Rumour: Nintendo NX Won't Be As Powerful As PlayStation 4

Let the ensuing storm begin.

Sure rumours are just that, rumours, but I haven't heard a single one about the NX that I like. It doesn't seem like it will be great system at all, which is sad.

I prefer to restrain my judgement on things like these, until it's confirmed, but I do find it fun to speculate. I will say, if this true I'm kind of surprised. I would have expected it to be at least stronger than the PS4.

I better hope this rumour turns out to be false, for Nintendo's sake. I know Nintendo always said they aren't competing with Sony/Microsoft.... but c'mon, we all know better than that. This would mean they've learned nothing from the mistakes they made with the WiiU .

If it's a handheld hybrid as has been rumored for ages, this doesn't seem like a huge deal. Otherwise, while I'm a bit disappointed that Nintendo will yet again release a system with less power than systems already on the market, I'll still be there for the games. Wii U has been an utter failure, and I don't regret my day 1 purchase at all.

@Aromaiden "I would have expected it to be at least stronger than the PS4."

at least stronger? i dont get that comment. the ps4 is the most powerful console right now.

You know what, I'm getting a gaming PC very soon. That plus NX seems just fine to me. But seriously Nintendo IS dead now...

Earliest it will release is 2016 (obviously), to be honest this is disappointing unless it is a cheap budget console but having it weaker then the PS4 and most likely Xbone will just open it up to excuse for why games won't be ported.

If they try to release a home console without the power of the PS4/XBO, they simply will not get third party publishers on board.

so? there are even tablets and smartphones that can run many of the same high-tec engines and games like the PS4/XB1/high end PCs and are cost-effective and all that.

Why is everyone assuming it be a console and not a handheld? That's a more likely meaning behind this.

Who cares about power. We have reached the day and age where power is not the driving power behind a console. I don't care if it has more processing power than the PS4, the PS4 is a goddamn monster. Nintendo has always innovated elsewhere, so power is not even integral.

Releasing weaker consoles after the fact is a death sentence in this market. But then again, at this stage, they just need to produce hardware that can fill the boots that third party companies need.

Or this guy could be a paid mole used to smear a company. Shit happens all the time, the smear campaign sony used to help destroy the dreamcast.... people seem to forget that.

The reason why it isn't on par with the PS4 is that it is more powerful than a PS4.

Eh. As long as the games are good, I don't care. Besides, it's just a rumor. I know he has been right with stuff in the past, but everyone slips up at some point.

If this is true, then 3rd party is almost out the window because either their games are too big and meaty, or they can't be bothered to optimize them. I can't help feeling games like Arkham Knight and the Witcher are already making the HD twins groan at the seams. Personally I question what the point would be in updating when they aren't overtaking- you aren't going to convince the power fans to invest in an NX when they didn't invest in a Wii U.

Sigh... At this point, I'm pretty sure the damn NX is going to be nothing but a slightly enhanced version of Wii U and Nintendo is gonna call it: "New Wii U". Just imagine the meltdowns on the Internet when that happens, hahaha... *cries *

If it's a handheld or some android Ouya thing like Peach64 suggested in the past, it would make sense that it wouldn't be as powerful as the PS4. Too many people are assuming that it's a console.. Also this could just be another false rumor. "Talking to the right people" means nothing.

Personally don't care for specs long as the games are fun. But I know 3rd parties will moan n groan making excuses not to port their games over so it's a bummer if true. Another nintendo generation with their console being a secondary :/

This all depends on what you mean by power. The Gamecube was technically not as powerful as the PS2.... but could actually create BETTER graphics due to the Gamecube's inbuilt texture functions and better memory segregation. Lower power does not mean lower graphics.

Also, what have the latest consoles done with all this power? The same old games which look a little prettier, if you notice between motion blur & fog effects.

Raw processing power can be overrated; it all comes down to the GAMES and how well they're designed. The days of easily being able to tell the difference between two different platform's versions of the same (third party) game are pretty much behind us.

As long as the NX has a traditional joypad interface, hardware architecture that is friendly to third party developers, and above all a library of incredible GAMES there should be no problem. Anything else is just a hyperbolic, hollow distraction.

I hope this isn't the case, but wouldn't be surprised at all as Nintendo's last two home consoles have been underpowered compared to the competition. The Wii skated by because of its innovation, whereas the Wii U struggled because of the lack of it. If word gets out that NX is indeed less powerful than the PS4 - which will have been out for a number of years by then - the buzz around Nintendo will be very negative ... unless they bring forth an innovation like the Wii did.

For those who say power doesn't matter, it most certainly does, in both the eyes of the prospective buyer who abandoned Nintendo as well as the industry and third parties themselves. Nintendo has proven with the Wii U that it cannot survive on the backs on their die hard fanbase alone.

What we must remember is that this is just a rumour. Too often people jump to thinking it must be fact.

I know this person has been right a number of times but getting inside information on a console no one knows anything about outside of Nintendo seems very unlikely.

Anyway if it's not as powerful as the PS4 then where does that leave us? Is it a Wii U under a new name? They can't do the Wii again by having 2 console generations using the same specifications.

Yeah, but the ps4 is a 2013 machine, and NX could air in 2016 or 2017....so what is the point of let down the Wii U which is not so far from X1/ps4, and bring to the game a new console, with very close specs.

@ericwithcheese2 Power doesn't matter, look at the DS, 3DS and other huge successes which were not only less powerful than the current gen consoles they were up against... but also the competing handhelds (PSP & PS Vita). The WiiU really struggles as Nintendo failed utterly to launch the console & then did NOTHING to support it as 3rd party developers bled away. No 3rd party support, no market.

Nintendo has to get the balance right... with the big 2 companies, MS & Sony TELLING the consumer what they want, FPS', online shooters and GTA clones aplenty, there is a huge section of real gamers being completely unattended to.

Of course they do need ENOUGH power to not be so easilly attacked.

once again rumour, this guy was wrong before

Power does matter when it comes to 3rd Party support—which is one of the biggest problems with the Wii U. I wish Liam elaborated upon that Tweet...

God, the NX is sounding more and more like crap, better enjoy this and next year because I don't know where Nintendo and the NX is going.

The only thing I'm wondering right now is if Nintendo will manage to avoid to speak about the NX until the next E3.

So many rumours are spreading recently, it's clear that the gaming world want to talk about it (positively and/or negatively). I'm not sure they can let this craziness going on for a whole year XD

Okay all you doom mongers saying power is the most important thing.. throw away your 3DS'! There's this handheld called the PS Vita and it's SO much more powerful than the 3DS. No really! If it comes down to power the 3DS can not even begin to compete... shame really, dead at launch. :/

Who is this guy and why should we care? But if the NX isn't comparable in power with the PS4 or XBO, why bother? The reason for a new system is to attract third parties and to be competitive. Yeah, do your own thing, but make people want to buy YOUR console instead of others. That's business and that's competition.

This guy sounds like he's trying to start stuff for the sake of starting it with Nintendo fans.

How much more powerful can it be than Wii U yet still be underpowered by the PS4?

This thing screams of Android/Amazon/Hybrid like device.

@JoostinOnline

Most have been stuck on the traditional home console bandwagon since it was first announced because the Wii U is the "sinking ship" that needs to abandoned. We have just as much "evidence" (more like rumors and picking apart of official statements) that it could be a Android based device, or hybrid but nothing is going to change their minds until the big reveal.

@DanteSolablood But without power you won't get third party support. Not after Sony and Microsoft has moved on to more powerful consoles. They won't bother with a console that's got specifications so far behind.

if this Rumour is true then the NX is already dead in the water and Nintendo has learned nothing this generation. They cannot just do what they did with the Wii and re-release the previous console just over-clocked.. I definitely will not be buying it probably for the first year at least.

If the NX is a new console and it isn't on par(ish) to the PS4/Xbone, then I'll probably jump ship for a bit. The Wii U has been a little disappointing and I don't want another repeat of it, and also I'd like to try out some other games on other consoles for a bit.

Of course I'll come back, though.

@LoveSugoi I can't wait for the headline "Handheld device is not as powerful as consoles"

@MasterGraveHeart Third Parties are vital to a successful console. It's one of the biggest reasons why the Wii U has done terribly and why the early consoles did great. As for "who is this guy," his creds are stated in the beginning. While not flawless, he's been pretty reliable.

@BakaKnight Maybe Nintendo should pay people to spread false yet positive rumours

@MasterGraveheart if you honestly have to ask who this guy is tweeting this, you need to go sit in time out.

NX will be nothing more than a rebranded Wii U, perhaps an overclock with additional memory.

Nintendo did this with the Gamecube and it worked.

Nintendo will not be able to regain 3rd party support.

@FragRed To be fair, at this point it could outclass PS4 and third parties would probably still not support it because of the Nintendo stigma of "people buy Nintendo systems for Nintendo games only."

The best we can hope for is support for game engines that allow for extremely easy ports that require very little work/budget, and even then who knows if it'll get support beyond what Ubisoft has been giving Wii U.

@FragRed The PS Vita was announced well before the 3DS was launched & yet the 3DS still managed to batter it to death in almost all territories. The PS Vita has managed to hang on due to sales with Monster Hunter & PS4 Compatibility....but is still way behind the 3DS.

Third Parties don't CARE about power... they care about market share & money. Power does not equal money, did the PS3 beat the 360? Did the Neo Geo Color beat the Gameboy Color? No. Third Party support was very strong to begin with on the WiiU and then nosedived due to Nintendo's epic mishandling of the console. A lot of people forget that.

@BLPs I meant mature. There are a lot of people who play nothing but FPS' which can be skillful, but I don't know if I'd call them real gamers when they only pay attention to one minor fragment of the spectrum. Are you a hardcore gamer if you're useless at everything but Call of Duty? I don't know.

@liveswired The only reason why that worked with the Wii was because everyone's grandmother wanted it. No-ones grandmother is going to want to buy a video game machine any more. There is a reason why the Wii crashed so fast at the end of it's life's cycle (which was the shortest life span of last gen)

If this rumour is true, I'm done with Nintendo home consoles. I will always support their handhelds though.

I hope this is false. Coming out years after the PS4 and still not as powerful. That sure is not going to help sales.

@JoostinOnline

Lol, more like the indignant squawks are going to come from those that apparently think Nintendo doesn't need to replace their handhelds. Because obviously 3rd parties on handhelds don't take power into consideration. That's why the super flop Vita is getting ports and more 3rd party supp-- oh wait a minute.

Since we don't really know what the NX will be this dicussion seems rather premature and pointless

@Mk_II Pointless? No. Are the reactions extreme? Yes.

@Aromaiden Exactly. They're coming out with a system 2 years after current gen. It should be at least AS powerful if not moreso. If true, it would certify that Nintendo does not understand gamers anymore.

Literally "My dad works at Nintendo guys! :^)" - The Tweet.

I hope this is a rumor. Have we not learned are lesson yet. Please no.

@DanteSolablood That's not even remotely true. The Vita was announced in early 2011, only a month or so before the 3DS launched in Japan. Monster Hunter 4 also never came to Vita - it's a 3DS exclusive.

Wait for the real leaks. Not this "I know a guy" cause any one or two guys he knows aren't gonna have a complete spec unless he's talking to NCL and their direct designers.

Besides I figured a likely scenario would be an overclocked Wii U if a console. Nintendo ain't putting out a graphics card connected to a controller. Not their style anymore and there's 2 of those on the shelf at Walmart already. Let's wait and see before you all start burning your underwear

@gruntmints I wouldn't go that far, and we also have to consider that this is merely a rumour.

It's not like this would be surprising but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be disappointed. Still, interested regardless.

@DanteSolablood To be fair part of the reason the PS3 struggled was because it was a) extremely overpriced and b) difficult to programme for which meant many inferior ports. The PS4 is trashing the Xbox One because they outright market it as the most powerful console on the market which they can easily back up. Also it does help to say its entirely gamer focused. Microsoft mishandled the Xbox One badly before and during launch so they struggled.

Cant say anything about the Neo Geo Color because I know nothing about it's history. But again the Sony messed up with the Vita by selling it at a higher price than the 3DS and then forcing you to buy Sony memory cards at ridiculous high prices. And then after a strong launch line up of first party games they practically stopped developing for it and totally mishandled what should have been big third party titles such as Call of Duty etc. Also the marketing at least in the UK was terrible.

@Fidu21 If it's not at least as powerful as the current gen consoles (EDIT: PS4 and X1), 3rd party publishers won't be making any games for the system.

I don't understand it. Are they really going to reléase a new console almost mid-cycle that won't, again, be on par with the others??

Hmm... I don't see it selling better tan WiiU.

@Hy8ogen I hear Konami's on board!

The NX is going to be a smartphone running on custom android OS by Nintendo. Calling it now.

Rumour: Nintendo's new spokeman is Yosemite Sam, who will go on stage at e3 next year, pull out 2 revolvers & proceed to shoot himself in the foot as he announces Nintendo's new console

Unless this Twitter User can utter the term "dev-kit", I't wouldn't make sense to lay bets on his info. He admits he's not certain of any form factor whatsoever. So he's got spotty info even if there's close approximation from his sources about chip sets/suppliers

If it's a handheld, hope we get a nice hi res screen this time around.

@Ichiban He'd still be a better spokesperson than Reggie was.

@Aromaiden I'm certainly taking it with a grain of salt. They need to get this one right, however. Two failed consoles in a row will put them out of the console market. I doubt they would be able to recover from that.

@IceClimbers You are correct, I got the wrong game... this happened a few years ago. But the PS Vita was almost out for the count until a particular title caught the Japanese imagination. I'll try and find the title.

@FragRed It's odd though that you state the UK marketing was terrible (I'm in the UK so I agree), but the UK was one of the PS Vita's strongest markets. You have to remember though that the 3DS launch was spectacularly mishandled by Nintendo as well. It's easy to blame the Vita's launch & line-up... but Nintendo had those problems too. I know that personally as I am a Nintendo Embassador (meaning bought the 3DS before they dropped the price nearly £80).

But having bought (almost) every handheld console to date from the Gameboy, through Wonderswan, through NeoGeo Pocket Color to every iteration of DS, I can confirm the PS Vita held no interest for me as it was mainly marketed as a portable PS3. I had a PS3 (which I gave to my mum as I found more creative, less graphic minded games more fun).

One interesting thought is why is Minecraft such a global hit when it deliberately has such old fashion graphics? Fun matters a lot more than graphics... some people forget that when crunching specs.

@Hy8ogen Never gonna happen. Firstly Nintendo said the NX was a dedicated gaming platform as that is still their main focus. Also the mobile market is so oversaturated with everyone trying to get a slice of the market, there is no way Nintendo would even think of trying to enter it.

Everyone seems to be saying that they will buy it even without the power. Even someone said that the ps2 was the least powerful but yet sold the most. I honestly feel that, as the Internet got larger and larger, the more people cared about the power of the consoles. With people like Review Tech USA and others rambling on about how the Wii U didn't have enough power. If this rumor is true, this could be it for Nintendo! Even if the people who said they would buy it did, it would only be a couple million units sold. I think that third parties won't settle with the lack of CODs and other triple A third party titles.

@DanteSolablood Probably Persona 4 Golden. There's also Gravity Rush and Tearaway, but I can't remember how well those did in Japan. Those are the only ones that I can think of off the top of my head.

@DanteSolablood I do totally agree with you. The PS Vita was made with the assumption that all PlayStation fans would be fighting to get their hands on a portable PS3. However, that never happened. Sony never actually fixed their problems whereas Nintendo learned and actually reduced the price considerably and even gave out free games to those who bought it at launch price. They also supported their own console. So at least they actually got their foot out their ass, pity they didn't drop the price for the Wii U though i know in Europe thats not so easy to do as they don't set the prices.

Micecraft is odd in how it is doing so well. I think it just has the right charm that no one else has managed to recreate in all the clones thats since come out.

However I don't think Nintendo can sell a console thats essentially the same power, or slightly more powerful than the Wii U. It just won't work this time. Everyone will laugh at it and walk away, even most Nintendo fans aren't interested. The fact so many are shouting for power, says that anything less than PS4 specs could prove to be a disaster.

Did they ever say it was weaker than the PS4? No. So there might be some hope, but I HIGHLY doubt it.

If it's a handheld, then that's fine. I don't expect Nintendo to create a handheld that can compete with the PS4; That's NVIDIA's job.
However if this is strictly a home console...then no, I'm sorry, I ain't getting this thing. If they can't even reach PS4 (and I'm also assuming XBone) level, what's the point in getting it and not a Wii U? If it's that weak, third party support will no doubt be as weak or even weaker than Wii U's support, so that's a missing selling point. As for first party games, I'll be fine just playing Wii U games and catching up on old Wii games when I want my Nintendo game fix. Plus, Smash Bros 4 is decent enough that I won't need a successor for a long time (don't really care for the game as much as Brawl and Melee, so I might just be burnt out of Smash anyway) while I'm doubting the next Mario Kart will be hyped enough to persuade me to buy it.

@DanteSolablood The question regarding Minecraft is fair if we're comparing software, but we're comparing hardware. Minecraft's graphics are simple, but not all creators want to align with that approach—and justifiably. There are some wonderful games that need stunning visuals.

@FragRed
Even without Sony's support, the Vita's situation sort of fixed itself over in Japan. It's selling well and steadily. Third party support is plentiful and is only going to continue to rise. I'd say third party support for Vita is higher than 3DS and Wii U combined in Japan.
Westward, yeah Vita's pretty much dead. Thankfully there are third party publishers who are willing to keep bringing Japan's bounty over.

We'll see. If it's coming in 2017, as many believe, its design probably isn't even set yet. I'd be surprised if Nintendo didn't make the NX about as powerful as the PS4, mainly because even at that level consoles can barely push 1080p, which is the next step from the 720p most Wii U games are restricted to. That said, if the NX is a handheld/home console combo, it might make sense for the system to be a bit on the weak side. Even just 720p would be a landmark for dedicated handhelds. If that is the case, though, it may not bode well for the system as a whole, as it would probably be little stronger than the Wii U.

In the end, I'm more interested in what it will do and how it will do it than in how many pixels it can push. 1080p would be great, but gameplay's always most important.

The standard controller should be a traditional controller and have analog L & R triggers again. After all, that's what the new F-Zero probably needs.

