So Nintendo just announced that their latest console, the Nintendo NX, is planned to be released in March 2017. Even though March is only ten months away, we still barely know anything about this device. We honestly don’t even know if that picture up there even is the NX, that’s just a patent Nintendo filed that people think is the controller. Nintendo has said they are going to announce news about the console later this year, yet nobody knows exactly when that will be. As somebody who is extremely excited about this machine that may just be the future of gaming, I’ve decided to compile everything we know so far about the console and try to make sense of things.
First of all, Nintendo claims that their new console will be very different from their previous systems. This is definitely a good thing to note because their current claims to fame, the Wii & Wii U, are so similar that from its announcement a ton of people just thought the Wii U was a controller for the Wii. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the DS, the DS Lite, the DSi XL, the 3DS, the 3DS XL, the 2DS, the New 3DS (that is seriously the name they went with,) the New 3DS XL, and the Ultimate New 3DS XL Turbo Encore HD Remix & Knuckles Featuring Dante From The Devil May Cry Series: Game of the Year Edition (okay I made that last one up, but you get the idea.) Even their first two home consoles were the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, because adding “super” to anything automatically makes it sound cooler. It’s become an inside joke at this point that Nintendo is getting repetitive with their products, but they plan on this new console being completely new, which is definitely nice.
Nintendo has also said that their console will have “industry-leading chips” that could compete with the Xbox One and Playstation 4. This is interesting because Nintendo always seemed to try and stay one generation behind the competitors in terms of technology in order to reduce costs. The Nintendo 64 was even still using cartridges when everybody else switched to discs in the fifth generation. Japanese business newspaper Nikkei Shimbun also speculated that the NX might run on an Android operating system.
First of all, Nintendo claims that their new console will be very different from their previous systems. This is definitely a good thing to note because their current claims to fame, the Wii & Wii U, are so similar that from its announcement a ton of people just thought the Wii U was a controller for the Wii. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the DS, the DS Lite, the DSi XL, the 3DS, the 3DS XL, the 2DS, the New 3DS (that is seriously the name they went with,) the New 3DS XL, and the Ultimate New 3DS XL Turbo Encore HD Remix & Knuckles Featuring Dante From The Devil May Cry Series: Game of the Year Edition (okay I made that last one up, but you get the idea.) Even their first two home consoles were the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, because adding “super” to anything automatically makes it sound cooler. It’s become an inside joke at this point that Nintendo is getting repetitive with their products, but they plan on this new console being completely new, which is definitely nice.
Nintendo has also said that their console will have “industry-leading chips” that could compete with the Xbox One and Playstation 4. This is interesting because Nintendo always seemed to try and stay one generation behind the competitors in terms of technology in order to reduce costs. The Nintendo 64 was even still using cartridges when everybody else switched to discs in the fifth generation. Japanese business newspaper Nikkei Shimbun also speculated that the NX might run on an Android operating system.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the NX will likely be a sort of home console / handheld hybrid, which is supported by a patent that Nintendo filed (seen on the right) for a controller that people believe might belong to the NX. This new controller seems to be almost entirely a screen with a couple buttons and two handles. I’m not entirely sure how this controller will work since it only seems to have four buttons in total counting what I can only assume to be the analog stick, but I can’t imagine this is exactly what the controller will look like when it’s finished. I’m sure Mario won’t be replaced by an egg with Baymax’s head and ropes for limbs any time soon either. I’m sure they could make that into some kind of power-up though. Introducing, the Vague Doodle Mushroom! |
But honestly the most important thing about these new consoles for me are the games, but we don’t know a whole lot in that department. The only two confirmed titles so far are Dragon Quest XI and the new Legend of Zelda game, which will be released on both the Wii U and NX, much like how the launch ofTwilight Princess was. Even as someone who isn’t a huge fan of The Legend of Zelda or Dragon Quest I am rather excited about both games, but I kind of wish we knew more about the launch game library this console will have.
I feel like we knew a lot more about the Wii U ten months before its launch than we know about the NX right now. I’m honestly confused why we don’t know more, especially since in some stores you can already preorder it. Nintendo says they will release more information about it later this year, but not at their E3 conference for some reason (you know, the most important event of the year for game developers and publishers?) I really do look forward to hearing more about this console, and I have high hopes that it will live up to Nintendo’s legacy.