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Nintendo's Mysterious 'NX' Gaming Platform To Be Launched In March 2017 (pcworld.com)

Posted by msmash on from the remember-Nintendo? dept.

Nintendo has announced that its next gaming platform -- codenamed NX -- will launch worldwide in March 2017. "For our dedicated video game platform, Nintendo is currently developing a gaming platform codenamed 'NX' with a brand-new concept," the gaming console company said while announcing its annual results. PCWorld reports:Nintendo is placing big bets on NX. The company will continue to offer games for smartphone devices, a strategy it has started executing on, but its core business focus will be on what it describes as its "software-led hardware-software integrated business." [...] For the fiscal year ended March 31, the company sold 6.8 million units of the portable Nintendo 3DS hardware and over 48.5 million units of 3DS software. Global sales of the Wii U hardware and software were 3.26 million and 27.4 million units respectively.

88 comments

  1. It will have VR headset. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That is the current money pit they're trying to shove down everyone's throats.

    1. Re:It will have VR headset. by ledow · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Maybe if they can make an affordable and fun-to-use one it might catch one.

      Honestly, I was like you. And I grew up in the 80's where VRML and everything else were being pushed as "the future".

      And then I played with a Google Cardboard set and, actually, the base mobile phones now can do a better job of VR than you'd probably think. Nowhere near perfect, but enough that we were passing them around the IT Office and others bought their own, all run from a bog-standard Android smartphone.

      The Vive and Rift? Stupendously expensive. And you have to have one hell of a machine to get close to using them.

      But now consider if you could get one, off-the-shelf, for a few hundred, with a bunch of Wii-like games to entice people and have a laugh at parties with them. Sorry, but that would sell. All the other competitors are similarly pipedreams, homebrew, or too expensive. A Nintendo one - even sold at a loss - could really bring it home to people.

      Hell, even just a headset that plugged into a Wii U would do it. And if you could make it commercial, you could repurpose them like people have repurposed the Wiimotes etc.

      Sure, you probably aren't going to play Crysis 10 at full speed with them, but that's NOT the be-all-and-end-all of gaming. Make it fun enough that granny buys one for the kids because she was "on a rollercoaster" and you have a seller. WiiFit was nothing special, look how many people bought that.

      A WiiVR could easily take the market if launched at the right time - late enough to be developed, early enough to get in before the big players - and the right price point.

    2. Re:It will have VR headset. by wicka_wicka · · Score: 2

      I think the appeal of VR is extremely limited. How often do you see people riding a bus or a train while playing a game on their phone, or to a lesser extent, on a portable console? Those same people aren't going to strap a contraption on their face and be ignorant to the outside world just to play a game. It reminds me of 3D. Everyone just decided it was going to be The Next Thing, but they never stopped to consider what value it provided, or if the benefits outweighed the costs. And it crashed and burned. I agree with you that the future of VR will be phone-based. And I think the future of high-end VR, like Vive and Rift, will be via a phone app that integrates with a high-end gaming PC. But I think it will have about the same market impact as high-end gaming PCs. Definitely a sustainable market, definitely large and influential, but nowhere near an "everyman" thing.

      --
      hi
    3. Re:It will have VR headset. by boristdog · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Give me a VR Mario Kart and I will buy into this whole VR thing.

      Actually, my wife will. And she'll kick my ass almost every race.

    4. Re:It will have VR headset. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is the current money pit they're trying to shove down everyone's throats.

      Will it have only one, like the WiiU's GamePad, or can I actually get four of these to work? Because if I can get my whole family playing VR Mario Cart at the same time, then I am sold.

    5. Re:It will have VR headset. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh god, VR Mario Kart, I'm going to throw up just thinking about it. But then again, put me in the back seat of a car going through a windy mountain road and you'll get the same effect. The real problem with VR, as it has always been, and always will be, the lack of sync to your senses. Been watching some of the Vive stuff, and since the accelerameters appear to not be sensitive enough, all movements seem to have to be exaggerated. The whole moving my head 90 degrees to translate to a 40 degree in game movement, that's not going to treat my inner ear kindly. And I tend to think I'm in the majority.

    6. Re:It will have VR headset. by jeffmflanagan · · Score: 1

      You're right about the potential of Wii VR, but the Vive and Rift aren't "stupendously expensive" for what they are. They're in the TV price-range, and while I can't comment on the Rift, I can tell you the Vive is worth the money.

