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Nintendo's new platform codename: "Project NX"

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Zalman

Member
What do you guys think Nintendo will try to make as a Nintendo Land/Wii Sports type launch title?
Maybe finally releasing a Toys to Life amiibo game with each system coming with one to start?
I think that's a way to add value to each bundle while getting more people's feet wet in this whole amiibo thing.
Being there from the start adding more compatible figures while time goes seems like it could be a smart idea.
I feel like that might turn off people who have no interest in amiibo. I think they could add some built-in app that makes cool use of them at launch (maybe add themes based on the character or something like that), but I don't think that should be the main game they promote.
 
On the Wii U, I think it's a system with a very desirable library but on a system with a serious image problem.
The name is confusing, but it's also bad. Despite being a big fan it's still embarrassing to say. It carries the negative connotations of the Wii but not to the audience that loved the Wii.
The console was gimmped for dumb reasons like low power consumption which appeals to basically no one.
When it launched it received a lot of poor ports of multiplatform games where the system rarely came on top of the PS360 so it was more expensive and less powerful than those old systems in the eyes of consumers.
Then several games that even the Wii got were skipping the system. Nintendo fan sites reporting "this game is coming to PS3 and 360 but not Wii U" over and over again which crushed the spirits of those that supported it over time.
Then bad news came resulting in lower sales which result in bad news which resulted in lower sales. It's a cycle that ate away at any good will the system could muster.
All this combined with bad marketing at the start to no marketing later on.
3DS hurt the system too. Despite its issues, the huge price cut managed to turn the system around in the public eye. All the previously mentioned issues made it undeniable to even some Nintendo fans. With the 3DS having some Wii U equivalents (NSMB2, which also sparked a Mario fatigue) a lot of them were more than happy to just stick with that for Nintendo's library.
So yeah, I think the system could've found more success if Nintendo was more proactive towards the start but I just hope that they take this as lesson and make sure to push the next systems well with more appealing names, better marketing, etc.
 

Griss

Member
Placing amiibo at the heart of the new system would be a massive mistake. The great thing about amiibo right now is for Nintendo fans like me who hate toys and plastic tat they're still easily ignorable, yet those that DO like them are still getting a bit of value out of them.

Make them a key feature and you're only shrinking your audience, imo.

It's impossible to properly speculate what 'mass-market appeal software' they'll go with this time in the vein of Wii Sports and Nintendoland until we know what the major input of the console is (touch / standard controller / motion etc), but if I was them I'd look at the lessons of Wii Sports. One of the huge reasons that that sold so well was because it was clean and antiseptic. Felt designed for anyone, not just gamers. The idea of playing sports is society-wide. My folks would play a game like that. The idea of going on an adventure as an elf in a green hat? Not so much. Not sure if they'll try and recapture that audience again but if they do removing Nintendo mascots and making the whole thing (outside of the gameplay) as bland as possible will be pretty important.

As for the hardware, what I'd love to see them do is two SKUs with the handheld from the start. A cheaper one for kids (think what the 2DS is to the 3DS, but without the horrible design) and a better version for their hardcore fans, with a higher screen resolution, better battery life and better industrial design. Let's say the kid's version came in at $150, there are plenty of grown Nintendo fans like me who'd happily shell out $300 for those features.

Shit, I'd shell out an extra $150 just for an industrial design that doesn't make the system look like a child's toy. The dangers of confusing the market (or making the lesser SKU look like a consolation prize) are probably too great though. Still, it's nice to dream.

