shouamabane
Member
Amazon did start selling Nintendo hardware again about a month ago out of the blue. And they sent out a promo email about the last wave of amiibo.
They don't even have to virtualize it. They can implement the Android runtime inside their own OS. Chrome doesn't virtualize anything and can still run Android apps. It's all about having that glue. If their OS has ART (Android RunTime) implemented and have shims for the basic android libs, they can run the apps. At that point, it's about just implementing more and more of the library to increase compatibility.
Not trying to make it sound easy. But it's doable and they won't have to emulate OR use any kind of hyper visor.
Yup. I like where this is going. This is what I meant in other threads that it was possible to rebuild third party relations slowly. This also solves a huge problem for a potential Nintendo phone. If they're simply emulating Android, it makes it much easier to gaurd against roots.I totally expect this to happen. A stand alone portable hardware option that can sideload Android games and allows them to use a standard control scheme as well as touch screens. It solves their 3rd party development issues without having to reforge connections with the big conglomerates while making their own products stand out by having more competition.
But in the era of mobile gaming will people be willing to pay $40+ for a Nintendo game when they can get a game for free? I think it's a mistake Nintendo to be associated with Android at all.
Hahaha. XDAssuming both are both
I really hope they aren't wasting resources on this. If people want to play smartphone games they can already do that with a product they already own. This isn't a good selling point, they should take any effort they are putting towards this idea (if it's even true) and put it towards improving the speed in which they can churn out virtual console games (actual exclusive content).
Sure, why not? The Wii U hardware should be able to run Android.Could they implement it in the Wii U OS?
Not surprised Amazon is thirsty for Nintendo games, Nintendo will be the biggest event to happen to mobile gaming since it's inception and it will hurt them tremendously to get skipped over. Nintendo should really milk this if they can.
Not surprised Amazon is thirsty for Nintendo games, Nintendo will be the biggest event to happen to mobile gaming since it's inception and it will hurt them tremendously to get skipped over. Nintendo should really milk this if they can.
While good, doesn't this mean that if the NX is a handheld platform it has to be pretty powerful to run Android games? Also doesn't it also mean that the screen resolution has to be at least 720p if they want to avoid compatibility issues?
Hmm if that's true it'll leave some awkward openings for all those emulation apps on Android. It's like everyone nowadays is playing retro, GBA even DS on their smartphone without troubles. Hmm perhaps, again if this is true, they'll only allow apps from a curated marketplace (like Amazon :I ...).
Could they implement it in the Wii U OS?
While good, doesn't this mean that if the NX is a handheld platform it has to be pretty powerful to run Android games? Also doesn't it also mean that the screen resolution has to be at least 720p if they want to avoid compatibility issues?
Ironically, having a higher resolution display can result in worse-looking graphics purely because the GPU is wasting time on rendering more raw pixels (that you probably can't see), instead of allowing developers to use those resources on adding more elements or details (like the advanced particle systems, lighting effects, and texture mapping you see in advanced AAA games).
Square, konami, capcom, rockstar, EA.. they are all on mobile. It's not just indies.This might be a decent way to get filler indies when they aren't coming to you.
This might be a decent way to get filler indies when they aren't coming to you.
So perhaps a touch screen controller again?
Emulate? Why not just put the hardware in there for 100% compatibility?
Good point, I wouldn't really care if this was jus Android without Google services.Hmm. I'm not totally convinced this is a good idea.
For those who don't know, Android effectively consists of two parts - the actual OS, which is open source and freely implementable, and Google Play Services, which is closed sourced and licensed by Google, and runs anything that touches Google services and increasing parts of the basic OS.
It's certainly possible that the NX could run a Nintendo proprietary OS (or a hardened locked down Linux OS with customised elements that was to all intents and purposes the same thing). And it's possible that that you could abstract the ART api set on top of that so you could run Android applications. No permission is required, it's open source.
But that doesn't get you Google Play services (and I'm guessing the chance of a GPS agreement between Google and Nintendo is less than zero). And in reality lots of developers call GPS at least a little bit, so *some* rewriting would frequently be necessary. Not much, but some. And this is one of the reasons why the Amazon app store is lacking so many apps that are on Google Play - even for the number 2 store, it's just not worth the effort to port over, even if that job is trivial. If you're even further down the priority list, say the Blackberry compatibility, you barely get anything ported, no matter how easy it is. Even filling out the store agreement is too much hassle.
