With Nintendo's last major games console, the Wii U, considered something of a flop, there's a lot riding on their all-new Nintendo NX. Does the Japanese giant have what it takes?
Nintendo is one of the founding fathers of the console gaming market – but tends not to join Microsoft and Sony in a graphical arms race to squeeze every last drop of performance out of their gaming systems.
Historically, Nintendo has been much more creative in their approach, relying on unique hardware and exceptional interactive experiences to entice a somewhat different market into the gaming fold.
That said, we haven’t seen a new console from Nintendo since the Wii U back in 2012 – and now, the rumour mill has exploded with speculation around the next console, the Nintendo NX. Today, I'll take a look look at these rumours – and ask what it could mean for the future of Nintendo.
The Wii and Wii U: a success and a flop
Before we talk about the NX, it’s important to look at Nintendo’s last two home consoles. The Wii, with its innovative motion controls, was an unexpected hit worldwide – selling over 100 million units. The Wii U, however, didn’t capture the hearts of gamers nearly as well – with a much smaller 12.6 million units sold.
So, what made the Wii such a success story? Compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the Wii was a fairly humble gaming package. It wasn't even close to the graphical and processing power of its competition, being limited to just 480p visuals versus the full-HD 1080p of Microsoft and Sony’s offerings.
But in some ways, it proved that graphics aren’t everything. The Wii seemed to be aimed at a completely different market: the Xbox 360 and PS3 were geared towards the hardcore online multiplayer gamers, with high-quality visuals and a competitive online community. Nintendo, however, made a console designed for a more casual gamer, akin to today’s mobile gamer.
Indeed, the Wii was very much a family console: it focused on bringing people together in the same room for a lighthearted escape from the real world. I have fond memories of playing Wii Sports Resort with my parents, who never took an interest in Xbox or PlayStation games. There was also the price: a Wii cost significantly less than any other console at the time, making it even more accessible for families.
So, where did the Wii U go wrong? Having never owned one, I reached out to my fellow Geek Squad Agents – and the opinions were pretty unanimous.
Nintendo’s current console tried too hard to compete in the ‘serious’ gaming market of the Xbox One and PS4. They introduced the Wii U Gamepad with a second display inside the controller – but this didn’t have the same game-changing effect of the WiiMote motion control. While the Wii U is capable of 1080p graphics, it's considered hard to program for due to a weak CPU and bad software for developers.
The Wii U has, however, become more relevant lately with some platform-exclusive releases like Super Mario Maker and the popularity of Amiibos. Special thanks to Agents Gary McGregor, Carl Bishop and Simon Wring, as well as all the other Agents who shared their views.
Looking at the wider history of Nintendo, the NES, SNES, N64 and GameCube were all fairly successful consoles in their own right – so the Wii U may be the company’s first ‘bad’ release for years. But all the same, there’s a lot resting on the Nintendo NX to keep the Japanese giant relevant in the gaming landscape. So how's it shaping up?
Hardware rumours
The Nintendo NX will be the first console launched in the 'ninth generation' of video game consoles, so the pressure is on for it to set the bar for any future releases.
Though precise details are sparse, Nintendo have said that the NX will have “industry leading” hardware specifications and complementary portable and stationary components. This leads us to think it will use some of the Wii U’s design, with the hardware being make up of a base console with a portable interactive controller.
There are plenty of fan renders floating around the Internet, showing possible forms the NX could take – although these are, of course, unofficial. Externally, I expect it to be a fairly modest-looking box, but Nintendo keep referring to it as a "whole new concept" which means it could be completely different.
The internal specs could use the same chipset as the Xbox One and PS4, which would definitely give the NX enough power to compete. That said, conflicting sources say the NX will not be aiming to contend with other consoles on a raw power level – so there may be an entirely new spec sheet that's less powerful overall, but still superior to the Wii U.
The controller for the NX is far less elusive: there are several possible iterations based on patents filed by Nintendo. Many point to Nintendo keeping the second display introduced in the Wii U – but integrating it into a more compact and ergonomic handheld controller.
My favourite is the design shown in the photo: joysticks poking through a full-colour display, with on-screen buttons that change based on the requirements of the game. It’s quite a drastic shift from current controllers, and looks very sci-fi – but the display technology to make this possible does actually exist. My only concern with this design is how well the screens would stand up to players slamming them down in frustration after losing that crucial Mario Kart race by an inch!
Software and game rumours
In terms of software, I expect Nintendo to complete reinvent the user interface from the Wii and Wii U – rumours suggest a focus on multiplayer and achievement-sharing, much like Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. There's also going to be a focus on sharing your gaming clips: with the recent popularity of YouTube Gaming and Twitch, it’s almost certain that Nintendo will try to include these features, which are now a staple in video game culture.
Remember the old NES cartridges? Well, the NX may go back to a cartridge-based system rather than using physical discs. While this sound like a step back, it’s not. To put the games on a proprietary cartridge would remove the data storage limits of discs, as well as make the games less liable to scratching or other forms of damage – and with flash storage getting both smaller and cheaper, it could be a good way to go.
In terms of the games themselves, we’re likely to see a Super Smash Bros title at launch – which is an instant win for Nintendo. There's also been confirmation from Square Enix that they'll be bringing Dragon Quest X and Dragon Quest XI to the new console. We may even see a new Zelda game land on the NX to bolster the line-up at release.
Personally, I am hoping for a Pokémon game that plays across the NX and 3DS, perhaps similar to the Pokémon Colosseum on the GameCube, but with a more open world design – but with Pokémon Go launching soon, this might just be a pipe dream!
Release date and cost
Perhaps the most important decision Nintendo needs to make with the NX is the price.
Currently, the Xbox One and PS4 are still priced at under £300 for just the console and a controller. If the Nintendo NX is features less raw power than these machines, it’ll need to be cheaper – otherwise it won’t be seen as a viable alternative. When the Wii launched with a price point of £179.99, it was almost half the price of the competition – but also a far less capable console.
Without knowing more, I couldn’t accurately guess the price – but for it to be a success, the sweet spot would be around £150–£225. If the rumours about the 'revolutionary technology' turn out to be true, though, they could justify matching the XBox One and PS4.
As for when you can get your hands on one, there's currently no concrete release date – after all, the NX hasn’t been formally announced to the public yet! That said, it's a safe bet that we'll see an announcement taking place either before or during 2016's E3 expo, which is in June.
If this is the case, it may go on sale towards the end of the year – and with the Wii U dwindling in sales with a lack of exciting new titles, I believe it’s in Nintendo’s best interests to get this out into the world as soon as possible!
There you have it: all we know about Nintendo's next-generation console! Are you convinced they have what it takes, or have Nintendo had their day in the sun? Let us know what you reckon in the comments below.