Rumour: NX Set for 2016 Release With Nintendo Targeting 20 Million Shipped Units

Lulz

Early next year seems too soon to release their new console, and 20 million units seem like a bit of a reach on the first year. Sounds like just another rumor.

Let's say this is true. I really hope Nintendo has a killer launch line-up along with some amazing games to show for the future. Other wise why bother.

Hopefully we get Bayonetta 3, The Wonderful 101 sequel, The Legend of Zelda, Pikmin 4, A new 3d Mario and DK, Metriod, and whatever Retro is working on.

Hahaha, what? Stop it

Until Nintendo says something....anything about it, rumors and speculations will keep rolling endessly

Could work fo a micro console

Zelda Wii U will have the same launch strategy as Twilight Princess did.

June works, but Christmas makes more sense. The Wii U and Wii dev kits were each shipped out 8 months to about a year before each system hit store shelves. The dev kits came out about 2 months ago, so June would more than 8 months after that...

It has to be 2016. And I would guess July for US and Aug for UK, same as the Wii. This gives a good few months build up before the Christmas market.

It has to be, because the Wii U softwear is being spread out and wound down and apart from Starfox 2016 is going to be a bad year for games on the Wii u. I would guess Zelda is a launch game.

@ThomasBW84 I think you meant to say a late Spring/Summer release for the NX not Wii U.

I find it completely nuts that not even a whisper has leaked out from those around the devkits as to what exactly in the hell the NX is.

Nope.

I could see holidays next year.

Wasn't this rumor out about 5 months ago? Or something very similar.

Not saying it isn't true but I would think after the Wii U and 3DS releases underwhelmed Nintendo, they would approach this with a little more caution. Better to have a Wii like supply problem then an over abundance of stock sitting in warehouses

@Soren not soon enough. Nintendo is all but out of the home console market. Ok it will sell a few new consoles to new gamers by preloading MK 8 and Splatioon, but what about the loyal fans who have a Wii u and no new choice of games to play. The NX can't come soon enough before a lot of us turn to the PlayStation.

@Gerbwmu Yeah it is. It's an old rumour. The new part is that some people are actually estimating 10-12 million.

@Gerbwmu Yeah, it sais the same except the launch date was June 2016 instead of the holiday seasonif I remember correctly.
At this point in time, there have been so many rumours, that until something is confirmed by Nintendo I will assume every rumour is fake and just speculation. If this were true, information would have leaked about the dev kits, and we know nothing.

Didn't we already hear this rumor?

All I can say about NX is that if you're expecting some mind blowing launch lineup, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. No system launch in history has had such a lineup. Period.

You have to remember though that the NX could be handheld and console. 6 million for both(or a little less) seems more realistic than a console selling that much.

If true its either handheld and console or handheld. if its just one device and they're gonna want that many sold in 6 months have that many units available day 1 the device must be pretty cheap to manufacture.

@IceClimbers I have a feeling NX will. Also, Wii lineup wasn't bad at all for the 15 year old me.

20 million units only if it's a handheld, 10-12 if it's a home console. The fact that Nitnodo said the high number and the manufactures said the low number I suppose means it's a hybrid.

For those wondering about the "rumour repeat", the article was posted today on Digitimes so in that regard it's "new". And the actual headline is about the units shipped more than the date:

"Upstream supply chain expects new Nintendo games console to achieve 10-12 million unit shipments in 2016"

No mention of "NX" anywhere, which somehow gives the article more credence for me.

I've always thought holiday 2016, early summer would be odd as 3DS shipped in the US in March I think but it didn't' start selling until the holidays after a huge 33% price drop. Though I suppose if it's June Japan, July US, August EU that kind of makes sense. Japan got PS4 in Feb after shipping worldwide first but I think Ntineod will want Japan to have it first like the "new" 3DS.

Fun fun fun.

@zool What? Wii didn't release in July/August, what are you talking about...?

Good luck with that.

Might have been somewhat credible without the Q1-Q2 part. That's just ridiculous.

OK, bigger issue: what becomes of Wii U?

You can still buy the Wii Mini in the US and there are even new games for it, I know I just bought Skyaldnrs Racing to get the Bowser set. Does the Wii U stick around? It's pretty expensive, Wii Mini is only $99 I imagine some parents are still picking it up for Mario Kart Wii. Can they sell a $250 Wii U next to NX? Is there a Gamepad less $99 Wii U Mini? Will Wii U still get 3rd party support? I know it doesn't seem like much but it dos still get all the Lego ad Toys to life games, and of course Just Dance.