      It still has some limitations, like visible sub-pixels, visible Fresnel rings outside the center of vision, and a wire tethering you to a PC, but it transports you to a different place, and room-scale VR is excellent exercise. Games are running fine on a single Geforce 970, so the PC isn't that expensive either.

      Right now I feel like I spent several hours at the gym last night, but I got all that exercise while having a lot of fun playing games.

      Looked at as both an entertainment and exercise device, $880 shipped was a great deal. Another nice thing about the Vive is that there's no VR sickness with room-scale software, because VR movement is 1:1 with actual movement. The only time I started to feel very slightly sick was playing a seated VR racing game.

    7. Re:It will have VR headset. by jeffmflanagan · · Score: 1

      Of course people aren't going to use VR in public, that would be suicidal. It is going to be huge, but it'll be something you use at home, or at VR gaming centers that will have props so you experience touch in VR.

    8. Re:It will have VR headset. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      NO, Nintendo is not jumping into VR just because everyone else is. They have made that very clear.

    9. Re:It will have VR headset. by vux984 · · Score: 1

      But now consider if you could get one, off-the-shelf, for a few hundred, with a bunch of Wii-like games to entice people and have a laugh at parties with them.

      Most people are not going to be inclined to put on any sort of headset that isolates me from rest of the people at the party. It ~might~ get a brief run as a fad, but its not going to have staying power. Once everyone's seen it, the appeal will be done.

      VR for hardcore gaming, has potential. Its already a solo activity (or where the only people you interact with are also in the game) so the isolation isn't an issue.

      But I'm not terribly impressed with it yet; its not comfortable enough yet, its expensive, it's ... more exhausting.

      And I'm not sure it suits how I play. I frequently alt-tab out of games to look at external stuff. When I play games like binding of isaac i often have the wiki open on my laptop or another screen so I can lookup items and effects. In team games I sometimes alt-tab to another screen and browse etc instead of spectating after I've died while i wait for the round to end, etc. This stuff is a lot clumsyier in VR.

      Other games, I play upstairs on the couch, Xcom/Xcom2, Binding of Isaac, etc... I play on the couch to hang out with my family; while they read, do homework, watch youtube on thier laptops etc, skype etc. I don't want to be in VR for that time.

      Not to mention that a good portion of the games I play aren't even 3D, and I don't see that VR would do anything for them. Steam's virtual theatre for games that don't support VR... seems a lot like a solution to a problem nobody has.

      So for me, most of my gaming time... I'm just not interested in VR. But still.. I think there's definitely potential. I think a game like Mechwarrior is made for VR; and a truly good mechwarrior VR game could move VR sets.

    10. Re:It will have VR headset. by adolf · · Score: 2

      I never see people riding on a bus or a train while playing a video game.

      But then, I don't see people on busses or trains, ever.

      (This is the problem with anecdotes.)

      --
      Kid-proof tablet..
    11. Re: It will have VR headset. by jxander · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Certainly possible, but further down the rabbit hole in which they currently languish.

      The WiiU primarily did 2 new things: Introduced new interface hardware, and let that hardware divide the experience. Local multiplayer suffered the worst, and adding a VR headset will only exacerbate the problem.

      Now, I personally don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with asymmetric multiplayer. Just the opposite, actually. It opens up a lot of potential for new and interesting games, which their Nintendoland tech demo did a good job of illustrating... but it never took off from there.

      Nintendo failed to create any games that really took advantage of the hardware, instead shoehorning it into games for no adequate reason, which only makes the game worse (lookin at you, star fox). And they failed to court any 3rd party vendors to create such games.

      Despite the potential for asymmetric gameplay, the system failed. I don't see how a double-down on the asymmetry will make things better next time.

      --
      This signature is false.
    12. Re:It will have VR headset. by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 2

      IIRC Nintendo confirmed a while ago NX was not VR. I think the latest speculation going around is that it is a tablet system, OR a tablet that can broadcast to your TV through a base station when you're at home. There was a "leak" that confirmed some of this but it was a bit suspicious.

    13. Re:It will have VR headset. by Hotawa+Hawk-eye · · Score: 1

      I think the appeal of VR is extremely limited. How often do you see people riding a bus or a train while playing a game on their phone, or to a lesser extent, on a portable console? Those same people aren't going to strap a contraption on their face and be ignorant to the outside world just to play a game.