On the Wii U, I think it's a system with a very desirable library but on a system with a serious image problem.
The name is confusing, but it's also bad. Despite being a big fan it's still embarrassing to say. It carries the negative connotations of the Wii but not to the audience that loved the Wii.
The console was gimmped for dumb reasons like low power consumption which appeals to basically no one.
When it launched it received a lot of poor ports of multiplatform games where the system rarely came on top of the PS360 so it was more expensive and less powerful than those old systems in the eyes of consumers.
Then several games that even the Wii got were skipping the system. Nintendo fan sites reporting "this game is coming to PS3 and 360 but not Wii U" over and over again which crushed the spirits of those that supported it over time.
Then bad news came resulting in lower sales which result in bad news which resulted in lower sales. It's a cycle that ate away at any good will the system could muster.
All this combined with bad marketing at the start to no marketing later on.
3DS hurt the system too. Despite its issues, the huge price cut managed to turn the system around in the public eye. All the previously mentioned issues made it undeniable to even some Nintendo fans. With the 3DS having some Wii U equivalents (NSMB2, which also sparked a Mario fatigue) a lot of them were more than happy to just stick with that for Nintendo's library.
So yeah, I think the system could've found more success if Nintendo was more proactive towards the start but I just hope that they take this as lesson and make sure to push the next systems well with more appealing names, better marketing, etc.

The Wii U's fate was sealed long before it ever reached store shelves. When devs and publishers saw the gamepad, they quite rightly guessed that it wouldn't have the same impact as the Wiimote. Thus they just put a couple of port teams on the machine 'just in case', while they worked away at their core PS360 bread and butter. Then the second those devs and publishers saw what Sony and MS had cooking in comparison to the weak shit Nintendo was bringing out they bailed immediately, and as you saw it was clear right after launch that they had done so. Those MS/Sony meetings would have been well before Wii U's launch, after all.

So many terrible decisions by Nintendo. If they go 'low power consumption' again I will pull my hair out. No one gives a shit.
 

dity

Member
If they made Amiibo the focus they'd definitely need to start moving towards the cards.

An amiibo TCG wouod be pretty cool. A digital one. Just for the hell of it. Do it Nintendo.
 
If they made Amiibo the focus they'd definitely need to start moving towards the cards.

An amiibo TCG wouod be pretty cool. A digital one. Just for the hell of it. Do it Nintendo.
I guess something like hearthstone but with the smash roster could be cool and easier to put out
 

AntMurda

Member
Yeah, imagine all of the disappointed kids when they find out that their Pikachu Amiibo won't work.

Before any such game happens, Nintendo needs to have a serious talk with The Pokémon Company to find out what the hell their problem is with Pokémon Amiibo compatibility.

Pikachu Amiibo is compatible with a variety of other games though like Mario Party 10, Tap Amiibo: Greatest Hits, Yoshi's Woolly World, Hyrule Warriors, Captain Toad, and Super Mario Maker.
 

Scum

Junior Member
If they made Amiibo the focus they'd definitely need to start moving towards the cards.

An amiibo TCG wouod be pretty cool. A digital one. Just for the hell of it. Do it Nintendo.

I've been waiting for a TCG and a MOBA from Nintendo for a while now.
 

Neoxon

Junior Member
Pikachu Amiibo is compatible with a variety of other games though like Mario Party 10, Tap Amiibo: Greatest Hits, Yoshi's Woolly World, Hyrule Warriors, Captain Toad, and Super Mario Maker.
All of which do generic stuff, & none of the Pokémon have unique sounds in Super Mario Maker. Hell, in Yoshi's Woolly World, all the Pokémon Amiibos do is give you a generic Amiibo shirt.
 

dity

Member
All of which do generic stuff, & none of the Pokémon have unique sounds in Super Mario Maker. Hell, in Yoshi's Woolly World, all the Pokémon Amiibos do is give you a generic Amiibo shirt.
This is a crime. An outrage.

Kind of glad I'm not missing out on anything by not having a Pikachu yet
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
The Wii U library is good quality but extremely niche and quickly devalued when particular genres or franchises do not appeal. This has been Nintendo's problem for awhile and why the Xbox and PlayStation have very attractive libraries.

Amiibo as central to a new platform content access with no alternative content distribution would rule me right out. I won't support poisoned business.
 

Scum

Junior Member
The Wii U library is good quality but extremely niche and quickly devalued when particular genres or franchises do not appeal. This has been Nintendo's problem for awhile and why the Xbox and PlayStation have very attractive libraries.

Amiibo as central to a new platform content access with no alternative content distribution would rule me right out. I won't support poisoned business.

