Topic: What if Iwata Wasn't Lying About Project NX?

It might be. Or it might not be. But it isn't to farfetched that design it is a steam machine, this or another.

@FargusPelagius: I can't see that at all. You would need to add touch to screen and streaming from the wii u. Which will add something like 50-100 bucks. Add a wii u and that would be an ridiculous expensive rig.

I have to admit I like Fargus' idea. A Wii U gamepad-like GameBoy that plays all your digital 3ds, Wii U, and VC games with cross buy/play/connectivity would be cool.

Well clearly PC gaming is going portable, case and point the portable PC gaming device from before. Whether it's actually a successful new platform is another story. If it became a successful platform? Then sure, people would start making new games for PC that aren't as demanding. More games that fit into that spec. Because any game that can run on PC that is in that envelope? Will run on such a device.... and also on PCs....

Personally I'd buy it just for the ability to stream games from my PC if it was the right price. Sell a lower spec one for the price of the 2DS or even the New 3DS XL, I'd get it just for the ability to play GTA5 in the kitchen.

A powerful Nintendo console that caters to Nintendo hardcore fans

I can speculate till I'm blue in the face but I don't think we'll know what the NX is until E3 2016. I'm even speculating when they'll announce it haha.

@skywake And what if it isn't successful? The thing costs 300 dollars, I personally can't see a whole lot of people forking over that for an indie/streaming machine, but I can't predict the future. Point is, you can't say PC gaming is going portable until something like the SteamBoy is successful, and as it stands, that won't happen until at least the end of next year.

@Jmaster: Don't obsess about the cost of that particular device. It's just one company's attempt at this and I doubt it'll be the last. The point is that AMD and Intel have been pushing for their chips to fit into lower power devices. Because of the explosion of phones and tablets. Now Valve is actually pushing an alternative to the traditional console and someone has taken those lower powered chips and created a portable console. A portable console which would already have a fairly decent library.

Like it or not, PC gaming is going portable.

Not to be too rude, but I'm going to laugh so hard when that doesn't happen.

Real talk: Nintendo is(or was. depending on how direction might end up changing due to a new blood) way more interested making experimental consoles, rather than straight forward PSXbox[insertNumber]. Nintendo knows they can't compete with Sony/MS in the uber-powerful console race, so they promptly stay out and do their own thing.

I think you will find that it plays more than indie games. The PC-market is huge at the moment it seems like 405 games works with steam OS. Many big hits should work on it (for example Civ V), albeit with reduced graphics.

Overall I think the steam OS concept is compelling. It has many of the features people want from todays consoles(BC, media capabilities, loads of launch games, etc). If you buy any of the prepackaged machines, it will require about the same amount of configuration as a console if not less. My computer as never forced me to create a virtual avatar of myself when installing (looking at you Wii U)... And it is not like current consoles doesn't require patches.

I always figured that the NX, in whatever form in takes, will launch alongside a new operating platform ala Steam or Origin. Nintendo have already started linking Nintendo Network ID's with Club Nintendo accounts (in Europe at least) which suggests some bigger plan to bring everything together. It's about time and would be a welcome change.

@skywake
As I said, you can't say that until something like the Steamboy is successful. You can ramble all day about how everybody's trying to make it happen, but that doesn't guarantee that it's going to happen.

@skywake: Nope.

Nope.

You severely underestimate the passion and loyalty of desktop gamers. They're not going anywhere. They're not going to stop building desktop systems, tweaking desktop systems, purchasing games for desktop systems... eSports is HUGE, as well. HUGE. And MOBAs ain't happening on a portable device.

I've spoken with you A LOT on these forums, skywake, and one thing you are NOT is a PC gamer. Your statement of "Like it or not, PC gaming is going portable" is very, very misinformed and reactionary, based only off some news stories you've seen and not an actual knowledge and feel of the community. Portable PC devices will happen, sure, but they will just be a small shard of the entire PC community: desktop gaming and its ridiculously loyal players isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

@rallydefault:
Well where do I start with that? For one thing I said PC gaming is going portable, I didn't say that PC gamers were going portable. They're not the same thing. What I said would be the equivalent of someone who said that the Playstation is going portable when the PSP was anounced. That wouldn't necessarily mean that Playstation fanboys were going to go out and get PSPs. Get where I'm coming from? The fact that a portable machine that can play PC games exists means that PC gaming is going portable.

Furthermore, I don't think it's fair to pigeon-hole. PC gaming is bigger than just the stereotype in the same way that Nintendo gaming is bigger than the Nintendo fanboy stereotype. A fair chunk of gamers play games on more than one platform. Also I don't think it's odd to think that someone who will spend $1000+ on a high end PC just for gaming will happily spend a couple of hundred bucks on a portable system. If you're that into gaming? You'll happily get a second device.

Will "PC Gamers" all abandon their high end rigs and get a portable system to replace it? No, of course not. Just like people who will get a home console probably won't get a 3DS to replace their home console. I'm not at all suggesting that. What I'm saying is that there will now be an option to get games from Steam on a portable device. Something which may end up being a new competitor to Nintendo in the portable space. The only way I think I'm stretching a bit is when I say that it has a better chance than Android or iOS. Purely because it's coming from "core gaming" down rather than "casual gaming" up.

I personally hope that thing is successful. Nintendo needs competition in the portable space, otherwise they'll just stagnate with their hardware.

I can see Nintendo's handheld line becoming like Apple's iPod line. A niche product, that still manages to bring in some revenue.

huh? you clearly don't read the main board.

Nuff said.

What is it you are missing from steam and origin that you feel nintendo is lacking?

Everyone says this, but I'm not so sure it's as clean cut as that. I mean, the Gamecube was the only real time they tried the super powerful console thing. But they made it look like a lunchbox/child's toy. I think if they had the proper marketing, they could definitely compete. But it's Nintendo, and it's out of their comfort zone of child friendly gaming, so I don't expect it to ever happen.

(The N64 I think was also more powerful, but stuck with an antiquated cartridge system, losing many third parties in the process and probably sealing their fate. Imagine if FF7 had stayed on the N64 as it was originally planned)