Topic: The Other Side: What you pray the NX ... ISN'T

So, I'm going to take a chance despite this website's intolerance of new threads similar to existing ones.

We have "new rumor" threads
We have "What do we think NX is?" threads
We have "What do we hope NX is?" threads.

Well, this is kind of the opposite. This threads attempts to delve into the mindset of the direction they are going software-wise with this console.

Nintendo's long history of being first in the industry, raising many of us on games since we were kids, and business strategy of bringing out new tech and "blue ocean" strategies are a few of many factors has placed it in a unique position compared to the other "Big 2". You kinda know what you are getting with Microsoft and Sony. They just kinda upgrade. Nintendo tries to constantly appeal to more people, and can leave some of us that used to feel right at home on the outside looking in. So, as we wonder about all the controller designs and specs the NX could have, I moreso have started to focus on the direction their software would take.

I'm not going to go into another rant on my dislike of "shiny, toy like games strictly for kids" that has started with the Wii generation VS the Mario 64/Sunshine "including kids but still welcoming for adults" style that used to dominate Nintendo's software. I've already heard "LOLs he's doing it again" enough to know I've made my point on that. But I still feel exactly the same about it. So, this heads off my list of what I hope the NX is not:

1) A console that CATERS to children. PLEASE just be a console that also welcomes them like you once were. The Wii gen games screamed: "Oh well, Sony and MS got the adults so hey kids we have games for you!" You don't need to give up on adults to appeal to kids, and there's a big difference. Only on the internet, and only on something related to Nintendo, can a grown man feel comfortable saying these sentences back to back: "LOLZ he's complaining about the company being too kiddie again!!! Hahaha this guy!" "OMGGGGGG MIITOMO IS SO CUUUUTE!" and THESE are the grown men. Nintendo has slowly evolved from "Company for people who actually appreciate color and good gameplay in their games" to "just plain odd twilight zone-esque world of grown men that want to play with cats and talk about how cute things are".

Hey, if that's your thing, go for it. But, Nintendo, also include my type of gamer. The 3d Zelda adventure / 3d Mario / F Zero / Metroid / Punch-Out! / JRPG type. You always included me before. We like a certain amount of color and we love creativity within our deep experiences. Don't give up on me because you feel Sony and Microsoft might have already stolen me. They haven't. You have the franchises to keep me, so focus on them the way that you used to! Let these other grown men have their cute silly giggle fest apps and let me have the evolved versions/sequels of the franchises I grew up on.

2- Casuals. Let 'em go, bro. Let em go... It worked before, but you are a company that thrives on deep gameplay experiences, and casuals enjoy shallow and quick experiences. The 2 just don't mesh so stop trying to make them. Just accept that you lucked out with the original wii all the way to the bank and move on.

3- Please do not make the ONLY appeal of your new console that it is a hybrid. It's fine if it is, but you need more than that. To think this would work is to think the Wii U would've worked the gamepad was a little smaller and had unlimited range. It likely wouldn't have sold much more. So, really go for it and release powerful hardware that is easy to develop for and port to, along with many other things I could never think of. PLEASE don't just release a Wii U with a smaller and more portable gamepad and the name NX on it.

Those are the 3 big ones for me. It's tough sometimes having such a bond/love/loyalty for Nintendo. I look over to Sony and MS and it's like "Hey, they're kind of doing what I wish you were doing..." and Nintendo's like "Yeah, I don't really do that anymore. IF YOU LIKE THEM SO MUCH THEN GO BE WITH THEM" and I'm like "But, Nintendo, I still love so many things about you that initially made me fall in love with you. I just need you to focus on them and care about them again like you used to"

INTENSE CLAP THE END

What do you hope that the NX isn't?

I hope the NX isn't solely first / second party titles. For whatever reason they lost third party support (seems to be a) low tech and b) selfish marketing) they need to make sure the NX does not suffer from a drip fed schedule.

Very, very simple..... I hope the NX is not...

1. Just a re-branding. I want a piece of hardware that can do things their existing platforms can't
2. Something I can't play traditional games on. If I can't play Smash Bros on it? I'm not interested.