Time to have a plethora of AA titles innit, and you're not alone with the bolded. I'm not that fussed with Amiibos, but it cannot become the center of attention on NX.
 

Neoxon

Junior Member
The Wii U library is good quality but extremely niche and quickly devalued when particular genres or franchises do not appeal. This has been Nintendo's problem for awhile and why the Xbox and PlayStation have very attractive libraries.
Well Nintendo's probably doomed to have a niche audience, because the odds of western third parties ever coming back are slim.
 
The Wii U library is good quality but extremely niche and quickly devalued when particular genres or franchises do not appeal. This has been Nintendo's problem for awhile and why the Xbox and PlayStation have very attractive libraries.

Amiibo as central to a new platform content access with no alternative content distribution would rule me right out. I won't support poisoned business.
I just suggested a pack in game with one amiibo so you can play it right out the box.
 
Well Nintendo's probably doomed to have a niche audience, because the odds of western third parties ever coming back are slim.

You seem to say this a lot.......however if the NX sells well and gets off to a good start, Western Third Parties will port games to the console, especially if the rumored specs are modern design and similar to PS4 as the rumors have mentioned, it won't be very difficult to get some of the mainline AAA games back on a Nintendo console (AC, COD, Batman for example).
 

Neoxon

Junior Member
You seem to say this a lot.......however if the NX sells well and gets off to a good start, Western Third Parties will port games to the console, especially if the rumored specs are modern design and similar to PS4 as the rumors have mentioned, it won't be very difficult to get some of the mainline AAA games back on a Nintendo console (AC, COD, Batman for example).
And what of the NX Handheld?
 
I guess an amiibo figure could hurt the image of the system to some.
If the figure is exclusive to the system then that would piss off consumers, but if it's not then you could get stuck with a repeat figure which won't please new adopters.
Amiibo cards could alleviate this. Takes up little room, doesnt have the "for kids" association, and chances of not getting a new card there are low enough
 

usmanusb

Member
What are the possibilities of moderate nx handheld and nx console specs by the time it would be launched? In terms of lowest to highest /best specs?
 
What are the possibilities of moderate nx handheld and nx console specs by the time it would be launched? In terms of lowest to highest /best specs?
The normal 3DS without 3D can be sold at around $99. Vita is sold at 200 as well. I imagine Nintendo wants a $199 launch price for the handheld. Don't think Nintendo will go for the OLED screen so a Vita+ at under 200 bucks seems doable.
Not sure about the console, though. I think they'd like a $250 price. By the system's launch I think we could expect X1/PS4 to be around 300-350.
Depends on whether Nintendo is willing to take a loss on the system, and whether they are going to bring back the gamepad.
 
The normal 3DS without 3D can be sold at around $99. Vita is sold at 200 as well. I imagine Nintendo wants a $199 launch price for the handheld. Don't think Nintendo will go for the OLED screen so a Vita+ at under 200 bucks seems doable.
Not sure about the console, though. I think they'd like a $250 price. By the system's launch I think we could expect X1/PS4 to be around 300-350.
Depends on whether Nintendo is willing to take a loss on the system, and whether they are going to bring back the gamepad.
The Vita no longer uses an OLED screen, for the record.
 

orioto

Good Art™
The normal 3DS without 3D can be sold at around $99. Vita is sold at 200 as well. I imagine Nintendo wants a $199 launch price for the handheld. Don't think Nintendo will go for the OLED screen so a Vita+ at under 200 bucks seems doable.
Not sure about the console, though. I think they'd like a $250 price. By the system's launch I think we could expect X1/PS4 to be around 300-350.
Depends on whether Nintendo is willing to take a loss on the system, and whether they are going to bring back the gamepad.

I don't think that's how it works
 

usmanusb

Member
The normal 3DS without 3D can be sold at around $99. Vita is sold at 200 as well. I imagine Nintendo wants a $199 launch price for the handheld. Don't think Nintendo will go for the OLED screen so a Vita+ at under 200 bucks seems doable.
Not sure about the console, though. I think they'd like a $250 price. By the system's launch I think we could expect X1/PS4 to be around 300-350.
Depends on whether Nintendo is willing to take a loss on the system, and whether they are going to bring back the gamepad.

