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[freeofgreed]

Man I really hope these rumors are true. The NX wasn't even on my radar but if all these rumors are true it's a day one for me (and I never buy consoles in their 1st year much less their first day).

I love Nintendo's handhelds but haven't bought a console from them since the GC, and honestly never thought I'd buy another one. But I'm loving everything I'm hearing about this.

-A single console that is also a handheld, means I can play all of their titles and not just their handheld games.

-Being able to play anywhere and switch to a TV on the fly. Imagine being on the bus and playing on the handheld and then going to a friends house and juts plunging it in and start playing together.

-Low price, people are saying $199, which is definitely optimistic, but if it is that price point there's no reason for me not to day 1 it.

Only things I'm worried about are the screen resolution and how big the console will be. I'm hoping it's not Wii U game pad size as that'll kill a lot of the portability for me.

 

[maniac-kun]

Man I really hope these rumors are true. The NX wasn't even on my radar but if all these rumors are true it's a day one for me (and I never buy consoles in their 1st year much less their first day).

I love Nintendo's handhelds but haven't bought a console from them since the GC, and honestly never thought I'd buy another one. But I'm loving everything I'm hearing about this.

-A single console that is also a handheld, means I can play all of their titles and not just their handheld games.

-Being able to play anywhere and switch to a TV on the fly. Imagine being on the bus and playing on the handheld and then going to a friends house and juts plunging it in and start playing together.

-Low price, people are saying $199, which is definitely optimistic, but if it is that price point there's no reason for me not to day 1 it.

Only things I'm worried about are the screen resolution and how big the console will be. I'm hoping it's not Wii U game pad size as that'll kill a lot of the portability for me.

I hope the console itself has a screen size similar to the DS lineup.

 

[Dee Dah Dave]

I hope it looks stylish / modern, and not like some 12 year olds toy.

 

[Speely]

I wonder if a haptic feedback touchscreen will find its way into the NX? If they end up having a screen-only SKU, it would perhaps help if they offered something better than smartphones for mobile-style gaming. Users could just add proper controllers as they so desired for on the bus, at lunch, etc.

Thier patent involving such a screen and digital buttons certainly makes this a possibility, but you know how patents go. Could just be feeling out possibilities.

Would that kind of screen tech most likely have a big power footprint in use? Obviously just having digital buttons would be easy, but without feedback they are nearly useless for simulating traidtional controller play... Even with feedback they would be less-than-optimal, but it could be a solution for low-priced casual gaming.

 

[maxcriden]

The concept is very simple, I don't understand the confusion. The execution is what we don't know anything about right now.

NX is a console that will allow you to play the games you like everywhere. More so, you don't need an extra controller to play with a friend, be it in the park or at his/your house. You just take out NX, detach the two controllers and play together. You dock it and you can play the games on the TV in HD.

And all this for $199.

Very simple.

Wait, where's the $199 from?

 

[Snakeyes]

There's no reason to assume that all of the machines are in the same stages of development. Maybe the successors to 3DS and Wii U are still in R&D phase. We don't know.

There's also the shared library angle, if the family of devices is still on track. Only giving developers the handheld version of the hardware at first forces them into making sure their games run well on the baseline. They can then add a console SKU that plays the same software with better IQ, performance and (maybe) assets somewhere down the line. Give developers both options from the start, and there's a pretty good chance that some of them will choose to make software that is too resource-intensive for the handheld and fragment the software library.

 

[primasaurus]

I hope it looks stylish / modern, and not like some 12 year olds toy.

A lot of 12 year olds play the XB and PS

 

[DragonKnight]

Whats NateDrake supposed to be doing now?

 

[LegendofDragoonLives]

Easily the most underrated gaming library of all time.

Wii has the worst library of a console that I've owned by monumental amount. It's tragic that that terrible console outsold both of its competitors as it did. The Wii is a great example that being the best selling =/= the best one.

If NX is like the Wii, I'm going to skip it as I did the Wii U. Hoping we get much better software out of it though. Give me an open world Pokemon on NX Nintendo!

