NX: If this is it, I'm actually happy.

[MotoRacer]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-07-26-nx-is-a-portable-console-with-detachable-controllers

 

I genuinely think this is the system we'll be seeing.

 

Seems it'll be an X1 or X2 (more likely) Tegra chip running console with detachable controllers, each of which can be used individually for multiplayer anywhere. The X1 chip is more than capable for me, making it more powerful than the Wii U, and considering it only would have to worry about one screen, would be even less taxed.

 

And with an XB1 S at home, an ultra-powerful tablet=-esque powerful Nintendo portable... is ... well, just fine to me. Having it able to dock to display on a home tv is a great bonus.

 

 

It's funny. I've been out-of-love with Nintendo since the Wii. I love 'em, but because of that I hate them when they're acting stupid and irrational, as I know what they're capable of. For once, it seems Nintendo is focusing on their strengths, and doing something right.... and I'm in the minority. Most youtube and press channels seem to think this is a terrible idea.

 

I don't get it. Am I alone? To me, any business should focus on their strengths. If something isn't working, focus on what does. And this does just that.

[TheClassyGamer]

Almost every game I see come out for a Nintendo system that I would want to play is on their handheld. I've not any interest in the controls for the Wii and even less for that screen in hand thing for the U. I really don't care for handhelds, so when I see these cool looking games on their DS system It is kind of a bummer.

 

I kind of hop with this new console going to bridge the two that the neat stuff we're seeing for the handhelds will translate to fun titles I can play on the big screen, and with a decent controller. If this system shapes up how it is starting to look It may be the first one I've been interested in in a very long time. I'm kind of hopeful for it myself.

[godslabrat]

I would like some sort of sign that this is more than regurgitated reports from three months ago. It's a neat concept, but I see very little here that's new.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Eurogamer's sources are purported by Nintendo Life to be pretty rock solid, so at this point I think it's fairly safe to say that the system they've been describing is the real deal; and so far it sounds pretty darn good to me. The Tegra X2 chip would provide utterly stunning graphical power for a handheld system (literally 100x the power of the original 3DS) and relatively on par with that of the current gen home consoles from Sony and Microsoft, which is kind of mind blowing when you consider the technology gap that has always existed between handhelds and home consoles throughout the history of video games.

 

I'm also digging the idea of detachable controllers for multiplayer gaming and the option to customize control inputs depending on the game that you're playing. That all said, there are still a couple things that concern me. One is battery life, since a handheld pushing the kind of power that the NX likely will be can't be easy on batteries by any means. I'm anticipating a couple hours of battery life at best, which somewhat defeats the purpose of having a portable system. A few hours might be fine for most people, but as someone who still plays a Game Boy Color every week and is used to getting 20+ hours out of their batteries the battery life of the NX could be a major annoyance.

 

The other, and definitely largest, concern of mine is the seemingly credible rumor from the Wall Street Journal that the NX will play all of Nintendo's mobile games. It doesn't take much to figure out that if this were true that would mean that the NX will come saddled with a sim card and monthly data plan fees. I'll be blunt here: I am never under any circumstances going to buy a game system with a data plan. Never, ever, ever. I'm just not doing it. I already have half a dozen systems and hundreds of games to play that don't require me to pay monthly service fees, and any game that requires a data plan to play isn't going to stand up to the test of time in a decade when the company making it shuts their servers down because they've moved on to newer systems and games and aren't making a profit off of the old device anymore.

 

And I think that pretty much sums up how I feel about the NX at this point. I think it's a system that has great potential and I'm definitely excited about it, but the battery life issue is worrisome and if it comes saddled with a data plan then I'll just have to pass on it and stick to my older handhelds. Which is fine really, since between the Game Boy / Color, Game Boy Advance, and DS / 3DS there are already more high quality handheld games than I'll probably ever be able to play during my lifetime.

Edited July 29, 2016 by Jin

[phoenixdownita]

It's hard to make up the size of that thing.

If it is as big as the Wii U controller I am afraid that it may be a non starter, I like it but I don't love it.

If instead the whole ordeal is the size of a 3DS (maybe XL) then the detachable controllers are tiny, so I am not sure I can use them.

 

Thanks for sharing the link.

[Bilnick]

I was hoping for 2 separate systems that just shared games. An underpowered NX means for me that I would only use it for the 2-4 Nintendo games per year that I am interested in. If the NX is not more powerful than the current console offerings, I do not see me buying it for 2-3 years after it is released. I made a mistake by buying a Wii U on launch, I will not repeat it with the NX.