What could be moderate choice for processor, graphics and memory possibilities for a 200$ handheld and 250$ console in 2016?
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
There are a ton of arm processors to chose from these days that all fit in the entry to mid level price bracket.

Snap 410 from qualcomm (even if it isn't a straight qualcomm chip) should be seen as the minimum baseline or anything to compare too.
 
I love amiibos too but you guys are still not getting it. They dont need a wii sports/nintendoland game. They dont need all of this old method stuff they been doing. This is an opportunity to start from scratch.
 
There are a ton of arm processors to chose from these days that all fit in the entry to mid level price bracket.

Snap 410 from qualcomm (even if it isn't a straight qualcomm chip) should be seen as the minimum baseline or anything to compare too.



Snap 410 has a terrible GPU. But yeah, CPU wise, Quad Core A53 should be the bare minimum.
 

AfroDust

Member
This post is so succinct that I can't help loving it. Some people seem bent on seeing Nintendo hamstringing themselves until they ARE making game hardware that could only be classified as toys. This is not the way to go for one of the most well known entertainment brands on the planet and ALL companies should want to make a product that the market desires in theory. Unfortunately Nintendo's consoles are designed for the CEO and board of directors at NCL exclusively. Even first party Nintendo developers aren't entirely in the loop in the hardware design process. Western third party concerns and global concerns/trends among gamers are an inconvenient reality that executive Nintendo staff just has to ignore apparently.

The real revolution at Nintendo's corporate boardrooms won't be embracing modern online capabilities, merging hardware divisions or 100+ watt home consoles. It will be accepting the fact that Nintendo hardware can't be designed in a Nintendo vacuum on the assumption that whatever they make is gold for third party peasants and consumers. Desirability is king above all else and even a successful product designed in that classic Nintendo vacuum is a small bump on the downward trend as a whole.

Yep, it really is that simple.


This 1000 times over. Brilliant stuff.
 
All this talk of price is interesting. Question I ask though, is that who is Nintendo even going to sell NX to? What strategy could they hypothetically employ to gain back some marketshare in the console space?

The Wii U has tonnes of great content, but it doesn't seem to serve any market other than Nintendo fans and the few children who aren't completely engrossed in Tablets, Minecraft and Call of Duty.

So, even if Nintendo were to sell NX at a reasonable price, I just don't think that's enough. I'm more interested in how this thing is going to target an audience that year on year loses interest in everything Nintendo has offer.
 

Neoxon

Junior Member
All this talk of price is interesting. Question I ask though, is that who is Nintendo even going to sell NX to? What strategy could they hypothetically employ to gain back some marketshare in the console space?

The Wii U has tonnes of great content, but it doesn't seem to serve any market other than Nintendo fans and the few children who aren't completely engrossed in Tablets, Minecraft and Call of Duty.

So, even if Nintendo were to sell NX at a reasonable price, I just don't think that's enough. I'm more interested in how this thing is going to target an audience that year on year loses interest in everything Nintendo has offer.
That's the thing, I don't think they can get back any marketshare. At best, the NX Console will ride off of the NX Handheld's coattails to success.
 

Neoxon

Junior Member
What about it?
I'm not sure if having to scale games down would play nice with said third parties. Of course, having NX Console-only games would alleviate the issue.

While I'm on the topic, wouldn't said third parties not be a fan of Nintendo going for ARM over x86 for the NX Platform?
 
