here.

 

[Hoo-doo]

We already know that the NX Console won't be intentionally weak (I.E. what you're describing). Likewise, there's too much evidence towards the NX being a platform with multiple SKUs rather than just one home console to just dismiss the idea. And besides, the casual audience have all since gone mobile.

'Intentionally weak' does not mean what you think it means. The meaning of the phrase is completely open for interpretation.

To me it sounds like they mean that they are not gimping the device 'on purpose'. Like people always mock the Wii and the Wii-U for.
Well of course they fucking aren't. They design these things to the exact specifications they need and nothing more. There's no such thing as an 'intentionally weak' console. The Wii-U was designed to perform exactly how they wanted to to reach a certain pricepoint. The same will happen with their new 'NX' project. Nobody makes consoles 'intentionally weak'.

It does absolutely nothing to dispel the idea that Nintendo is making a low-powered console. That's your interpretation of the sentence, and frankly, it doesn't make sense.

 

[Neoxon]

'Intentionally weak' does not mean what you think it means. The meaning of the phrase is completely open for interpretation.

To me it sounds like they mean that they are not gimping the device 'on purpose'. Like people always mock the Wii and the Wii-U for.
Well of course they fucking aren't. They design these things to the exact specifications they need and nothing more. There's no such thing as an 'intentionally weak' console. The Wii-U was designed to perform exactly how they wanted to to reach a certain pricepoint. The same will happen with their new 'NX' project. Nobody makes consoles 'intentionally weak'.

It does absolutely nothing to dispel the idea that Nintendo is making a low-powered console. That's your interpretation of the sentence, and frankly, it doesn't make sense.

What they mean by "intentionally weak" is to make a low-powered system just for the sake of keeping costs down & diverting said costs elsewhere. On top of that, such a gimmick would create issues for a shared platform between console & handheld. At least in the case of a touch screen on the NX Console's controller, it would allow the NX Handheld to retain its bottom screen from the DS & 3DS.

 

[Davey Cakes]

I expect the NX to be a legacy machine. It's going to play most Nintendo games, console and handheld, single player and multiplayer, optimized to 60fps and the highest resolution (up to 1080p) possible.

It'll be an efficient console in terms if power, so that it can offer those seamless experiences. But it won't have brute force hardware like the PS4 that can produce new games at the state of the art level (on consoles anyway).

This is my prediction. NX will unify all of Nintendo's platforms and will double down on their current game design philosophies. It'll be in its own giant bubble.

 

[Neoxon]

I expect the NX to be a legacy machine. It's going to play most Nintendo games, console and handled, single player and multiplayer, optimized.

It'll be an efficient console in terms if power, so that it can offer those seamless experiences. But it won't have brute force hardware like the PS4 that can produce new games at the state of the art level (on consoles anyway).

This is my prediction. NX will unify all of Nintendo's platforms and will double down on their current game design philosophies.

So would the NX Console play both old console & handheld games while the NX Handheld plays just handheld games, or would both SKUs of the NX play everything (assuming the NX Handheld is at least on par with the Wii U).

 

[Davey Cakes]

So would the NX Console play both old console & handheld games while the NX Handheld plays just handheld games, or would both SKUs of the NX play everything (assuming the NX Handheld is at least on par with the Wii U).

I think there will be a lot of cross play. Maybe not 1:1.

 

[Hoo-doo]

What they mean by "intentionally weak" is to make a low-powered system just for the sake of keeping costs down & diverting said costs elsewhere.

No. You don't 'weaken' a console. You just work with the budget and pricepoint you have in mind from day one.

They could easily release another Wii-U equivalent console and if it's powerful enough for their needs it is not weakened in their eyes. It's exactly as planned. Do you think the current Nintendo higher-ups created the Wii-U to be 'intentionally weak'? Ofcourse not. They designed it according to their exact specifications, delivering plenty of power to achieve their vision. Don't muddle up what you or I consider 'weak' to what the designers of the hardware have in mind.

 

[Neoxon]

No. You don't 'weaken' a console. You just work with the budget and pricepoint you have in mind from day one.

They could easily release another Wii-U equivalent console and if it's powerful enough for their needs it is not weakened in their eyes. It's exactly as planned. Do you think the current Nintendo higher-ups created the Wii-U to be 'intentionally weak'? Ofcourse not. They designed it according to their exact specifications, delivering plenty of power to achieve their vision. Don't muddle up what you or I consider 'weak' to what the designers of the hardware have in mind.