I think Nintendo knows they can't compete. Simply put, third party publishers won't publish the same kind of games on Nintendo platforms than on their competitors. Looks at how much support the 3ds is receiving from these western publishers and developers even though it has the biggest install base. So Nintendo should do something different, 3rd parties can't compete with Nintendo. The other side is if it tries to directly compete, it would surely die. I see Nintendo as a playful, modest company more fit for adults that havent abandoned the inner child. It's not flashy, it's not loud, and it's something that personally I appreciate. While I would love to see Xenoblade X with PS4 or even PC graphical quality, but I've played Xenoblade Chronicles 3 times and I can't play FFXIII a second time. I've more games on Wii U than PS4. If the NX is a cross concept, I would be interested to see how it will fit with QOL, 3DS, Wii U and Mobile. 2016 will be interesting and disappointing for some. Even with disappointment it will be a day one for me. Even for 4 or 5 games.

Even if it's true, the game quality should take priority. A game can be pretty and still have no depth of premise or high quality game play.

@123akis
Wii U is definitely underpowered.
All those games you listed look nice (except for Smash Bros), but they all bear huuuuge amount of sacrifices in order to look the way they do. None of which would need to happen if Nintendo had made a console that looked like it competed with XBone and PS4 rather than PS3 and 360.

dang it, well this one is going to fail.

It's way too early to talk about power, when we don't even know what the NX is, what it does or even when it's going to be released. The rumour is based on absolutely nothing.

The PS4 is a november 2013 product, today mobile chips like Nvidia X1 has about the same power.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT THAT! ALL THE HORRORS......is what I'm not thinking. I don't care about power. As long as the games are good.

@Haiassai Indeed, if you are strictly comparing hardware against hardware something less powerful than something else loses... the problem is you don't play the hardware. You play a game ON the hardware. Graphical quality only counts for so much, something can look STUNNING but be as boring as sin & not sell & the reverse is true too. The main problem is that people are SO fixated by specifications they'll bore themselves to death just because a game has the highest specs.

Arkham Knight on the PC looks great and needs the most powerful hardware... go... enjoy!!! xD

@FragRed I agree, the NX needs to be more powerful than the WiiU or do something that GENUINELY makes it so fun to play that graphics are an afterthought. I know people find that hard to imagine.. but that's because people are so used to arguing specs, their imaginations are damaged.

@AVahne The PS Vita sales only righted themselves due to a couple of excellent exclusive software titles. Good software saved the hardware & not the other way around. The PS Vita was not doing well at all to begin with.

@thehoppypoppy Game quality should take priority but look at how much flack the Wii U gets for the last generation hardware specs. Unfortunately this matters a lot to console fans. And not just Sony and Microsoft ones but most Nintendo ones are also shouting out for PS4 or higher specs too.

IMO it'd be stupid to launch a console three years (!) after your competitors and not have it be at least as powerful as them. And yes, Nintendo didn't really have to compete with Sony/Microsoft during the Wii-era, but I think they're going to have a really hard time making that happen again. We all know they tried it again with the Wii U and see how that turned out, though that's also partly due to the idiotic name (there are still plenty of people, f.e. parents who've bought a Wii, who still don't know that the Wii U is an entirely different console) and the fact they had to push the second screen.

Sure, the people who are currently happy with their Wii U's only care about Nintendo's games and not so much the console it's power, but if that's going to be your main customers base, you're going to have pretty dreadful sales.. again.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see if it's indeed going to be a hybrid and how many people (besides the already converted Nintendo-fans) will care about having a console that's weaker [than the PS4] but portable.

These rumors help strenghten my belief that it will be a hybrid. That would make me so happy.

@MightyKrypto I 100% agree.

@DanteSolablood That's part of what worries me - what Nintendo does to innovate the console. They struck it right with the DS and Wii but neither the Wii U or 3DS really did anything so new and exciting that it got people buying it in the tens of millions.

The casual market has gone so Nintendo needs something that attracts the fans who are on the fence about leaving or have left but can be persuaded to come back of which many can. Ideally they'd also need to get the Sony and Microsoft fans interested but that's a tall order.

If it's a portable/home console hybrid, and reasonably affordable, people will buy it regardless of power - how else will they play pokemon?

Well the execs already told us they want something cheap like the Wii was because they blamed the Wii u launch price on poor sales among other things and they're just trying to reach everyone and not shove tech in everyone's face

I swear, it's the rumors and speculations that do more damage to a system's potential than any official statement ever could.

@ricklongo I've yet to be convinced how a hybrid could be made affordable or how it would actually work without having serious compromises even if they aimed for Wii U specifications.

With the Wii U, Ninty tried to have it all: the casual crowd and the hardcore gamers. However, to appeal to the casual crowd they made it weak and cheap, but in doing so, they lost 3rd party support and thus the hardcore gamers. They also didn't realize that casual gamers aren't in tune with the market, and also don't care about graphical upgrades or additional gimmicks. This paired with the bad advertising resulted in the Wii U being ignored by the casuals. Only the core Nintendo fans have held on, which is why the Wii U failed. If the NX is a home console and these rumor are true, the NX better have a mind-blowing gimmick, or it will fail.

Its a mistake to at least not match the competition. Theyll have the same exact issue with third parties of games not being ported

If this rumor is true i'm going to laugh the whole day, Cause come on i know power wasn't the Wiiu's thing,but look how that turned out? And for people who don't care for power then kiss third party games goodbye. Yay? Nope cause you need both type of games for a console to survive.

@FragRed To be honest I gave my PS3 away to my mum well before the PS4/XB1 were released and have not even considered going back. I think I might have just hit the age where a few more pixels that can only be seen under laboratory conditions no longer excited me. I only have handhelds & my PC now & the majority of my PC time is on Minecraft. I used to be a competition level gamer but all these shiny games got boring.

The PS4/XB! lost my sales for concentrating on graphics & then producing nothing exciting in gameplay. The one game that excites me is the new FF7 remake (but that would excite me EVEN if it was released on the 3DS).

@FragRed also: What makes you thing fans that are leaving Nintendo are necessarily going for the PS4? The PS4 & XB1 are selling well, but still not in the expected numbers. I don't have a WiiU, but then I didn't go for the XB1 or PS4. My personal choice if I were to get one would still be the WiiU.

I would laugh so hard if the NX got PS4+ specs... but the games started getting worse & it killed the system. Not only would a lot more of Nintendo's first party games budget go into the graphics and away from gameplay, but the main characters like Mario, Yoshi etc. are designed to look inherently less human. Over bump-map them or wrap them in 50 layers of texture and they could look horrible.

One thing I have considered is that both the PS4 and XB1 are not selling in as large a number as the previous console generations (taking increases in population etc into consideration).. is this also because they are under powered? If we slapped even more power in the PS4, would that make it sell more?

@TwilightAngel You are totally correct and I am feeling extremely concerned if this is true.

Everyone knows that power means nothing if people can't code for it. N64 cartridges were inferior in that respect to PS1.

Nintendo doesn't need to be top of the line, in the market, just good enough is all you need

@MightyKrypto Well nintendo has stated that its gunna be third pillar of gaming so its most likely not a handheld or a home console so possibly in the mobile market when you think about it but that's just speculation since they released the new 3ds series of ds systems and don't want to cripple that and wii u is still fairl young.

@DanteSolablood
I have to admit I hit rockvottom after E3 in that I was really considering getting a PS4 and abandoning Nintendo consoles.

I got too lazy.

If it's something really simple to code for so that even EA can't mess up the port, then we have something that can fight well

There a way to make games for an HD console in Not HD?

I wasn't expecting it to be on par with the ps4 either in power.

If they wanna keep their system affordable I don't see why they would. In fact if it doesn't support a game pad then it might still come in at $250 or so.

However Im concerned that third parties might not like working with specs that isn't close enough to the latest out there.

I always thought it wouldn't be as strong as the ps4, that it will be in between wii u and xbone. I also don't think it will he a hybrid console, handheld games and home console games are so different. That if it was a hybrid it will still have droughts because they will be trying to make different experiences for each side of the console. 3DS games are built around levels and stages for easy to pick up and play, console games are designed for sit down and play for a few hours. I think it really just going to be the New Wii U with no gamepad and be built like the other consoles for easy porting. Maybe an updated Wii mote and pro controller .

One thing I would like people to consider (having just had to switch a gaming video from 60fps to 30fps because it looked really odd). When The Hobbit was released into cinemas at 48fps... people complained, moaned and started protests despite 48fps movied UNDENIABLY looking more realistic.

Are higher specs actually improving the experience when you play or are you buying notional numbers which may in fact may have no effect or even a negative effect on your gaming experience?

In the same way that judges are proven to vote red teams the winners in sporting competitions 20% more (which stays true when the colours are digitally switched).. are people buying the numbers, not the game?

@foobarbaz Nintendo could easily catch up with the PS4/XB1, in many cases they share the same manufacturers. What Nintendo have to consider is whether the increase in horsepower will actually lead to games being more fun? This is the opposite of my experience but that's just me.

Maybe it won't be quite as powerful as the PS5, but it should definitely be more powerful than the PS4!

Didn't Miyamoto basically already tell us this last week?

Want to say more, but no time. I'll just say that if it's true it sucks.

Okay, I'll say more:

If it just tried to match PS4, not surpass it, I think that would be doable. Especially if the particular gaming innovation wasn't very expensive on a per console basis.

To be clearly out of the same spec range is very disappointing and I'm big on game play over graphics.

The problem is that the time it is supposedly arriving (late 2015 to 2016) gives it a chance to get easier third party support going from its launch up until a couple years after PS4 replaced. I was even hoping for x86 processor. :/

So, yeah, unless the new feature is really, really compelling to gamers and third parties, this is not a good sign.

It is also a sign that they may be going the "fusion" route in a literal way: aka one device to replace 3DS and Wii U. I kinda hate that idea and this impossibility to live in a similar console performance space as the other guys is one reason why.

Might be nice for 3DS people moving up, but it just sounds like a big move down for console lovers like me.

What's left here for console hopes, really? I mean Wii U was slightly more powerful in some ways than 360 and XB1, this one is slipping BEHIND the generation that came before it. :/ Especially if we are talking more late 2016 release.

I guess I was really hoping for a solid focus on performance. I just want my Zelda and Metroid experiences to rock really hard and they can utilize power in a way that enhances their transportive nature.

So... maybe this is wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was right. Judging from the PR disaster of the Digital Event part of E3 I don't think Nintendo is savvy enough to roll out a rumor like this to set up control expectations and then surprise us... so I guess It'll just have to be something else Nintendo wows me with.

There is one other simple explanation that doesn't jibe well with other suggestions about it: NX is just a 3DS replacement.

@Mona-Reggie If you had got a PS4, which games would you have bought?

Honestly, I don't think it'd be a bad thing to not be as powerful as a PS4 at this point, in the same way that I think the Wii U copped too much crap over "power" (granted the name still isn't helpful however).

It's no longer the 8-bit, 16-bit or early 3D days. Once upon a time there was certainly a push due to technological limitations (and in improving 3d graphics from the early ugly polygon type models), but I think it's silly to jump on the performance of the Wii U at this point, particularly when it can still pull off decent feats like rendering Mario Kart 8, Yoshi's Woolly World (the detail of the yarn itself particularly) etc. It seems the point of the Wii U, is to "have enough" power. And it does,for the sorts of games that should come to it.

The console has everything the Wii had (use of Wii-motes + nunchucks), plus HD graphics, PLUS a gamepad AND the use of dedicated Pro-Controllers. The Gamepad itself and HD may not seem like much of an upgrade on their own, the I'd say the entire point was to increase the possibilities or to remove some of the limits of what the Wii was capable of. There's enough hardware to work with and it probably wasn't (nor should it be) a "main choice of console" to replace a "new-gen" Xbox or PlayStation.

While the console is not perfect, the Wii U really had potential, yet it seems like reputation and this obsession with rendering power (both from gamers and developers alike) is what's killing it, and that's pretty silly. It may not have the power to match the requirement of all the lazy cross-platform games, but it does have enough power for different devs to tinker around with and to come up with something either creative or still impressive enough (e.g. most of the first-party games).

Fine by me. I have a PS4 and PC if I feel like I have to have fancy graphics. I want to know what Nintendo intends to do to stand out from the crowd...and believe me, it's becoming a crowd...

On a side note, what are the rumours he's been proven right about? Stuff like Project Hammer and a cancelled F-Zero is not so much about finding new information, but rather about digging up old information that most people hadn't heard about and that's more easily attainable since it's no longer relevant.

Also, how come in the F-Zero post you guys state: "Our source on this particular piece of information wishes to remain anonymous", yet now you still out who it was..

@DanteSolablood
It's not just FPS, though that is very much more important to video games than cinema and it only looks fake to people because of expectation (and stigma from video soap operas and poor PAL conversions from British shows in the US at least). Nintendo has had 60fps games since NES and yes, when it dipped to 30 FPS in N64 games it hurt pretty bad. It's expected and actually integral to the feeling of immediate responsiveness and reflexes in action games.

Secondly, there are very important considerations like, for example, physically based shaders which are becoming a norm now for developers and having to switch to something else for a Nintendo platform is a difficulty most third parties would like to avoid. And that one, the NX will likely have.

The point is every feature it doesn't have or ability to do certain things developers expect make it less likely to get third party ports. A huge issue for Nintendo that it is having to work up from almost zero to get to something passable. I think it has been doing some good stuff in this area considering the horrible situation they got into with EA and the Wii U, but yikes.

Anyway, what level of "not aiming to compete" is an important issue. If it hews pretty close but clearly a little lower it could be something to work with, but nothing lasting, IMO.

If it's not as powerful as the competition, then what's the point? Just sounds like another under powered system with another stupid gimmick, just like the Wii U. Just seems like Nintendo isn't learning it's lesson at all, and that's sad.

@kensredemption where do you think most news is heard from now a days?

@Monkeh It was this guy's source that is remaining anonymous If I recall correctly.

He has had some insider knowledge and you are right that I'm not sure it gives him much of an advantage here. However, the NX was rumored to be shopped around behind closed doors at E3 and all he'd need access to is someone in the industry who knows what happened behind those doors.

Still, a rumor is a rumor solid or not.

This news shouldn't be a surprise. Nintendo doesn't try to compete with Sony and Microsoft. If the NX can run android, then there are sure to be many potential developers for the system.

It's wise to not compete with them. Most console wars focus on the PS4 vs X1, if Nintendo can play this right then most cosumers will be dual wielders. I like pretty graphics, but I love the gameplay Nintendo provides, I will always have my Nintendo console first and worry about the latest and greatest later. In fact I should've waited to adopt the PS4, but hindsight is 20/20

@DanteSolablood
Bunch of upcoming games such as battlefront, ff7, and Shenmue 3

Other than those I don't see much that will sell me a ps4

http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ps4_specs.jpg

How the 90s top hits do you expect NX to live up to PS4? It's almost more powerful than the newest laptops that aren't Sony Vaio quality. Get over yourself if you're bothered by this rumor. PS4 is so powerful that very few of its own games use it's full potential.

We really don't need a console to be a copy of a PS4 with the name "Nintendo" on it, what we need is:

• A better interface that let's you share stuff (like quick message, invitations) with your friends without closing your game. And that your friend can join your game in simple manners
• online gameplay stability
• a console's power that stops the "Game on Nintendo's system is delayed/cancelled due to the console's power". For this, you don't need a console with the PS4 power (See NGC-PS2 comparison to understand this)

If the NX won't do this, then it should be called: " New" Wii U, as the "New" Nintendo 3DS, because it will be the same -.-

Nintendo, just launch a console with "expansion pack" (like you did in N64) and when you need more power after a while, sell us that piece of hardware.

Honestly, all I care for in a system are the games, mainly the first-parties and exclusives. Powerful or not, I don't care. I got my Wii U and despite having its failure in sales and whatsoever, I don't regret buying it and I'm still playing it.

As much as I want a PS4, I'm still not in the mood to getting it, not even around this year or two. I mean sure, there's the remaster FFVII and Ratchet and Clank 2016, but those two games alone aren't enough to get me to buy the system.

I do hope it'll be at least marginally more powerful than Wii U. We don't want downgrades now do we?

I think they should focus on innovating the software rather than innovate hardware ala Star Fox and the Super FX chip

@TheNESLink
Hey you watch your mouth

If this is true, then it's pathetic as the PS4 will be over 2.5 years older than the NX IF the NX is released in Jul of 16.

It's not about what's needed, it's about needing to keep within touch of current technology and if the NX isn't going to even be on par with 2.5 year old tech, then it's pretty much doomed to failure unless it has an unbelievable, must have gimmick which will suck in the masses.

I agree w/Mona-Reggie that software should be the focus, but I still find it very concerning if this is true because tech life cycles every 6 months or less, so the NX will be nearly 5 life cycles newer and there should be no excuse for it to be at least on par with hardware that is that much older.

If it isn't you're going to see similar issues with any non-exclusive games which have been developed for systems with much more hp.

We'll see, but I hope this rumour is bogus.

Then It isn't worth my Money. I already bought the Wii U so my next move is a PS4 not NX unless NX is faster and produces superior graphics.

@MightyKrypto
"Learned nothing from mistakes with Wii U"

Power wasn't one of those mistakes. Power increases the cost of the hardware, increases the potential graphical fidelity of games which indirectly increases the man hours needed to make those games, which results in longer development cycle times or higher cost for more staff. It also benefits Nintendo in no way. Their games look about as good as they're ever going to.

The only ones that want/need more power are 3rd party megabudget developers. And those games don't sell on Nintendo platforms anyways. Those games won't come to the platform anyways, power or not. The only thing a powerful console will achieve is taking more cash out of your wallet to buy the system.

When your platform is supported by the third-party industry then sure, make a powerful console, it only makes sense. People like high graphical fidelity. But when your library is going to be filled with 99% games developed internally that do not focus on realism, where's the advantage?

I think the problem is people look at the other two consoles, and expect the same rules to apply to a platform that has a completely different type of library and completely different base of consumers with different tastes in games.

Now, that's not to say I'm against them making a powerful console because I really don't care either way. Sure, I'd be happy to see Nintendo's games in higher graphical fidelity. Most certainly. That would be awesome. But the vast majority of them utilize an art style that will not really showcase that bump in power.

I do think all consoles should be more powerful than their predecessors, but now that we've reached the HD era, at least for Nintendo's platform, Power is no longer an issue to me.

@Samurairu
Since when is it all about having the latest tech? Cell phone technology has been around for a decade, but that doesn't stop hundred dollar phones from being made that people eat up. A console is about the gaming experience it offers- you don't need the latest technology to offer fun games that are visually appealing.