I hope it's not a weak system. It doesn't have to be a 4k PC, but if the home console isn't at least Xbox One level, why even bother?

1. A system that doesn't good third party support.
2. Little amount of games that do not appeal to the core Nintendo audience.
3. A system that doesn't manage to please as many people as possible.
4. A home console with a controller that doesn't have some form of screen of touchpad.
5. This is just an extension of No. 3: a system that causes riots and petitions.
EDIT: 6. Oh, and I agree; I wouldn't like a system that isn't marketed at all. What's the point, then?

@skywake: can agree with both of these.

I would like to add a 4th for myself.

4- A non-marketed item. Save a few big titles, i saw almost zero marketing for the Wii U and it's games. I have been told they advertise on Nickolodeon and Disney... Ok, back to the kiddie thing... Anyways, most things Nintendo does i dont agree with but I can usually see a reason why THEY might think it is effective. I cant think of one reason they would think barely marketing a struggling product would be a good thing.

@LetsGoRetro: I have a few of my own, but did you ever even watch a Nintendo Wii commercial before 2009/2010? Nintendo went into that system with a truly successful blue ocean strategy, and as a result, you rarely even see children in early Wii ads (even less so than Gamecube ads, which had much more mixed messaging). Games might have been slightly easier, but they didn't beat you over the head with tutorials and modes that beat the game for you. Rather you had brilliant ideas like "Automatic" mode in Mario Kart Wii, which actually taught me how to play Mario Kart properly (I eventually switched to manual drifting).

Compare the casual pandering in Twilight Princess to Skyward Sword, or Mario Galaxy 1 to Mario Galaxy 2. A lot of the "Nintendo overcatered to casuals and kids" belief comes from Nintendo's perversion of their own blue ocean strategy that started in the late Wii era and carried over to the Wii U. That's when the commercials started featuring only kids, and saying "THIS SYSTEM IS GREAT FOR FAMILY FUN RIGHT?", rather than showing a wide range of groups playing and enjoying the system.

But I digress. Here is what I hope the NX is not.

1. A Hybrid, in any sense of the word. NintendoLIfe is probably the only forum I have seen that is actually logical in it's understanding that a Hybrid probably won't work. The approaches people want would either leave us with a device that people only develop for as a handheld, or leave us with an uber-expensive device that no one buys. It WILL NOT WORK.

2. A controller with a screen on it. The Wii U failed. Why? Because a controller with a screen on it is just applying DS/3DS Principles to a console, and that's not the type of unique addition that justifies the cost increase any screen-based controller will have.

3. A PS4 clone within +-1.5x the power of the PS4. There are already two systems on the market that do that. I want there to be a reason games are exclusive to a Nintendo platform beyond "it makes Nintendo more money". If the system truly is a powerhouse (>3x as powerful) though, I'd be very happy

4. A system with heavy Amiibo support. My feelings for Amiibo are not in line with NintendoLife's language policy.

5. A controller that doesn't change anything but ergonomics. The XB1 controller uses the exact same control inputs that the Dualshock 2 does. That is a crying shame, considering they were released over a decade apart. It doesn't have to be a flashy change, but do SOMETHING, because the Dualshock 2 did not have PERFECT control inputs. Right stick aiming is still clunky, more buttons are always more convenient, and I'm sure there are more cool things you can do with a controller. And no, don't just stick a touchpad on it with no ideas of how to use it...

6. A digital-only system. I firmly believe that physical media is the best way to play home console games. I also prefer physical media for my favorite albums, movies, and games (I bought Muse's Drones physically). Handheld has needed to be Digital-only for years now though.

Not touching anything with OS or software.

@iKhan: when i say catering to children, i am referring to a very distinct aesthetic style many nintendo games took on during the wii to wii u era where every single thing in games looks like a bright shiny plastic toy, all have cutesy noises even in death, and everything has smiley faces and sillyness everywhere. It SCREAMS for kids. Compare this to much of the n64 and cube library, which was just as colorful but wasnt specifically catering to kids with all the above. It was simply cartoony and it was perfectly fine for adults.

