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

I could see them doing something like. Maybe just a shadow of the chassis or something. Enough to let everyone use their imaginations, enough to satisfy building curiosity, but saving the big punch for the largest audience.

@rallydefault: Well you have to remember too is that their digital event next year isn't likely to be much longer than an hour so I say just show the chassis before hand. And have a software blowout at E3.

Regardless there will be something announced at E3, and that will be the moment I will make a desicion to wait for it or buy a playstation or Xbox. I guess all I'm waiting for is the specs--if it's truly next gen, then I'll wait, but it will be tough. Hoping for a christmas 2016 release

@WebHead: Yes, assuming all stays "as is" when compared to the last couple years. But who knows? Maybe Nintendo will be back with a live presentation this year. New management, as well... increases the odds of a new direction being taken.

Edit: "Live" as in, AT E3, on stage, etc. etc. And really, if you're revealing a new console, I think you should do that. Just my opinion, of course.

http://nintendoenthusiast.com/news/rumor-nintendo-to-showcase...

If this rumor is accurate than there's a decent chance it'll be revealed on the 4th or 5th of next month. It's basiclaly what CES 2012 was like for Wii U.

@WebHead: They'd be foolish to have power comparable to Xbox One, it should really be more powerful than PS4.

@Grumblevolcano: You guys don't get it. Especially if it comes out next year, Nintendo cannot make a console that's clearly more powerful than a PS4 for a reasonable price point. This seems like its easy enough for multiplats and enough power for new first party experiences. Have that along with Amiibo, MyNintendo, and the OS be the differentiating factors.

@WebHead: It isn't a long term solution though, as I said in the other thread. When PS5 and Xboxsomething launch two years later in 2018, their home console is the console with the lowest specs again. This time however, it is even worse, whilst the Wii U was more powerful than the PS3 and X360, their next home console wouldn't be only less powerful than the PS5/Xboxsomething, but it arguably wouldn't even be more powerful than their previous installments, the PS4 and Xbox One.

And launching in 2016? The year PS4 will probably peak, in terms of hardware and software sales. Yeah, it will be very tough to make an impact on the market, especially coming off the Wii U.

@Octane: I think they'd treat it as a third pillar at first. I think Amiibo and MyNintendo will be key parts. I mean if this rumor is true this system 90% likely to be coming out next november.

@WebHead: Not sure if that's going to make a difference. MyNintendo will be a part of whatever system Nintendo launches when MyNintendo becomes a thing. So that's not a big deal. amiibo? Not sure how that's going to contribute, but that still doesn't change the fact that they will face many difficulties when they try to launch a new home console next year with the specs mentioned in the rumour. I'm not sure how a third pillar is going to function, as it is evident that Nintendo can't even properly manage two systems on their own.

I'm not trying to argue the validity of the rumour, it's a rumour after all. I've got plenty of salt ready here.

@Octane: All I know is anyone expecting some $500 beast Pseudo PC is going to be unhappy. I highly doubt whatever NX ends up being will cost no more than $300 USD.

@WebHead: Whatever it is, I doubt they'll be able to successfully launch a new console in 2016 without selling it at a loss.

Well realistically they could aim for a $249.99 price point with SNES Remix preinstalled(theoretically.) Another thing is that the Xbox One honestly isn't a well designed console. Nintendo would likely avoid the msitakes they made. NX's OS is also likely to not be as demanding as Xbox One.

NX will likely use the Vulkan API as well. I imagine Nintnedo is perfectly capable of making a Xbone-spec console, but more efficient on a smaller die. Also in a smaller chassis and consuming less power.

A bunch of us talked about this in another thread. The price for tech quickly lowers. You can even find a PS4 for 300 bucks right now if you're patient. I can purchase a top-of-the-line or very nearly so graphics card for my PC for a couple hundred dollars, as well. To make a console that is a little more powerful (note: "little") than the PS4 for a similar price point basically 3 years after the PS4 launched is no big thing.

A higher price point, as has been the case with the Wii U and 3DS, comes from whatever "gimmick" (yes I hate using that word, but I'm just typing fast and need something) Nintendo decides to go with. That new screen tech we saw in some of those patent documents or whatever probably isn't super cheap. That's where the price of the console will get jacked up.