 

[Rootbeer]

I was looking at one of the newer mockups (addendum: ChrisRo your mockup is by far my favorite so far!!):

And every time I look at one of these, it occurs to me how strange the gamepad will be when you "combine" the two halfs that detach from the screen (assuming it works that way)

But then I thought...

What if, you don't combine those two halves into a gamepad on their own... there is actually a second middle piece (contains battery inside for wireless play, as well as charging port and maybe some other buttons on it) that you attach those two halves to when the screen is on docked mode.

While it adds yet another component to be included inside the box ($$$) it feels more realistic to me so that they can get the proportions of the gamepad right.

I suppose Nintendo could just expect us to hold each half in our hands independently, but that's a lot of wires and/or batteries to worry about, so I'm not sure they are going that route either. I don't think a lot of people really liked that layout on the Wii, but maybe that's just my interpretation.

I don't think it's a new idea for the NX, but I haven't seen any concept try to demonstrate it.

 

[anothertech]

After all is said and done, the design and form factor is going to make or break this I feel.

Really excited for the reveal.

 

[Okami Haundo]

I was looking at one of the newer mockups (addendum: ChrisRo your mockup is by far my favorite so far!!):

And every time I look at one of these, it occurs to me how strange the gamepad will be when you "combine" the two halfs that detach from the screen (assuming it works that way)

But then I thought...

What if, you don't combine those two halves into a gamepad on their own... there is actually a second middle piece (contains battery inside for wireless play, as well as charging port and maybe some other buttons on it) that you attach those two halves to when the screen is on docked mode.

While it adds yet another component to be included inside the box ($$$) it feels more realistic to me so that they can get the proportions of the gamepad right.

I suppose Nintendo could just expect us to hold each half in our hands independently, but that's a lot of wires and/or batteries to worry about, so I'm not sure they are going that route either. I don't think a lot of people really liked that layout on the Wii, but maybe that's just my interpretation.

I don't think it's a new idea for the NX, but I haven't seen any concept try to demonstrate it.

I absolutely love that mockup. Might be my personal favorite so far! I've also been thinking the same thing about the detachable controllers. I feel like it would be inconvenient for both sections to have their own battery. It makes a ton of sense for the screen or an additional middle section to provide the power.

 

[optimiss]

I don't think it needs to be any more complex than this:

The controllers would feel similar to a SNES controller when pulled apart. There would be L and R buttons that hide when docked to the screen. The screen frame would also have L and R buttons I assume.

You could alternately swap the controllers and use the same L and R buttons docked and not docked but then the sticks and buttons would be reversed which isn't ideal.

Button labelling might be an issue but showing a layout (as illustrated) or the unique shape of a button could be a fine replacement for a letter desgnation.

 

[AdanVC]

I hope it looks stylish / modern, and not like some 12 year olds toy.

Yeah that's my main concern right now. But then again, stylish/slick sometimes it means uncomfortable as well. Hope Nintendo can manage to blend the two in a neatly way.

 

[Dark Cloud]

I don't think it needs to be any more complex than this:



The controllers would feel similar to a SNES controller when pulled apart. There would be L and R buttons that hide when docked to the screen. The screen frame would also have L and R buttons I assume.

You could alternately swap the controllers and use the same L and R buttons docked and not docked but then the sticks and buttons would be reversed which isn't ideal.

Button labelling might be an issue but showing a layout (as illustrated) or the unique shape of a button could be a fine replacement for a letter desgnation.

What about the scrollable shoulder buttons?

 

[heringer]

Wait, where's the $199 from?

Delusional minds. No way this is going to be $199.

They are not going to make the same mistake they made with WiiU's price, but that was $350.

It's probably going to be in the $250-300 range.

 

[James Scott]

Delusional minds. No way this is going to be $199.

$199 was the price 3DS should've and probably would've launched at. But I'm not sure one can achieve those specs with that cost. 250 is probably closer.

 

[brainchild]

Delusional minds. No way this is going to be $199.

They are not going to make the same mistake they made with WiiU's price, but that was $350.

It's probably going to be in the $250-300 range.

They're not going to make the same mistake they made with the 3DS and price it for $250. TV Out doesn't justify a $50 increase in cost for a handheld.