[Flojomojo]

I want to see some games. That's all I care about. Hardware is nice but won't do it on its own.

[MotoRacer]

If it uses the x2 chip it won't be underpowered. And the 32gb cards are the recommended size, not the limit of what's necessarily available.

 

I can't see them making something huge and unwieldy. It's Nintendo. If I have ANY faith when it comes to them, it's with portables.

 

Also keep in mind that Nintendo had the patent leaked a few months back that talked about the base home connection adding extra power to a handheld. That could be in play here.

 

I'm usually very critical of them, but this honestly seems like a great idea. I don't need a ps4. And let's be honest, no one will drop their ps4 or Xbox to go Nintendo only. Nintendo knows that and is making something powerful enough to get third parties interested, while providing something different.

Edited July 29, 2016 by MotoRacer

[leods]

I think this is a great idea. I think if well implemented this will be an awesome console, and if good games get reselased to it, and I can play them without patches, and everything works, This will be again my only console. So the combo will be PC + NX. Not going to be an early adopter though. That would be just silly.

[roland p]

I want to see some games. That's all I care about. Hardware is nice but won't do it on its own.

If they made gamecube specs hardware with a Super Mario Sunshine Sequel, I would already be a buyer.

[Flojomojo]

GameCube is from 2001, that level of hardware power is easy to exceed with modern tech. The Tegra chip inside the Nvidia Shield Portable from three years ago could play Portal and Half Life 2, and it cost $200. Nvidia moves fast with improvements. Power isn't going to be a problem, just don't expect GameCube style spinning discs.

[godslabrat]

Mostly traditional controls, I do like that. Hopefully they're serious about it being equal to an Xbox one in power. A return to carts would give me warm-and-fuzzies about the longevity of the system.

 

Promising, but still a lot of kinks to be worked out.

[Punisher5.0]

Need more info before I make a decision. This feels like a crossroad for the big N so I hope they learned their lesson. It's a messed up market though when you can sell 11 million of something and it's considered a failure.

[Tickled_Pink]

Well, that's increased my interest just very slightly. But at least it's an increase. The use of a Tegra makes all the difference and puts it more on a par with something like the Nvidia Shield devices than your average mobile phone or tablet.

 

Just one problem - how big is it? Something that would kill the deal straight off the bat for me is if it's small and the controllers are small. Small controllers just aren't comfortable. They need to include at least one decent sized gamepad in the box or the deal's off. I'm not one for buying accessories after the fact.

 

The Wii U should be coming down in price fairly soon. It's a system I've pretty much ignored so had no idea how much they cost. Just checked them out. Jeez! They're currently more expensive than an Xbone with prices ranging from £230 to £280. The Xbone's price has fallen recently so that they can now be picked up for under £200 (Tesco online had them for £180 if you used a voucher code).

Edited July 29, 2016 by Tickled_Pink

[MotoRacer]

Well, that's increased my interest just very slightly. But at least it's an increase. The use of a Tegra makes all the difference and puts it more on a par with something like the Nvidia Shield devices than your average mobile phone or tablet.

 

Just one problem - how big is it? Something that would kill the deal straight off the bat for me is if it's small and the controllers are small. Small controllers just aren't comfortable. They need to include at least one decent sized gamepad in the box or the deal's off. I'm not one for buying accessories after the fact.

 

The Wii U should be coming down in price fairly soon. It's a system I've pretty much ignored so had no idea how much they cost. Just checked them out. Jeez! They're currently more expensive than an Xbone with prices ranging from £230 to £280. The Xbone's price has fallen recently so that they can now be picked up for under £200 (Tesco online had them for £180 if you used a voucher code).

I'll be honest with you. If they use the X1 chip, they could easily release the NX at 199 by next March. I'd laugh seeing a new Nintendo system cheaper than the one it's replacing. The wii u was, and still is, horribly overpriced.

[leods]

I'll be honest with you. If they use the X1 chip, they could easily release the NX at 199 by next March. I'd laugh seeing a new Nintendo system cheaper than the one it's replacing. The wii u was, and still is, horribly overpriced.

Well, they have a custom processor no one else uses, they have the tablet that's expensive, they still shit the damned sensor bar with the system. They overcomplicated things way too much with the WiiU.