On the Wii U, I think it's a system with a very desirable library but on a system with a serious image problem.
The name is confusing, but it's also bad. Despite being a big fan it's still embarrassing to say. It carries the negative connotations of the Wii but not to the audience that loved the Wii.
The console was gimmped for dumb reasons like low power consumption which appeals to basically no one.
When it launched it received a lot of poor ports of multiplatform games where the system rarely came on top of the PS360 so it was more expensive and less powerful than those old systems in the eyes of consumers.
Then several games that even the Wii got were skipping the system. Nintendo fan sites reporting "this game is coming to PS3 and 360 but not Wii U" over and over again which crushed the spirits of those that supported it over time.
Then bad news came resulting in lower sales which result in bad news which resulted in lower sales. It's a cycle that ate away at any good will the system could muster.
All this combined with bad marketing at the start to no marketing later on.
3DS hurt the system too. Despite its issues, the huge price cut managed to turn the system around in the public eye. All the previously mentioned issues made it undeniable to even some Nintendo fans. With the 3DS having some Wii U equivalents (NSMB2, which also sparked a Mario fatigue) a lot of them were more than happy to just stick with that for Nintendo's library.
So yeah, I think the system could've found more success if Nintendo was more proactive towards the start but I just hope that they take this as lesson and make sure to push the next systems well with more appealing names, better marketing, etc.
This is like comparing a genetically designed ugly baby and a baby designed to fail from the start with weak organs, bones and brain abnormalities. The Gamecube and PS3 had image problems. The Wii U was made of bad ideas stitched together like Frankenstein's monster. Everything afterwards from the early software strategy to the naming and marketing belonged in a unique class of incompetence and insularity.
 

Neoxon

Junior Member
Nothing wrong with a pack in game but if you pack in a game thats what people are gonna see what defines the system. If they pack in a game it needs to be something like metroid, zelda, 3D mario

edit: And I said wii sports/nintendoland type of game.
Packing in the next 3D Mario would be leaving money on the table, as it would obviously sell on its own. Same for Zelda (while I recognize that it's only an example, there's no way in hell that the next Metroid game will be ready for the platform's launch).
 

Roo

Member
I'm not sure if having to scale games down would play nice with said third parties. Of course, having NX Console-only games would alleviate the issue.

While I'm on the topic, wouldn't said third parties not be a fan of Nintendo going for ARM over x86 for the NX Platform?

Well, they are not forced to do a handheld version if they don't want to.
It's really up to Nintendo to explain third parties if it's really worth the effort *for them* to work on a handheld version as well.
If not, then they'll stick with the console one and call it day.
 

Pokemaniac

Member
I'm not sure if having to scale games down would play nice with said third parties. Of course, having NX Console-only games would alleviate the issue.

While I'm on the topic, wouldn't said third parties not be a fan of Nintendo going for ARM over x86 for the NX Platform?

A third party saying they don't want to make NX games due to ARM would be a pretty weak excuse. Wouldn't quite be the worst one I've seen, but it would be up there.
 
Packing in the next 3D Mario would be leaving money on the table, as it would obviously sell on its own. Same for Zelda (while I recognize that it's only an example, there's no way in hell that the next Metroid game will be ready for the platform's launch).
Well whatever it is consumers will see it as defining the system. Careful whats wished for
 

Roo

Member
Well whatever it is consumers will see it as defining the system. Careful whats wished for

That's not entirely true.
Wii Sports defined Wii, NintendoLand on the other hand (tho great game) fell short about showing the real potential of the console.
When you ask people what game would define Wii U, most would say ZombiU or even Super Mario Maker.
 
Snap 410 has a terrible GPU. But yeah, CPU wise, Quad Core A53 should be the bare minimum.

Yes, A53 should be the minimum, unless they plan on writing/licensing a 32-bit OS.

It's in-order, but very efficient and performance is decent enough, so it might still be a good option for them.

That being said, the fact the the quad core ARM11 in new 3DS is clocked much higher than we expected may point to Nintendo taking CPU more seriously. We don't need another Ice Climber situation on NX. If the processor is 16nm or 14nm, they could throw a couple of A57 or A72 cores on there.

But those are the 3 main CPU options, for the person who asked.
I'm not sure if having to scale games down would play nice with said third parties. Of course, having NX Console-only games would alleviate the issue.

