Topic: Nintendo NX Arrives March 2017!

@UGXwolf: @rallydefault: I think it is better for Nintendo to take its time and get the NX launch they want rather than rushing it. but I do wish the Wii U wouldn't look so empty before it is replaced. They did that with the Wii to the Wii U, and I don't think that was a good thing.

@DefHalan: Absolutely it would be great to take their time and have a nice launch, but they're really dropping the ball with the emptiness that is on the Wii U's horizon for the next year. Really depressing the more I think about it, actually. After I'm done with StarFox, I'm probably gonna unplug it for awhile to be honest.

@rallydefault: I am expecting a few new Wii U games to be announced at E3 to finish up the year at least.

In addition to Kimishima's words about passing over the holiday season to ensure plenty of games at launch and Nintendo's structural shake-up (which is honestly the most concerning news for me), I don't think anyone has mentioned this little tidbit — Ninty is finally selling their majority interest in the Seattle Mariners. That should net them a cool $630 million, roughly, as the Mariners are valued at a sale price of $1.4 billion. So that's quite a substantial nugget for the warchest, and definitely helps ease the blow of a flat, in-between year like this one.

All of this news makes me more sure of my thoughts: The NX platform is essentially going to be a soft reboot for Nintendo. It's already started with the revised account systems, and they're going to take their time rolling it out. The last time we saw such a reboot was when Iwata ushered in the Wii and DS era; Nintendo has stuck to those platforms and that branding for about 10 years. This is a clean slate, and that's a massive endeavor.

Have any major third parties announced they are on board with current titles in the pipeline? Otherwise this is wiiu 2.0 with zelda.

@Ryu_Niiyama: That is why I am glad Nintendo is taking its time with the NX. It gives them time to get 3rd parties on board. I wouldn't be surprised if they show the NX to developers at E3 behind closed doors.

@DefHalan: Unless this system has parity to the x86 twins that seems too short of a window for a decent port. Ah well, the execs don't live in a bubble they know this. I'm just going to strap in and see what happens.

@Ryu_Niiyama: From E3 to March is about 9 months. I would say that is enough time for a decent port. 6 months would probably be good enough for decent ports from XB1 and PS4 to another x86 console. Hopefully Nintendo's online is working well enough to get those online games ported in time.

Noticing a few comments here and I felt the need to say something. Nintendo is projecting to sell 800,000 units of the Wii U during the next fiscal year. I wouldnt expect any (significant) titles to be announced for the rest of the year. Actual Sales being 3.26 million the year prior. There arent these secret unannounced projects that will dramatically change the outlook for the year. They've clearly moved on.

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https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/04/nintendo_financial_r...

I feel like people are forgetting that the Wii U had 3rd Party support. It was dropped and thinned out over the first year due to the Wii U's hardware and overly cautious publishers, and their falling out with EA over Origin being integrated into Nintendo Network certainly did a good bit of damage, to boot.

People too often took at face value the devs saying the U wasn't powerful enough when they really meant the install base and sales patterns didn't promise good results, so they opted not to take the risk.

There were quite a number of problems with the Wii U at lainch. The apparent lack of 3rd Party support was a symptom, not the disease itself. (Though sometimes the symptom can do plenty of damage on its own.)

As for @rs100 , I don't think anyone's holding out for a major system seller, and the impact of any new game will be dampened by the announcement of a launch window, but it's fair to hope for a full Animal Crossing, since Nintendo already has all of the assets available from AC Plaza and Amiibo Festibal, and Pikmin 4 would certainly help carry us to the next system.

@UGXwolf: Thats true. Fair enough. Just seeing some folks saying there might be still some unannounced titles they could show off later on. Was saying that (if) there was, it wont be anything that could significant impact sales given Nintendo's current forecasts for the Wii U. There could very well be nothing else outside of what is known today.

Well you certainly made a point of having a go at me for saying the hybrid idea was nonsense. Which I still believe it is. I also don't remember "making fun" of you for thinking Zelda U would come to NX. I only remember being deeply sceptical of the level of certainty some people had. Especially given that at the time we had absolutely zero information about what the NX was.

Remember, this was before any of the leaks started to come out. Given we had no information how can you have a go at me for saying "well we don't know yet, you could be wrong, I could be wrong"? From memory my line of reasoning was that the NX might not be the Wii U successor and might not launch in 2016. Because we had no information other than people's gut feelings. This is what I was saying in June last year

.... I believe you've misread me

Nintendo is conceding every 3rd party release in 2016 and all of the hardware sales for the holiday. The only way this can work out is if this delay translates into a RAM overhaul (adding 4-8GB of HBM) and/or an additional GPU or SPU.

Nintendo has to present NX as a whole NEW generation of hardware (14nm and 16GB of memory) or they won't be able to sell this console to people with a X1/PS4.

Here's the official translation of everything relating to the NX. If you're going to discuss what the NX is it's probably best to base it on this rather than any of the non-official translations. I've highlighted what I think are some of the more interesting bits:

To me it sounds slightly different to the way some have been translating it. It doesn't even sound like they're saying Zelda will be the only game playable at E3 from the above. It being the focus doesn't necessarily mean it'll be the only game there. They also make it pretty damn clear that the NX is indeed the Wii U's successor. They make a point of specifically mentioning the impact the NX will have on Wii U sales.

@skywake: Nintendo of Europe's press release mentioned that Zelda Wii U will be the only playable game at E3. They could show off more games, but I somewhat doubt it. They could show off old games in a NWC though.

Oh, and there's Mother 3. Time for that surprise release.

This is the true reality.

@IceClimbers:
Yeah, I just noticed that. I stand corrected. Though I'd still be surprised if it was the only game they talked about at E3. They're certainly not saying that.

So any thoughts on what the name will be? I actually think they are going to work Nintendo Entertainment System back in somehow since this is a new concept and possibly both the 3ds and wiiu successor. What better way to hit the feels than to go back to your roots? Plus in Japan at least NES would be a new name. The rebranding in stores also suggests a return to a singular focus in marketing. Which is a good setup if Nx ends up succeeding both lines of hardware.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/11/poor_odds_of_the_bin...