This isn't the space race. It's OK to use technology that is not fresh out the mint.

@Mona-Reggie /ahem/ Sorry. /drum solo/ It was the heat of the moment.

@TheNESLink The PS4 actually isn't all that powerful. Developers were able to max it out from day 1. Both systems are on the weaker side. You can get a gaming PC that blows the PS4 out of the water for not too much more. You'll save big bucks on software though, which makes up the difference.

If it isn't a hybrid, then I might end up skipping this machine entirely.

@aaronsullivan Ah ok, that makes sense. Thanks for the info!

Ffs..

@aaronsullivan Oh I completely agree it's not just FPS - this just happened to be the example that came to mind. Though the necessity of being able to handle ports of games available on every other console is ponderous considering the NX may be aimed to be a secondary console (much like the WII which many people bought as well as their PS3s & 360s). The thing that makes me think they may be going for the secondary console position IS the power being less than the PS4. It could be more powerful than the WiiU once you take into consideration the progress of technology and lack of need for a cripplingly expensive gamepad.

@Mona-Reggie So buying a £330 PS4 for three games? I can see the temptation, but again, think about Shenmue & FF7, are they going to use the full potential of the PS4? While I agree it's tempting to get the latest game.. just download FF7 onto your cell/mobile phone and enjoy all the original games on the WiiU.

@Samurairu Something can be more cutting edge than the PS4 or XB1 but still not be as powerful. In either case, the current gen of XBox and Playstation are becoming synonymous with unimaginative games and slipping gamer numbers. Nintendo's real mistake with the WiiU was not power, but terrible marketing, naming and forcing the price to be WAY too high because of it's controller.

Given the time lapse between the PS4 release and NX (whenever it comes) it if doesn't match the PS4 for power... then why bother. The Wii U struggled heavily for third party support. I buy Nintendo for Nintendo games but if they had a better mix of big release I'd happily just buy Nintendo. Nintendo got lucky with the Wii in terms of not competing on power but as the price of making games gets higher Nintendo needs to have a console on par with Xbox and PlayStation so developers can make games without changing/downgrading and cost them more money, especially when they aren't going to sell as much as the other version. The NX would have to be something truly special or the Wii U might be my last punt on a Nintendo home console.

Boy, the rumors have already started to circulate, haven't they?!

@DanteSolablood Yeah but the PS4 is getting those game the Wiiu will not ever.

@VeeFlamesNL Yep. Pretty much chaos.

I think Nintendo knows what they are doing. The price point seems good and it could attract potential gamers. Or new ones. I could be robust as the Wii, but who knows? I think it could work out.

Thinking that video games is not about cutting edge tech is bizarre imo as tech gadgets are a space race of sorts. Who can be the first to.... I agree that cutting edge doesn't necessarily equal power, but 2.5+ year old hardware never competes with current gen in an evolution driven market. Cell phones are old tech, but no 2.5 year old cell phone can compete with the power of new cell phones from the same class. That's a fact.

All I know is that unless the NX can at the very least handle direct ports from all current gen hardware with no downgrades, I will not buy the system and this is one of those rare cases where I believe I'm in the majority.

That's a shame.

@Samurairu My HTC Desire from 2010 can still handle the latest Angry Birds and Marvel Champions... my Nexus 7 (2013) is still running all the latest games despite being over 2.5 years old. Your cell phone may be more powerful... but that power is not making your games faster or better, it's just beating last years specs and costing you money.

Even if you are the majority stating that the NX must handle all ports (even if Nintendo design the NX to be under $150), you won't buy it... being in the majority doesn't always mean you're right, it just means general education needs to be improved. <-- that last line is joke!!! Seriously!

Good. If I'm going to pay for a dedicated console so as to have access to Nintendo games, I don't want it to be expensive. And if I want power, I can just upgrade my PC--not that it needs an upgrade to beat out any console, currently.

I'll stick with my WiiU then and pick up an XBOXone. No biggie.

Anyway though... I think Nintendo has to get third parties on their next system in order for the system to be a decent success. This potentially means a strong, loads of memory system that third parties are attracted to, just as bees are attracted to the bright flowers.
But as long as I enjoy the games, I'll be okay with whatever power is the NX. Whether it's a handheld or a console...
@Aromaiden Are you referring to the comments? Well, that explains the 150+ comments... XD

It will probably be based around another gimmick, which is a shame as it means that third party support will be nonexistent again. Well hopeful the gimmick at least proves better than the gamepad.

@JaxonH
I fully expect to be onboard with it, just because it will have a Nintendo game I really want and it will look really enticing up-to-date graphics or not. Nintendo has done it to me for every single console generation and hasn't disappointed my or my family in that regard. Nintendo Land rocked.

That being said, Nintendo's current console strategy that you are championing helped push it into bleeding cash. Third party support was something Nintendo valued and really expected to push hard for the Wii U. A year before the launch promotions it was a very big part of the presentation with EA having an unprecedented partnership. Nintendo doesn't want a third-party-less console. It never has. It has been doing everything it can to float the Wii U boat and although some of the games have been truly great, it has done very little for console sales.

Not willing to consider just dismissing all third-party support for Nintendo consoles, myself, and I don't think Nintendo thinks it's in a position to do that either.

If this rumor is possibly true i think this can be interpreted as the console trying to win in terms of functionality rather than having the power. What if it is equaling in power to a PS4 but not trying to outmatch it? Nintendo was trying to do that with the Wii U vs the 360 and PS3

I think the NX is basically gonna be a console (similar to WiiU) with a handheld (similar to 3DS) replacing the controller. If both are a bit more powerful I'll be happy. Anyone expecting anything more than this, I think your gonna be disappointed.

@LoveSugoi @JoostinOnline

Reggie said it was a home console in a recent Wall Street Journal article: “From a Nintendo perspective, we clearly have strength here in the Americas, we have strength in Europe and we have strength in Japan,” Fils-Aime said. “That isn’t necessarily true of some of our more direct competitors. We’ve also said publicly that we are already hard at work on our next home console and that’s another element we’ll be talking about much later.”

I wish all of the NX talk would go away until Nintendo actually unveils it. All of these rumors about whether it's a handheld/home console hybrid, more/less powerful than the PS4, etc are nothing but speculation. I suspect that at this point Nintendo has an idea for a new concept but is still probably in the process of finalizing details like the specs, design, etc. Nintendo has a history of their consoles hitting the market 1+ years after being revealed at E3 so I think anyone expecting NX to hit before 2017 are fooling themselves.

@DanteSolablood Part of the reason third parties didn't support the Wii U was the lack of power. They did not want to hold back their next gen games to run on inferior hardware. There are other factors contributing to the lack of third party support, but the poor hardware of the Wii U is a major factor.

Rumours, rumours...I'll just wait and see.

@VeeFlamesNL Yeah. If there is ever 150+ comments, you know something hectic is going down. XD

Why can't nintendo make a decent powered console without gimmicks and concentrate on what they do best, making great games

@aaronsullivan I disagree with your description of Nintendo's relationship with third parties. Nintendo is famous for being one of the most controlling & difficult companies for third party companies to work with & was one of the last companies to stop charging developers for the privilege of producing a game for their console.

Let's not forget that Nintendo had Final Fantasy 7 exclusively for the N64 but demanded that Square cut the game in half inorder to fit onto a smaller cartridge (despite them having cartridges big enough for the full game at the time). This caused Square to sign exclusivity with Sony until 2009. Rinse an repeat similar stories for other world-changing IPs. Also.. let's not forget that Nintendo in it's arrogance pushed Sony into making the Nintendo Playstation themselves (this is not a mistake... it was originaly the NINTENDO Playstation).

@RadicalYoseph Please see the comments from the person above who was stating the opposite. The WiiU started off with an unprecedented amount of third party support.... this was not lost through power at all. Nintendo MURDERED the WiiU at launch and in the months surrounding launch. It's is genuinely impossible to state just HOW bad it was handled.

@DoctorWily They have said they were working on a console, and they said they were working on the NX. The two are not necessarily one in the same. The 3DS line is more likely to get replaced.

@ashrafkk They tried that with the GameCube. It didn't work out so great. The PS2 crushed it, despite being underpowered.

The same guy tweeted that he doesn't even know what the NX is, since he dodged the question regarding that.

@JoostinOnline The PS2 was actually more powerful than the Gamecube but could not handle graphics as well due to terrible architecture. If you've ever played Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz on both consoles... it's obvious the more powerful console has by far the worst graphics.

@aaronsullivan
I wouldn't say I'm championing anything. Nintendo can do what they want, I'm just here along for the ride. Analyzing their strategy and making sense of it, yes. Championing it? Eh, not so much.

And I should be more specific- Nintendo definitely need some third parties to help fill out their library- but western megabudget AAA's are not the answer. They're barking up the wrong tree there. The reason the support came to a sudden halt was because nobody was buying those games. And nobody was buying those games because the fanbase doesn't want those type of games.

They should be chasing games like Persona, Monster Hunter, Dragon Quest, etc. More exclusives like Lego City Undercover, MH3U, Bayonetta 2, W101, Devil's Third, Sonic (hopefully a good one next time).

So when I'm referring to third parties I'm referring to the conglomerate of Western powerhouse publishers and their portfolios.

@ashrafkk
Who needs shoulder buttons, just a buncha gimmicks I tell ya! In fact anything that is not VER BATIM a simple collection of plastic buttons and one screen is a "gimmick". Dude I'm sorry but people like you really need to get a new perspective. Day one costume DLC = gimmick. Putting a screen on the controller, when a screen is one of the two vital components needed to even play video games? That's not a gimmick. That is called innovation. That is called progress. That is called advancing with technology. Consoles evolve. Video games, and how we play them, evolve. Consoles have touch pads, and screens on the controller, and motion-enabled controllers, and all kinds of things that weren't around 20 years ago. But the two screen concept has been established and tested since before the NES.

GAME & Watch, 2 screens. Gamecube and GBA with link cable, 2 screens. DS, 2 screens. 3DS, 2 screens. Wii U, 2 screens. Dual screen gaming is embedded in Nintendo's blood. Is superior in every way. And I don't think it's going to go away anytime soon.

@DanteSolablood I was referring to partnerships like for Hyrule Warriors and the Shin Megami Tensei Fire Emblem crossover, and with publishing and partnering with Platinum Games with Bayonetta 2 and Star Fox. In other words, recent attempts at new relationships. That Final Fantasy thing happened about 20 years ago. :/ I agree that Nintendo has had poor relations with 3rd parties in the past. I would guess that whatever happened with EA prior to the Wii U launch was more than 50% Nintendo's fault just from prior reports.

@aaronsullivan Fair enough then, but us older gamers (I'm 34) tend to remember the dark days of Nintendo when people mention "third party relationships".

@DanteSolablood
Oh, I remember. Look at my avatar. I'm older than you. I mowed lawns and painted fences to get my brand new NES. But I cut my teeth on Atari 2600... and some Pong TV machines... and Apple ][ and Commodore 64...

Nintendo always keeps this stuff secret, If this NX is a hybrid handheld-home console then for sure it wont be as powerful as a PS4, Nintendo isn't done they are just starting plus Amiibos are selling out everywhere worldwide so more money for the company so hopefully more games will be made, Gonna be lots of rumors for the next 2 years!

Nintendo could release a console twice as powerful as PS4 and would still have 3rd party not support it so Nintendo has to do something different and they know it I hope its awesome the video game business needs a new jolt and there is no better company than NINTENDO to do it , in the mean time I will be playing so awesome titles on my Wii U AND 3DS ..

I would rather the system just be $200 and slightly more powerful than the Wii U than it be a hybrid.

If it's not able to compete power-wise then why bother so soon Nintendo? I REALLY hope Nintendo reconsider the final specs of this thing before putting it out.

@JaxonH I don't know if I've seen sales of those types of Western games on Wii U that weren't affected by releasing long after the hype had died down for them. On the Wii developers didn't know what to do with the limited power and waggle requirements. It's been a long time since many games from that category have had decent representation on a Nintendo console, hasn't it?

Some of those games are awesome, too. Not sure why Nintendo owners wouldn't want to play them. There are stand out bore-fests and open world games filled out with generic side missions, but then there are games that any older Nintendo gamer would love the gameplay in.

Not again Nintendo. If this is true, the NX will be Nintendo's third underpowered home console in a row. The N64 and GameCube may have lacked in storage space, but they were pretty much the top of the line for console graphics in their day (Xbox was slightly better than the GCN).

@aaronsullivan Didn't the EA partnership fall apart because Nintendo refused to run Nintendo Network (which is what the partnership was for - not for games) through Origin, which caused EA to throw a bit of a temper tantrum? If I recall correctly, the other 3rd parties applauded Nintendo for refusing to go ahead with Origin, but still backed away from the system anyways partially because of EA's fit.

@JoostinOnline

The context of that article was a conversation about the NX. If you want to turn a blind eye, so be it, but I think you are deluding yourself. I've provided evidence showing that it will be a home console and it fits with Nintendo's history of releasing a new home console every 5-6 years. I can't find a single shred of evidence that suggests it's a handheld, especially after they just released the New 3DS. Just more wishful thinking...

@aaronsullivan
I have no idea why the Fanbase isn't interested- because personally I bought every single AAA game that was brought to Wii U. I love any game as long as it's good.

But a lot of gamers (and people in general) don't like to step out of their comfort zones. They play certain games and that's what they like to play and they don't want to try anything else. That's why third-party games fail on Nintendo nowadays (The few gamers left who play other types of games own another console and buy them there, which is why exclusives are so important because nobody can buy them anywhere else). It's also why 90% of the current gaming populous refuses to get their toes in the water and try a Nintendo console.

Comfort zones. It's why Nintendo gamers only play Nintendo and it's why Sony/Xbox gamers will never try out Nintendo.

Iwata's business strategy since forever has been "let's try everything except appeal to hardcore gamers", so if this is true, it's more par for the course than anything else.

@aaronsullivan "There are stand out bore-fests and open world games filled out with generic side missions" -Destiny?

I'm not surprised. Nintendo stopped trying to actually compete with other consoles back in 1996.

@IceClimbers Maybe. But that's never been confirmed or officially reported on as far as I know and I don't remember the rumors ever sounding super convincing with any detail. It was more like connect the dots. Obviously something serious went down with EA and they were pushing Origin hard at the time. Show me some sources.

@DarkKirby What's your definition of hardcore gamer? If you mean people that buy AAA games for ludicrous amounts of cash.. and then pump more cash into them for DLC (which would have been unlockable for free a few years ago), then I don't see them as hardcore gamers. Generally the games they buy are simply graphically updated iterations of the same old games that have been circulated for the last 5 years.

Harcore gamers are the people that play to enjoy games and genuinely put their heart & soul into their enjoyment and support of games. I probably put hundreds of hours into building obscenely detailed structures on Minecraft and have never failed to complete a pokédex (which is somewhat iterative, but nuts to you). Does that mean I'm not hardcore just because my polygon count doesn;t decide how much FUN I'm having?

EDIT: Tone was annoyed BTW. Not an attack, was just a little cheesed off.

Not again! It doesn´t have to be a console powerhouse at the same level as the PS4, but if the NX doesn't have enough power as at least the Xbox One, we'll miss third parties.... again. While the AAA games Nintendo is releasing are great, if they don't get third parties on board, we'll still have releases spread 3-4 months aparts. My backlog is not going to last forever! And on the topic of the NX possibly being an hybrid... Ugh. If it truly is that, I'll pass. Somehow, the concept doesn´t really work for me. Keep portable and home gaming separate, please!

Nintendo needs a console with a PowerPC chip, unless they want to throw away all the Gamecube, Wii, and Wii U stuff they've done. Otherwise they'd start out with zero software, which is just stupid. It's likely that NX will debut with the next Zelda game, which has also been confirmed for Wii U. That reminds me of the dual release they did for Twilight Princess (something Reggie hinted at recently saying it contributed to a good Wii launch). I think it's likely that it's going to be like the New 3DS.

To attract third parties, they need (a) a platform that's easy to develop and (b) a user base. They'll definitely address (a), that's the point of merging their portable & home console divisions a few years back. It's also the Wii U's biggest problem. Really it just needs to be good enough to be an Unreal Engine 4 target platform; give it enough cores and enough RAM and a better GPU, and it's useable.

The user base... the Wii U's software problem was that because of (a), everything was delayed. And of course it didn't help that people thought the Wii U was just a peripheral for the Wii, because of really dumb branding.

The only thing I can see a new console being good for is being a better platform to develop on. If they released a generic box that was just as powerful as the PS4, people still wouldn't want to buy it, and third parties wouldn't care because there's already the PS4 which is doing well. Even if it was more powerful than the PS4, who cares? They're still going to target the PS4 anyway and just port stuff to the 'more powerful' console as an afterthought. It's like how Gamecube launch titles look better than Wii launch titles because third party developers started using PS2 middleware for everything.

But, back to hardware, making the PowerPC 750 run with three cores for the Wii U was an interesting magic trick; that CPU was blazingly fast (at its debut over 15 years ago) because it was designed for single core only. Unless IBM can pull out a brand-new PowerPC architecture chip out of a some magic hat and ramp up production, I'm pretty sure the NX will be based on the Wii U's multicore chip's CPU (hopefully at least six cores to make a useful difference). The only other successors to the PowerPC 750 are Motorola's old G4 chips, and the G5 that's used in the Xbox 360 & PS3. Neither of those are options, because (a) Motorola's not IBM (not to mention dead) (b) those chips are expensive & inefficient.

@DanteSolablood
Why is the PS4 the dominant console this generation? Why did it get so much of the former devote Xbox fan boys to switch over? Because it clearly showed it was the hardcore gamers it was targeting, while Microsoft clearly showed with the XBox One, that they were trying to target casuals, like the Wii (and like with Windows 8 for that matter). But the Xbox One ran into the same issue as the Wii U, casuals didn't care about consoles anymore, the formerly amazing untapped market was gone, they moved on to smartphone games, it was the reason the Wii died.

Hardcore gamers in general, do care about graphics and processing power, and want a good online. Motion controls, a 2nd screen are fine things to have, but they are not replacements for competitive graphics, processing power, and a good, open online. When Nintendo continues to do stuff have intentional prevention of communication between players with things like friend codes, it says loud and clear, we are not targeting hardcore gamers. Don't give me crap about how graphics don't make a game, because while that it true, if they didn't matter we'd still be playing on the NES and the Game Boy, and good graphics and processing power do appeal to the hardcore market.