While I'm on the topic, wouldn't said third parties not be a fan of Nintendo going for ARM over x86 for the NX Platform?
It doesn't really matter. As long as the CPU performs up to standard, the instruction set architecture is irrelevant. The A57 core seems to be roughly comparable to Jaguar if we look at benchmarks, so it's not a very high bar to match.

What matters is dev environment and middleware support. They need better Visual Studio integration (Takeda says they are working on it). Better documentation (let's hope). Unreal Engine 4 Support (seems like it's happening if DQXI).
 
That's not entirely true.
Wii Sports defined Wii, NintendoLand on the other hand (tho great game) fell short about showing the real potential of the console.
When you ask people what game would define Wii U, most would say ZombiU or even Super Mario Maker.
Yes but when a console launches and average consumers see what game is bundled with it they already get the idea if they want the console or not along with the launch games. Nintendoland didnt do Wii U any favors.
 

Vena

Member
That being said, the fact the the quad core ARM11 in new 3DS is clocked much higher than we expected may point to Nintendo taking CPU more seriously. We don't need another Ice Climber situation on NX. If the processor is 16nm or 14nm, they could throw a couple of A57 or A72 cores on there.

Stop, you're making me optimistic! :p
 

Azure J

Member
Yes, A53 should be the minimum, unless they plan on writing/licensing a 32-bit OS.

It's in-order, but very efficient and performance is decent enough, so it might still be a good option for them.

That being said, the fact the the quad core ARM11 in new 3DS is clocked much higher than we expected may point to Nintendo taking CPU more seriously. We don't need another Ice Climber situation on NX. If the processor is 16nm or 14nm, they could throw a couple of A57 or A72 cores on there.

I've been out of the speculation game for a while, but I have been lurking here and there. That said, I missed the story on the CPU in the n3DS. Is it really that good?
 

Doctre81

Member
I've got a question. What is the most you guys are willing to pay for a Nintendo system with graphics exceeding but not far exceeding PS4?
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Snap 410 has a terrible GPU. But yeah, CPU wise, Quad Core A53 should be the bare minimum.
Adreno-speaking, Adreno 306 is pretty much the bottom of what could conceivably go into the NXhh (and could potentially place it at a-notch-below-vita levels for some scenarios). I would place a 320 at several times higher probability for being nintendo's baseline choice.
 

Nanashrew

Banned
I don't think the Wii U failed because the name confused people.

I think the Wii U failed because people didn't want it.
THANK YOU.

All this talk of it being weaker than Xbox One and fine with just a rebrand or whatever other nonsense fail to capture why people REALLY haven't been buying Nintendo hardware recently: it's not giving them what they want for the money they'd spend on it.

And until that's firmly addressed, anything Nintendo puts on the market is dead in the water. I put up with it this generation, I will absolutely not repeat that decision.


And none of you are wrong just like me. It's all of the above. They hit every single wrong note with the console from the name, the look, the marketing the mixed messages and a product that is for a demographic that doesn't exist. At least with past consoles they had a few good notes but this one every single note was wrong.

The name and look were too similar from the last that it confused mass market from stores calling it the Wii instead of Wii U and people first thinking it was an accessory for the original Wii. Kimishima the current interim of Nintendo even warned them that this was likely to happen.

Mixed messages on who this product is even for which added further confusion on who the product was even for.

Priced too far out of range making it less appealing.

Not enough 3rd party support to justify the purchase for the wider audience. Also not enough strong hitters from their 1st party stable either.
 

AmyS

Member
The normal 3DS without 3D can be sold at around $99. Vita is sold at 200 as well. I imagine Nintendo wants a $199 launch price for the handheld. Don't think Nintendo will go for the OLED screen so a Vita+ at under 200 bucks seems doable.
Not sure about the console, though. I think they'd like a $250 price. By the system's launch I think we could expect X1/PS4 to be around 300-350.
Depends on whether Nintendo is willing to take a loss on the system, and whether they are going to bring back the gamepad.

OLED screen is totally irrelevant here. The VITA-2000 model dropped OLED in favor of LCD. It's about what the NX handheld's native screen resolution will be and what CPU-GPU combination drives it.
 
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