 

[heringer]

$199 was the price 3DS should've and probably would've launched at. But I'm not sure one can achieve those specs with that cost. 250 is probably closer.

$250 is what I'm hoping for, but I'm prepared for $300. $250 would be a great price considering the rumoured specs.

They're not going to make the same mistake they made with the 3DS and price it for $250. TV Out doesn't justify a $50 increase in cost for a handheld.

3DS was grossly underpowered.

 

[Plinko]

Wii has the worst library of a console that I've owned by monumental amount. It's tragic that that terrible console outsold both of its competitors as it did. The Wii is a great example that being the best selling =/= the best one.

If NX is like the Wii, I'm going to skip it as I did the Wii U. Hoping we get much better software out of it though. Give me an open world Pokemon on NX Nintendo!

I won't devolve into list wars and instead say I strongly disagree. Nintendo's first-party efforts were fantastic and third parties also pitched in some quality work as well.

 

[James Scott]

$250 is what I'm hoping for, but I'm prepared for $300. $250 would be a great price considering the rumoured specs.

250 seems like the sweet spot, but depending on what the dock does, if anything, might bump it up.

 

[brainchild]

3DS was grossly underpowered.

The mass market won't give a shit about how powerful a handheld is. Even if the 3DS was more powerful than the Vita, it still would have sold like shit @ the $250 price point. It's just too much for a portable device that isn't a smart device regardless of actual value; perceived value is king in the market. Always has been, always will be.

 

[Eolz]

They're not going to make the same mistake they made with the 3DS and price it for $250. TV Out doesn't justify a $50 increase in cost for a handheld.

Not just tv out, but also build quality good enough to detach part of it, and other hybrid-related stuff will push it to 250.

 

[Plinko]

The mass market won't give a shit about how powerful a handheld is. Even if the 3DS was more powerful than the Vita, it still would have sold like shit @ the $250 price point. It's just too much for a portable device that isn't a smart device.

Absolutely 100% true.

 

[ozfunghi]

So, where are we on the "dock" situation? Are we assuming it is bundled or sold seperately? And how does it figure into cost? Can't see a 199 or 249 handheld coming with that dock bundled tbh, if there comes some added beef with the dock.

The X1 is a 500GF GPU, but the devkit has it overclocked? Any info yet on how much it is overclocked? And what kind of bump could we expect from that? 600GF? 750GF? 5.7TF?

 

[maxcriden]

They're not going to make the same mistake they made with the 3DS and price it for $250. TV Out doesn't justify a $50 increase in cost for a handheld.

I agree, but if the dock is more than a TV out, $250 might be more reasonable. Depending on marketing, though, $250 is a hard sell for a Nintendo portable.

 

[heringer]

The mass market won't give a shit about how powerful a handheld is. Even if the 3DS was more powerful than the Vita, it still would have sold like shit @ the $250 price point. It's just too much for a portable device that isn't a smart device.

That's not the point. We're talking about very robust tech here, if the rumors are true. Nintendo doesn't sell hardware at a loss. If it's $199, it's going to be weaker than we think.

 

[Graphics Horse]

The 2 player controllers concept is confusing the hell out of me for all sorts of reasons, but I appreciate them having a go at reinventing the Wii remote concept, if that's part of the idea.

I don't think it needs to be any more complex than this:

The controllers would feel similar to a SNES controller when pulled apart. There would be L and R buttons that hide when docked to the screen. The screen frame would also have L and R buttons I assume.

You could alternately swap the controllers and use the same L and R buttons docked and not docked but then the sticks and buttons would be reversed which isn't ideal.

Button labelling might be an issue but showing a layout (as illustrated) or the unique shape of a button could be a fine replacement for a letter desgnation.

If the grips are designed a certain way with significant depth, you might be able to have two triggers where the fingers naturally wrap around, like the paddles under the Steam controller, then they could be used both orientations.

The button labeling thing is always going to be strange considering they just made a new visual identity involving the classic SNES layout (but maybe that will update to a new design?)