So in this scenario Nintendo will probably run it's own store as now, it'll just be a bit easier to port existing Android apps. But I don't think that moves the needle significantly for Nintendo - it certainly didn't for Blackberry, and I don't think it will work for Windows 10 either.
By the gods... all of those Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games...
So wait, does this mean NX will likely be a mobile platform?
Do we know at all what the hell NX will be between: Console / Mobile / Handheld / VR ?
So wait, does this mean NX will likely be a mobile platform?
Do we know at all what the hell NX will be between: Console / Mobile / Handheld / VR ?
I really hope they aren't wasting resources on this. If people want to play smartphone games they can already do that with a product they already own. This isn't a good selling point, they should take any effort they are putting towards this idea (if it's even true) and put it towards improving the speed in which they can churn out virtual console games (actual exclusive content).
My thought exactly, though an exception will likely also be made for the next Pokémon game with it being only compatible with the portable as per Game Freak being hell-bent on keeping the mainline franchise portable-only.No-one knows yet. There have been whispers about planned specs - I think target resolution was hinted at - for what seems to be a next-gen handheld (it cropped up in a GAF thread recently, with comment from someone apparently in a position to know) but nothing more than that on that front.
There's been a lot of talk from Nintendo about future plans, with repeated reference to iOS etc. and hints at multiple hardware forms - hardware "brothers" was the term I think Iwata used - and the integration of development teams coupled with those tidbits does seem to point at Nintendo going for some kind of unified development environment, possibly something like the kind of iOS/iPhone/iPad setup Apple have.
My best guess is that they are aiming for a NintendOS, and that all future systems from them will be based on that, so they can share assets, tools etc. and - possibly - have their software run on every device they make, rather than the situation they're in now where Mario Kart on the 3DS is a distinct development from Mario Kart on the Wii U, and they have to develop two separate games on two separate platforms.
Given all that they've said and hinted at, and the partnership with DeNA, I'd go for:
2015
-- Late in the year, their new account system/Club Nintendo replacement is launched. It works on mobile platforms, and it will be used for all future platforms. Wii U and 3DS may be able to use it, but they may opt to make a clean break in some form. DeNA will be involved in this, and the mobile app may take the form of something like Mobage where you essentially have a Nintendo app on your phone that holds your account info, mobile games etc.
2016
-- A new handheld system is announced. This may or may not be what they refer to as NX. It's the first system running NintendOS - whether that's a custom Android build or something else - and it will likely abandon the dual screen setup in favour of something more like a small tablet. Physical controls still in, possibly still using 3D, depending on cost. It will be the first new Nintendo system to use the new account setup and purchases, details etc. here will carry forward to all other Nintendo devices, and across to the mobile app. Interaction between your mobile activity and your handheld activity will be part of this - either encouraging you to carry both with you, or feeding your mobile activity back into bitesize games/apps on the handheld (think Streetpass etc.). Nintendo must recognise that replacing phones isn't possible, so they have to make them work for them.
2016 is also the Wii U's last hurrah - Zelda may or may not remain exclusive, but even if it does it will be the last large-scale development for the platform.
2017
-- The next platform to run NintendOS is announced. This will be a home console replacement of some sort, as powerful as possible for the launch period, but built using similar tech to the handheld. Interaction between the handheld and the console is possible, but not required (possibly second-screen stuff?) and you will be able to access all the games tied to your account on your handheld immediately at launch (again, think iPad-iPhone, or Galaxy S4/5/6-Tab etc.).
I'd imagine that the vast majority of Nintendo's releases from then on will run on either platform - scaling to each, and to any future systems - but with some exceptions for games that make sense being home only.
There are risks involved here, but I think Nintendo are best served by consolidating around a single software platform/ecosystem with multiple hardware builds of differing power levels and focusing their energies on that, rather than trying to maintain two entirely separate hardware lines and serve up software to both. Couple that with an outreach to mobile for games that make sense - and to use as a way of drawing people into that Nintendo ecosystem by having details, games etc. transfer back over to their own systems - and I think there's an interesting path there for them.
My thought exactly, though an exception will likely also be made for the next Pokémon game with it being only compatible with the portable as per Game Freak being hell-bent on keeping the mainline franchise portable-only.