GrotesqueBeauty
Banned
I've said similar things before and I'll double down on my prediction: New handheld NX in the back half of 2016, new console a year later. The handheld will probably fold in the ability to play any of the mobile software that comes out as the result of farming out their IPs, but internally developed games will still be specific to Nintendo hardware. Likewise, their next console will be able to play any of the software developed for their portable, meaning it will have a year's worth of accumulated software at launch, helping to soften potential post-launch droughts.
If they are smart they will leap frog the PS4/Xbox One by a sufficient margin to offer the definitive versions of multiplatform games until Sony and Microsoft pivot towards new consoles (what they should have done with the unfortunately bottlenecked Wii U this gen). Sony and Microsoft will be entrenched with their current consoles for some years to come, so this would give Nintendo 2-3 years with the strongest hardware, an advantage they haven't enjoyed for generations and one that could shift their relationship with the enthusiast market left wanting by the lagging capabilities of the Wii and Wii U. This also makes 2017 a better year to launch, giving them more time to let sufficiently powerful chipsets emerge or drop in cost, rather than foolishly aiming for direct parity with two consoles that have already amassed substantial libraries. It also gives them breathing room to focus on their handheld first and ride out the Wii U in a way that isn't so damaging to consumer confidence.
By straddling two generations they could also become the defacto poor man's cross generation machine/cheaper kids console after a few years when Sony and Microsoft introduce new hardware, offering stripped down but still functional ports of games headed toward the competition's next machines on a console that costs $100-$150 less. It would hinder the longevity of Nintendo's next console compared to Sony and Microsoft's next machines, but it positions them to continue a similar pattern of staggering their generations, being the technological front runner for half a generation and sloppy seconds on ports the back half, yet bolstered by Nintendo exclusives.
The wild card here is 3rd party relations, which Nintendo has obviously had trouble with for generations. Or, more specifically they spent generations blatantly not caring. I think they're having to grapple with the fact that this approach is not sustainable, a truth the Wii's wild success let them temporarily ignore.The shift towards mobile shows that Nintendo is being forced to be more pliable in their approach though. The real question is whether they overtly attempt to make new in roads after the tremendous drop in market share this generation. It remains to be be seen what the new vision for Nintendo is after the next few steps envisioned under Iwata's leadership come to fruition. They have their work cut out for them, but I think at a bare minimum having powerful enough hardware on the table for easy porting would put them in a better position than they have been for two generations running.
Anyway, my two cents. Only time will tell. Either way it's going to be an interesting couple years.
If they are smart they will leap frog the PS4/Xbox One by a sufficient margin to offer the definitive versions of multiplatform games until Sony and Microsoft pivot towards new consoles (what they should have done with the unfortunately bottlenecked Wii U this gen). Sony and Microsoft will be entrenched with their current consoles for some years to come, so this would give Nintendo 2-3 years with the strongest hardware, an advantage they haven't enjoyed for generations and one that could shift their relationship with the enthusiast market left wanting by the lagging capabilities of the Wii and Wii U. This also makes 2017 a better year to launch, giving them more time to let sufficiently powerful chipsets emerge or drop in cost, rather than foolishly aiming for direct parity with two consoles that have already amassed substantial libraries. It also gives them breathing room to focus on their handheld first and ride out the Wii U in a way that isn't so damaging to consumer confidence.
By straddling two generations they could also become the defacto poor man's cross generation machine/cheaper kids console after a few years when Sony and Microsoft introduce new hardware, offering stripped down but still functional ports of games headed toward the competition's next machines on a console that costs $100-$150 less. It would hinder the longevity of Nintendo's next console compared to Sony and Microsoft's next machines, but it positions them to continue a similar pattern of staggering their generations, being the technological front runner for half a generation and sloppy seconds on ports the back half, yet bolstered by Nintendo exclusives.
The wild card here is 3rd party relations, which Nintendo has obviously had trouble with for generations. Or, more specifically they spent generations blatantly not caring. I think they're having to grapple with the fact that this approach is not sustainable, a truth the Wii's wild success let them temporarily ignore.The shift towards mobile shows that Nintendo is being forced to be more pliable in their approach though. The real question is whether they overtly attempt to make new in roads after the tremendous drop in market share this generation. It remains to be be seen what the new vision for Nintendo is after the next few steps envisioned under Iwata's leadership come to fruition. They have their work cut out for them, but I think at a bare minimum having powerful enough hardware on the table for easy porting would put them in a better position than they have been for two generations running.
Anyway, my two cents. Only time will tell. Either way it's going to be an interesting couple years.