@WebHead:
They're not going to be able to do miracles. You kinda allude to the fact that the Wii U is basically a 360-spec machine but with a more efficient, implying that they can do the same with the NX. Remember that the Wii U came out 7 years after the 360. A period during which component manufacturers started pushing for power efficiency over all else. Not only that but PC components in general went from "get as much as you can afford, you'll use every bit of it" to "just get a bit more, you won't use it but why not? It's cheap enough".

The PS4 and XBOne are already fairly efficient. They could shrink it a bit with the few years of improvements they have under their belts now. Sony and Microsoft are probably doing that anyways. They're not going to be able to drastically improve the design though other than maybe going with SSDs rather than HDDs (by the end of 2016 a 256GB SSD will be as cheap as a 500GB HDD)

Basically they can hit the PS4 spec at less than what the PS4's RRP is fairly easily. They can even push the spec up a tad and come in at a reasonable price. They could seriously low-ball it and do something far cheaper but then you'd have to wonder how it's replacing the Wii U. But they're not going to be able to go for the PS4 spec at about the same price and be significantly "more efficient" like the Wii U was because of cheaper RAM etc.

We are also starting to hit the diminishing returns threshold. And as usual when we talk about power, what power? Gpu, cpu? I see no reason for it to have a less powerful gpu*, but i can see a less powerful cpu. It also depends on loads of other factors, such as bus and mem speeds.

• unless it is an handheld

@Therad:
I'll put it this way. In the mid 2000s if you were building a gaming PC you'd probably spend around equal amounts on RAM, Motherboard, GPU, HDD and then a bit more than that for the CPU. Most of your money would go into CPU and Motherboard, that was that approach that gave you the most balanced machine. These days as long as you've got a decent setup the only thing that'll hold you back is the GPU. It's not crazy at all to put over half of your budget into the GPU.

That's the thing with the Wii U. The Wii U is better than the 360 because they could remove a lot of those bottlenecks. With the PS4 and XBOne there aren't really that many bottlenecks. Especially with the sort of games you traditionally play on consoles (i.e. not strategy games). They're mostly being held back by the GPU.

Sure, but I wouldn't call them that held back. Even the GPU in the "power-twins" are enough for most games on a TV. Things like viewing distance, objects on screen and such are very good with today's architecture. But the more you add, the more you are adding to development time.

Sure, you could still push more pixels and frames, but quite frankly, not many have 4k TVs, and even fewer have them at a distance where they can see the difference between 4k and 1080p. And to output 4k consistently you will need 4 times the pixel throughput, if you want the same frame rate. This is quite hard to archive at the moment, at least to a reasonable price and relative small form factor.

But one thing that could work relatively simply, is to have several different packages of the console. You could have a "power" model with a stronger GPU and a "basic" with a lesser GPU. This would cater to both "core" and "casual" gamers. All modern engines can already accommodate switching between graphics mode depending on overall strenghts of the GPU etc. It would also make it easier to transition to the next gen, since that would basically be a "power 2" console, while the older becomes the new basic.

This strategy would also mimic iPhone and android strategies to a degree.

@Therad: plus Nintendo games simply don't need as much spec as other games do. IMO this is enough for developers to port/downscale too and enough for new first party games. Nintendo is not about sheer horsepower guys.

Nintendo cannot realistically release a home console that's markedly stronger than the ps4 at around $300 before 2018. People need to get this "$500 beast pseudo PC" out of their heads.

If the NX really is a home console replacing the Wii U, and if it releases holiday 2016, then it needs to be slightly more powerful than PS4. Nintendo also needs to stick to a mid-gen release tactic from now on. Hvaing the slightly more power console will help with ports, they are also going to benefit from cheaper hardware prices. The biggest benefit is Nintendo could still gain large amounts of 3rd party support throughout the console's lifespan by having the best ports during the early years and the best low end ports in the late years. Basically as long as last gen is supported Nintendo would be too, but as soon as they cut last gen support, Nintendo would release a new co sole more powerful than ehat is out currently. I could see it being beneficial to Nintendo but it will be difficult and take a lot of time to completely change the way they handle console generations