Exciting times

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Nintendo NX development kits have been issued to third parties, and that the system itself will indeed be the much-rumoured combination of domestic and portable hardware.

Citing sources "close to the matter", the report speculates that we could see a Nintendo NX release date next year, given the current "softness" of the 3DS and Wii U systems.

The same sources have apparently confirmed that the console will be made up of a domestic unit which plugs into your television as normal, but would also ship with "at least one" mobile unit which could be taken away from the main system like a traditional handheld console. Fearsome specs are also hinted at:

The exact shape of the NX hardware isn't yet clear. People familiar with the development plans said Nintendo would likely include both a console and at least one mobile unit that could either be used in conjunction with the console or taken on the road for separate use. They also said Nintendo would aim to put industry-leading chips in the NX devices, after criticism that the Wii U's capabilities didn't match those of competitors.

"At least one" mobile unit would indicated that multiple units can be linked to the same base console, overcoming the Wii U's issue of only being able to connect a single GamePad.

That developers have access to the NX is perhaps not all that surprising - back in July Square Enix stated that it intended to bring Dragon Quest XI to the new console. Given that the game is also coming to the PS4, it is likely that NX will offer a similar level of power to Sony's console - it could even have an advantage over the rival system, as well as the Xbox One.

Nintendo itself is officially stating that it will make announcements regarding NX next year.

[source wsj.com, via neogaf.com]