Welcome back to What Happens NX?, a series of articles that started in April that looked at Nintendo’s past to try and make predictions about their next console, the NX.  The intent was to release one each week until E3, working on the assumption it would be shown during E3 and I would have the time to write them.  Neither of those things happened.

We’ve seen a fresh batch of rumours recently and there’s a widespread assumption we’ll finally see the NX soon, so this series has been revived for a few more installments.  

This week’s is just a catch up that will look at what was discussed previously and see what we already know is true or not from those predictions.  We’ll also look at the recent rumours and where they fit into things.

What was previously discussed

So far there have been three installments of What Happens NX?:

1. Third Parties

2. The Controller

3. The Launch

When looking at third parties I broke down the belief that third parties have supported Nintendo less and less as generations have gone by.  For each of Nintendo’s home and handheld consoles I analysed the number of games released on the console, how many were third parties and how this shifted as a percentage.  I also compared this to releases on Microsoft and Sony’s consoles.

When discussing the controller I looked back at all controllers since the GameCube, the last time Nintendo made a ‘traditional’ controller.  As well as seeing how their input methods have changed and what has and hasn’t worked, I also explored whether Nintendo need to innovate every generation or just make things better and what they could learn from the competition.

Analysing the launch of previous consoles led to me speculating when we should expect the NX, what kind of promotional and advertising campaigns we might see and what kind of price we might pay when it comes out.

What has happened since

Nintendo confirmed it wouldn’t be showing the console at E3 and it won’t be out until March 2017 shortly after I published the last article in which I claimed “it would be foolish to miss out on the busy Christmas period... but if the console isn't ready it simply won't be possible.”

Subsequently we’ve not heard much from Nintendo regarding the NX.  E3 2016 was all about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which Nintendo confirmed would be coming to the NX too.  In a roundabout way this arguably confirmed that the next console would have a screen-based controller too, but then Nintendo could always make slightly different versions.

The biggest thing we’ve heard, although not from Nintendo themselves, is a new set of rumours that paint a picture of what the NX will be like.  While it is currently just a rumour, the reports from Eurogamer have since been confirmed by other sources so while aspects may change, it’s looking like the core of the rumour is true.

The reports suggest that the console will be primarily a handheld device that you can then dock at home.  The controller will once again have a screen with attachable control parts for when you’re playing at home.  It is also said to be powered by Nvidia's Tegra mobile processor and will use cartridges rather than blu-ray discs.

Alongside this a rumour has suggested that within the first six months of the NX Nintendo will launch a Zeda, Mario and Pokémon game.  Obviously we know The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is supposed to launch alongside the NX, so that's not surprising, and nor is Mario really.  However, if Nintendo do indeed release these three big franchises shortly after the console it will inevitably draw in a lot of Nintendo fans who might otherwise hold off waiting for more software.

What we’ve got wrong

“It’s a fairly safe bet to estimate that the NX will be released in time for Christmas 2016”...

What we got right

In the very first installment I said “hopefully Nintendo won’t announce it in the middle of this series and scupper what I’ve written” and so far I’m fine!

I addressed how Nintendo may be able to learn from the relative success Sony has had with using the PS4 and Vita as a cross-platform, stating “if Nintendo builds a truly shared system they could take their handhelds with them during the day and use their console at night in a truly shared experience, rather than complimentary, they could be onto a winner.”  The PS4 and Vita weren’t designed simultaneously but worked together reasonably well, with a lot of titles being available as cross buy.  However, if Nintendo has indeed created a console that is a handheld at heart with the option to play at home they may well have captured this essence in their own way.

I’d also say that if the recent rumours are correct, this still holds true: “Trying to guess what Nintendo might do next with a controller is a fool’s errand though.  We often think we know what Nintendo may do and they pull out something left-field.  We can however hope for certain things, but we’ll just have to wait and see what Nintendo has in store for us.”  Nintendo does like to keep us on our toes!

What remains to be seen

I spoke about the importance of third party support on the NX and given we’ve not seen anything about the console yet it is to be expected we don’t know what kind of support it will get, but early signs are good.  Ubisoft spoke with enthusiasm about the NX during E3 2016 and Sega has already confirmed that Project Sonic will be coming to the NX when it launches late next year.  However, as I pointed out Nintendo has usually had strong third party support during launches but this support tends to die off as the console goes on and this is something they need to change for the NX if they want it to compete.

While discussing third parties I noted that other factors play an important role in the console’s support such as its hardware, controller etc as it determines how easy (or not) it is for games to be ported.  If the rumours are to be believed it seems that the hardware will be around the PS4/Xbox One level and the controller might be similar but with an added screen.  It depends on if the NX controller can be replaced with a standard one with little changes.

Addressing the controller, I stated while some fans and developers may prefer a ‘standard’ controller, if it is different its success “it depends on what shape it takes and whether it does inspire some truly unique games that will justify its existence”.  If we believe the recent rumours it is indeed different, but the attachable controller parts could make it a ‘standard’ controller just with a screen in the middle.  This means either third party multi-platform games wouldn’t utilise any console-specific features (such as a touch screen), or would add them minimally but this could delay or weaken the NX version of any such games.  

Similarly, if the hardware itself is just below PS4/Xbox One (as some people have suggested) Nintendo may struggle to convince developers to make their games available across all three consoles, particularly given both Sony and Microsoft are releasing souped-up versions of their consoles and Nintendo’s past relations with third parties.

I spoke about how Nintendo tends to release consoles in Japan first, except when they want to get it out for Black Friday in America so they release them there first.  Now that we know it won’t be out until March 2017 at the earliest it seems safe to assume it will launch in Japan first, but Nintendo has becoming increasingly global in their releases so the wait, if any, between regions may be minimal.

Some of the recent rumours have suggested we will be ‘pleasantly surprised’ by the price of the NX.  When discussing launches I looked at how console prices have slowly creeped up as years have gone by.  However, recently Brexit has had a knock-on effect on the Japanese economy (and others) and as such prices between regions may not be as favourable, but we’ll have to see how the next few months play out.