 

[maxcriden]

So, where are we on the "dock" situation? Are we assuming it is bundled or sold seperately? And how does it figure into cost? Can't see a 199 or 249 handheld coming with that dock bundled tbh, if there comes some added beef with the dock.

The X1 is a 500GF GPU, but the devkit has it overclocked? Any info yet on how much it is overclocked? And what kind of bump could we expect from that? 600GF? 750GF? 5.7TF?

I can't imagine the dock is separate at launch. I figure the SKU at launch is a bundled dock and handheld and potentially one other controller (not counting the two detachable ones) selling it truly as a console and handheld in one. Then future SKUs can have just the handheld.

 

[Plasmids]

Thats even more confusing than the Wii U value proposition

Agreed sometimes I think for the average parent buying for their kids too many options is just that - too many options.

Great for gamers like us though but hey ho.

 

[LegendofLex]

So, where are we on the "dock" situation? Are we assuming it is bundled or sold seperately? And how does it figure into cost? Can't see a 199 or 249 handheld coming with that dock bundled tbh, if there comes some added beef with the dock.

I wouldn't look at it as "added beef."

Based on what Iwata has said about their focus with architectural integration, I'd look at it as performance no longer being constrained by the battery when connected to the dock:

Previously, our handheld video game devices and home video game consoles had to be developed separately as the technological requirements of each system, whether it was battery-powered or connected to a power supply, differed greatly, leading to completely different architectures and, hence, divergent methods of software development. However, because of vast technological advances, it became possible to achieve a fair degree of architectural integration. We discussed this point, and we ultimately concluded that it was the right time to integrate the two teams.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/140130qa/02.html

 

[brainchild]

Not just tv out, but also build quality good enough to detach part of it, and other hybrid-related stuff will push it to 250.

I agree, but if the dock is more than a TV out, $250 might be more reasonable. Depending on marketing, though, $250 is a hard sell for a Nintendo portable.

This thing is going to be competing with iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. Unless it has its own version of Android, it cannot be priced similarly to those devices. It would be DOA.

That's not the point. We're talking about very robust tech here, if the rumors are true. Nintendo doesn't sell hardware at a loss. If it's $199, it's going to be weaker than we think.

Well, according to SemiAccurate, NVIDIA might not profit much from their deal with Nintendo. If that's true, it really could end up being that cheap.

 

[James Scott]

A bit of a shame that Nintendo is going on the "profit" side instead of taking a loss. Though If it's really successful they won't need to and if it struggles a bit they can still get some guaranteed front loaded sales. In either case, I'd recommend them to make a PS+ like service to improve profitability and allow them to take more risks with cheaper prices

I wouldn't look at it as "added beef."

Based on what Iwata has said about their focus with architectural integration, I'd look at it as performance no longer being constrained by the battery when connected to the dock:

Good catch. Should at least do that. I wonder if it's possible to add Ram and other components to speed it up as well

 

[heringer]

This thing is going to be competing with iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. Unless it has its own version of Android, it cannot be priced similarly to those devices. It would be DOA.



Well, according to SemiAccurate, NVIDIA might not profit much from their deal with Nintendo. If that's true, it really could end up being that cheap.

Eh, who knows. Maybe if the thing is severely underclocked, has a shitty screen and several corners cut. It's Nintendo, so that just might happen.

But make no mistake, they are not going to market this as a "handheld successor". Rather, they will say "well, now you can have both worlds in one hardware, with one universal library, look at this insane value", which puts them in a more confortable position to price it $250 and higher.

 

[Rösti]

Well, in Kyoto it's currently July 30, and no press release has been issued. It's still July 29 in Redmond however. But I don't expect any comment from Nintendo.

 

[maxcriden]

All excellent and thoughtful replies in the last three posts regarding pricing. Thanks guys.

 

[brainchild]

Eh, who knows. Maybe if the thing is severely underclocked, has a shitty screen and several corners cut. It's Nintendo, so that just might happen.

But make no mistake, they are not going to market this as a "handheld successor". Rather, they will say "well, now you can have both worlds in one, one hardware, one library, look at this insane value", which puts them in a more confortable position to price it $250 and higher.