      Are you sure about that? Seems to me people who are so inattentive to the outside world because they're glued to their smart phones that they need traffic lights in the sidewalk to keep them from wandering into traffic and getting killed might as well take the next step and strap something on their faces to make it clear to everyone that they're not paying attention to what's going on around them.

    14. Re:It will have VR headset. by Hotawa+Hawk-eye · · Score: 1

      Nintendo tried VR or something like it first or close to first among game companies. It didn't sell very well, but with 30 years of technological improvement maybe a second try would go better.

    15. Re:It will have VR headset. by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      I think the appeal of VR is extremely limited. How often do you see people riding a bus or a train while playing a game on their phone, or to a lesser extent, on a portable console? Those same people aren't going to strap a contraption on their face and be ignorant to the outside world just to play a game.

      I dunno.

      I've never lived anywhere with a train, or where folks rode the bus, but I am sure that on airplane flights, these things would work just fine.

      Tons of folks have earphones on to tune out the flight noises (and annoying seat mates), I can imaging quite a lot of folks would opt for the blocking of the sites too and play games or get immersed in a movie with VR headsets on.

      I think the VR thing would be nice for most any LONG trip where you just want to tune out the monotony of the sites and circumstances.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    16. Re:It will have VR headset. by Daetrin · · Score: 1

      First of all, i agree with you almost exactly about all the reasons why i am not personally very interested in VR. It just doesn't mesh with the way i play games.

      _However_, if Nintendo wanted to go that route they would have to do one of two things. First, they could allow more than one VR set to be used at the same time. The only way i could see them making it "affordable" for the system to support multiple VR viewpoints is if most of the hardware was in the headsets themselves while the "console" acts as a server to keep them coordinated. However i'm not sure if that's really feasible.

      The _other_ thing they could do (either independently or in addition to the above) is make the game simultaneously playable in VR and on a normal TV. The TV might duplicate the viewpoint of the VR player or show some other viewpoint, depending on the game. The other people in the room might have some part to play in the game, either directly via controllers or by relaying information verbally to the VR player (imagine a more complicated version of "pin the tail on the donkey,") or they might just act as observers. (Presumably offering snide commentary and/or laughing at the player's mistakes.)

      In any case, i think Nintendo needs to have _some_ kind of gimmick for the NX. I used to think it might be good enough for Nintendo to come out with more advanced hardware that was on par with the PS4 and XBOne, allowing 3rd parties to easily port games over to expand the library, but the rumors of PS4.5 and XBOne.1 seem to indicate that Sony and Microsoft won't be sitting still long enough this generation for that tactic to be successful.

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      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    17. Re:It will have VR headset. by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      I grew up in the 80's where VRML

      Isn't VRML a late 90s technology?

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    18. Re:It will have VR headset. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If sitting in the back seat of a car going through a windy mountain road causes you to throw up, you probably are not in the majority. I've used it and have seen others use it without a problem.

      My wife on the other hand got a little sick, but she also gets nauseous watching me play an FPS game.

    19. Re:It will have VR headset. by guises · · Score: 1

      Have you played NintendoLand on the Wii U? That's got the best VR experience I've seen. Rather than going with a nausea inducing head-mounted display, they use the Wii U gamepad like a window that you can move around. No nausea, no awkward thing to strap on your head, easy to pause and put down... The Wii U is easily my favorite of the current-gen consoles, largely for this kind of stuff. I wish it had had a chance to flourish a little more, maybe get some of that ridiculous occulous hype.

    20. Re:It will have VR headset. by CronoCloud · · Score: 1

      Damn right, I mostly agree for the same reasons. I mean after all, how is VR going to work for Diablo, or say...a MOBA or a PC style MMORPG with lots of skill buttons.

      I do think that VR headsets are going to take off for vehicle based games. You mentioned Mechwarrior, but I think that Flight games (whether space or atmospheric) would work well too.

    21. Re:It will have VR headset. by voxel · · Score: 1

      I agree it's likely not VR. Nintendo still caters to the younger crowd and there are many concerns for developing brains using artificial VR realities for long periods of time.

      --
      Modesty is one of life's greatest attributes
  2. So Disappointing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Knew it was coming and yet, can't help but be disappointed. have been looking forward to this game since the Wii U launch in 2012.

