In a recent announcement, Eurogamer may have revealed new interesting info about Nintendo’s next gen console, codenamed “NX”.
After inquiring with various sources, they have come to the conclusion that the NX is actually a portable handheld system, and not a home console.
But, the twist here is that the NX can apparently connect to a “dock station” (which could provide the system with additional horsepower for improved performance) and can be connected to the TV, thereby also acting as a console. In addition, it also has detachable controllers for co-op play.
As for the specs, the NX is said to sport Nvidia’s mobile Tegra X1 processor (contrary to previous reports that Nintendo’s new system would have AMD parts under the hood), however it is suggested that the Tegra X1 might just be a placeholder for the new Tegra X2 chip.
Hopefully NX utilizes the Tegra X2, because the X1, first used in Nvidia’s Shield portable console, is just a bit more powerful than the PS3/Xbox 360 and hence won’t be feasible for future games.
The NX won’t employ x86 architecture and the OS will be built from the ground up for the system (and nope, it won’t be Android based as was widely speculated before). It will also use cartridges as means of physical media and, unsurprisingly, may not feature backwards compatibility due to differences in hardware.
In addition to Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, a few other first party games have also been suggested to be in development for the NX – Pikmin 4, Luigi’s Mansion 3 and ports of Wii U games like Super Smash Bros, Super Mario Maker and Splatoon. On the other hand, third party games like Dragon Quest X, RISE: Race The Future, Dragon Quest XI, Just Dance 2017 and Project Sonic 2017 are actually confirmed to be coming to Nintendo’s console
Interestingly, as you can see, Just Dance 2017 is also for the NX, so its pretty much a given that Nintendo is also developing new motion controllers for the system.
While Nintendo has stated that the NX will be released in March 2017 (alongside Breath Of The Wild), it is speculated that the system might be revealed as early as September of this year.
It is also important to note that most of the details are rumors, so until concrete info is provided, it’s best to treat these rumors with a grain of salt.
Nintendo is changing their infrastructure and philosophy for the future and that seems to reflect in their vision for the NX and their new motto: “There’s No Play Like It”. But will their plan to (yet again) sacrifice power for innovation work? I don’t think anyone can say that yet, but what we can be sure of is that at least the handheld side of NX will be quite successful.
Are you guys excited for the NX’s release? What is your take on the new details? Let me know in the comments below.