Topic: NX Likely To Have AMD Zen or K12.

@iKhan: you don't stay on a sinking ship.

So...Super Mario Maker, Yoshi's Wooly World, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Devil's Third, Zelda U, Star Fox Zero, Mario Tennis (keep forgetting the full title), Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, and Fatal Frame are an empty release schedule? Sure, it's not as much when you stack it up against the hordes of third and first party titles coming to the PS4 and One, but it is by no means an empty schedule.

The Wii's release scedule was far more paltry for some time before the Wii U finally showed itself...and even then the system was a year away.

I can't wait for an official confirmation on NX. Guess we'll just have to wait until E3 2016 like we were told.

Also, if we're going to talk about game schedule releases heralding the coming of a new console, why not look at the 3DS's current lineup so far with games like LBX, Chibi Robo Zip Lash, Triforce Heroes, and (the infamous) Metroid Prime Federation Force/Blast Ball. Aside from Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (please correct me if I've missed any) these don't seem like they'll have as heavy as an impact as a new Star Fox game, the next Zelda game, the sequel to (possibly) the best JRPG of the 7th generation, and a crossover between two well loved franchises.

In this case, there are multiple business reasons why Nintendo may want to wait until Holiday 2017. They want the base to feel satisfied with the Wii U's life, they need to launch on Holiday, and they aren't going to want to be caught completely off-cycle with the rest of the industry. That's not to mention that the longer they wait, the better tech they can use and the more likely they'll draw out Sontsoft to compete.

Late 2016 for the NX if it is the successor to the Wii U is an interesting theory. It would be well on the short end for a console lifecycle, only the original XBox and arguably the Saturn had that short a lifecycle. Excluding discontinued platforms. Which is ok, fair enough, but unlike those two the Wii U launched early.... which means this next thing would well and truly be a mid-generation console.

But I still think the big thing that throws a spanner in the works is the 3DS. What's happening with the 3DS? Are they going to release it's replacement first? Is the NX actually two separate platforms that launch at once? Because if this thing somehow answers the 3DS question? Late 2016 seems very reasonable.

@skywake: yeah that could be it too. The common belief is NX is actually a family of devices that have the same OS,API, and architecture. Plus game boy advance and GameCube launched same year.

Look, accept it guys. The Wii U simply isn't going to last as long as we want it too. It just didn't pan out. Whether it's console or portable or whatever, Nintendo is now transitioning to NX which, while NOT GUARANTEED, but will likely launch next holiday.

Besides, does IBM even make commercial CPUs anymore?

Depending on what you mean, but the short answer is, yes. But the power architecture is focused on servers at the moment. It is probably still viable if Nintendo would want to use it.

But I would think that any deal with AMD is probably better for Nintendo. Not because that x86/ARM makes development any easier, but because they can probably get a better price.