And I really don't want to hear about how Nintendo is the innocent party in the pushing of DLC in today's gaming market, with the crap they are pulling with the Fire Emblem games and Amiibos in general.

@aaronsullivan Not sure if there are any concrete sources. As you said, most of it is connect the dots. The whole "running Nintendo Network through Origin" thing is mostly just a rumor that I assumed was a case of "where there's smoke, there's fire".

I'm not convinced that NX, whatever it is, will be a traditional console. I think it'll be something that releases in addition to Nintendo's home console. Even with the woefully underpowered Wii, it was still significantly stronger than the strongest console of the previous generation (the Xbox), and the Wii U is significantly stronger than the strongest console of this past generation (PS3). Nintendo may have made the questionable decision not to play the hardware arms race game, but they've always at least surpassed the strongest of the past generation; they're not going to release a 9th gen console that's weaker than the PS4. Even by Nintendo's standards, that doesn't make a lick of sense.

People will argue that they can get great first party games, but if its powerful than we can get BETTER 1st Party games, Nintendo can get all of the 1st Party games, 3rd Party games, and Indie titles. However Nintendo is still stuck in their 90''s world.

Oh but the PS4 has no 1st Party Titles at all!
Go watch their E3 2015 press conference.
People say Sony Fanboys are bad but Nintendo fanboys are sometimes even worse! They never seem to think Nintendo doe anything wrong. People were defending their E3 this year for stupid reasons like "You guys are so ungrateful"
I want the NX to be succesful, but if Nintendo repeats the same mistakes with the Wii U, then that might be enough to put a dent in Nintendo's wallet.

This is very interesting, and I'm with the group assuming this won't be a straightforward console. If Nintendo can change the conversation about games, letting the other two consoles and PCs battle it out for graphics and power, then they could be on to something. But they can't afford to miss with NX.

You know, or not.

I'll wait for official Nintendo information - that was what won me over with the Wii U, which is my favourite console ever.

Yes, power DOES matter. That's why 3rd party aren't considering major releases for Wii U right now, like Ubisoft's and EA's multiplat blockbusters, apart from poor market relevance.

I'm not defending we desperately need Ubi or EA support, neither that I can't live without a simultaneous release of the new AC game (two per year basically), but you simply can't make a console which is technically distant from its two main adversaries and expect it will be a mass success aimed for "everyone". The "everyone" term Nintendo currently knows and largely uses is distorted and distant from what the big majority actually is expecting.

Saying it "won't compete with PS4 or XOne" is absolute nonsense. What? Will it be another market flop aimed for only a few gamers who enjoy their first-parties? For family? For smartphone users? I miss the time when a game console was basically designed... for gaming. Every kind of game.

@DoctorWily No need for the attitude brother. Could you please give me a link to that article you quoted? I always appreciate new info.

PS: 2+ years after releasing the New 3DS isn't "just after" IMO. In fact, it would match up with how the DSi played out.

@DarkKirby Actually I disagree with your analyses, mostly around the markets you say that both consoles are aimed at. The PS4 is aimed at the gamer market and not hardcore gamers (hardcore can not, by it's own definition not be the majority of the market). While the AAA games sell well and attract gamers, it's not attracting hardcore gamers to the PS4, real hardcore gamers will play their AAAs on the PC for the best experience.

The XB1 was aimed at gamers & non-gamers, the actual games lineup was in no way inclusive of a casual audience. Media functions don't sell to casual gamers... casual games do. Microsoft's real mistake was to spend MONTHS completely alienating gamers (hardcore or otherwise) and showing utter contempt for it's market - something it did in the 360 era, but was overlooked due to it's popularity.

People seem to really underestimate the power of unvealings & launches for consoles. People like to be on the winning side when it comes to console wars & while the PS4 was pandering to it's audience, the XB1 was alienating it, attacking it and then backtracking for months after launch.

Wake me when there is any official Nintendo news about the NX not rumors from people that I have no idea who they are.

Should we be surprised? The answer is: no.

@JaxonH
Man, I do not mind innovation and taking risks/exploring new gaming prospects. What I do mind, is non-HD Wii visuals when everyone else have HD. A very slow cpu, limited memory and graphics power when there is no real execuse for such specs as the whole market is going in another directon. This way nintendo is forcing third party to scale down their games and let's face it the popularity of the Wii is not gonna happen with the NX as I dobelieve this was due to casual gamers jumping on the motion controls fad. Now as mobiles and tablets have stole the casual gaming market it us hardcore/regular gamers who support nintendo and I as one want my nintendo console to be at least as powerful as any other console in this current generation. Now if nintendo wants to add anything say a 3rd screen, super duper motion whatever, ...etc. I don't mind at least they will have the hardware to make it shine and make 3rd party lives easier.

@ashrafkk
Fair enough

If NX is a dedicated handheld, then this rumor would make a lot of sense.

If NX is a handheld-console hybrid, as many seem to believe, then this rumor would also make sense, though the product would likely focus a bit more or the "handheld" aspect of things that the "home console" aspect of things.

If NX is a dedicated home console, as Reggie and Tanabe seem to imply, and this rumor holds true, then Nintendo better start getting religious, because they will need to do a lot of praying for this product to even have a chance at outselling the Wii U.

If this rumor is not true (and it may not be, since Unseen64 is better known for leaking canceled products rather than future products), then everything I have just states is irrelevant.

@DanteSolablood

You are essentially saying similar things as me, but the dividing point seems to be what separates a "gamer" from a "hardcore gamer". I was just using "hardcore gamer" as the group of gamers that weren't casual gamers (the ones who think game like Angry Birds and Candy Crush are amazing).

PC is insurmountable as the most powerful platform, but that doesn't mean the graphics and processing power of consoles doesn't matter. PC has in fact never been the dominant gaming platform, for various reasons, ranging from the cost of having a gaming PC vs a console, to the often delayed and lower quality releases of ports on PC, and sometimes games not being ported to it at all (especially with Japanese games). On top of that, most games are developed for console regardless, and only the good ports on PC allow users to pump up the performance in the settings and still be stable.

The reason I think the Xbox One was designed to appeal to casuals, was as you mention, the initial reveal of it. The requirement of the Kinect, the marketing of features that are completely unrelated to gaming, and how it didn't really try to target higher end hardware (although it sure went a lot further than Nintendo did with the Wii U). Yes, there were other factor as you mentioned, Microsoft essentially gave a middle finger to the 360's hardcore gamers, a majority of its market, and then Sony capitalized on this by well, doing none of that, making fun of Microsoft, and appealing to the hardcore gamer market instead of ignoring them.

>all the people taking this rumor as a fact set on stone

you guys are so embarrassedly gullible to the point of causing me physical pain

While this is just a rumor at this point, it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if it turned out to be true.

Because only Nintendo would release a mid-generation stop-gap console that's pathetically under-powered.

@ashrafkk Just to confirm, but it's the job of a hardware producer to make third party developers lives easy? Not to help them produce new and innovative games, just help them produce the same game over & over again with slightly improved graphics?

Fun does not equal power. Have anyone ever considered that Nintendo simply produced another over muscled powerhouse of a console, they would not be able to compete against Sony or Microsoft who are more commonly associated with the AAA bore-a-than titles & they would have to water down their traditional focus on gameplay to feed the monumental increase in time, money & manpower that it truly takes to feed the PS4s and XB1s. Nintendo would be eaten alive.

I wouldn't mind Nintendo taking a different direction.. DELIBERATELY aiming for a cheaper console which people could buy on-top of the PS4s and XB1s which focuses on pure gameplay and joy. You don't NEED an NX port because you already have that game on the PS4.

@AJ_Lethal I don't believe the rumour yet, but it doesn't stop us discussing it theoretically. I would like to think Nintendo may pop in and listen.

If true, that is very, very, VERY disappointing. But if third parties were "impressed" or "satisfied" or however they put it, then it must be at least on par.

At least we know it won't need to be as powerful as the PS4 to get a great looking Animal Crossing. Let's put those HD models to good use, people! And I'll be getting a PC soon so I won't really need to worry if the NX doesn't get the third party games.

I'm not going to say anything bad about the NX yet because there is NO INFORMATION KNOWN ABOUT IT!!! People are already saying how it will be worse than the Wii U, how it will be lackluster to the current gen, how there will be no games for it. You guys have no info on the NX so why is everybody hating it already?

P.S. If being able to see 5 beads of sweat on a character means it's a great console, then this generation of gamers, aren't not at all even close to being gamers.

I'll just take this rumour with a large pint of salt. Also can't wait to see IGN make an article about this, them fanboys are going to have a field day with this one!

@DarkKirby Your concept of casual gamers is fundamentally flawed then. You're basically saying all gamers that are not casual gamers, are hardcore gamers. At what level do casual gamers become harccore? Pokémon hasn't been AAA for years. So Pokémon players are all casual players? Would you say the same of people who've played FF7 on their cell phone?

The thought that someone playing CoD XXVII or CoD XXVIII with it's new Halo skin thinking they're a hardcore gamer genuinely makes me feel uncomfortable as well, they make Angry Birds players seem talented.

@ElementSponge O.o Oh gosh, I can only imagine. The word fanboy and some other unsavory words will be flying all over the comment section.

@Aromaiden I'm a fanboy. Uhm, bums?

@DanteSolablood Oh no. I'm not saying your a fan boy, what I mean is that, that is a classic response people throw at each other when discussing video game topics, especially when it comes to the Big 3.

Who was expecting it to be more powerful, anyway? It's less powerful...So? If I cared about how powerful a console was, I would own a PS4 already and not a Wii U. It's the games I want. (But I WILL get a PS4 eventually for The Last Guardian. Can't wait! ) Besides, the Wii U is powerful enough if it can have giant worlds like the ones in Xenoblade Chronicles X. Will Zelda U be as impressive as that? I have high hopes.

@Quorthon My, my. You sound very spiteful towards Nintendo.

I'm sure we all know that Nintendo is on the same level when it comes to competing on a graphics and power level. I'm sure they have some innovation up there sleave. I'm sure its a tie in with 3d graphics, or putting virtual reality into their gaming (even though they say it's not the time).

Who cares! They're still the Nintendo we know and love!

@Aromaiden I was about to ask you, "DIDN'T YOU KNOW?!" but I see you joined NLife recently.
I'll just say this: it's what he does. Simple as that.

@RCMADIAX Consoles cannot do well without third-party support and as the Wii U proves, Nintendo's consoles aren't exempt from this. The NX NEEDS to have decent third-party support or few gamers will take them seriously outside the dedicated Nintendo core fans. That's why Nintendo having no third-party support outside of indies (which won't sell consoles) is a horrible idea; because it's their ticket out of the console manufacturer business.

The NX is Nintendo's last chance to remain relevant in the video game industry (unless we want to count the mobile market) so I expect them to put everything into it. If they aren't taking their next console seriously, then they are just wasting consumers time. In such a situation, nothing barring a possible Mother 3 localization would get me to buy a NX.

This rumor says nothing about NX being weaker from PS4. Power level might mean something totally different. You can only speculate about that. Nintendo is going to give us BIG suprise with NX and take gaming experince to next level.. Wait and see.

I don't know where Ninty are going because right now they're damm if they do and damm if they don't. But if they are only catering to the same Ninty fans who lap up everything Nintendo does then they are going to be in the same situation as the WiiU.

I think the NX is going to be a crossroads for Nintendo

I suppose they are crawling to their niche.

I think they should make something capable that handles what the ps4 or xbone does (if the NX is a home console)

Because it makes for more and easy third party support.
Now it seems when their parties develop, they set their limits to the Xbone/PS4 standard, because theres more market and the PC is powerful enough to handle whatever those might be able to do.

Meanwhile on nintendo, it seems that they must either do extra work to make it properly run on their system (loss in details, rewrite portions of code, etc.)
And lets not forget that some part is that most people who own nintendo don't buy stuff if it doesn't have their IPs on them.

Nintendo makes a unique gaming platform, it has 0 competition in that regard, 0!!!!!!! So why should it now compete with Sony and Micro$oft? The game platform is different! Nintendo does it right.

Nintendo's chief says it's learned from the mistakes of the Wii U and the 3DS and now a usually reliable source says the next console won't be as powerful as the PS4.
4K - unnecessary. Adoption rates are abysmal and it doesn't integrate gaming.
Blu-ray - unnecessary. Nintendo has their own high capacity option.
Having 8GB of GDDR5 RAM is also unnecessary, when you only allocate 256MB of DDR3 for background apps. Oh and the fact that 90% of devs who USE more than 4GB are working on PCs and so consoles really don't need that amount of RAM. It's to ensure the PS4 lasts, and yet, even 8 is considerably lacking now (16, 32, even 64 is on the market).
The point is, Sony is a tech company. They make the 20k dollar TVs, the 50K dollar projectors and the 5k dollar PCs that console gamers either don't care about, can't afford or just can't utilize fully.
The point in this comment is, Nintendo doesn't NEED to make a console as powerful as the PS4, which tried to be the living room PC gaming machine with less piracy. Nintendo makes consoles. They're the only one that still does make genuine consoles. Specs work differently when you don't have all the garbage Sony crammed into their big black box. The Gamecube tried playing the power game and to this day, is one of the best reasons for Nintendo to stay as far away from Sony's example as possible. People are buying the core Nintendo titles and they're buying Wii Us and 3DSs to do so.
No one buys a Nintendo system for their superior 3rd party experiences, their PC like experiences or their media / set top box experiences. They buy Nintendo systems for the games. As long as Nintendo keeps the 'innovation' to smart and practical, intelligent and affordable, they're in good shape.
Once they go too far with something (the Gamepad is far too bulky to be taken seriously by average consumers, the dual screen gaming fad of the portable line-up got old in 2010 and mandatory motion controls have aggravated gamers to no end) that's when they start losing interest.

I know it's the games that count, but this rumor makes this console sound like another underdog and I'm just not sure I want to buy yet another underdog console.

I'm going to be very careful before getting one that's for sure.

@SahashraLA Nintendo saying they learned means nothing. They've said this MANY times and have made no improvements or steps to fix their mistakes. They said the Wii U won't suffer from the game droughts the 3DS did because they learned. Look where we are with the WIi U now.

Why do some people think NX is just an handheld? Is it a deliberate attempt not to face up to reality?

Why would any sane person compare a console with a handheld and say it would not be more powerful than the console?

Why would Nintendo be reported "selling the NX" to developers at E3? Talking to developers that reporters state have nothing or very little to do with handheld gaming?

You are just deluding yourselves thinking NX is just a handheld.

I still think that it is a combo based on the initial description or code name "fusion".

I think such a console must be pretty weak to keep cost down.

After E3 I think Nintendo are totally confuse about what the public wants, let alone their few fans.

What happened to "QoL"?

The past is the past. Gaming and gamers have evolved so constantly going on about previous gens to find answers is totally misleading.

In 2015 hardware matters, look at the sales. Third parties matter.

If NX lacks both then the only people buying this console will be the surviving fanboys and Nintendo cannot survive on that. If it was about Nintendo games as some suggested Wii u would be by far the bestseller.

@ikki5 To be fair, the initial drought was because of the 3DS's bad launch. They didn't have much of a choice there.

Well there's no surprise there is it. Nintendo never gets the idea what it takes to attract 3rd parties over. Such a hard work to release a system that would match others.

THIS IS AUTOMATICALLY A FACT

Not like we needed a public statement to know Nintendo hasn't been about power for the past 15 years.

I also don't necessarily think this means a gimmick; If they make a console that's cheap to manufacture, easy to develop on, and has an appealing software base, it will sell. Nintendo's strength is in their IPs and their affordability.

@Hong It's gonna be a big gimmick console. Iwata stated they don't want to say anything about what the NX is just yet in case the competition steals their ideas. That and this rumour about the lack of power says they're trying to make another Wii. Only this won't work, like the Wii U.

Of course its not going to be as powerful as ps4 or XB1, did anyone think it would be? Nintendo's thing is affordability, they tried expensive with the 3ds and wii u launches and it didn't turn out well. Rhey are going to go back to ds and wii levels of affordability, i'd have thought that was obvious.

There is another 3rd party market that does not need power. It is the Android/iOS market. That's what Nintendo is after.
And the mistakes they've learned from are the lack of killet apps at launch. Expect to see Zelda, F-Zero, Mario etc at launch.

There is another 3rd party market that does not need power. It is the Android/iOS market. That's what Nintendo is after.
And the mistakes they've learned from are the lack of killer apps at launch. Expect to see Zelda, F-Zero, Mario etc at launch.

Even if this hear-say rumor is true, how could it possibly be news?

That Nintnedo isn't interested in playing the power game would mean nothing had changed since 2005.

Even if the rumor is rumor, I'm positive that the powerful the NX could possibly be is to have better architecture than the Wii U. I mean that's the whole point of the new 3DS as it has better processing power.

Even though this is just a rumor, the NX has to be at least as powerful as the PS4, or the 3rd parties won't come back and neither will more people to buy the system. Nintendo hopefully will shape up, or they're going to look at more hard sales. They need to have a darn good launch...Mario Adventure and quite a few others, and not make people wait over a year for other great games to happen. The store needs to be up and running, with many good classic games but also many exclusive only titles. They also need to get back the 3rd party companies, and not just get games that were already released a year or so ago on the other consoles.

Until we know exactly what the NX will be then power means nothing.

If it is a traditional style console (which is doubtful) then it should be more powerful than a PS4 (which isn't that powerful anyway) or else it'd be too close to the Wii U.

It'll more likely be something very different, but I'm still hoping for a Nintendo/Steam hybrid that'd get the exclusive 1st party games and 3rd party games without the need for a Nintendo version.

If it's not as powerful as PS4 then I really don't see the point, 3rd parties don't want to be held back by weaker hardware and what then is the difference between a Wii U and this. A new gimmicky controller?

A large part of the current console's failure is due to ar it's release only being as good as consoles which had been around 6 or 7 years and everyone knowing that right around the corner these 2 were going to release much more powerful successors.

For all those affordability statements, I don't think that's true either. By the time you buy all the many different controllers you need for Wii U it costs almost the same as a PS4 or Xbox 1(3) Speaking of which can we just have a real control pad this time, as much as you've tried to "innovate" and change how we game, let's face it that really hasn't happened. Wii remotes belong in the bin and the second screen is a glorified map/inventory 99% of the time

NINTENDOOMED!!!!