 

The problem is, with Tegra, and a screen, and a LiPo battery, and a craddle, and detachable controlers and all that crap, the system isn't going to be cheap at the end. If they were to release a system that's just the box and a controller price would sink dramatically. And then they could still sell the portable unit for peope who want that. But we'll see when they actually show this thing.

[phoenixdownita]

Well, they have a custom processor no one else uses, they have the tablet that's expensive, they still shit the damned sensor bar with the system. They overcomplicated things way too much with the WiiU.

 

...

I believe it is fair to say the sensor bar struck your sense of home decor, and not in a good way.

(I know you likely meant ship, but this way it's funny)

[bretthorror]

I tried to brainstorm a way to keep the costs down and it seems impossible because of the portable side of things, but the system needs to be portable because that's going to be their bread and butter.

 

What it all boils down to is if they churn out games in the way the 3DS/Wii or Wii U combination did, we're fine. If they decide to sit back because they only have one console instead of two, then they're still gonna be hooped. That is my greatest worry. The handheld and portable side currently combined would give you a lot of first party content. If they decide to just have one console and stop putting the quantity of games out there, I think it will do fine, but ultimately people will still unsatisfied. They need to churn games out like a mother because third party support will still be iffy. If this means I only get 2 Mario games per gen, then I think they're still movie slightly backwards. They need to come out guns a blazing and get that good start and maintain it. I hope they have more ideas for their launch lineup than just Zelda. There's no reason to not have Punch-Outs, F-Zeros, etc. every gen, either. These games will help the integrity and variety of the system. It makes me cringe when Nintendo doesn't upgrade their IPs every gen at least once.

 

If they treat this software wise like they did the DS/Wii era, there will be tons of great games out there and the system will succeed. Looking at Nintendo's past, every system that majorly succeeded for them (NES, SNES, Wii) had monumental amounts of the games people wanted. N64, GC and Wii U had major gaps and failed to do as well. Simply because you can buy a system for just 5-10 games, and you can play the shit out of them and maybe get your money's worth, but the masses aren't going to be enticed enough with one major title per year. Like it or not, doing it that way makes the console just fall off the radar.

Edited July 29, 2016 by bretthorror

[StopDrop&Retro]

I find it funny that people are praising the "return to cartridges!" It would be a big deal if NX was a pure home console but if the recent rumors are to be believed, it is a handheld so they're not returning to anything, the 3DS used cartridges and I expect NX to use something in that form factor.

 

I'm worried about the NX now. I know it's probably premature and something tells me this controller gimmick is probably not its hidden ace card but the specs really aren't all that. So it's becoming a hard sell for me, I'm not looking for a portable. I never thought I would say this but it's actually making a case for me to buy firesale a Wii U if there's not really a vast improvement in the experience on NX. I'd like to try the new Zelda and it might be a great way to save money if there's no big advantage to playing it on NX.

[MotoRacer]

I find it funny that people are praising the "return to cartridges!" It would be a big deal if NX was a pure home console but if the recent rumors are to be believed, it is a handheld so they're not returning to anything, the 3DS used cartridges and I expect NX to use something in that form factor.

 

I'm worried about the NX now. I know it's probably premature and something tells me this controller gimmick is probably not its hidden ace card but the specs really aren't all that. So it's becoming a hard sell for me, I'm not looking for a portable. I never thought I would say this but it's actually making a case for me to buy firesale a Wii U if there's not really a vast improvement in the experience on NX. I'd like to try the new Zelda and it might be a great way to save money if there's no big advantage to playing it on NX.

If the NX is popular, more games will be released for it. Regardless of form factor that's what I always go with. In that respect the wii u's library, even from solely a 1st and 2nd part perspective, was terrible. It made the GameCube look absolutely rich in releases. We'll have to see how the NX does. Hopefully Nintendo does better this time around.

[bretthorror]

If Nintendo fucks up this time around, I'll never buy another console of theirs again, I doubt. If they can't have enough software first party for one system, that's it. There's no reason there shouldn't be a big game every few months with only one console.

[Andromeda Stardust]

The other, and definitely largest, concern of mine is the seemingly credible rumor from the Wall Street Journal that the NX will play all of Nintendo's mobile games. It doesn't take much to figure out that if this were true that would mean that the NX will come saddled with a sim card and monthly data plan fees. I'll be blunt here: I am never under any circumstances going to buy a game system with a data plan. Never, ever, ever. I'm just not doing it. I already have half a dozen systems and hundreds of games to play that don't require me to pay monthly service fees, and any game that requires a data plan to play isn't going to stand up to the test of time in a decade when the company making it shuts their servers down because they've moved on to newer systems and games and aren't making a profit off of the old device anymore.