Hmm. I supposed an argument can be made that its perception of value can be boosted with the right marketing, but I remain skeptical.

 

[RobFox64tm]

I was looking at one of the newer mockups (addendum: ChrisRo your mockup is by far my favorite so far!!):

And every time I look at one of these, it occurs to me how strange the gamepad will be when you "combine" the two halfs that detach from the screen (assuming it works that way)

But then I thought...

What if, you don't combine those two halves into a gamepad on their own... there is actually a second middle piece (contains battery inside for wireless play, as well as charging port and maybe some other buttons on it) that you attach those two halves to when the screen is on docked mode.

While it adds yet another component to be included inside the box ($$$) it feels more realistic to me so that they can get the proportions of the gamepad right.

I suppose Nintendo could just expect us to hold each half in our hands independently, but that's a lot of wires and/or batteries to worry about, so I'm not sure they are going that route either. I don't think a lot of people really liked that layout on the Wii, but maybe that's just my interpretation.

I don't think it's a new idea for the NX, but I haven't seen any concept try to demonstrate it.

I'm working on my own design right now and I simply cannot make sense of the "detachable controllers" portion of the rumors. I don't think the pieces will act independently as two separate, functional controllers. It's impractical for several reasons: each would require a battery; it would not be comfortable to use when connected all together; there's no way all the buttons needed would fit on each piece; some functions like rumble or gyro might not be possible; etc.

Having two controller pieces that require the system or a center piece to work makes way more sense to me. The system and the piece would contain the battery, gyros, nfc reader, and wireless tech that create a fully functional controller interface. This method would also be very cost efficient, which I'm sure is a priority for Nintendo.

 

[maxcriden]

I was looking at one of the newer mockups (addendum: ChrisRo your mockup is by far my favorite so far!!):

And every time I look at one of these, it occurs to me how strange the gamepad will be when you "combine" the two halfs that detach from the screen (assuming it works that way)

But then I thought...

What if, you don't combine those two halves into a gamepad on their own... there is actually a second middle piece (contains battery inside for wireless play, as well as charging port and maybe some other buttons on it) that you attach those two halves to when the screen is on docked mode.

While it adds yet another component to be included inside the box ($$$) it feels more realistic to me so that they can get the proportions of the gamepad right.

I suppose Nintendo could just expect us to hold each half in our hands independently, but that's a lot of wires and/or batteries to worry about, so I'm not sure they are going that route either. I don't think a lot of people really liked that layout on the Wii, but maybe that's just my interpretation.

I don't think it's a new idea for the NX, but I haven't seen any concept try to demonstrate it.

I'm working on my own design right now and I simply cannot make sense of the "detachable controllers" portion of the rumors. I don't think the pieces will act independently as two separate, functional controllers. It's impractical for several reasons: each would require a battery; it would not be comfortable to use when connected all together; there's no way all the buttons needed would fit on each piece; some functions like rumble or gyro might not be possible; etc.

Having two controller pieces that require the system or a center piece to work makes way more sense to me. The system and the piece would contain the battery, gyros, nfc reader, and wireless tech that create a fully functional controller interface. This method would also be very cost efficient, which I'm sure is a priority for Nintendo.

I like both of your lines of thinking, but i just want to mention that Eurogamer tweeted after the first articles were posted that the HH does have two separate detachable controllers.

 

[brainchild]

Well, in Kyoto it's currently July 30, and no press release has been issued. It's still July 29 in Redmond however. But I don't expect any comment from Nintendo.

It'd be funny if the rumors were so insignificant that Nintendo believed commenting on them would be a bigger risk to their strategy than not saying anything at all.

 

[WiiRevolution1]

(Reading the past few pages) I love how so many discredit Emily Rogers when she's been completely right the past couple years on everything. And yes I said completely right, I expect female Link to be revealed later. If Iwata can deny a hybrid, and Miyamoto a 3DS XL, then Anouma can deny a female Link mwahaha.

Probably already discussed, but this



looks a lot like this



and i think it's the best way to have standard controls on both the home and the portable without making a giant, possibly uncomfortable controller. Just make the screen detachable to plug it into the dock et voilà.