But that still brings up the issue of Japanese third party support. To get them, the NX Platform has to support Unreal Engine 4. If the NX Console only a marginal improvement over the Wii U, you can kiss what little third party support Nintendo has left goodbye (including a good chunk of indies). Most western third party companies aren't coming back anytime soon, but Nintendo has to do whatever they can to keep the third parties they still have (Sega, Capcom, Bandai Namco, etc.). Also, you still didn't answer my question about the NX Handheld. Such a gimmick would throw quite the shade on Nintendo's supposed shared platform plans.

 

[bachikarn]

No. You don't 'weaken' a console. You just work with the budget and pricepoint you have in mind from day one.

They could easily release another Wii-U equivalent console and if it's powerful enough for their needs it is not weakened in their eyes. It's exactly as planned. Do you think the current Nintendo higher-ups created the Wii-U to be 'intentionally weak'? Ofcourse not. They designed it according to their exact specifications, delivering plenty of power to achieve their vision. Don't muddle up what you or I consider 'weak' to what the designers of the hardware have in mind.

That's how I read it. Nintendo didn't intentionally make the Wii U weak. It was just a consequence of favoring power efficiency, size, and backwards compatibility.

 

[Kouriozan]

Hahaha, did anyone really ever used that btw.? ;-)

I did, one day I bringed my GC to a friend's house so we could play Four Swords/FF Crystal Chronicle and some Smash.

 

[Neoxon]

?
If NX is good/easy/similar to others enough to develop for, and sell decently, EA will be back there indeed.

But the fact the platform will be scalable down to the handheld form factor will not break the deal, on the contrary, there is more chances EA comes back to a handheld version of their games rather than not doing anything at all because of what, self-repulsion of handhelds? I'm not sure about your argument here.

That depends on how much effort is needed to scale games down to the NX Handheld. If there's too much effort required, EA may just leave the NX Handheld in the dust entirely (since they've already made their stance on dedicated gaming handhelds known).

 

[Davey Cakes]

That's how I read it. Nintendo didn't intentionally make the Wii U weak. It was just a consequence of favoring power efficiency, size, and backwards compatibility.

Efficiency and BC will continue to be important.

I feel like SIZE is an issue though. Nintendo needs to be willing to make a console the size of the PS4 or XB1.

 

[KingBroly]

That depends on how much effort is needed to scale games down to the NX Handheld. If there's too much effort required, EA may just leave the NX Handheld in the dust entirely (since they've already made their stance on dedicated gaming handhelds known).

What if they get into a situation where NX Console 1 and NX Handheld 2 basically have the same specs? You kinda can't not do it at that point if they're doing a Madden or Fifa for the Console.

If Nintendo goes with a card reader of some kind instead of an optical drive it leaves the door option to have more room for better hardware in a smaller box, albeit not much more.

 

[E-phonk]

And adding Blu-Ray & DVD support would just be an unnecessary cost since, not only is Nintendo supposedly moving away from a disc drive (which makes sense if they want a shared physical medium with the handheld), but also the fact that they'd have to deal with licensing fees.

Indeed, I'd argue the Wii and Wii U really would have benefitted from dvd & blu ray support respectively - but in 2016 they should focus on getting all the big digital platforms on their console day one (netflix, amazon prime, bbc player, hulu, hbo etc)

 

[nubbe]

WiiU has streaming services and it's not the year 2000
fuck dvd/bd

DLNA support plz

Carts all the way

 

[bachikarn]

Efficiency and BC will continue to be important.

I feel like SIZE is an issue though. Nintendo needs to be willing to make a console the size of the PS4 or XB1.

I think energy efficiency and size go hand and hand. Both are perceived by Nintendo to be important to the Japanese market. Both aren't important at all to the Western market. Not sure why Nintendo would give up on one and not the other.

 

[Davey Cakes]

I think energy efficiency and size go hand and hand. Both are perceived by Nintendo to be important to the Japanese market. Both aren't important at all to the Western market. Not sure why Nintendo would give up on one and not the other.

I know it sounds weird but I think the Wii U is TOO efficient.

A little bit more wiggle room would be nice so they don't have to worry about overheating components and whatnot.

If the console is less powerful than it could be because Nintendo didn't want to have to fit an extra fan in there, then I'd be ticked off.