  3. While everyone says Nintendo is in Shambles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Nintendo is what I would consider a stupidly strong company that knows it's fan base well enough to continue to succeed. The biggest assets they have are the IP that they have build for years and as long as they play their cards right, what ever new gimmick will probably sell. The Wii U was a marketing failure that simply was an early response to the other eighth generation consoles. They made a fair decent sales once their classic games started getting released, between the new SSB and others.

    1. Re:While everyone says Nintendo is in Shambles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Their Wii money is gone, the Wii U was a massive flop and hugely under-powered, the DS is just regurgitating the same ol' thing over and over with limited appeal beyond the brand loyal zealots; their board want their IP released on other platforms - because it's the only cash cow left. The NX will flop, VR is here, console bumps are here, Nintendo are lost.

      They cannot expect to shove out another Mario and be strong again. It will never happen, the Wii was a fluke. People were board with it very quickly, many got sucked in by the hype and then boxed them away. That attach rate was shite when you exclude the "10 games" that you had to buy to get a second controller. Sure, they made a ridiculous amount of profit on a garbage system; but those days are gone, and the non-gamers that lapped up the Wii will not be coming back. Nintendo's only chance is cheap VR, but as a company that's several years behind the tech (because it's so cheap), they have almost zero probability of that.

    2. Re:While everyone says Nintendo is in Shambles by ravenshrike · · Score: 1

      There's no way their WII money is gone. For what the WiiU actually was they couldn't have spent more than 60% of the Wii money, and if they did spend it all then someone needs to take a lead pipe to their R&D department until cost savings improve.

    3. Re:While everyone says Nintendo is in Shambles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Nintendo's latest financials (as at March 2016) show they still have about US$5 billion in cash. Now that's not Apple-money but it must be a pretty good chunk of the Wii-money.

      VR isn't "here" in any sensible definition of the word. There are a couple of niche products (yes, OR and Vive are niche) and Sony is dipping their toe in with PS VR, but VR isn't going to magically take off in the next couple of years. All being well it may grow into a viable market, but more likely it'll flop like Kinect and other niche products.

      Nintendo's certainly in a rough spot, but I wouldn't write them off yet...

  4. I'm wacking off already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nintendoooooo....huuurrrrr

  5. NX is LUDDITE garbage. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Only APPS can app apps, NOT LUDDITE garbage like Nintendo!

    Apps!

    1. Re:NX is LUDDITE garbage. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Every Nintendo game you've ever played, and every program you've ever used, is an app. Schmuck. Get a new hobby.

  6. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by freak0fnature · · Score: 4, Insightful

    XBox360 and PS3 were far superior to the Wii in technology, but the Wii destroyed the competition in sales. Your point is mute.

  7. Re:Will it support creating games using Rust? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't think you said Rust enough. Rust Rust Rust.

  8. Re:-1 Disagree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    nodded? Are you Slashdotting while on heroin?

  9. Re: Nintendo is irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    For the current generation of consoles, the PS4 has sold over 35 million consoles, the Xbox One is over 19 million, and the Wii U is at 12.8 million. The Wii did quite well, but the Wii U has lagged pretty far behind its competitors.

  10. Re:-1 Disagree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    nodded? Are you Slashdotting while on heroin?

    Isn't everybody?

  11. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by sherr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Superior in terms of raw horsepower sure, but that's not the market that Nintendo is trying to go for.

    Nintendo caters to same-console multiplayer and exploration-game and platformer players, not competitive FPS and sports-game players. Their design goals are easy-to-pick-up, intuitive, and fun, not focused solely on dazzling the eyes with the extreme number of polygons. They explore wacky and different game mechanics like the motion-controller Wii remotes and the asymetric-gameplay Wii U tablet. Go into any nursing home. Odds are you'll find a Wii but won't find an Xbox or PS.

    It would be stupid for Nintendo to exit the market, there's no one else that is even trying to cater to their player base. You may not be part of their target market, and that's completely okay. Other people are.

  12. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Moot. The word you mean to use, is moot. Not mute.

  13. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He was trying to describe how much sound the point was making, not how valid it was you insensitive clod.

  14. Ports? by bzn · · Score: 1

    It'd be quite nice if NX turned out to be a project to port games to other platforms. Am I going to buy a Wii U? Hell no. Would I buy Splatoon/Super Mario on Steam? Hell yes.

