As many Nintendo fans may already know, the Wii U is not selling as well as Nintendo had hoped. Part of this problem may lie with marketing; many individuals Nintendo has recently been marketing to (parents/children) do not understand fully what a Wii U even is, and that it is separate from a Wii. Many more individuals claim that the lack of variety of games for older Nintendo fans (millennials and older) has resulted in potentially lost sales. Well, Nintendo is hoping to change that by introducing an entirely new console called the NX, which may serve as a game changer for the company.
In 2014, the late Nintendo President Satoru Iwata first introduced the Nintendo NX, and fans have been clamoring for any information about it. However, despite the early introduction, he claimed that Nintendo would not release any new information until 2016. Well, 2016 is finally here, and as predicted, analysts and Nintendo fans have been talking a lot about the NX release date and more. And to light a fire to the discussion, a recent post in a Barrons Asia Stock blog cited a Japanese analyst hinting at a June unveiling of the console and subsequent release in the market between October and November.
While the release of the Nintendo NX seems like it would be a positive thing for Nintendo, the analyst revealed that its release will have a negative effect on the sales of the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U consoles.
“We had previously thought that the NX launch would only have a limited impact on the 3DS and Wii U sales as it is not being positioned as a successor to either console, but we have now altered our view…”.
This is probably unsurprising news, but this may indicate that Nintendo is trying to change who they are marketing their product to. Considering Nintendo has previously stated that they will not be investing in new DS devices, this could be another sign that Nintendo is evolving. Nevertheless, this is still just speculation, and we won’t know anything for sure until later on this year, most likely around E3 in June.
Below is a list provided by latinoshealth.com, which has information about what features the NX may provide.
So what can gamers expect from the Nintendo NX? Below are some of the speculated secret features:
1) It will have a morphing controller.
Daily Mail reported that the company has been developing a controller that has a “wraparound touchscreen” that can be reshaped and moved based on the type of games a user is playing. The controllers’ buttons can allegedly pop out of the screen.
2) There will be no more discs.
Nintendo previously patented a system with no optical disc drive present, according to Polygon. It’s speculated that the company is foregoing compact discs altogether and would go for digital downloads for games. It’s a similar concept that Sony is said to be working on for the PS5, as previously reported on Latinos Health.
3) It is a handheld console hybrid.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the NX is a hybrid console and will come with a feature that will double as a remote similar to the Wii U. However, unlike the Wii U remote, this will be streamlined and lighter in design and can be used separately for travels.
4) It will come with HoloLens or Virtual Reality.
Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima said that the new console will be “unique and different,” via aTime interview. The statement sparked speculations that the company might be the first to present Virtual Reality or HoloLens in its most advanced form. Nintendo America executive Reggie Fils-Aime said in an interview with Polygon that the company has been experimenting with the technology for a while now.
5) It will be backward compatible.
Nintendo had a great lineup of titles before the Sony and Microsoft dominated the console wars. Apart from competing with these two tech giants, the company might rely on old favorites in order to have an impact the market.
What do you think about the news? Are you excited about the NX? Let us know in the comments below!
I believe that games are an important form of entertainment, and that they can uplift and inspire millions of people around the world. I love JRPGs, and dabble in many other genres, especially MOBAs.