It's not a handheld, already confirmed to be a home console.

The full specs for this thing probably aren't even finalised yet. People haven't seen it yet. 'Reliable source' or not, this is still here say from some Twitter guy. People need to take a step back from their negative comments and just put those points into perspective. At least wait until they announce this thing officiIally

With my experience over many years of playing computer and console games, Powerful machines does not mean good games.
Game play originality and content are more important for me personally, Nintendo ticks all the box`s
NX, Mmmmmm, the proof will be in the pudding, and I can`t wait to taste it,

Calling it now, @Peach64 is on to something. Nintendo is done with the home console market in the traditional sense; instead, the NX will be an affordable micro-console designed to play Nintendo's games (including the entire back catalog) as well as indies and possibly even mobile games. That's still technically a dedicated games console.

@WaveBoy
Totally agree

It would be cool to see Nintendo go back to its powerhouse roots...

Well if it's true bang goes my hope for arkham knight armoured edition and probably my days of buying nintendo.
What would be the point of releasing this?.all this talk that they can get 3rd party support from android emulation does anyone actually think that people will buy that?.people already have mobile devices .why would I want to spend £150 minimum just to play a bunch of freemium games on my TV with 2-3 nintendo games I can't fully enjoy unless I've got enough folk available for the required multiplayer numbers?.

Of course not. NX will be AFM based and ARM CPU can't compete with x86...

Well, that is surprising. I would have assumed the system to be at least on par with the other two, as well as build around a similar architecture. I mean how else are they going to entice 3rd-parties to once more start porting their games?
It's also disappointing because I had hoped to see more complex games coming out of Nintendo in the future, large-scale, seamless world, physics based gameplay, good A.I., etc. "Power" is not just there for graphics after all =(

Well if NX is a handheld then yes it will be less powerful than a PS4.
If it's a console then it doesn't matter really so long they nailed down the services this time. Nintendo doesn't really need to beef up its console specs wise. It just need to beef up its services: Better VC, proper accounts, cross buy, cross save, cloud saving, better friend features, internal voice chat, no region lock, eShop accessible from the web for everyone etc.

@WaveBoy
Couldn't put it better myself, we are on the same Wave length Waveboy LOL
The only thing I disagree with is I have been playing games much longer than 25 years LOL

@Smash_kirby My thoughts exactly.

@Quorthon You're wrong, the NX is going to be more than just a stop-gap. There's no way Nintendo could compete with Sony and Microsoft on power alone, so they're obviously not going to participate in the power arms race. Instead, they'll likely try a different target market. The Wii ended up doing really well when it did something different, so the NX could have a similar success.

If t is just a home console it will be just another failure if it is not as powerful.
If it is a hybrid i does not have to be as powerful.

Couldn't care less

I'm going to take this rumor with a grain of salt.

I see some of you are bringing up the Wii as an example for a underpowered console selling well. That was 10 years ago and it was something new and exciting. They tried the same with the Wii U and failed.

I don't think Nintendo will do well if they come with some other gimmick for the next home console. Sure, we can have Gamepads and Wiimotes sold separately for games that actually use the function. Let's face it, the Gamepad haven't been used to it's fullest extent and sometimes it feels you could play just fine with a Pro Controller.

If Nintendo want third parties to publish games for NX, they must make it easy to port games to the system. When the NX comes out the PS4 is likely 3-4 years old. If it can't even match the specs on that old hardware I don't see why anyone should buy the console when they already got the Wii U.

On the other hand if the console is a hybrid and will replace both 3DS and Wii U the specs will maybe be difficult to compare with the PS4 which is a homeconsole. I'm playing Wii U a lot more then 3DS, if Nintendo want me buy a new homeconsole/hybrid, it needs to be able to at least handle better graphics then the Wii U. A new gimmick will not be able to convince me to buy a new console. They need to make a console that is superior to the Wii U and is comparable with today's standards. If not I don't see why I should need to upgrade my gaming system.

as a nintendo fan for me its not and never has been about the power, but the finish and the gameplay.
i want new and interesting over overheating processors and massive power backs.

The PS4, just like the PS3 before that, has more hardware power than it can use. The PS3 never even came close to reaching its full potential.

That said, i dont think its wise to underwhelm in the hardware department again. Not that its needed, for all i care, the WiiU delivered some of the best games this generation. but it would shut up those critics.

Then again, if you want to interpret a little more into that sentence:
Not competing with something / somebody is also possible, if they dont pose any threat, if you simply outclass them or, if you just dont care.

But we know nothing of the system, its just rumor pushing at this point.

@Spectra_Twilight
I feel the same way.

PS4? That's not even the reference point I was hoping for. I thought NX was supposed to be moving beyond current gen. So NX will just be marginally more powerful than the Wii U? What is the point of developing a console like that?

@SahashraLA - I agree with this. Lots of very sensible views being said here.
I bought a Wii U for the fun games Nintendo make, not for a PC experience.

@Ralek85
"I had hoped to see more complex games coming out of Nintendo in the future, large-scale, seamless world, physics based gameplay, good A.I., etc. "Power" is not just there for graphics after all =(

As far as I know anything, the next Zelda for WiiU will have all of this. GTAV and a bunch of other games for PS3 and 360 had all of it too. Developing a game is not doing miracles with the power alone, and more power does not equal better games. Final Fantasy IX for PSOne is still better than- say- FFXIII for PS3, and it's got nothing to do with the polygon -pushing capabilities of these consoles. It's possible to do great works or forgettable works with almost any technology.

@xSATANACHISTx
New technology, of course. And by this, I don't simply mean a new processor and graphics chip...

At this point I don't see third parties coming back whatever Nintendo do. Either they're gonna complain about the NX being underpowered, having a low install base or not being part of their demographic. This being stuck mid gen cycle also leaves them stuck between a rock and a hard place, either the NX will be a success or Nintendo will exclusively focus on Handhelds after it fails, or the third and most unlikely senario we will see Mario and Zelda on the PS5 within the next 10 years. All we can do is wait and see how it plays out. I hope Nintendo have a future, but it's also hard to be optimistic about it.

Honestly I'm not surprised that it's not as powerful. And I don't care either. I have my PS4. Why would I need a duplicate? I buy my consoles for the games anyway, so as long as the NX gets a good selection, the rest comes secondary. Or doesn't matter at all.

@6ch6ris6
Yeah but by the time NX hits the market, the PS4 will be at least 3 years old. Add to the fact that neither PS4 or XB1 are (or have) state of the art technology in it, means those chip cost have already fallen in price. At this point in time their GPU/CPU combination is over 5 years old technology which also means that a 2x (performing) version of the same CPU/GPU combo will cost the same (or less) to manufacture as it comes down to the motherboard (system) architecture. There is no reason why Nintendo' next console should still be underpowered even from a cost perspective. 2x will not give you 4k as that would be a minimum of 8K, but 2x would give you the performance bandwidth to handle even the most laziest of 3rd party ports in 1080p60. If Nintendo don't recognise that they have to over accommodate 3rd party by making it easier (not harder) to port their software, we will have another 3rd party drought.

Im never bothered about the power of a machine im playing on. Aslong as the game isnt ugly and runs smoothly im happy. However there is no sugar coating this. If the nx isnt at least double the power of ps4 it will be yet another under 15 million selling console. I am 100% percent confident of this because third parties want power and if nx isnt even going to beat ps4 third parties will simply abandon the nx like they did the wii u and wait for ps5 and next xbox.

Unfortunately, people nowadays seek a powerful hardware without thinking about a cost. Besides, we've come to the time where graphics is almost realistic as real life itself, so there won't be a big of a jump for a very long time. I simply prefer a console that's feasible to the gamer and easy for developer to make or port. If I want a powerful gaming console, I would choose a PC because of its upgradability. Nintendo is known for its great 1st party games that doesn't require lots of hardware power to look good.

On to the topic: I don't see the reason to post this rumor on this site, since Nintendo has a lot of time to configure the hardware specs. This guy comes up this lie with breeze. He's not a Nintendo's official, he's not a Nintendo developer, and he's definitely not Nintendo CEO. So I wish NL would stop giving some people attention.

Then they may aswell not even launch it. A new machine will suffer big time 3 years from now if it isn't the most powerful. They are cutting the much weaker wii u short by 3-4 years. To replace that with ANOTHER underpowered machine is just silly.

No, graphics don't make a good game.
Third parties however, depend on graphics for marketing and will drop nintebdo AGAIN as the hardware won't stack up for development of multi platform titles. They need to match or exceed ps4

I dont expect them to want to match the graphical power of PS4. Nintendo has never been a company to invest in graphics over gameplay, dont think they'd want to deal with the ballooning costs of graphic intensive games.

NX seems like it'll be more about mixing console and handheld gaming seemlessly. Being able to play something slightly better looking than a WiiU game, then switching it over to handheld and playing that same game on the go. Versatility sounds like their goal here, not just another graphics intensive system aping PS4/XBO.

Historically, mid-console generations have failed. Pre-crash consoles that came after the 2600/VCS, Turbo Grafx (between gen 3 and 4), early-mid 90s consoles, 32X, Jaguar, CDi, 3DO, Neo Geo AES, all failures.

If the NX comes mid-generation with ARM processor (b/c with 3DS but not Wii/Wii-U), presumably a slimmer stand alone game pad without the console, that you can hook up to a big screen and uses Pro controllers for multiplayer, and two form factors, a large home unit and a smaller portable.

I will get one but releasing u der-powered stop-gap consoles mid-gen would essentially be "pulling a sega" and the NX may very well be Nintendo's Dreamcast. I'll support it but would probably become a full time retro gamer if Nintendo goes third party. I've got enough games in my backlog to entertain myself for years...

Nintendo has never successfully played the power game, so it's not surprising. Since NES, they've been applying modest technology in creative ways.

I just hope NX sells less on a gimmick and more on features that make it accessible and practical.

Would be logical. Nintendo is a dwarf in this market. They can't follow the power race, which is basically a money war, since the Wii. They don't have an infinite wallet like Sony or Microsoft.
And if it's a hybrid handheld/home console, it won't have games drought problem since they will focus on one machine instead of two. Nintendo can survive without western third parties and few japanese third parties. They showed it with the 3DS

@StarDust4Ever I thought Wii U was Nintendo's Dreamcast.

I still can't believe the Dreamcast was more successful than the Wii U in terms of sales. I'm really starting to wonder if Nintendo would be more successful as a company by going Third Party, would anyone buy their games on other systems. I'm curious.

@bitleman even though the PS4 is screaming the competition in sales, Sony's so called infinite wallet is getting pretty slim.

What Nintendo and some people here don't realize is that NX will compete with PS5, not 4. I noticed in an interview with Reggie they actually think this gen will be as long as the last one. The out of touch is real.
At least we'll get a new Mario masterpiece with this system.

@hiptanaka
I agree but that was back then when technology had major limits and PC/mobile wasn't a gaming platform. But now technology has evolved and the average consumer is more spec savvy. The biggest mistake that they should have learned from the wii was that lost huge momentum when they (nintendo) failed to realise that technology had moved on at a faster pace putting the wii two generations behind the curve. I love playing the Wii U as it does have some of the best/amazing games on it, and its this fact that makes wonder that if it had the performance to match the PS4 or XB1 then it would wipe the floor with competition. If the original wii had the same performance as the xbox 360, the wii U would not be in the position it is in today.

@DESS-M-8 Making an expensive console isn't going to help Nintendo in developing markets like China and India. Anyone who wants to play a multi-plat AAA game probably already owns an XB1 or PS4 by now.

@IceClimbers So you're saying it'll be an Ouya. Nobody has been able to make a micro console a success and I don't think Nintendo will be able to change that.

For starters nobody who does mobile gaming will want it as they have phones and tablets and no Nintendo fan will get one just so they can play a handful of virtual console titles. Let's face it, Nintendo aren't exactly rolling them out.

Also indie games don't sell systems, Ouya proved that. And also this isn't an innovative idea that Nintendo must keep under wraps incase the competition tries to steal their ideas.

Lastly, if it's true that third parties were shown the NX or at least told what it is during E3 behind closed doors, and the response was positive, I'd highly doubt it would be a micro console. Not after the history these systems have had. And I would think Nintendo would have been talking to big publishers not small ones at E3.

So NX is going to be much, much more powerful than PS4, then? Cool.

@DanteSolablood Why do you equate better hardware with better graphics? While yes, devs would be able to increase the visual fidelity of their games, better hardware would improve a lot more things than graphics alone. Bigger worlds, more things on screen, faster loading times, etc. Not to mention, if this Is true, Nintendo is limiting what devs can create with the hardware. This also creates another situation where third party devs would have to invest more money to port a game to the console. All these companies want is money, and if the possible profit is less than the investment there is no chance of those games coming to the console. I understand that you don't like the CoDs and Fallouts of the world, but a very large group of people do and if they only have the money to invest in one console then Nintendo is already out of the running. Yes, Nintendo's games are usually very good, but investing in a system that only gets big games every six months isn't a thing a lot of people want to do. That's one of the reasons the PS4 has been so successful. Contrary to what you seem to think, right now Sony has the largest variety of games of the big three. Like JRPGs? Persona 5 and Star Ocean 5 will be out by the end of the year. SRPGs? Disgaea 5, this winter. Horror games? SOMA and Until Dawn. Several of those are available on PC, but as far as consoles they're only available on the PS4 with Persona being on the PS3 as well. For the most part, gamers can get whatever floats there boat on the system, making it a better value than the Wii U. Sure it doesn't have Nintendo titles, but most people, especially younger gamers, are able to live without them. When someone drops money on a console they want to know that the are secure for games for the next ~4+ years. And if the NX can't even match the PS4, which is underpowered as is, then it really will be considered a joke by the majority of the market. Nintendo needs to do something to appeal to the gaming market, or appeal to another one all together because I can't see them supporting themselves by selling to a user base of +/-11 million people. The NX is coming out 2016-17 and PS4 tier hardware would be even cheaper than it is now, nullifying the argument that this is to make it more affordable for customers. I understand and completely agree that graphics don't make the game, but they certainly count for something. By limiting what is possible on the system they will really be ensuring that it's a repeat of the Wii U, and that just isn't very appealing when selling a console. Yes, the Wii U is a great secondary console now, but it took about two years before it was worth the investment.

I love and have grown up with Nintendo, which is exactly why I want to see them make something great and not another flop like the Wii U has been for most of its lifetime.

From a fan's standpoint, the whole "as long as games are fun" concept is one to live by (and one that many a PS/X fan might have forgotten over the importance of graphics, at times). But, alas, that alone won't get us third party support, and Nintendo needs to learn that while we don't need PlayStation 5-like power, at least some graphical improvement is needed. Although it's not like none of this will matter in the next decade, as all consoles will have life-like graphics by then.

That said, calling it now: the NX isn't as powerful as the PS4 because, simply put, it's gonna be the 3DS's successor. And as for the whole "hybrid" thing, well, they'll release a WiiU app that will allow the TV to act as an alternate output to the next handheld's top screen. Simple as that.

@CB85 I also assumed just that, and it might simply be a Nintendo employee using weasel words in order to sidetrack leakers and whatnot.

I don't care if the NX is stronger than the PS4 or not. If there are going to be good games for it, I'll be happy.

I don't care about power itself, but shows how Nintendo learned nothing. If it's true I'll no longer buy NX on day one.

This just in: The sky is blue.

The Wii U is arguably not as powerful as a PS3 or Xbox 360 (i.e. it is in some respects but not in others). Nintendo no longer play the power game. They look to make their game experiences unique. This should come as no surprise.

The only reason people want a powerful hardware is to brag about it. That's it. I mean, look at PC gamers, they brag against each other about who has a better PC in terms of hardware power, which is a sad thing, since this is the only thing they have.

Not going to compete with PS4... it's going to blow it out of the water with a megathon console that does everything and anything, upside-down, backwards and inside-out!

Seriously peeps, too many reading far too much into a vague statement. It's another example of all the ambiguous talk going on by several parties, often referred to in some regions as 'clickbait'. CTFO.

@Cia Sure, I guess. But it has to be something truly revolutionary to motivate the launching of a brand new console that will be underpowered on release (something that was not even the case with Wii U). And if the technology will be radically different it will once again be an obstacle if the goal is to have the same multi platform games that will be out for Xbox One and PS4. And at the time the NX hits the market both Sony and Microsoft is likely to have brand new and shiny powerhouses coming out within a year. This sounds like Nintendo have given up on even trying to be a part of mainstream gaming. Perhaps they are aiming to dominate the toy stores with a product that has children as their main focus instead of trying to compete with other products in the electronic stores.

@DESS-M-8

Don't worry.

As you previously stated, companies like EA, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Activision, etc have been busy spending the last couple years developing games for the NX. Once it launches, it should have a lot of third party support...right??

Well they already lost the upcoming console war because they announced it early, it's going to be more powerful than the PS4 but then Sony and Microsoft will release their more powerful consoles and the NX will be underpowered and third party developers won't want to make games for the thing because limitations and the gimmick would be too difficult to develop for. Nintendo you poor brainless idiots, you never learn that people and devs alike want none of your gimmicky stuff, just your IPs.

@Azooooz Then why even developing new hardware? No matter how great the games are there is no way to survive unless they are able to create some type of hype. They need to sell units.

lmao!! xD well they are screwed then unless they use a normal gaming control or if its a handheld they just doomed themselves again! least i won't bother next console im getting wont be nintendo

The reason a lot of people are saying it is a 'console', is because Iwata clearly stated it would be a dedicated gaming console. Also, Nintendo have said they have had very positive feedback from 3rd party Devs when they pitched 'NX' to them at E3. If it is going to be a useless, underpowered console, no 3rd party Dev worth their salt would even be interested.

Also, the amount of security surrounding 'NX' is immense. The chances that someone, who in the past has been correct on a couple of things, has managed to find out the specs and everything else is pretty remote.

I say, wait and see. Why start slagging Nintendo yet again, when we have no idea what they are planning. If someone else tweets that they have seen the specs, and are amazed at them, are you going to believe them?????

@xSATANACHISTx Both Sony and Microsoft will not be launching any new hardware until at least 2018/2019. They both stated their current consoles will have a 10 year life span. If they were to release any sooner, Devs would not have had a chance to really get the best out of their current systems.

@akaDv8R He didn't find out the specs. In fact all he ever said was it won't be as powerful as the PS4. So i agree with what you are sating.