    1. Re:Ports? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It'd be quite nice if NX turned out to be a project to port games to other platforms.

      Am I going to buy a Wii U? Hell no. Would I buy Splatoon/Super Mario on Steam? Hell yes.

      As a Nintendo fanboy, I very much agree with you. The last console I've ever purchased was the Wii and I haven't touched it in like 3 years now (and only then it was for maybe a week and years before that).

      When I heard, read and saw the Super Mario Bros game where you can create your own Mario levels and/or download other people's creations, I was slightly tempted to buy the Wii U just for that. But then I thought better of it, and saw one person's insane map creation, and said, "no" to my ideas on doing so.

      I would definitely buy some of the Nintendo games if they were on Steam/for the PC.

    2. Re:Ports? by Ash-Fox · · Score: 2

      You're really missing out. Too bad.

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
  15. Re:Ooooh, so exciting...Zzzzzzz by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It wasn't meant to be a news story, these are details mined from Nintendo's financial reports. A real, official, unveiling of whatever NX turns out to be will be coming sometime in the second half of this year.

  16. There aren't many ways this can be successful by poisonborz · · Score: 1

    Either this is Android-based, or their last hardware-based gaming platform.

    1. Re:There aren't many ways this can be successful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL, of course it's not going to be Android based. All that having it run Android would ensure is that someone else makes a cheaper knock-off. A guaranteed way to kill Nintendo.
      It will be interesting to see if they can remain a major player in the console market - I wish them luck.

    2. Re:There aren't many ways this can be successful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are Android apps that are proprietary like Google Apps, that could be tied into the Nintendo-specific hardware. The bigger worry is people trying to not just root the Android OS (which can be under a virtual machine or some other kind of isolation from the secret sauce), but using the Android OS as a way to get to the proprietary hardware.

  17. Re: Nintendo is irrelevant by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For the current generation of consoles, the PS4 has sold over 35 million consoles, the Xbox One is over 19 million, and the Wii U is at 12.8 million.

    And PC is at 200 million.

    As for handhelds, how far is PlayStation Vita behind Nintendo 3DS again?

  18. Tools to app Nintendo apps are limited by tepples · · Score: 1

    I'm inclined to agree with you. The closest Nintendo has come to publishing an app to app apps are WarioWare DIY for Nintendo DS and Super Mario Maker for Wii U. These are very limited compared to the app development apps that run on an Android tablet, such as AIDE.

    1. Re:Tools to app Nintendo apps are limited by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 1

      AIDE is a tool for developers, Nintendo's offerings are meant for everyone to be able to pick up and use. Ease-of-use is the priority, not power.

    2. Re:Tools to app Nintendo apps are limited by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      AIDE is LUDDITE trash. Modern app appers app apps using AppScript and AppApp!

      Apps!

    3. Re:Tools to app Nintendo apps are limited by tepples · · Score: 1

      [WarioWare DIY and Super Mario Maker] are meant for everyone to be able to pick up and use. Ease-of-use is the priority, not power.

      I agree for those particular products. But there needs to be a clear path for a budding developer to graduate from ease of use to power that doesn't involve moving to another state.

    4. Re:Tools to app Nintendo apps are limited by CronoCloud · · Score: 1

      But there needs to be a clear path for a budding developer to graduate from ease of use to power that doesn't involve moving to another state.

      Why?

      No Really why?

      Why should Publishers cater to an "Edge Case" who doesn't want to move for career purposes. I mean after all if I want to be a chef in a 5-star restaurant in a big city...I might have to MOVE to a big city. If you have to relocate to have a career in your chosen field, then relocate. People do it all the time.

      And there's always the option to collaborate on a project online, maybe as a contractor.

      Or even the option to form one's OWN company right where you are.

      There already IS a clear career path, you just don't want to do those things, you want everything handed to you without having to do anything.

      Instead of complaining about how Nintendo or whatever doesn't just hand out dev kits and contracts to everyone with a dream, DO something.

    5. Re:Tools to app Nintendo apps are limited by tepples · · Score: 1

      I mean after all if I want to be a chef in a 5-star restaurant in a big city...I might have to MOVE to a big city.

      In this analogy, what's the counterpart to platforms other than consoles? If the answer is fast food, then why is it good for users that there exist nothing between fast food and 5-star restaurants?