When i talk of a system being casual, i dont ask you to compare the differences in franchises like Zelda. I am instead referring to the system being overloaded with casual shovelware the overshadows the deep experiences. Although i dont really agree with your point about Zelda... Fi held your hands more than most guides and it was literally for the whole game. It even fell victim to the kiddie thing when you get to the surface and have to locate those little fat furry things while dousing. That part was literally uncomfortably tryhard-cute. I played it with 6 adult males who were enjoying the game until then and when that part happened said "turn this off its a kids game"

I mainly hope it isn't an hybrid.
Share the OS bewteen handheld and home console, yes, but I really don't see how an hybrid can work without dissapointing half the fans....

@LetsGoRetro: You misunderstand my point on Zelda. I was saying that Nintendo jacked up the casual pandering between TP and SS, hence why you have Fi. TP and Galaxy 1 were casual friendly, but they didn't treat the consumer like a brain dead zombie.

As for the aesthetic, I think Nintendi straddled the line fairly well for a while. Yes you had Big Brain Academy (the DS version of which I love btw) and Endless Ocean, but you also had Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, Metroid Prime 3, and what was going to be Project HAMMER.

It did get MUCH worse in the later Wii lifecycle though. When it changed from "blue ocean" to "casual and kid ocean"

I pray the NX isn't a Smart Phone. I think that would be a terrible move lol

@DefHalan: Or a dish washer. it would be a gaming disaster if it were a dish washer...

What don't I want to see?

Well, for one, I'd be at least a bit miffed if the NX were a less powerful home console than the PS4 or a less powerful handheld than the Vita. It could work, maybe, but dear god, the internet would be baying for Nintendo's blood!

I also don't want a controller that lacks buttons and doesn't have a reasonable substitute. But then, Nintendo would have to be genuinely insane to do that.

I'd also prefer it not be digital-only, handheld or not; a lot of people, even here in the US, still lack good internet access, and it would be a shame to leave them out altogether.

And perhaps most importantly, I don't want the NX's reveal to spawn yet another wave of Nintendoom. That stuff is just a pain for me to read, no matter what condition Nintendo is in. But that's really just for my sake, honestly.

@GrailUK: What if it was a hybrid Game Console and Microwave?

@iKhan: You are right, I did misunderstand the point, sorry. It's important to note, though, that as I am referencing Cube as a gen that did it right, TP's entire development took place during the Gamecube lifecycle and released right along at the start of the Wii, so it was being developed before Nintendo took this turn we are speaking of.

A good example is Mario 3d World. Ugh. . . while I enjoyed some gameplay, it didnt have the magic of the 64-Sunshine-Galaxy line and it SCREAMED of the "shiny toylike plastic smileyface tryhard cuteness" problem.

Mario 3D World (and Galaxy 2 to a lesser degree) didn't scream as much "cuteness" to me as it screamed "sterile playground". Nintendo seems to have become vehement that Mario games must be completely devoid of any world-building whatsoever.

But that's aside the point, I actually agree with you about Nintendo's turn towards younger demographics with the Wii U, I was more trying to understand which Wii games you saw this with.

@DefHalan: Now ya talking my kinda hybrid. A home console AND an expresso maker! Ker-ching! Imma gonna go n patent that bad boy...it could recognise you accomplish an achievement and it gives you a shot stat!!

A game console that can brew coffee and make toast? Now THAT'S innovation!

Mario 3D World (and Galaxy 2 to a lesser degree) didn't scream as much "cuteness" to me as it screamed "sterile playground". Nintendo seems to have become vehement that Mario games must be completely devoid of any world-building whatsoever.

But that's aside the point, I actually agree with you about Nintendo's turn towards younger demographics with the Wii U, I was more trying to understand which Wii games you saw this with.

So we're at that point in the Zelda cycle again. I thought it was a bit odd that people were starting to go on about how great Twilight Princess was. I should've realised that we've moved to the point where Skyward Sword was the target of people's whine.

Launch: This is the best Zelda ever, 10/10
2-3 years later: It was good but people over-rated it
4-5 years later: It was the worst Zelda, easily
8-10 years later: It was one of the best Zeldas made
10+ years later: So much nostalgia!

Happened with Wind Waker and Twilight Princess and now you guys are doing the same with Skyward Sword. Well done for making this theory of mine remain relevant.