Why would someone with all this inside knowledge only be able to find out the the NX isn't as powerful as current generation consoles? If he were to be told insider information then it would be actual details such as specs and details on what the NX is. But nope all he knows is a very vague "won't be as powerful as the PS4."

Also as far as I'm aware he digs into cancelled games and the odd leaked E3 game, not actual hardware of forthcoming consoles. So he really isn't that reliable.

So yes I totally agree.

I'm just hoping that the NX is a beastly new handheld. If it's a home console, then it will not sell if it's weaker than the PS4. Unless it's a hybrid console, which i might also be interested in.

We'll just have to wait and see though, I never take any sort of rumours without a huge grain of salt.

Who cares, just give me my Metroid and Zelda launch games.

@akaDv8R "The reason a lot of people are saying it is a 'console', is because Iwata clearly stated it would be a dedicated gaming console." Link please. I thought 'device' was used, not 'console', but could be wrong.

Nintendo already said its the Wii U's successor.

@gcunit Actually, having quickly checked, it has been reported as a dedicated gaming console AND a gaming device. So, my apologies on that one.

However, I will still wait and see for myself, instead of listening to rumours.

If Nintendo made a console that is as powerful as the other two, and gave it a regular gamepad, they would not succeed. People would have no reason to buy a Nintendo console over the more established competitors, save for a few Ninty exclusives.

Nintendo has to try to differentiate themselves, but at the same time the Wii and Wii U have pushed them too far away from the competition.

I think Nintendo will try to make NX a product that people will buy alongside their Xones and PS4s, even PCs. Wii U obviously isn't something like that, but the 3DS is.
I'm still not sold on the hybrid idea, but maybe it will be something unconventional.

It will be funny if Nintendo uses Wii U's CPU and GPU and repackaged them in NX. People will say, 'Wii U is Wii, but NX is a different console.'

@Moshugan Well said that man. Also, these demands of "no gimmicks, just a regular controller!" seem pretty unimaginative. How many near-identical consoles do we really need out there doing the same thing? Nintendo might swing for the fences and fail sometimes but the industry needs crazy innovators or where would we end up?

The real news for me will be about how we will play, not how much power is underneath though.

@BooJoh you mean additional Just Dance titles?

@FragRed @akaDv8R thank you... It just sounds like he needs some attention at his website (looks like they need cash, read their statement). I'm sure this guy has been right before, but as they say, a broken clock is right twice a day. Also, the link for Unseen64 is bad, I looked this up and thought "do paying customers really care about this stuff?" Then I read that they have barely enough money to run their siite, blah, blah, blah... And that answered my question:No. No one is paying for this service. Not to be too mean, but seriously, a guy that has to go to a normal job has inside info? Pfft, yeah right. About cancelled tiles perhaps.

I remember When the Wii was first out, it wasn't as powerful at the time of the other consoles, but it extremely well.

Unless it's a portable, possibly a portable and home console hybrid, or just something totally unique that doesn't really fit the normal conventions, then this is a major mistake right out the gate imo.

I'm hoping this is some kind of portable and home console hybrid anyway though, and if it is then it's not a big deal. I think Wii U level power or just above would be ideal for some kind of hybrid.

You all know where I'm coming from: https://business.facebook.com/iNCEPTIONALSOURCE/posts/706543209491500?business_id=623156907830131

Based on some of the official statements and rumours though; it's looking like this thing might be quite different to what we are speculating. God knows what Nintendo is thinking to be honest.

I would have thought that it would have been on par with the Xbone & PS4 at least, but it makes sense if it's a portable/home console hybrid since there may be physical restrictions.

I think for the system to be a success, at least in NA, the new Nintendo System must be able to play all the games that the other two can play. I personally love the games that Nintendo produces and I'll be around regardless but I think the system will be a hard sell to the general video game community if it can't play Star Wars Battlefront, Fallout 4, Batman, COD, Madden and similar games. Just my opinion though.

@KirbyKirbyKirby
wii gathered dust while I was playing my 360/ps3. Wiiu is gathering dust while I play my ps4/XO. Gettin any ideas ?

@aaronsullivan @JaxonH - Nice first post Jax. One thing I wanted to add - 3rd parties don't WANT to make AAA titles anymore, too expensive, too time consuming. Of course we'll get 1 or 2 every year - GTA or MGS, and COD is yearly - but didn't Konami just bale on home consoles? Don't you think Ubi would rather make 4 Child of Light games a year than trying out out more Watch Dogs and buggy broken AC games?
Nintneod approaches them w/ 2 Wii U duct taped together, more than enough power for most games - heck most games are still released on last gen PS3/X360 - Madden, FIFA, Destiny - so power is not the only issue. Last gen ports are plentiful b/c that's where the money is. And Nitneod says - we have this Wii U w/o the Gamepad, which will be sold separtly as an on the go controller as a replacement for the 3DS, and Nintneod will make all of it's back catalog playable like a vintage jukebox. Look at how many indie games are being pushed now even on PS4. People don't buy consoles for them, but people will buy them for MK10 and SSB5 - 1 game both home and away. AAA is such a small part of the market, if AAA is all that, why did EA buy Popcap years ago? EA had foresight that's why. And Skylanders Lego and Disney don't need power.

So not another Wii, but not another Wii U either, some happy 2nd console from the start middle. Nintnedo IP can what Ouya ROMs can't.

@FragRed - Were you the one going at it w/ Thanos last week about this same stuff when I butted in?

Difference between Ouya and Ouya U - Nintendo IP. And Ouya is the only name in the history of videogames worse than Wii U. And Nintnedo would probably make it a hybrid out of the box, 1 save point home and away. I'm sure Ouya probably had that 1 save point as well onother devices, but I don't think anybody wanted to buy a Ouya.

@IceClimbers - Didn't see Peach on here today, you walking about all the comments from last week? Probably didn't feel like repeating themselves, but all those comments would apply today. And as usual I'm in agreement w/ Peach, Ouya U.

Seriously!? Nintendo exclusives are great but I'd like to be able to play my favorite third party titles on a Nintendo console too. They are isolating themselves from some great third party studios by making inferior hardware. People don't but Nintendo consoles to play this kind of games butthey are missing out on huge profits because of this. I don't mind the gimmicks but when they get in the way of raw power and graphics, it's annoying. Nintendo has proven that they can sell systems with some finish and less power and do fine, but I'd like to see them move away from that thinking. IMO it doesn't make sense to launch a system and not be able to at least match the specs of consoles from 2-3 years ago.

@crimsontadpoles

No, I'm not wrong. Just like Wii U, the NX will be seen by the industry as a whole as a lame stop-gap, especially if it's under-powered yet again. And the problem is that perception becomes reality to wide audiences. Nintendo sitting there pulling the "non-competition card" again will also not benefit them as it hasn't before. Instead, they'll continue to be seen as a fringe that doesn't understand the industry.

If Nintendo doesn't want the NX to be ignored as some kind of lame-ass stop-gap machine, then it needs to be notably more powerful than what's out now for the same price--essentially, they need to step up to the plate and bring competition.

Though as @Jetset notes, if this rumor is true and the NX is under-powered again, that points to another gimmicky Nintendo console destined to be quickly shoved to the side like the Wii U. The rumors are starting to roll for NX, and already they aren't sounding particularly attractive.

The Nintendoid in me is bummed. However, this might be good news. This will force nintendo to be creative and think outside the box (as always). After all, the MOAR POWAH-approach is the simplest, least inspired and least creative route in innovation. I do however see the appeal in the eyecandy aspect strong hardware opens up for. As a multiplatform owner I'm not that bad off i guess. But not everyone has that opportunity.

Id rather we get game leaks than spec leaks.

Sad face

I figured this was going to happen since NX is coming out mid-gen, but still it saddens me. This makes it more likely that we won't get the third parties back.

Please don't let it have a gimmick, please don't let it have a gimmick, please don't let it have a gimmick...

IMO Nintendo unofficially confirmed this rumour. They usually react fast to rumours that are incorrect but this particular one they are being quite about. Anyways I believe that NX will come in two shapes hangheld and a small home console. Both will play the very same games that will come in most likely a card form (just like 3ds) only bigger in virtual space terms. That way developers can work on a single title that would play on two different devices. If that happens NX home system will not compete with nx hadheld since they both will be one platform unlike what it was so far. Also there should be twise as many games coming out at least due to no longer needing to separate development teams. NX library should be record big if system becomes successful

@Moshugan

"If Nintendo made a console that is as powerful as the other two, and gave it a regular gamepad, they would not succeed. People would have no reason to buy a Nintendo console over the more established competitors, save for a few Ninty exclusives."

Sorry, but the only reason 10 million people bought a Wii U is to PLAY NINTENDO GAMES. The games are selling people on the system, not the gimmicky and poorly implemented gamepad.

Other than the Wii, which was a flash in the pan global phenomenon (which has since passed), the only reason people buy a Nintendo-made console is for the first party offerings.

A powerful console that could potentially play the big third party titles (assuming they decided to return to Nintendo) AND first party exclusives could be very popular.

I get it - this is just a rumor, but it's still very interesting to discuss.
What would it take for you to buy a 3rd party game on a Nintendo platform if you owned the current Microsoft and Sony consoles as well?

Hypothetically, if Fallout 5 was announced for Fall of 2017 on PS4, XBOne, and Nintendo NX - I would never buy the game on the NX if the graphical power or frame rate was lower than the other two. On the other hand, if the NX was more powerful and could run the game at 60 fps, while the other two were locked at 30 fps like Fallout 4 - Then I would definitely buy it on the NX. This is, of course, assuming that Nintendo doesn't make me waggle a controller or look away from my TV at a second screen.

I really hope Nintendo takes this opportunity to see the specs of the competition and improve on them. I think it is seriously the last and best chance they have at being relevant to the console market. Otherwise - its time to sell the IP's.

@6ch6ris6 The PS4 is a significantly underpowered PC from six years ago. If you factor in that the NX should release later than the PS4 you have to figure that even with tech from four years ago it should be more powerful than both of the other consoles.

@HollywoodHogan Ignoring the fact the Camecube was more powerful than the PS2 and easier to develop for and they still got the shaft then?

Is it really the time for a new home console. Either time goes freakin' too fast or it's too soon.

@FragRed I'll trust them to figure that out as long as their main development teams get to focus on a single unified platform instead of two.

It's a simple equation, nintendo can't build a console they'll lose money on for 2+ years since the 3rd party devs aren't currently in their back pocket which would bring the fans to help compensate the lose on hardware.

If it's not at least as powerful as the PS4, why then even bother building a new system. Wii U is already HD capable and everything else is just software?
Unless they are switching their OS to a DirectX compatable system and dropping AMD for NVIDA no point in getting a new system

Gosh darn it Nintendo. I'll pay $400 for an NX if it can run the same games that the other systems can. $60 for a controller is a bit much SONY!

If the NX uses newer hardware than the PS4 but spec wise has lower speed doesn't mean anything. My 9800 GTX video card that takes two power plugs is on par with some newer cards that take one to no power plugs with less aggressive cooling. Newer generation CPUs running at lower speeds that the last generation can be technically faster.

In the end, it is all about the games. If the NX is another "behind the times" system, it will be a secondary console and I'll buy its first after a price drop. My $400 will go for a PS4.

@Mommar

Ignoring the fact that the Gamecube was the lone system that could not read or play DVD's.

Nintendo is always behind the ball.

@Koopa-King Yes,definitely. That would be way better even if it was just a rumour.

@Quorthon

I have to wonder what the play is here, assuming this is true. Are we going to get a "Wii U 2" just without the gamepad? Or is it going to be setup with another cheap gimmick...?

I almost wonder if it will play Wii U games in some way, even if they're downloaded and revised to drop the gamepad, after hearing this. If the hardware is underpowered from a PS4 perspective, wouldn't that mean it's power is close to that of the Wii U?

Regardless, given that this is true, the third parties won't come back. It's too much work for them to port games, yet again...

Because the system will be much more powerful than PS4. XD

Sony and Microsoft won't be releasing a new console for a long time. This is the chance for Nintendo to make something more powerful and stay on top for years to come.

Not taking advantage of this fact would just be foolish on their part.

If true, I wish Nintendo would go third party. Many make excuses and list the exclusives the WiiU has. But you can't play Sony and Microsoft games on Nintendo's console, and you can't play most 3rd party games. WiiU had some very good games. But has there been a comparable experience that matches Dragon Age or Witcher 3 on the WiiU? You can't even play a Star Wars or Batman game on WiiU. Nintendo makes great games, but they can't support a console by themselves. How many triple AAA games have the released lately? It's July and Splatoon is the only major release this year. It's a solid game but it pales to what has been released on the other systems this year. Nintendo releases so few games that they must score a "9" or so. You can't release 7 and 8s. They complain that companies aren't utilizing the touch screen, yet they haven't been able to show us why it's a must have in their own games.
Nintendo can do whatever it wants, and there are fans that will accept whatever they do. But it has gotten old for me. I used to buy almost every Nintendo release, but Star Fox might be the only game on the release schedule I buy from them this year. Nintendo's consoles have been a day 1 purchase for me, but if this rumor is true, NX won't be. I can wait until Nintendo has a decent library of 1st party games.

Take these rumors with a grain of salt. Seriously "Talking to the right people", give me a break. As if a regular person such as this guy can really manage to get info about a console that Nintendo doesn't even want to reveal yet.

The NX has to be either on par with the PS4 or slightly better, with third party support. However that'll be a dream come true, but chances are it might be at least on par with the Xbone. The thing that really matter's is games, the NX needs to have a decent list of games announced for it during launch or else it faces the same fate as the Wii U. I'm hoping the NX turns out to be a hybrid, Nintendo's handheld is their strong point. I feel if they combined their home console with their handheld they could make up for the market's eye for the Wii U.

At this stage in my life (32), I buy Nintendo consoles strictly for the games. I barely use any of the apps and I forgive the lesser graphics because the game play is awesome. I don't care about the NX being less powerful than the PS4 because I own a PS4. I care that the games are high quality and enjoyable. If I want a life-like game, I'll buy Fallout 4 (which I am lol). It's going to be a long, long run of rumours until the NX comes out.

This will most likely be unified platform that runs single game on two of it's forms. Home console version of nx will be equal in terms of power to it's handheld form. Meaning it will hardly perform any better than what wiiu does. Handheld version of nx however should be impressive to cope with home system.

Not looking forward to this... Nintendo is not special anymore. They will bring out an underpowered box with a weird controller again? Nintendo is very very afraid of competition, they try as hard as they can not to compete with Sony and MS.

Whatever this turns out to be it needs third party support, surely. Either that, or it's a cheap niche console thing just for Nintendo games, which I think personally would devalue the Nintendo brand. Needs to be using the latest tech really or it's not a successor to anything, but a backwards step.

@Zyon

holly cow!!! And I thought I was the oldest Nintendo fan in the world. Im also 32

@MoonKnight7

Just being under-powered compared to PS4 wouldn't necessarily put it closer to Wii U, but if the rumors of it coming as early as July next year (which I doubt, I'd put my money on November next year), but it would be risky, and potentially very damaging way to go. If you're putting out new hardware, it should be more powerful or equivalent to what is already out, or consumers aren't going to see the point.

For instance, if someone came out with a new phone to compete with an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, would you want to buy it if it was less powerful than either of those, but cost around the same? Of course not. And that's one of the big things that hurt Wii U. Sure, it has four times the RAM of the X360, but equivalent CPU and GPU heft, while being $150 more expensive. Consumers looked at it as a system the same power as the X360, without a harddrive, and fewer games, but for $150 more (at launch).

I think 3rd parties are mostly burned out with Nintendo's nonsense. The evidence isn't just the Wii U, but the 3DS. When a system with 50 million in sales struggles to get 3rd party support, something is seriously wrong with the hardware maker and their place in the industry.

We, of course, always need to keep in mind that these are just rumors. But as they continue to spread, that's going to put pressure on Nintendo to act, and get their reveal addressed before too much damage is done outside of their control. At the same time, I remember hearing rumors that the "next Nintendo system" (then, Cafe) would feature a nearly 6" screen built into the controller. I thought it was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard. But here we are, and that game system exists and is dying at retail.

Nintendo doesn't seem to have learned their lesson about weaker hardware, apparently still believing the Wii was a genuine success and not, as reality shows, that it was a fluke, a fad. Their "we're not competitors" stance has only made them look irrelevant and hypocritical--particularly at points where Iwata literally used a cherry-picked list of Metacritic scores to make Nintendo look "better" than the competition they aren't competing against.

This company is delivering face-palm inducing moments at an unprecedented rate these days.

http://kotaku.com/nintendo-really-likes-metacritic-1686254849

It does surprise me, since it'd be less powerful than a past-gen system, but I honestly couldn't care less about the power of a console, personally. I'm sure it'll have sufficient power to provide us with quality content anyway. Naturally, one gets enjoyment out of the games. Mind-blowing, right? So where's the fun and satisfaction in owning a simple piece of plastic, I'm not gonna stare at it lusciously
The only con that can come out of this is developers being put off again (for whatever real reason) i.e. less 3rd party in the end, which would be a shame for people wanting those games.
But like I said, it's the games that matter, so let's hope for a rich library filled with some of the best content (something the Wii U managed to do amidst all the negativity). It only comes down to the games, so we'll have to wait and see

@Nintend0ro I'm actually 22. What made me sound older?

@akaDv8R

_The reason a lot of people are saying it is a 'console', is because Iwata clearly stated it would be a dedicated gaming console. Also, Nintendo have said they have had very positive feedback from 3rd party Devs when they pitched 'NX' to them at E3. If it is going to be a useless, underpowered console, no 3rd party Dev worth their salt would even be interested.
Also, the amount of security surrounding 'NX' is immense. The chances that someone, who in the past has been correct on a couple of things, has managed to find out the specs and everything else is pretty remote.
I say, wait and see. Why start slagging Nintendo yet again, when we have no idea what they are planning. If someone else tweets that they have seen the specs, and are amazed at them, are you going to believe them?????_

I will point out that secrecy around NX is meaningless. There is secrecy around everything Nintendo does, and around every major project in this industry. That doesn't mean it's automatically going to be "good." Just because there is secrecy and security doesn't mean that being hidden is good.

Nintendo also said nothing at all about positive views on NX at E3. Nintendo didn't say anything about NX at E3. The information is leaks and rumors from industry sources, not from Nintendo at all. It was not known until after E3 that Nintendo was apparently showing off the hardware behind the scenes. This also does not automatically mean it's going to be good or impressive hardware. People can be interested or intrigued, but that doesn't mean they are ready to support the hardware or that it'll be amazing. Third parties were also interested in the Wii U early on and behind the scenes, and look how that turned out.

