Topic: No Disk Drive?

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/08/21/nintendo-files-patent-...

Please please no. Nintendo patents stuff like this all the time, so it could be nothing. But I would hate for Wii U to be the last Nintendo console I own.

The After Edit: Cartridges would be ok, i guess.

This would definitely make think twice about buying one anywhere near launch, Nintendo's first party digital prices have been far from competitive vs highstreet where I am.

I don't mind, I am digital only this generation already, but I don't think this will happen (unless the NX is a micro-console, like I was theorizing)

1.) this is just a patent, don't think this is confirmed information for the NX
2.) just because no Disk drive, doesn't mean digital only. It can mean they are going the cartridge route, such as shown in the diagram with the read/write card slot.

Considering Microsoft got a hell of a negative response when they wanted to control how we play their games with their DRM while still having physical discs, Nintendo is in for a hell of an ordeal if they think they can get away with ditching physical media entirely. Especially since they aren't particularly known for their strong online components or huge storage for their consoles. It would be rather hypocritical of the industry overall if we made such a ruckus over Microsoft trying to control us and then just praise Nintendo for doing the same.

Assuming it has a cartridge system... I hope it's not their next home console. Maybe it's like Nintendo's equivalent of the PSTV? Cartridges are great, but aren't they rather limited in how much data they can hold? I know 3DS cartridges go up to like 8 GB I think

as long as the NX has enough memory to compensate, i see no problem,

It does seem to indicate a cartridge format alongside digital, which would make sense given how Nintendo want to combine their portable and console departments. Sharing the same media could mean that software is cross compatible and gives some clearance to the NX as being a platform. But what does this mean for us, if it turns out to be true? Cartridges often deliver quicker load times but at an increased production cost, which will likely be passed on to the consumer. And while a Nintendo fan with a Nintendo machine won't mind too much (and this could be a stretch) paying more for Nintendo games, could this be the start of them (us) getting little more than up scaled mobile games rather than the fuller, richer console experience of before?

What about third parties? How will this appeal to them? The 3DS has a few already but are they necessarily the same third parties we want on our consoles too? SD cards can store up to 64GB but does that mean that their new mobile platform will be able to run those games in addition to the console running the mobile games? That would take an impressive hardware feat for Nintendo.

Honestly, I'm hoping that these are rumours and nothing more. Otherwise it just feels like Nintendo are going down the gimmick route again which can't be feasible for a third generation of products after the previous two failed for similar reasons.

I would have no problem with that.

The console would probably be smaller, lighter and more convenient.

no disc drive + digital games tied to hardware + overpriced digital games = fail

No Disc Drive is basically a big slap to the face for anyone with bad internet, and countries with bad internet.

Agree with this completely, while I can see Sony or Microsoft making small moves to test the digital only market, it would be a massive leap of faith for Nintendo, who have shown little understanding (if any) of the concept to date. Could this be a last ditch attempt perhaps? Leaping head first into a new business model as they have nothing to lose?

I doubt this will happen, and there will likely be a huge backlash if it does. Not everyone has good Internet yet, and there's plenty of people that like to collect the physical editions.

Plus, Nintendo need to keep shops happy since shops will still be needed to sell consoles. Shops would much prefer to sell the customer a console and then games for it instead of only having the console to sell. This could cause shops to avoid selling consoles if they can't sell games for it, or at least not promote it as much as other consoles.

Dedicated virtual console machine?

It wouldn't bother me any, but if Nintendo doesn't allow some sort of sharing, let retailers sell download codes, or lower their own games' prices as they age, this will go over like a lead balloon.

Damn next year is going to be fun.

All the news about the NX with a 2017 release date is going to be fantastic lol

2017 release date? LMAO! I doubt that

We will see. It seems like Developers are possibly just getting their hands on NX Dev Kits and so Giving them only a year of development might mean a lacking launch.

I should point out that having no optical disc drive =/= digital only. They could use SD cards or some other equivalent. That could potentially be cheaper in the long run than producing Blu-Ray discs.

There just needs to be a big HDD. Not sure third parties would like that or not.

It could easily just be a paired back version of the Wii U that lacks the optical drive. Along the lines of the Wii Mini. It could be the NX but just one of the SKUs, the digital-only SKU that has a bigger HDD but lacks optical media. It may be that the NX is moving to cartridges or is actually going digital only. It could even just be that Nintendo is covering all bases and is trying to get in early to protect themselves from patent trolls. Or maybe they're throwing this out there just to put the gaming media on the wrong track.

It could be a lot of things.... but it is still fun to speculate. I do like that it still has a screen in the controller though. I also wouldn't at all mind a digital only or cartridge based home console. All of the potential options here are looking good IMO

And DS cartridges were upto 512MB, GBA games were upto 32MB and Gameboy was 1MB. 8GB isn't the end of the line, 8GB is 2011's cartridge spec. I think it's fair to say that something around 32GB for cartridges by ~2017? Well within reach. And games aren't getting bigger so fast that that sort of spec won't be able to cover the vast, vast majority of games. Especially if you've got a HDD where you can download a massive patch to at launch.