In the absence of any actual information at all about the Nintendo NX system, the gaming community has gone ahead and decided for themselves what it will do. The speculation ranges from extremely likely to utterly ridiculous, and I’ve avoided voicing my own opinions until some concrete facts are released. But now, I’m going to break my silence and toss in my two cents on the issue.
The most prominent opinion is that the NX will be a sort of console-mobile hybrid, allowing players to take NX games on the go and to play their mobile games on the console. The Wii U is already more or less a kind of prototype for this kind of interaction, as many games can be played solely on the Gamepad. Nintendo has already said the NX won’t be a true sequel or successor to Wii U, but a wholly new system. Still, with the new Nintendo Account program coming, I’m all but convinced the fans have it right on this one.
You might have noticed that I specifically said “mobile” games back there and not “handheld.” That’s because I’ve also heard talk that the NX will feature not only backwards compatibility, but the ability to play 3DS games. Allow me to clarify something: no it won’t. Wii U games are discs, 3DS games are cartridges. The NX running both kinds is more than a stretch.
Moving on to the system’s power and resolution. Stupendous graphics and enough oomph to equal, or even surpass, the Sony and Microsoft consoles are one of the major things Nintendo fans have been asking after for some time. While heavy-hitting hardware doesn’t seem to be Nintendo’s focus, they’re more than capable of making it happen, and there isn’t any true reason why they shouldn’t.
There you have it, folks. My own personal take on what the NX will and will not be. I left out the release date issue because, at this point, it’s a fairly safe assumption that we’ll see it by the end of this year. It may be we have to wait until E3 to hear anything at all about the console, but until we do, blurting out the wildest rumor we can think of will only serve to confuse us in the end. Nintendo plans to expand its market, so think of the NX as the spearhead product of that operation. It’s capabilities will be geared towards that purpose, not reviving the dead and feeding thousands of people with fish and a loaf of bread.
Have I missed a rumor? Let ‘er rip in the comments!