Unfortunately, most of what we've been hearing about NX mirrors the way Nintendo talked about the DS, Wii, 3DS, and Wii U before launch. Lots of "change the way we play games" and "new ideas" and whatnot. Almost nothing about how they've learned from their mistakes.

Nintendo might bring a system as powerful as ps4 but probably in some ten years the way they're progresing LOL

@Cia
"It's possible to do great works or forgettable works with almost any technology." Yes it is, but that is completely unrelated to my point. And yes, it is true that we had open world games on the last-gen consoles, and that the WiiU, in terms of performance is roughly equal to those (PS3 and 360), and thus ... yes, Zelda looks to take advantage of that, once it is finally released, to create open-world'esque gameplay.

That was not my point though, since frankly, I'm not per se an open-world/sandbox kinda guy. I'm currently playing Arkham Knight and despite manifold improvements, Asylum still feels like the better game. It definitely was a more focused experience, less diluted by pointlessness and filler (AK is still a great game though).
Anyways, my point was more about the possibilities afforded to designers by technology, of which graphics is really just the most obvious and thus common aspect. Open and seamless large scale worlds are but one aspect. I already pointed to stuff like A.I.. After all, let's not kid ourselves most enemies in games are dumb. Good A.I. is not smart A.I. as in beating Chess Grandmasters, good A.I. is fun A.I. An A.I. that adapts, that changes things up, that reacts without being reactionary - something that feels not scripted, but also not like it knows more than it should in context of the game (ignoring a fog of war for example).
Good A.I. is not the A.I. we see in games like FE (I love that series to death though) or MK (it's called rubber-banding for a reason) ... Ninty would have their work cut out for them here for example.

Same goes for physics based gameplay, which can be really fun and most importantly it's never stale. I still remember the gravity gun in Half-Life 2 very, very fondly. As far as physics go, it was still a somewhat limited device, but it was till a huge step forwards in terms of simple "point-n-shot". You could really interact with the world on a level that felt much closer to reality than before. It made the world more palpable - something beyond a simple backdrop or framing for shooting stuff.

Most importantly though, all these elements can and should be combined whith each other and with "traditional" concepts, and no, not every game has to have all these elements incorporated. For example, a Mario 64 sequel could greatly benefit from a large-scale physics-driven open world, without giving up on the traditional strengths of the franchise, like it's brilliant level design and simple controls ... (and I'm not even much of a platformer fan ).

Anyways, like I said at the very beginning, power is about much, much more than graphics.

My only real concern is that the lack of power will limit the developers in their games. However lets be honest here. A nintendo dev could go back and make a gameboy game and it would still be a great game. In a day and age where power has just created more buggy and broken games im happy that Nintendo isnt trying to break limits.

Nah. I don't believe this..

@DarthNocturnal
You are right about graphics not matering for console specs. In my case, I bought the Wii U even though people keep calling it a failing system. Why? Because the games looked fun. I could have gotten a PS4 or Xbone but I didn't because I didn't really like the games on them. Plus if it is a console handheld hybrid, then Nintendo will be fulfilling that wish of having a main title pokemon game on tv. That is what I am mostly excited about. If they go this route, I see it being a reverse Wii U in the way that the controller(handheld) will keep and transmit all of its data, while the console(box) will receive that data and show the images on the tv. Not saying that the Console itself won't do any thing. It could be backwards compatible with Wii U games and the portable would be the same with 3DS games(without 3D?). Overall, nintendo has to go the hybrid route to catch anyone's attention and could possibly make up for the sales losses from the Wii U. I just know there is going to be at least 1 jurassic world meme about it.

I'll say it again. Nintendo needs to make the NX to be competitive with the PS4 and Xbox One... at the very least. If they push out hardware in either late 2016 (which I hope is when it's due out) or 2017 and is already inferior to systems that have been out since 2013, Nintendo will further alienate themselves from the gamers that they need support from.

The last two console cycles, Nintendo has been behind its competitors from the get-go as far as horsepower. So even though this is a rumor, it is a very believable one. And if they go that route again, this could be Nintendo's last home console if sales continue to decline. The Wii U has proven that Nintendo can't survive just based on their die hards.

RIP Nintendo. You had one job to make a powerful console, and if the restriction is from some stupid gimmick I'm going to loose it..hopefully they at least got more third party support and figured out how to advertise better.

@JoostinOnline A handheld is what I'm expecting. I'm guessing it'll be Nintendo's first handheld system which features built-in TV support.

@ericwithcheese2 If it even is a home console. We don't know anything about this system yet... Nice conclusion though, based on nothing. Btw. Nintendo's biggest home console hit was the Wii and that console was waaaaay underpowered in comparison. If Nintendo made a powerhouse, it would not sell more consoles because the hardcore market is already playing either of the competitors consoles. Nintendo needs to stand out in some way to attract new players and yes, as borring as it sounds they need to reach out to the casual market. N64 was more powerful than the PS1, gamecube more powerful than the ps2, but the PS still outsold both Nintendo systems. Also if nintendo suddenly started focusing on power their consoles would cost accordingly, and the Hardcore market still sees Nintendo as a kid-friendly console and wouldn't buy it either way. Let's face it, Nintendo isn't cool anymore and they are not trying to be because they would get even more steamrolled by the competition if they did. Softcore market apeal and core franchises for the fanbase, and they better make something that catches on like the Wii, or I too won't see a future for Nintendos homeconsoles.

@Quorthon Did I say Project NX being a closely guarded secret means it is automatically good? No I did not. I said that Nintendo had received positive feedback from quite a few devs when they approached them about NX. Your comments were meaningless, and you are probably one of the biggest scare mongers around. Like I said, if someone Tweeted the complete opposite of what this so called expert Tweeted, would you be raving about it? No you wouldn't, because it would be something positive about Nintendo.

@Zyon
your previous comment states you're 32. That's my age. For a nintendo fan this is a lot since majority are teenagers and kids..

@akaDv8R

Dialing back to reality is not scare mongering.

Fair enough on the positive measure of the secrecy. I misread that portion. Nintendo still did not say any 3rd parties were saying anything positive about NX at E3. If you are going to talk up the secrecy in a form that we shouldn't trust critical words at their value, then you shouldn't talk up the positives in that manner, either.

Your post essentially said, "there is secrecy around NX, and we shouldn't trust these rumors. But here are some positive rumors that people liked NX behind the scenes at E3. Let's listen to those because they're kinda positive."

Every time someone attempts to attack someone else as "you just say mean things about Nintendo just cuz," all they're doing is ignoring valid points, jamming fingers in their ears, covering their eyes, and flying the banner of the fanboy. Those comments do not help anyone make their points. Get over it. Address comments and don't be a child. It also illustrates that you are extremely selective in which posts you bother reading, indicating that you have an agenda to--for whatever reason--continually demonize another person.

Indeed, my arguments for Nintendo going third party are overwhelmingly positive because it would finally be a way for the company to get their games to the audiences they deserve. Fanboys hate hearing that because, apparently, what they want most of all is that hardware, regardless of the games and, evidently, they want Nintendo's games to sell to only the smallest possible audiences.

Sigh... anyone else think Nintendo shouldn't have mentioned the NX at all? All these rumors are just going to hurt someone, regardless of whether some people are smart enough not to deem rumor as fact.

I've never been one for graphics anyway. I am able to sit down and enjoy an SNES game the same as a game nowadays.

If that's the case, I'd hope it's either a handheld hybrid or noticeably more powerful than the Wii U.

Was your argument really just ''He's been right before, so we can assume his claim has good sources and he'll be right''??

Releasing a console that is not up to the current generation is pointless. So Nintendo must publish a console that surpass the current generation to make a stand. Late for this generation will not work, early for the next generation may be a good thing since Xbox and Playstation will not release a console in some time. I really like Nintendo games but for a console to work they need third party games and since nowadays everything is multi platform, you need a console as powerfull as the rest to take advantage of the multi platform games. If Nintendo releases a console for this generation that it is not up to the current generation it will be the Wii U all over again. Most of the games for the other consoles can't be port because the Wii U is inferior.

There are several reasons why I prefer to wait until I see thee system myself
1. The specs at this point have obviously not been finalized
2. Even if Nintendo didn't want to compete in the power race it would be very difficult to make it les than PS4 considering the hadware in that system is greatl outdated already and how GPUs and CPUs are increasing in capability with each year. If Nintendo ends up using a 2014 or 2015 GPU then its not that difficult really
3. If they did show off NX behind closed doors and got a positive impression part of that likely may have been due to hardware
4. Those previous rumors from Tamaki have mainly been software related not hardware two completely different thing. Just because he was right before doesn't mean he will be right again

I seem to agree with the majority--I love Nintendo games but having a console come out 3 years after its competition and still not being on the same level? After reeling from an underselling Wii U (I love the Wii U, definitely gets more playtime than my Xbox One). If this is true then maybe Nintendo just can't compete with the other companies out there. Very sad. With all that said it is just a rumor so who really knows, and honestly I'll probably buy it anyways (but I'm clearly not the market Nintendo is trying to expand into--they are trying to get higher numbers than the Wii U...).

This is just my opinion but I just really dont trust this guy and it's a red flag for me when he states " Talking to the right people". Is that it, depending on their positions its up to the higher ups in the company that decide what goes into the new system not random people. Please take this with a grain of salt

This is just my opinion but I just really dont trust this guy and it's a red flag for me when he states " Talking to the right people". Is that it, depending on their positions its up to the higher ups in the company that decide what goes into the new system not random people. Please take this with a grain of salt

@dariusq Handheld with support for TV. I am sold. It may be similar to what I do now with GBA games and Visual Boy Advance, I hook my laptop to my TV and apply a lot of filters (V-sync, Triple Buffering, HQx4...). It is incredible how good it looks since I am upscaling to a 43'' screen from the tiny GBA screen. I do not know if you can pack a handheld console with enough power to do a good job at applying filters and shaders as modern emulators do but the idea is great. I would love to play my 3DS games on my TV when I am at home.

If it is the home console/handheld hybrid, then I'm pwefectly fine with this.

@Nintend0ro

You are just a baby! I am a grandma...

I'm starting to wonder if the NX is just a portable Game Boyish controller for the Wii U that you can take anywhere and play downloaded games on.

Highly unlikely.

Nintendo already said third parties like the NX.

Also this: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/631516-wii-u/72123358
Gearbox is working on at least 2 games for the NX.

My bet is it will be at least 20% more powerful, and be from AMD.
Hopefully it's Zen based, but that would be expensive.

Unless it has upgradeable parts like some of the upcoming Steam Machines, this will not interest me. That's why I have yet to jump on the PS4 and Xbox bandwagon. I don't want to get caught in the cycle of upgrading a whole console and losing the previous generation of games. Now if Nintendo suddenly put all their games into an account based system and released games on a consistent schedule, that would be different. Not just new first party games, but more 2nd and 3rd party offerings, and a utilization of their back catalog. And again, a back catalog of 3rd party games is essential. Bring me Turok, bring me Superman vs Doomsday, bring me WWf No Mercy. The likelihood of any of this happening is minimal. And so I might just keep PC gaming instead.

@gatorboi352 What this guy said ~

I think if it isn't made to work on 4 k tvs it just aint going to do well. Hopefully its powerful enough, I have faith that nintendo won't repeat the mistakes of both the wii and the wii u and outperform the next gen/now current gens and make a next-next gen machine ahead of the competitors.

Can this guy be any more smug with that smile at the end. Tool.. If there are an array of 3rd party games that will be there for the duration I don't care.

almost 400 comments on this ridiculous rumour? Well done, NL

@JohnyVang1982

Nintendo also said that 'third parties liked the Wii U'

Only an absolute moron believes anything this company says anymore.

Perspective people, XB1 is "less powerful" than the PS4 as well.

Graphics =/= Bad gameplay

...

@k8sMum
how old r u then ?

What the hell makes this random guy so damn creditable....I simply can't not comply on how this guy is damn creditable....Yeah he made some prediction but anyone could of figured that out. Sorry but I'm going to take a full bottle of salt and wait until 2016. Knowing Nintendo it will be true but it's better to wait...If it's in par with Xbox One. Then that's pretty damn good.

@JohnyVang1982

They also said that about Wii U. Look what a f**k up that turned out to be

The Wii U is the least powerful of the current gen consoles, yet it's the only one that runs most of its games at 60 frames per second.

Specs isn't everything. Priorities are more important.

The fact that the big publishers have different priorities than Nintendo is a problem, but I don't know if the solution is to make a much more expensive console that the first party developers won't fully take advantage of, anyway.

@hiptanaka
Specs are important to 3rd parties. If having 3rd party games on a system you own is not important, then I can agree with your statement. I simply would prefer to play 3rd party stuff on Nintendo's console but that never happens since I'm good graphics addict. At the moment I play those on XO/PS4 and use my Wii U for exclusives only.

Where do I begin... First off, I pray that this is a rumor and nothing more. I hope that this Liam guy isn't a "reliable source" but I'm surprised that NintendoLife didn't post any previous times when this source was correct. Now granted I/we could always just Google this and fine out if he is a reliable source but it's still surprising to me.

Now, humoring this rumor to be true, if the NX Is a inferior console specs-wise to the PS4/X1 then Nintendo did not learn their lesson with the abysmal failure that is the Wii U and that's damn depressing and unprecedented. Now, knowing Nintendo, they were going to add some kind of gimmick to differentiate themselves from Sony and Microsoft. However, I also told myself that the last time they did this (The Wii U.) it was an unholy abomination and begged for an apocalypse. So because of its failure, I also told myself "Well they have to have learned their lesson this time. The sales are horrendous and the community's completely split. between people who enjoy this console for what little it is and the people who despise this barren wasteland for the crap it is." So after concluding these obvious facts, I would imagine they would take a step back from the gimmicks and make a system that preformed AT LEAST as good as the current gen consoles.

If the NX is going to be inferior to the others, it's going to have the same developer issues that plagued the Wii U AND THAT'S NOT IDEAL! The NX is going to be a wasteland of a console much in the same way the Wii U was. And maybe even worst than the Wii U. I say that because the Wii U's still fresh in the mind. I would imagine third parties/Indies would wait to see how this console preforms sales/specs-wise before they even start to developing games for the NX. I mean it's common sense isn't it? "The last console was a failure. lets hold back and see what this console can do before we start making content for it." And after hearing the typical crap that Iwata said about the NX saying "The NX will not be plagued with a poor launch." Just makes me even more worried that this system's launch will be EVEN WORST than the Wii U/3DS's launch. I mean, no one's going to jump in and start making games for this console before launch. They're going to wait. And what does that leave us? With MAYBE a handful of first party games from Nintendo. Now, on paper, That's still bad but Nintendo does have some of the greatest first party IPs in the gaming industry. However, past launch experiences says "Nintendo's first party launch titles are either lazy, or horrible. Lets quickly recite a couple of their launches. starting off with the Wii U. The two launch titles I can think of off the top of my head are Nintendo Land and and New Super played out Mario U edition. Nintendo land was advertised as a multiplaying game. In actuality half of the mini games were multiplayer focus. AND HALF OF THOSE games required that stupid Wiimote plus add on in order to play it. And it lacked Online play. moving on to the forth entry of Super Please Kill Me Edition added nothing new to the New Super Mario games. You own the Wii one? You own the Wii U one. (No online btw. Surprised?) Jumping over to 3DS. There... was nothing. The only game I remember that was solid was Street Fighter. and as we all know, that's not a Nintendo IP. Obviously take Iwata's comments with a gran of salt. This guy HAS BEEN proven to BS when it comes to launching consoles and other things.

Sigh... What can we do... Here's an idea I guess. If it's true that the NX is going to be inferior to the PS4/X1 EVERYONE needs to riot. We cannot have another failure that is the Wii U. Now in the past, Nintendo fans HAVE rioted about certain things and Nintendo typically doesn't listen. In which case it might be pointless to complain about anything towards Nintendo. And that's damn sad. But, this is the only way to get through to them. Yes, you can just simply not buy the NX and thus tell Nintendo "No. I don't want this." But were essentially doing this already with the Wii U and Nintendo still hasn't learned from their mistakes and will continue down a path people obviously don't want them to go down. I'd like to imagine that this is just a never ending dark linear hallway with no light at the end.

I don't know... Lol. I seriously don't. I'm just a fan. Other than those two options that I mentioned I don't know how else to get through Nintendo. The Wii U's a failure, The NX is looking grim, and there's just no light at the end of this tunnel.

What's comforting to know is that people here seem to be alot more critical towards Nintendo lately. Especially with the horrible Digital Event. If there's anything Nintendo needs it's criticism. Criticism and more some. Now, I'm not saying all of this because I'm some "Pretendo" as some peasants would probably call me. I'm saying this because Nintendo's not in an ideal position. The Wii U sucks and has fewer games than ever. The rumors for the NX are in full effect. The 3DS doesn't look all that appealing anymore and I don't even need to talk about amiibo shortages and more.

In conclusion... Just keep criticizing Nintendo and not buy their products until they learn. Or at the very least, buy them used. I'll end by saying this: I don't believe dropping the Wii U will be as damaging as some people may believe. I think people most people who own a Wii U are aware how dire the system really is. I don't think it'll destroy consumer confidence. However, what will destroy consumer confidence is repeating the same mistake. Because it screams "They're not learning from their mistakes. So why should I invest in anything from them?" And if these rumors are true, that very well may happen again.

So it won't be as powerful, and it'll come out 2-3 after ps4 and Xbox one, wow. By that time those consoles will have tons of must have games, while Nintendo will be coming around again with a underpowered system that is sure to be over expensive for what is offered, and the third party won't care for another underpowered system. My advice is to buy one of the other two systems, our have a good pc and Nintendo cause it didn't sound like Nintendo it's learning their lesson with what third party and most gamers want.