 

And I think that pretty much sums up how I feel about the NX at this point. I think it's a system that has great potential and I'm definitely excited about it, but the battery life issue is worrisome and if it comes saddled with a data plan then I'll just have to pass on it and stick to my older handhelds. Which is fine really, since between the Game Boy / Color, Game Boy Advance, and DS / 3DS there are already more high quality handheld games than I'll probably ever be able to play during my lifetime.

Jin, I am pretty sure the data plan thing is unfounded. Data plans are for access to mobile data networks. You absolutely need a data plan for smart phones but the only benefit a data plan would provide to a home console or portable is that you could access internet without a wifi signal present. I am almost positive it will be like Wii-U and 3DS and just configure it to connect to whatever home or public wifi network is present. Data plan would also require mobile communications chipset and subscription to a mobile carrier which would raise the cost of the unit. Data plans are generally optional for tablet devices and oftentimes the wifi-only models are cheaper than 4G. If Nintendo should include this (which I highly doubt) I imagine a data plan with major carrier would be entirely optional, and IMO totally unnecessary if you've got home wifi.

 

I'm usually very critical of them, but this honestly seems like a great idea. I don't need a ps4. And let's be honest, no one will drop their ps4 or Xbox to go Nintendo only. Nintendo knows that and is making something powerful enough to get third parties interested, while providing something different.

Some people (like me) never bought the PS4 or Xbox to begin with. But I'm a rabid fanboy so what do I know?

 

 

I think this is a great idea. I think if well implemented this will be an awesome console, and if good games get reselased to it, and I can play them without patches, and everything works, This will be again my only console. So the combo will be PC + NX. Not going to be an early adopter though. That would be just silly.

Without early adopters, the thing will be doomed to fail from day one. Consider me in the "early adopter" camp.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I find it funny that people are praising the "return to cartridges!" It would be a big deal if NX was a pure home console but if the recent rumors are to be believed, it is a handheld so they're not returning to anything, the 3DS used cartridges and I expect NX to use something in that form factor.

 

I'm worried about the NX now. I know it's probably premature and something tells me this controller gimmick is probably not its hidden ace card but the specs really aren't all that. So it's becoming a hard sell for me, I'm not looking for a portable. I never thought I would say this but it's actually making a case for me to buy firesale a Wii U if there's not really a vast improvement in the experience on NX. I'd like to try the new Zelda and it might be a great way to save money if there's no big advantage to playing it on NX.

Go ahead and get a Wii-U. The library is great, but do not expect the prices to come down much. I don't forsee a huge bonanza of cheap used games on the secondhand market. The Wii-U is an industry underdog with a handful of fantasic titles. Expect prices to dip slightly, then climb steadily after system and games get discontinued.

[Serguei2]

I hope both detachable controllers will have the same numbers of buttons and sticks than the picture on the site.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Serguei2

[Tickled_Pink]

Well, I've applied for a developer account from Nintendo. Waiting for them to authorise the application. No idea if I'll be approved but if they want to get more games developed then they have to bring in more Indies than they have to date. The problem that Nintendo have is that their dev kits tend to require the hardware, which obviously adds to their own costs when throwing the kits out to developers. So they tend to be picky over who they give the dev kits to.

 

It's a problem that Microsoft have had recently with the Xbone but they at least have a plethora of big studios willing to develop for it so they could afford to be picky. Nintendo, whether they like to admit it or not, don't have that luxury. The failure of the Wii U is also going to be an issue with any new developer that Nintendo tries to bring on board for the NX. Larger developers quickly jumped ship when it became clear that the U was not going to attract the user base Nintendo had hoped for.

 

Microsoft have now opened up retail Xbones for Indie developer use so there's no need to join the ID@Xbox programme and apply for a dev kit unless you have a project that needs the extra facilities. For developing on the Xbone (it's not a full rollout yet as it's still in Beta, but you are able to turn on developer mode - although the available RAM and other features are limited at the moment) you just need a PC with Windows 10.

 

Nintendo need to start looking at being more open with their hardware if they're going to succeed. It's a vicious circle - no players = no games. No games = no players. They have to break that circle somehow. May as well start by making sure there are plenty of games to make the platform as attractive as possible to players.