After months of rumors and speculation regarding the nature of Nintendo’s mysterious next console – currently code-named NX – we finally have… well, more rumors and speculation.
However, Tuesday morning’s new report is the most solid confirmation yet of what Nintendo is planning for their future gaming device.
Sources whispering into the ear of Eurogamer have confirmed that Nintendo’s NX will indeed by a hybrid console; a device designed for portable gaming on the go, as well as home gaming on your television.
According to Eurogamer’s report:
“NX will function as a high-powered handheld console with its own display. The screen is book-ended by two controller sections on either side, which can be attached or detached as required.”
The report goes on to detail the ability for the NX to connect to televisions at home via a special docking unit. The description of this unit matches a patent that Nintendo filed earlier in the year, depicting a processing unit that acts as a docking unit for another device.
Eurogamer’s sources further divulged that the NX will be based off of Nvidia’s Tegra processor, a powerful piece of silicone, providing high-end graphics performance for mobile devices. Although, despite its capabilities, the use of the Tegra would indicate that Nintendo’s NX will not compete spec-wise with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, let alone the second wave updates that are coming in the form of the Neo and the Scorpio.
However, the nominal gap in power, at least when comparing the known generation of Tegra processors to the current specs of the PS4 and Xbox One, may only be valid when the device is used as a portable. The supplemental computing device described in Nintendo’s patent, could be used as a way to boost the power and performance of the console when used at home.
“[T]he game console may couple to a supplemental computing device that includes resources that the game console may also utilize to increase the speed or quality of a user’s gaming experience.”
The sources speaking to Eurogamer also told them that the NX will utilize cartridges as its form of media, which confirmed a rumor on which we reported last month. These cartridges will most likely take the form of the game cards that are currently used by the PS Vita, and are capable of holding multiple gigabytes worth of data.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the first confirmed game for Nintendo’s NX.
If these reports are accurate, and they really do match a number of rumors that have been surrounding the system for the better part of a year, then it marks a radical shift in direction for Nintendo. It would be the first time since the launch of the original Game Boy in 1989, that Nintendo’s focus would be on one single platform.
If this is indeed the direction in which Nintendo is going with the NX, it would create a fitting bookend to the handheld/console divide that Nintendo pioneered with the Game Boy’s debut.
The company that created the concept of separate markets for handheld games and home console games, now unifying the two under one architecture.
However, these rumors must remain just that for now. Nintendo has not commented on any of the various rumors that have surrounded the NX, other than to state that it will be out in the first quarter of 2017, and that the recently revealed, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be a launch title.
What do you think about the prospects of the Nintendo NX being both a portable and home console? Create a hybrid of your thoughts in our comments section below.
Written by The Watchman
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