      Or even the option to form one's OWN company right where you are.

      I would if I knew how "relevant industry experience" and "financial stability" are measured.

    6. Re:Tools to app Nintendo apps are limited by CronoCloud · · Score: 1

      In this analogy, what's the counterpart to platforms other than consoles?

      Stop being so literal There is no analogy, that was only a for-instance of a career that might require a move.

      I would if I knew how "relevant industry experience" and "financial stability" are measured.

      Gonna throw a "best practices" reference in there too? You do have "some" idea what those mean, claiming you don't is just a distraction, a coping strategy to convince yourself of the rightness of your "axe to grind"

      And if you truly don't know what it means, give it up, you're too disabled to achieve your dream. Sell your computer and be happy playing Tetris, on a SNES, on an SDTV, afterschool while babysitting.

      If you don't want to do that, th en perhaps you should be learning Unity instead of focusing on SNES/NES/GBA/DS homebrew.

      And by the way, you probably shouldn't cite Cracked as an authoritative source on your website It's a HUMOR site.

    7. Re:Tools to app Nintendo apps are limited by tepples · · Score: 1

      I would if I knew how "relevant industry experience" and "financial stability" are measured.

      Gonna throw a "best practices" reference in there too?

      I was quoting a console maker's description of developer qualifications.

      You do have "some" idea what those mean, claiming you don't is just a distraction

      As far as I interpret them, one needs to have already developed a game that was published on another platform. This covers the industry alumni route that you have recommended and the PC-to-console route that others have recommended. So I guess the issue is to first come up with a game concept that's as at home on a PC as it is on a Nintendo product, which the Steam Machine and Steam Link extender make somewhat easier.

      be happy playing Tetris

      This talking point is years out of date.

      you should be learning Unity

      While I go about doing so: Why didn't the Unity 3D people sue when Canonical made its similarly-named abortion the default DE for Ubuntu back in 2011?

      And by the way, you probably shouldn't cite Cracked as an authoritative source on your website It's a HUMOR site.

      Cracked articles cite sources as much as any news article with a more serious tone does. "Funny" doesn't rule out "Informative" and "Insightful".

  19. moot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your point is mute.

    And your point is moot because you misspelled it.

  20. More need to change more than the hardware by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 1

    While Nintendo certainly needs to step up its act when it comes to the hardware, the software and the developer support needs to improve. The competition these days are Sony and Microsoft, but also Google and Apple. The former because of the the PS4 and Xbox One and the latter because of Android and iOS. They need to take the best elements of current consoles approaches and also the best elements of current mobile platforms.

    Nintendo has tried making kids the focus and in doing so handicapped features such as chat. At the same time the OS needed the internet, but didn't capitalise on the internet. What I am thinking here are basics for any modern operating system, such as network time (you still had to do it by hand), IPv6 support (though, it really didn't hurt them in this cycle).

    Nintendo needs to provide a developer program that is a little more open to indie and amateur, in the same way the mobile platforms do today. Sure, they can offer an extended offering to the big players, but making it easier to build a knowledge base and bring on new start-ups I believe would be an asset.

    --
    Jumpstart the tartan drive.
    1. Re:More need to change more than the hardware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      In fairness, PS4 doesn't work in a *purely* IPV6 environment, either. You can use IPV6 addressing, but the closest router still needs to support IPV4.

  21. Re: Nintendo is irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For the current generation of consoles, the PS4 has sold over 35 million consoles, the Xbox One is over 19 million, and the Wii U is at 12.8 million.

    And PC is at 200 million.

    As for handhelds, how far is PlayStation Vita behind Nintendo 3DS again?

    Which would be awesome for the industry if people bought games for all of them, but... they don't.

  22. Re:Will it support creating games using Rust? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We don't even know what form factor it has, asking what programming language it uses is a bit pre-mature...

  23. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Odd are you'll probably find a VHS player instead of DVD or Blu-ray.

  24. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    XBox360 and PS3 were far superior to the Wii in technology, but the Wii destroyed the competition in sales. Your point is mute.

    All written correspondence is mute.

  25. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by bjohnso5 · · Score: 1

    If he typed his comment with Cherry Blues, it'd have been pretty loud.

  26. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Leave 4chan out of this.

  27. software-led hardware-software integrated business by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    Not sure WTF that subject really means, but this is what they should be doing...