@Quorthon right can you please this time back up your argument? This is probably the 1000000th time you have called the Wii a 'fad' without backing that up with any evidence. The fact is the Wii was successful, fastest selling home console ever (20 mill in 13 months I believe), popularised motion controls, great games (Prime 3, Twilight Princess, Galaxy 1 and 2, Xenoblade Chronicles), and near unprecedented software sales. Wii Sports is the highest selling game as it was bundled with the Wii, but that would fall into your fad argument. By my definition, a fad would be something that did not have longevity, but that doesn't apply to the Wii either. It had the standard life-span for a home console (5-6 years) and as for games, Mario Kart Wii came out nearly 2 years after the Wii's launch and is one of the best selling non-bundled games ever, NSMBW came out nearly 3 years later and sold 10 million in North America alone, Wii Sports Resort was over 20 million as a 2009 launch and even Skyward Sword, the last great Wii game became the fastest selling Zelda game ever, and I'm not sure but I think Twilight Princess on Wii sold more than any single platform Zelda. There are at least another few dozen games that broke the 1 million mark, and a lot of them didn't launch in the first year or two.

Are you really going to say that a console with that much success is a fad after reading the facts? At least you're no longer tarring the DS with the same brush, because that claim was just so unfounded and wrong it was laughable.

Wasn't expecting it to be as powerful as PS4 as I'm expecting a hybrid handheld/home console which wouldn't be...

Hate to say this but I won't be getting NX when ever it releases. I'm done with Nintendo not making powerful systems. Unless Nintendo makes a Rosalina main game with Rosalina being the main character with an open 3D world a spinoff series. I won't be getting the NX any time soon!

@ColdingLight Wow, that's quite a read! pretty interesting though

It's insane that people are on a Nintendo forum swearing off Nintendo because of a rumor about a system that no one knows anything about other than it may not be as powerful as the PS4.

Like, is it a handheld? A home console? A hybrid? A phone? A VR headset? A watch? a pair of glasses? A bionic gaming potato? You have absolutely no idea, and you've already sworn not to buy it. You're welcome to do that, but I would posit that you may not be thinking rationally.

@JohnyVang1982 There's nothing to say that's not a Samba de Amigo sequel and low level Borderlands port like with the Wii though (replace Borderlands with Brothers in Arms). Returning to Wii Remote controls sounds like something Nintendo would do.

Nintendo are stupid, but not that stupid. After all every NX rumor so far has been wrong.

@Nintend0ro

Old enough to know better, but young enough to go ahead anyway.

I am (drum roll, please) 65 years old and have been gaming since Pong. I get a bit upset when posters denigrate grannies who game because who do they think was playing all those years before they were a glint in the milkman's eye? I spend very little of my time being what some call old and most of it living.

I am an extremely cool little old lady, of course. My kids grew up with all the ninty consoles because I wanted them. My son is 31 and my late daughter would have been 29 last month. I bought my soon to be 10 yr old grandson his 3ds and get him most of his games. I love my PS3 and have never played an fps because of motion sickness issues. I am debating whether it worth upgrading my 3ds to the NEW 3ds as it's getting a bit wonky.

I do wish people would just see each other as people instead of labels so they can put us all in little boxes, but like most things, nothing much ever really changes.

Some random person said the NX isn't as powerful as PS4? We must make an article about this!!!!!

If this guy says its not "powerful" then why did Nintendo say they got positive responses from 3rd parties

@PieEater163 I don't think Nintendo is THAT stupid. We don't know what the NX looks and plays like. In conclusion, do not trust that rumor and take it with a 16,000 ton of salt. Only Nintendo will have 100% confirmation of a new system. There's also a possibility that the NX will be powered by two AMD processors-- x86 (home console) and ARM (NX GamePad/Portable Unit).

@MightyKrypto Well thank you.

@TheLastLugia (@Quorthon)

To be fair, he is articulating motion controls as a "fad" in terms that it hasn't lived much beyond the Wii's lifespan. He isn't denying that the Wii was incredibly successful. That's how it became a "fad" in the first place, isn't it? The success of the Wii. Throwing out all those games and their sales numbers don't mean squat, and if anything proves his theory that it is a fad, when you look at the numbers between the Wii and the Wii U. It was the best selling home console for Nintendo, so it better have incredible software sales.

What he is describing is that the Wii's motion controls are the fad, or a gimmick. He doesn't need to back it up because the proof is right there in front of you. Everyone has dropped motion controls, and even Nintendo appears to be moving away from it.

Do motion controls still exist? Sure, but they do appear to be on the way out. He is describing it as a fad, as in it lasted about 1.5 generations. Look how quickly Microsoft dropped the Kinect to make it competitive with the PS4. They would much rather focus on the console itself than to rely on a gimmick that is clearly on the way out.

I'm not buying the NX regardless of how powerful it is. Why? Two reasons. 1. I'm not exactly in a position to be buying hardware, and won't be for a while. 2. Why should I? Let's say it did have all the 3rd party support. Ok? I can get those games on the other systems, in my case a PS4 (which I didn't buy for 3rd party games either - those are always extra to me). Nintendo's games are too few and far between.

Will wait this one out, and wait for a price drop. If the NX fails, which I think is a possibility even if Nintendo did fix their mistakes. Simply put - not enough people care anymore.

I'd rather play catch up with the rest of the 3DS and Wii U's libraries. Never did get fully caught up with the 3DS after the barrage of games from 2013.

@MoonKnight7 "It was the best selling home console for Nintendo, so it better have incredible software sales."

Skyward Sword flopped .

@IceClimbers

Last I heard, it did ok (but not great), but perhaps I'm mistaken. That said, given that there were almost 100 million Wii's, yeah I can agree with that.

@MoonKnight7 @IceClimbers Pretty sure part of that was due to the infamous E3 showing of gameplay footage which is actually somewhat representative of the final product

this isn't really a surprise anymore, I could have predicted that. Nintendo's hardware will always be 2/3 of a generation behind, using the money to invest in new ideas/quirks for their new systems, as well as being able to offer a lower initial price point. No body should be shocked by this news.

Nintendo hasn't been interested in playing 'the power game' since the Gamecube, so I wouldn't be surprised if this was true. I don't think the console-portable build of the NX is the reason they would go this way. Nintendo's gone the route of being the cheapest for awhile now. Whether or not it's working, given their financial reports, is up for debate.

People don't buy Nintendo games or systems for the graphics. That's just the truth. It's for the gameplay, at the end of the day.

It's unique design and Nintendo's signature gameplay are what will make NX a success, I believe. Time will tell, in any event.

So yeah, I'm not having a hard time imagining this to be true. We'll see.

This is going to be hilariously tragic to watch. And this time I won't be suckered into buying one by Nintendo's empty promises, so it won't even sting.

When you declare your future console won't compete with the power of a current one you're saying you're putting last-gen tech in there.

@Grumblevolcano

Haha, yup I remember that. Fair point.

@Grumblevolcano That was part of it. Releasing late in the generation and requiring the Motion Plus accessory was the other reason. That hurt that game's sales big time.

I'm sure they made a profit on the game though, which is what matters in the end.

Whether it's true or not, it's worth talking about. As WinterWarm said....it has been true the last two systems.
Honestly, I'm glad to see some critical opinions of Nintendo. It's OK to love them and be critical of what they're doing.

@k8sMum
YOU'RE F***ING AWESOME !!! Inspiration to me for sure. Regarding NN3DS I would not recommend it now since it's days are ending. I just upgraded to it and soon NX news reached me. Now I feel like I should have waited a bit longer and spent that money towards NX. Out of curiosity, what games do you play? What's your favorite genre ?

@X_Octo Lol..Looks like PlayStation set the bar too high for nintendo to reach. Lol haha haha.

@rjejr "@FragRed - Were you the one going at it w/ Thanos last week about this same stuff when I butted in?"
That wasn't me. We actually agreed with each other:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/07/rumour_nintendo_nx_shipping_this_time_next_year_20_million_sales_targeted_in_first_12_months#comment3079935
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/07/rumour_nintendo_nx_shipping_this_time_next_year_20_million_sales_targeted_in_first_12_months#comment3080137
He did disagree with you though, so I'm thinking you mean someone else. Might be @Kirk, with whom I've had a bit of an argument, but we became friends again once I explained myself a bit better...

@Sceptic The didn't declare anything

Wow, I think this is the longest discussion I've ever seen on NL!

I second @DarthNocturnal on post #8, I don't really care about the computing power as long as the games continue to be great and the console still provides innovation.
For raw computing power, I got a gaming PC. But that doesn't have Nintendo's recent games.
And no Sony or MS console can ever compete with a PC, so I don't get why anyone would buy a PS4/Xbox One.

Unseen64? Lol, why can a small blogger create internet rumors now? Yeah, don't believe a word he says. I just hope it outperforms the PS4 because the PS4 is in no way a powerful system, not at all.

@Nintend0ro Awesome indeed, couldn't agree with you more.
@k8sMum It's really great to hear that you still enjoy gaming that much. It's all a bit of generalization of course: people get labeled at all kinds of ages for either not being able to do stuff, probably doing (some not so very legal) stuff or for more than likely not being interested in some stuff anymore. The latter of course being used as the stereo type for someone of your age. I'm 45 years old now and I too sometimes am frowned upon for still having such an "immature" hobby or whatever variation of that comment that in the end always translates to "go and do something more useful with your life".
The topic of discussion underneath this article is one that does make me feel really old (and very tired) sometimes, especially if people are going into a debate about power and graphics over gameplay and what MUST happen even though most of them have no idea whatsoever of how to run a company and what kind of things have to be taken into account besides simply creating the most powerful game console, because that really sucks the joy out of the whole hobby (which obviously also includes visiting video gaming related sites) for me. Oh, well...

While I think the system could do well without the power of a ps4 or xbox one, it's an immediate downer straight out the gate if he's not as powerful or more. There has to be a strong appeal in both the gimmick and the hardcore specs. I don't want nintendo to lose their way and think they always must have the most powerful console, but I don't want them to sit here and beat around the bush either.

@TheRealThanos
Glad there's another N fan older than me. Seems to me that it's how young you feel inside what makes you a gamer not your age at all. I noticed lately that I find Nintendo "childish" games more appealing to me than those of Call Of Duty crap

ON TOPIC AND IN GENERAL:
Obviously Nintendo does need to get with the times for a change and it would be ridiculous if NX is a home console and would achieve being weaker than current gen over 3 years later, but that is not something that I'm going to worry about too much for now, since we know next to nothing.
I have known Unseen64 for quite some time now, and even though it's quite an entertaining and informative site if you're interested in the history of unreleased games (regardless of platform, by the way) I don't have much faith in these tweets; it's based on nothing. In the sales bizz we often say "past results are no guarantee for the future" or "you're only as good as your latest victory", so the fact that he was right about rumors a couple of times before, doesn't mean that this one is true as well.
And if we are to compare the reliability of websites and/or game related media with each other, then I would hold GameInformer in a reasonably higher regard than Unseen64.
I've seen what has been said partially mentioned in some of the comments above, but here is the entire quote exactly as it has been written on several other sites:

"Nintendo Apparently Discussed The NX With Third Parties At E3 And Had Positive Feedback

Game Informer is reporting that Nintendo were approaching third-party developers at this year’s E3 event in Los Angeles regarding their new hardware which is currently known as the NX. According to the US publication the reception that the team received was positive, which if true, means that the overall concept is one that appeals to developers and gamers.

The problem for Nintendo is the NX’s launch is at least a year away - likely more, as the company reportedly just started talking about it with third party partners at this year’s E3. (The reception, say insiders, was positive.)"

Reading between the lines and taking into account the behind closed doors sessions, it seems to me that it's quite logical that Nintendo wasn't approaching indies since that would make no sense whatsoever, and they were apparently actively seeking them out and handing invitations to come and take a look behind the curtain. Knowing Nintendo they would only invite big names in the gaming industry and there will probably be some form of NDA slapped onto it, but obviously they did have to show or tell something really interesting that these third parties would like to hear if they really want to try and get some of that support back.
@shani "And no Sony or MS console can ever compete with a PC, so I don't get why anyone would buy a PS4/Xbox One." For the same reason why anyone would buy one (or more) consoles: for the exclusives. There are and there will always be games that you can't play on any other system, including PC's.

@MoonKnight7 I'm sure in the initial comment Quothoron said that "it's laughable that Nintendo consider the Wii successful" or something, so yes this was about the Wii as a whole, which is an undoubted success. Regarding motion controls, aye yes that's the best way you could describe as a 'fad' on the Wii, as many bought the system for the novelty, but considering that BOTH Microsoft and Sony launched less successful attempts at motion control (Kinect and PS Move) after the Wiimote, and that they both still have, admittedly limited, functions this gen (the PS4 controller and Kinect, especially at first when it was required with the Xbox One and of course many Wii U games using it, and using it well might I add Splatoon as the main one) So it's even a stretch to call motion controls as a 'fad', considering all three used it last gen, and still attempted it over the last few years this gen. And the only one who made it a success was Nintendo. So there ya go.

@TheRealThanos: Which exclusives are you talking about exactly? I mean games that are worth playing and not found in similar shape on PC or other platforms!
I just looked through this list of 53 exclusive titles and I could find nothing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PlayStation_4_games

Nintendo has the only platform with real exclusives, just to start with the obvious choices Mario and Zelda (although by now the Wii U has other ones, too), you'll never find games with the same quality anywhere else. And it's not like I haven't looked around! Beyond Good & Evil was such a game, but it was released on all platforms.
Even on PC the real exclusives (maybe Football Manager? I love that game) are rare.

@Zelkardaim: I absolutely agree!

@TheRealThanos

what Nintendo games are your favorite, mate ?

@TheRealThanos - "going at it" was a bad choice of words on my part, I know you were writing lengthy responses back and forth w/ someone whom you were mostly in agreement in with. Kirk was around but it wasn't him.

Looking more like Ouya everyday. I wonder how long before Nintendo starts doing damage control rather than just saying - we aren't talking about NX? No matter what it is they're doing there must be a way to put a positive spin on it w/o revealing too much.

Either that or date Zelda U and make everybody forget about NX. Not talking about either just looks weak to me. Or show more Starfox Zero, or a game surrounding ACaF. I'm not talking about refuting every roumer, I mean completely change the subject to something concrete and positive and stop being such an enigma all the time.

Even Nintendo must be tired of constantly defending MPFF by now. Have a new ND and make it good.

@earthboundlink Thats one of the bigeest rule of the internet rumor automatically=fact

@Nintend0ro I actually like a whole lot of games, so I don't think I really have a type. I like Mario Kart but also more realistic racers. I like JRPG's like Baten Kaitos and Xenoblade, but I also like more accessible RPG's like Pokémon, even though I don't play those games anymore. Other games I love are the exact games that we aren't getting anymore. At least not on current platforms: F-Zero, Metroid Prime, 1080, Wave Race, Excite Truck, Legend of Zelda.
But In general I like most Nintendo games, although I'm not a big fan of puzzle type games. Other than that I can quite easily be entertained with almost anything that has the label Nintendo slapped onto it.
There's a time and place for every type of game, is what I always say. Like when you had a bad day at work and you play a racer, fighter or shooter game to relieve some stress.
And sometimes you're just in the mood and play whatever floats your boat at that moment. Could be a sports game, a platformer or maybe even a mini game collection such as the Mario Party or Wii Party/Play/Sports titles. (yes I play those)
@shani Arguably there are many similar games to be found on PC, but Nintendo has it's own IP's and that is what contributes in part to the magic. Same goes for Sony and Microsoft, albeit in a different way, because they don't have that Nintendo difference. Sony does have epic games like The Last Guardian and the cinematic games like Heavy Rain and the like. And let's not forget The Last of US and Uncharted.
Microsoft also has some unique games that cannot be found on PC.
There's a lot of multi-platform games that are also published on PC, but you can't just go and search a somewhat similar type of game to replace the missing PC version of a console game, otherwise every PC platformer can be labeled a Mario game...
Mind you: I'm not advocating one or the other, I was just replying to your comment to give you the reason why most people buy consoles. Another good reason could be that not everyone has a true game PC and aren't willing to invest in that, even though it may be cheaper in the end: a console also represents convenience to a lot of people.
@rjejr No harm done. I don't think these comments were some of my lengthy ones, though...

@ColdingLight Call the eff down this is just a rumor with practically no base and I have already stated my reasons why I don't believe this one bit

@gatorboi352 Well, I'm asking, and I refuse your time out. An alleged industry insider with unimpressive credentials. Whoop-dee-doo.

@HollywoodHogan correct. Same as wii u, same as ps4, same as Xboxone. A good point well spotted by yourself.

The ultimate point is, just like wii u, if the performance doest match the mainstream, the third party support will dissolve as fast as it always does. No third party would commit multiple full teams for several iterations. If your machine doesn't stack up and requires a full ground up port, it isn't gonna happen. Period.

See, you can make a good and we'll informed point when you try. Clever boy.

Honestly as long as it's more powerful than the Wii U I don't really care

This is the most comments I've ever seen. Wow.I'll say that reliable or not, Nintendo HAS to have learned that a hook won't always win people. Even the most untech saavy people will look for power, even if they don't know what they're looking at lol. So i will believe this when i see it.

Power isn't so important, but the more hoops you make third parties jump through the less likely they are to support your console, so... Yeah, I guess it is kind of important, isn't it?

@6ch6ris6 cough*PC*cough

And pc IS a console, IDC what anyone says.

Anyhow, what if the NX is a portable? It would make sense since 3DS is getting pretty old now. And no one would be pissed anymore that it's weaker than PS4

@thatguyEZ I don't equate power with graphics, if you read my previous posts I confirmed that the Gamecube could give better graphics than the PS2, despite the PS2 being the more powerful console. I would say however, that a lot of things you describe as needing extra resources don't require the sheer amount of power thrown into the current gen... the Gamecube could handle more individual NPCs on screen than most of the biggest name PS4 games ever use & loading times have become worse during the last couple of generations as developers have stopped using clever programming tricks developed in the PS1/PS2 era and just rely on muscle. Jakk & Daxter on the Playstation had huge sprawling, populated worlds and almost never had a loadscreen more than a couple of second.

As for CoD & Fallout, my main issue is their iterative nature & thatuse very little of the power provided by the consoles.. I do not dislike those that play FPS'... I merely dislike the idea that they are HARDCORE gamers when they rarely stray outside their narrow genre. Let's not forget, FPS players may pour money into a console... but this does not support the ORIGINAL games being released on it.

Persona? 3DS releases, JRPGs, getting a more of them on 3DS than the 360 ever would have. Yes, the PS4 has a reasonable library of games - though these are hardly given the support they need. Gundam Dynasty Warriors 4 received so little attention that it released without FANS knowing it was out & Sony acted surprised!

Nintendo should give us the best graphics available on a games console at the time of making the console.

There is no point in playing catch up, be up there with PlayStation.