Which makes me think: are all the people who complained about Nintendo's "weird" controllers in the past few gens relieved that this time they apparently went with a standard control scheme? I didn't see them exulting.

NO!

NO MORE HINGES!

My 3DS XL died from the hinge.

No seriously it did. I loved it protecting my screens but please just NO!

----
I don't believe in parts/screen sold seperately like the spanish(?) rumor. Its going to be all one package with simple detachable controllers.

Considering Smash 3DS killed my circle pad and R button it'll be great having detachable controllers to buy instead of a whole new system.

I'm pretty confident in this rumor, I really just want price and launch titles now.

 

[Mr Swine]

Are we still arguing whether or not the NX has detachable controls? Nintendo would be infinitely stupid to have detachable controls that require their own battery and ports to attach it on the handheld. Think about it

1 big battery for the main handheld
1 small battery for each control (left and right)
Special port and attachment so the controls sit well

How much is that going to drive up the cost for the handheld? Also children like to bend their stuff they hold on to. How happy are parents going to be when their 5nyear old child breaks the handheld because the controls on left and right aren't firmly attached to the NX?

 

[Dascu]

Any mock-ups wherein the standalone controllers are actually also full-screen controllers (maybe with a nub), like that fake model from a while ago? Then you could indeed have whatever flexibility you want in terms of button layouts, without having to worry about the ergonomics or how you hold it.

In other words, basically a center screen with on the sides to variants of this:

 

[SirShandy]

Even if there is more than one SKU of NX available at launch, I think every version would still include the mobile unit and the docking unit since the hybrid aspect is kind of crucial to the NX's identity. Other wise it would just be a portable with an accessory to play it on the television.

Even though the concept has been used before, if it's executed simply and seamlessly enough with the technology available now and with Nintendo behind it, the idea of the hybrid could redefine the relationship between mobile and home experiences. It's interesting seeing people have difficulty reconciling the idea of a platform that was traditionally split into two distinct experiences, but I think this is fundamentally something different.

While listening to a podcast on Nintendo World Report, something interesting was brought up - the ability to purchase extra docking ports - this would make it easy to swap the NX in and out of any television or screen in your house or other location. If you're at a friends house and you want to play some local multiplayer but they don't have a specific game and you do, you could switch out NX's quickly and then play some couch multiplayer. There's an innate convenience that is central to the hybrid idea.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Well, in Kyoto it's currently July 30, and no press release has been issued. It's still July 29 in Redmond however. But I don't expect any comment from Nintendo.

Well Nvidia's reveal is end of August and the reveal is rumored for September

Nintendo is pretty stubborn when it comes to following the gameplan

 

[Andyliini]

I hope when NX is closer to being released, someone would do unboxing video for it officially, like Iwata did for Wii U.
Maybe even have one for each continent to show regional differences, if there are any.

 

[udivision]

Nintendo might run into some image problems if the NX looks even remotely like the Wii U Gamepad.

https://abload.de/img/nxspeculation85s9o.png[IMG]

Well, in Kyoto it's currently July 30, and no press release has been issued. It's still July 29 in Redmond however. But I don't expect any comment from Nintendo.[/QUOTE]

"Apply this model"

lol

 

[oti]

It'd be funny if the rumors were so insignificant that Nintendo believed commenting on them would be a bigger risk to their strategy than not saying anything at all.

It is kinda odd that we haven't heard more about it. Usually if one site breaks stuff others would chime in with their own knowledge on the matter. Not this time. Just makes me think there's major stuff we have no idea about that is yet to be revealed.

 

[Father_Brain]

NateDrake: Pascal Tegra for NX.

https://twitter.com/directfeedgames/status/759072574777196544

 

[DrROBschiz]

Nintendo might run into some image problems if the NX looks even remotely like the Wii U Gamepad.




"Apply this model"

lol

I mean

As long as they drop the Wii brand I dont see it being an issue honestly

NateDrake: Pascal Tegra for NX.

https://twitter.com/directfeedgames/status/759072574777196544

WHAT DOES IT MEAN!