Topic: Do you think it would be better for Nintendo to reveal the NX before E3 or at E3?

That tech demo was for Square Enix's Luminous engine and it was more made to represent what the PS4 and Xbox One would look like, but it was never explicitly said to be running on either hardware. Sony didn't officially confirm the PS4 until the press conference in February 2013.

Now thinking about it assuming NX is this year, I think April would be a good month. Start the next fiscal year off with a bang.

When they say "analyst" they could instead say "tea reader" and I'd give it about the same amount of attention

Interesting article up on IGN that basically says nothing, once again. All the article says is that Nintendo will release more details on NX "sometime this year." But it does reiterate the concept of: "...the company isn't looking to build off old ideas, but offer entirely new ones."

Depends on when it releases. E3 is a fine time to reveal a console coming out in a year and a half. It's a terrible time to reveal a console coming out in 6 months.

The way I see it now. We will get a form factor, concept, and release window in April or may then name, design, specs, and software at E3. Fine by me. There's no game announcement that would be bigger from other companies.

I say drop it during the Nintendo World Championships E3 weekend. At the very end with the final 2 contestants playing Splatoon NX. There is your live presentation. Then let the hype build for the few days before the Digital Event. Doing a full showcase of features and games then.

If need be throw us a bone late April after Starfox so not to steal its thunder. March Has enough going on with TP (although you could still promote Zelda U in March) and mobile games and Nintendo Account stuff to keep us occupied.

Before E3. Nintendo's likely got a lot of games they need to promote for this year, so the presentation should focus on that. Talk about the form factor in April/May to get people excited for the concept (and maybe a few tech demos and such so people understand what it can do) and keep them guessing about the gameplay possibilities for their favorite IPs, then come out to E3 guns blazing with their launch lineup.

@Bolt_Strike: like I said nothing Sony, MS, or third parties can announce that can be bigger. Not watch dogs 2, not elder scrolls 6, not nothing. Nintendo has a strong chance of having the best showing this year.

Except for Sony has it's own VR headset launching at some point this year. With it being supposed to be the first half of 2016, E3 will be where they will really push the new tech and games. That will do a lot to take away from Nintendo's NX reveal.

PS VR isn't going to steal away NX's thunder, especially if the price is a lot. Not that much of a concern.

@Bolt_Strike When NX is revealed and the whole "ecosystem" thing is it's supposed "gimmick", people will be really left guessing, as it doesn't give any clues. It also means you'll be extremely pissed off because a handheld and a console that have the same library doesn't actually provide new ways to play games.

Like I said, they can show off tech demos if they need them.

Not necessarily. Deeper interaction between handheld and console could do some pretty interesting things. For example, imagine a Pokemon game where you can invite your friends over to your house and they can connect to your console and enter your game world and you could all adventure and battle together. Plus they could do things that you would've needed multiple Gamepads for, like co-op games could now allow players to separate from the group and perform certain tasks themselves or proceed at their own pace, making co-op gameplay much less restrictive. And Splatoon's local multiplayer would be a lot more dynamic now that extra players can use their own handhelds to look at the map. It might not be completely revolutionary, but it would pave the way for new gameplay mechanics and general improvements, especially in co-op based gameplay.

I think they can reveal it at E3, even if they release this year. Many who have followed the industry for a while seem to be assuming or clinging to the old patterns, but I think times have changed. Information moves a lot faster today than it used to. The media can react to and distribute announcements almost instantly now. Fallout 4 is a great example of how different today is compared to past times. Today, companies can even run a risk of announcing too early to maintain interest.

Beyond this, I think the main issue is, does Nintendo give third-party developers enough time to produce content? But many ask that question assuming two things: 1) The NX will need third-party support—it might not if Nintendo is banking on a Wii-like strategy. 2) Nintendo cannot give developers access long prior to an announcement—more obviously, this isn't necessarily true, especially in this case with some Japanese developers basically accidentally said they are working on the NX.

For a succesfull hardware announcement, Nintendo needs the media to be there and to be excited and interested. That is expensive. E3 is already expensive, and the media will already be there. I could see a company like Nintendo deciding to forgo the cost of a pre-E3 announcement.

You don't announce your system early just to let information disseminate. You release information early to build excitement. Look at the movie industry. Information spreads instantly, but we know about movies coming out in 2019. Why? Because Disney knows that people will talk about "The Incredibles 2" and "Avengers: Infinity War" the second they are announced, and generate hype. That's not to mention the benefit of being able to fix things that are poorly received (e.g. XB1's always online feature, and Wii U's circle pads)

The Wii relied heavily on 3rd party support. Many of the biggest casual games on the system (e.g. Just Dance) were from 3rd parties. Much of initial advertising highlighted Madden and Red Steel among the systems big games. Developers were given plenty of advance notice, and the system was announced a year and a half prior to it's release.

Those worried about possible confusion with the announcement, similar to what happened with the Wii U, remember last year's E3. Nintendo didn't just have 1 presentation with a limited amount of time. They had the World Championships, Smash Bros Presentation, Main Presentation, and Treehouse. Nintendo not focusing on 1 presentation will allow them to cover all the information people are worried about. Smaller details can be covered in following presentations. The NX announcement will need be address people's main issues and then other presentations can explain things better.

Regardless when the NX launches, either in full or part, I think they need to reveal the hardware prior to E3. Think about it, if the NX launches next year then it means Nintendo can use E3 to focus entirely on the 3DS and Wii U games that are to be coming over the following twelve to eighteen months.

However if the platform is to launch fall 2016, then E3 can be a whole hour showcasing the game launch line up and can be done as a Direct which would do away with needing a conference, stage demos that don't always work and spending loads of money on hiring the conference hall and stage setup etc.

And let's remember that Treehouse Live allows Nintendo to showcase each game in a lot more detail over the course of several days.

Neither Sony or Microsoft showcased their systems at E3, it was done prior so that the main event would be all about the games that are to launch alongside the PS4 and Xbox One.

Finally, can Nintendo really trust keeping what ever the NX is, a secret all the way till E3 without a single leak? The 3DS was shown at an event before E3 because they were worried about such leaks, and it was released that same year (in Japan at least). So it shows they do not need the big conference to show off hardware.

But hey, no one really knows what Nintendo is going to do. They do what ever Nintendo wants to do which can lead to both good and bad decisions. So it will be interesting to see what approach they take with the whole reveal.

Microsoft talked about games at their E3 2013 presentation?

Sony have made/published games this generation?

I kid, I kid. That statement was too good to resist.

Carry on.

Haha, well to be fair you may have missed Microsoft's games - it was between the TV TV TV section that featured Steven Spielberg making a huge amount of money for just being on screen. Not sure what for though. I think that was E3, both conferences all kinda blended together.

And as for Sony, well... you know. A couple of broken games and Uncharted 4 which has dialogue options which make no difference to the game. Oh and I hear there maybe some Japanese game coming soon. Can't remember the name but rumour has it, it skipped a whole console generation.