 

[KingBroly]

I know it sounds weird but I think the Wii U is TOO efficient.

A little bit more wiggle room would be nice so they don't have to worry about overheating components and whatnot.

Wii U was built with being too energy conservative in mind, to the detriment of the cost of the box and to the games being made for it. The power brick allows for 75w, but the box never goes over 41w. That's not good design.

 

[10k]

Ah fuck it. Nintendo & AMD, give me the Ultra Nintendo console with a semi-custom FuryX class GPU based on the upcoming Arctic Islands / Greenland architecture with HBM2. Zen based APU. Put a very well designed traditional controller and ramp up your online network to Live/PSN level. Call it a day.

Take our monies.

Lower the draw bridge for 3rd party developers. API based on Vulkan $399. Let it take a dump on XBone/PS4 and force Microsoft & Sony to introduce their next-gen systems in 2018. Take a fucking risk Nintendo or go the fuck home.

I <3 you


I just dream of a day I can play Mass Effect, Dragon Age, The Witcher, Assassins Creed, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, Star Ocean, Tales games, etc on a Nintendo console so I don't have to buy all three

 

[EatChildren]

It's not really as simple as Weak vs. Powerful. Processing power, energy consumption, technology, etc are all vast spectrums every company dealing with hardware tries to find balance on. Weak/Powerful are relative terms that are meaningless without a point of comparison, either competitors or intentions. Both the Wii and Wii U are probably exactly what Nintendo wanted at the time, but their chosen balance cost them in other areas.

But, you know, Nintendo has had its place in the industry long enough for anybody seriously following them to realise if you truly want the mainstay of third party support you need to be looking elsewhere. You've three other options.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

A GameCube NX could certainly find much more success than the original GameCube in the current market - for the following reasons.

Advantages
+ Nintendo currently has much stronger array of intellectual properties that are selling in Japan than it did on the GameCube / Game Boy Advance generation.
+ Unifying the software line between NX console and NX hand held means more games - and less expenditure making them.
+ Amiibo cards or figurines
+ Virtual Console

Challenges
+ Balanced industrial design and marketing. No more fisher price toy designs (GameCube) or handcuffed overbearing concepts (Wii U tablet). Something traditional while incorporating innovativation and sleekness.
+ Western first-party and third-party games. Missing since the Nintendo 64.
+ Account system.

The GameCube was a well designed and efficient console in regards to its chipset, but the handle, purple casing, branding instantly put it in third-place. While it also had a selection of first-party titles, some of the outings were considerably less captivating than some of the industry shakers that appeared on the Nintendo 64. Of course. one of the biggest deathblows was losing its first-party Western games (and third party wrestling games) that found an enthusiast teen-adult demographic in the West.

I think the above argument weighs much more than the actual horsepower of the NX console. As long as its at least more powerful than the Wii U.

 

[Aostia]

It's not really as simple as Weak vs. Powerful. Processing power, energy consumption, technology, etc are all vast spectrums every company dealing with hardware tries to find balance on. Weak/Powerful are relative terms that are meaningless without a point of comparison, either competitors or intentions. Both the Wii and Wii U are probably exactly what Nintendo wanted at the time, but their chosen balance cost them in other areas.

But, you know, Nintendo has had its place in the industry long enough for anybody seriously following them to realise if you truly want the mainstay of third party support you need to be looking elsewhere. You've three other options.

I agree. I also think that almost all the "rumors" and official tidbits about "NX" make it sound (ideally) a good fit for Nintendo developed games (more integration of tools, developer environment and so on), indie dev (all the good things done with the Wii U, from free license to Unity integration; from the support shown to the HTML5 kits; from the humble bundles to the free pricing, to the licensed amiibo etc...), and possibly the mobile segment (even if they said that the "normal contents" will not land on mobile, they never said viceversa, not forgetting also the way they are experimenting with f2start, dlc and other downloadable initiative, alongside the Gung-ho/Sega mobile games and so on).

I've never seen in any of their statements about NX any kind of "western third parties" real effort/interest.

Japanese ones are another matter, if there will be incentives to cross-develop (as for the PS environment) for both portable and home, because a lot of third parties in Japan support the Nintendo portable (and I think it's fair to suppose that they will still continue ongoing), as third party partnership are another matter, also because we have seen them almost every time (from GC to Wii U, at least)