    They should be partnering up with someone like Samsung, LG, and/or any and all of the makers of "SMART" TV's, and incorporating a hardware and software solution that can handle light gaming which has been their forte for about the last decade or so. Have a marketplace to buy game apps. Percentage of app profits goes to the TV manufactures who sold the TV.

    That way you don't really need to buy any console. You just have a smart TV you would have bought anyway, which has the capabilities to buy and play Nintendo apps. Huge market. TV technology has just as much computing power as long ago consoles or modern phones, little would really need to be done, slight upgrade and a standardized framework, apply Nintendo logo, done. Most apps storage requirements are low, but you could always just use an external HD, most TV's have USB ports at this point in the game.

    TV manufactures would build the hardware and sell the physical sets, Nintendo would maintain the marketplace, create (or licence) apps, and software interface. Incentive for TV manufactures to do this? Well percentage of app profits for one, and selling feature over competitors for another. Some smart TV's already have "apps" however it is something that they all really are not good at, and why bother doing it badly yourself, when you can get a recognized existing brand to do it well sharing what would be many magnitudes more money than what you could probably eek out yourself...

  28. PASS by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    Nintendo will never license Amateur Surgeon V for their platform, so this is a total non-starter.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  29. NX-01 Enterprise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Engage!

  30. Re:Will it support creating games using Rust? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From what I understand they will use Ruby on Rails.

  31. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your point is mute.

    His point fell on deaf ears.

  32. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by moogaloonie · · Score: 1

    Moot. It's not mute, it's moot.

  33. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    respect and love for a product isnt measured in sales.

    nintendo has fans who love it due to its past (growing up with it, quality/unique games/experiences, comparatively great arcade ports, etc.)... you think those people give a crap about sales figures?

    >"I'm not having fun with this console."
    >>> "Yeah, but it destroyed the competition in sales."
    >"Oh nevermind then, now I'm having lots of fun!"

    now kids are growing up with xbox/PS (i.e., actually using the damn machines).

    OP's point is not moot if nintendo continues to drop the ball.

  34. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by null+etc. · · Score: 1

    Your point is mute.

    Stop insulting my point! I prefer to refer to him as "volumically challenged."

  35. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by mattack2 · · Score: 1

    Though I read an article recently that said that it originally _was_ mute that was used in this context, but incorrectly changed to moot at some point. I can't find it in a quick search.

  36. Re: Nintendo is irrelevant by unrtst · · Score: 1

    PS4 has sold over 35 million consoles, the Xbox One is over 19 million, and the Wii U is at 12.8 million.

    Just regarding the numbers, that's really not that bad. It's more than half the 2nd place spot, which has more than half the 1st place spot. It's more than 1/3rd the 1st place spot. It's 12.8 million... that's a lot.

    If they were all pretty similar performance-wise, I'd expect the Wii U to get nearly all the same titles - why leave that many possible sales on the table? I don't think that's really the case, and I doubt the Wii U is picking up much of anything, but just based on sales figures, it's got enough numbers to stay in the game and easily be profitable this round.

  37. Strange launch time by mattack2 · · Score: 1

    Seems like a strange launch time. Haven't the rest of the consoles (for decades) been launched in the calendar 4th quarter, to get Christmas sales?

  38. Re:-1 Disagree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    you posh bastard!

    some of us can't afford that and have to make do with cough syrup and gin

  39. Re: Nintendo is irrelevant by CronoCloud · · Score: 1

    And how many of those Windows 10 installs sit on desks at workplaces and don't play games at all.

    And how many of those Win10 installs at homes don't play any games other than free facebook games, Solitaire or Minesweeper.

    In contrast, EVERY console and portable is designed for games, that is their PRIMARY use. Not Office, Not Facebook, Not cat videos on Youtube, but GAMES. You're not going to buy a PS4 or Vita unless you want to BUY and play games on it.

    As for handhelds, how far is PlayStation Vita behind Nintendo 3DS again?

    Doesn't matter, it's still the best portable gaming machine for the buck. It's a better gaming machine than a 3DS, or phone or tablet.

  40. Re: Nintendo is irrelevant by Phil+Urich · · Score: 1

    And how many of those Windows 10 installs sit on desks at workplaces and don't play games at all.

    And how many of those Win10 installs at homes don't play any games other than free facebook games, Solitaire or Minesweeper.

