PixlBit

What is it?

Hey Pilxbit, how are you all doing? As many of you may have heard, a while back, Nintendo announced that it will entering the mobile marketplace, as in making software for mobile devices like smartphones. This prompted Satoru Iwata to announce that Nintendo isn't abandoning dedicated hardware, as he announced the NX, Nintendo's new hardware. But the question is, what is it? This has brought speculation that it is Nintendo's next home, and further proof of this is that a few days later, Zelda Wii U was no longer going to be released this year. Aonuma has stated that the reason for the delay was to finetune the game and add more ideas. But alot have reason to believe that it was delayed in order to be a launch title for the NX.

But it still doesn't tell us what the NX is. Nintendo has stated that it wont replace the Wii U or the 3DS, but they said the same thing about the DS when the Gamecube and Game Boy Advance were out, and the DS replaced the GBA. Who knows, with the "New" 3DS out right now, Nintendo might not replace its handheld anytime soon, in fact Nintendo might continue to support the 3DS like they continued to support the DS even though the 3DS was out. But all that leaves us in this equation is the Wii U. The Wii U, despite its great library of games hasn't been selling well. The NX seems like it might replace the Wii U, but that doesn't mean Nintendo will stop supporting the Wii U. Evidence by this is that they are keen on supporting it with dlc for games like Mario Kart and Smash Bros. But who knows for how long.

I have researched and thought what this thing could be, and while I know I may be wrong, I can't rule out the possibility of what the NX may be, so I'm going to talk about what it could be. So lets get started.

A mobile device: Nintendo announced a partnership with DeNa for its mobile division. This means that Nintendo will be making mobile games for smart devices like phones and tablets. People believe that it might be a Nintendo device of some sort, like a Nintendo branded phone or tablet, as Nintendo said the NX  wont replace its current hardware. There was even a rumor that it might run on Android, which would of made sense, but the rumor was false. The problem I see here is that Nintendo will be making games for its own hardware again, so it can't possibly be a Nintendo branded smart device. It might be, but as I mentioned, it means that Nintendo will be making games on their own hardware. Though I don't think I read that the games will be available in any device, so who knows.

VR Headset: This one might have some truth to it as I've seen a blog on Pixlbit showing images of  a vr device patented by Nintendo. It might seem plausible, but companies patent things like these all the time. I remember seeing one from Sony that had a controller that split into 2. I'm not sure but that might of become the PS Move. Another reason I believe this might not be the next thing for Nintendo, is because I'm sure vr tech is expensive. The tech is there, but at a price. Think about it for a bit, imagine vr is the gimmick for the NX, imagine how much it would cost. That, and it'll be underpowered again, just like the Wii U was. I imagine the vr headset alone would cost more than the console itself, just like the Gamepad cost more than the Wii U console. I can see it being feasible only if its sold separately as a separate peripheral.

Console/Handheld Hybrid: This one is the most popular rumor out of the bunch. Rumor has it that it is a console/handheld hybrid, as in it's a piece of hardware that plays both console and handheld games on the same hardware. This means that the controller would work like the gamepad on the Wii U, but it's obviously more portable and that you can take it with you. It will obviously need a console or dock to leave at home for this to work. Or it might include a separate controller in case you don't want to use the handheld at home. This sounds like the function that the PS Vita and the PS4 use with remote play, except instead of being 2 separate pieces, it's only one.

Nintendo said that it hopes to bring 3rd-party developers in with this thing. And here is where I find the problem in it. If it's going to be a hybrid, that means it might be underpowered. What I've seen on the internet, is that it might be underpowered since the console unit will be streaming the game to the portable controller, or something like that since they both have to be on the same level in terms of power. I can maybe see what they are trying to say. I think they mean that Nintendo would probably want the games to look good at home or outside, but for that to happen, both hardware units need to be running the same specs. For a handheld, that's good, but not for a console. I know they can bump up the specs, which will be great for a console experience, but wouldn't last you too long on handheld with the battery life.

However, I may have found a solution in terms of power. If it is a hybrid, why not sell it as separate hardware? It can bring the costs down, plus the console can have the specs bumped up, that way the handheld unit can have its own specs. They wouldn't need to sacrifice power on neither since it might be a unified console/handheld experience. Nintendo even said it plans to bridge both its console and handheld divisions, and the timing for this couldn't have been more better if its a cross hardware experience. And they could even put up a bundle that has both pieces of tech.

This thing: Just read the link. It says that its for Nintendo hardware that'll start production in 2016, which happens to be the year Nintendo will give us more details. However, it doesn't say if it's for handheld or console hardware. Alot of people think it's for a portable, and it seems like it may be. But I may think it's for the rumored console/handheld hybrid. I believe so but I'll get back to you in a bit.

Quality of Life Product: It may be this, as Nintendo said it wouldn't replace the Wii U and 3DS. But that seems unlikely as Nintendo said it was new hardware, that and Nintendo never said the QOL product even is hardware, or I don't remember reading that.

Final thoughts: Here is my thoughts on this. This thing is still shrouded in mystery. People have said it's a VR headset, to being a holo projector. I think it may be the hybrid because as I've pointed out, Nintendo was/is planning to merge is console/handheld division. It may even use that screen, but here is my question: will it be backwards compatible with Wii U software? Nintendo loves adding backwards compatibility to its hardware, but will the NX have that? If that screen is to be believed, then it seems plausible as I think Nintendo wont abandon it yet. In fact, it could be a smart move if they add it so people wont think Nintendo is ditching the Wii U, but the problem is that it'll drive up the cost. I think that was a reason Sony ditched that feature on the PS4. Or so you can buy remastered versions of games you already had on PS3.

My other question is that how much powerful will this thing be? Iwata said that it hopes to bring third-party developers for the NX, but he also said that it wont be a simple spec bump. That seems a bit contradictory. Here's the thing, if Nintendo wants third-parties back, this thing needs to be at the same level as the PS4/XB1 or a bit more. Why? Well the Wii U is why. Third-party developers were developing 2 versions of the same game. I know they develop different versions of the same game, but the Wii U made it harder because they had to incorporate the gamepad in some way. That alone probably drove up the cost of developing a Wii U version. That and it isn't as powerful as what's on the market right now. But if the Wii U was at the same level as the PS4/XB1, would developers develop for it? That's a hard question to respond to, as there could be dozens of different outcomes here. The install base is too small, it's underpowered, the gamepad, and more. Keep in mind I'm not badmouthing the Wii U, I love, I'm just thinking of possible things as to why it's in this situation.

Despite all of these things, I remain optimistic about the NX. Iwata said it's a new concept, that has me intrigued as what it could be. As I've said, it could be any of those that I listed, or none of them at all. I'll get one, I always try to get Nintendo hardware as soon as I can and I'll keep buying it as long as they keep making the games I enjoy and love. Who knows what it could be, the only way to find out is next year. Or we might get a teaser this year, because with Nintendo, you never know what's next.

Or I may have figured out what it is, it's a car:

Nintendo never said what it was, and Iwata said it'll change our lives, so it's logical that it's a car. Think about it.

So, what do you think the NX is? Will you be getting one when it's shown, or will you wait and see? There are things I didn't cover cause this dragged on for too long and could of turned into 2 posts, so I tried to keep it brief, even though it didn't seem like it. Well, Thanks for reading and later.