    His raw 200 million number was bogus, but the numbers still show PC gaming as easily above the Wii U and rivalling the other current-gen consoles. Even just Steam alone there were as many as 11 million people concurrently on Steam at points in the last 48 hours, for instance, so nearly as many people playing games on Steam at a time than have ever even bought Wii Us (source: http://store.steampowered.com/... ), so PC gaming is nothing to scoff at.

    --
    I remember sigs. Oh, a simpler time!
  41. Re: Nintendo is irrelevant by HaZardman27 · · Score: 1

    Doesn't matter, it's still the best portable gaming machine for the buck. It's a better gaming machine than a 3DS, or phone or tablet.

    Just without the software to make it a worthwhile investment, or even the support from its creator.

    --
    Apparently wizard is not a legitimate career path, so I chose programmer instead.
  42. Re: Nintendo is irrelevant by CronoCloud · · Score: 1

    Just without the software to make it a worthwhile investment,

    It still gets plenty of indies, and plenty of cross-buy stuff like the recent Day of the Tentacle. And there's been some "stealth" releases. Meaning games that get released WITHOUT much promotion so people might not know they even exist. An example of that is the Vita XCOM game which is Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within together with ALL the DLC. That's right, portable XCOM

    even the support from its creator.

    I really think it is just an SCEA issue. SCEA is so cautious with its marketing, they had trouble marketing the PSP too. They seem so afraid to market anything other than "manly brown shooters" to the "dudebro demographic" probably because they're thinking something like:. "If it wasn't for MIcrosofts sucess with the shooter-boys we'd have kicked their asses with the PS3 too, so lets focus as much marketing on that demographic to get them in our camp. We've already got the generalists, the japanophiles, the platformers and the quirky game players, we can ignore marketing to them"

  43. Re: Nintendo is irrelevant by CronoCloud · · Score: 1

    but the numbers still show PC gaming as easily above the Wii U and rivalling the other current-gen consoles.

    Oh yes, I consider the PS4, Xbox ONe and PC to be the "Big Three". But Tepples, who at one time wanted to be a console developer, now has a grudge/axe against consoles because Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo just don't hand out devkits and contracts to everybody.

  44. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by stud9920 · · Score: 2

    I think you meant it's a moo point

  45. Slap in the face to the fans by macwhiz · · Score: 1

    By holding the next Zelda up as a launch title for the NX instead of releasing it for the Wii U sometime in the past two years, Nintendo has completed the slap in the face that was the entire Wii U experience. It's why I don't see myself buying a NX, even though I've owned most of the previous Nintendo consoles.

    The Wii U was a disaster, and I say that as a Nintendo partisan.

    • The base model doesn't have enough storage for even one AAA game download, and the deluxe model is barely any better.
    • The only way to add a hard drive is via USB 2.0... and the USB 2.0 ports don't supply enough power to drive 95% of the USB hard drives on the market.
    • Wonky built-in Wi-Fi and dodgy USB Ethernet adapter support make it difficult to get a reliable network connection. By the time Wii U came out, everyone else on the market had built-in wired Ethernet for some time.
    • Nintendo's download servers are way underpowered; I've never seen as much as 50Mbps out of a download, never mind the 200Mbps I pay for. When games weigh in at multiple gigabytes, that's a problem.
    • Online store purchases are virtually always list price. Physical copies are always substantially cheaper. And there's no way to load those physical copies into flash or the hard drive to improve load time or for mere convenience.
    • The Gamepad. Short battery life. Glitchy resistive touchscreen. Heavy. Awkward to hold. Glossy slick surface, except for the very sharp case join around the circumference that digs into your hand, making a weight-adding case a necessity.
    • First-party games that rely on the gamepad screen even when it makes absolutely no sense and interferes with gameplay. Starfox Zero, I'm looking at you.
    • System software updates that don't apply themselves in the background.
    • Blinking-light look-at-me push advertisements on the gamepad when the system is off.

    And that's not even including Nintendo's inability to attract and retain third-party developers, or the general lack of power in the console itself. After all that, I don't trust Nintendo not to screw up the NX. Given Nintendo's corporate culture, I just don't see how they are going to compete with Microsoft and Sony on the console side, and with iOS/Android for casual gamers.

  46. Re:Nintendo is irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Like a cow's opinion!