What does NX mean for Wii U? Or 3DS if it's portable?

Every rumour is fake until officially confirmed.

Also, no. It will not release in 2016. Too many titles awaiting a WiiU release would get the boot in that case, something Nintendo would regret far more than they could benefit from.

Q2 2016? I have major doubts about that. We haven't got ANY information on it and Nintendo pulling a "oh, and the console launches in two weeks" at E3 is very very unlikely.

Still going to make the logical assumption of the Nx releasing in 2017.

Ugh.

Rumors, but makes sense since all of 8th generation Nintendo has been COMPLETELY overestimating how much their hardware would sell.
As for releasing, I would think the NX handheld could release in 2016, but the NX home console shouldn't.

@liljmoore I can see a port of the new Zelda coming at a minimum. Aside from that a September release sounds about right.

@Kaze_Memaryu Unless it's a new handheld. The 3DS is 5 years old next year, yet people expect it to live for another couple of years... Not sure about that. The only thing I can see Nintendo releasing next year is a new handheld.

If this rumor is true then they definitely have a low price point in mind. $199 would be my guess

@rjejr I don't know why you are so on the Wii Mini, I have never seen one in the wild and I work at a Gamestop. We do sell used Wiis for $50 though and people come in and buy those still though, just the other day someone was asking, "What is the cheapest way for me to watch Netflix?" and I said, "Get a used Wii." And lo and behold they did, and one or two games too. It pains me to sell Wiis when the Wii U is RIGHT THERE but if the customer is not interested they are not interested!

Fun fact all weekend (the three days of Black Friday) I had people telling me they were upgrading from their Wii to... PS4 or Xbone. facepalm Everybody that had bought a Wii U did it at the Walmart down the street! Then they came to us for the games. I don't know what that says.

With NX I'm not taking anything as meaning anything until I actually get some info on what kind of device it is, because I'm not convinced it's even going to be a traditional videogame console.

I find it unlikely to see the NX in 2016. I don't see it releasing till 2017 earliest.

As far as this supposedly quick launch goes... wasn't the last quick, stealthy console launch that of the Saturn? Let's all take a moment to think about how well that went.

Novermber 2016 release in USA and December in Japan and Europe.

Here my Salt, hoping i was not too late.

@Kirk the ironic thing is, that is the one sure fire thing we know it is. Iwata said it himself- NX "our next dedicated game hardware". The fact that there's someone who has an account here who is unsure about even that just highlights how little we know about the thing. Which then makes these idiots who've already decided that a 2016 release is set in stone look like, well, idiots.

@TheLobster I think it says that Gamestop didn't have good sales on the Wii U hardware.

My money's still on Fall 2017.

@Yorumi
Not really.
The bigger the amount they manufacture, the bigger the discount they get from parts suppliers and Foxconn.

The less they order, the more they have to pay for parts from their suppliers for the first batch or two.

Though if they are manufacturing both the handheld and console NX at the same time, they could drive down the costs of manufacturing even further.

Though DigiTimes are wrong nearly all of the time.

Though if Nintendo does it right, they will unveil the hardware in early 2016, with a full E3 blow out, and then ship by the end of 2016.

Every console and handheld that has launched in the year it was unveiled has sold well out of the gate, except for Saturn (it has way too many issues outside of Sega).

I definitely think NX will release Nov 2016. It's very clear to me that they're done with the Wii U and are basically just trying to give Wii U owners two more hit games - Star Fox and Zelda. Star Fox comes out in April and Zelda will likely come out in Nov. NX will probably get a Zelda Wii U port for its launch in Nov as well. I know the Wii U will only be 4 years old at the time NX will (likely) release but let's face it - the Wii U was a failure and it's actually in Nintendo's best interest to get the NX out sooner than later.

Yeah...no. There is no way in Hell this will happen, and if it does, then Nintendo has completely gone insane (cue the replies to this comment about them already being insane...).

@Yorumi thinking it makes sense is a lot, lot different than "2016 NX release, Wii U dead, Zelda U for NX Nintendoomed PS4 4evalolz" that the true idiots have been spurting out for months. It's idiotic to say "NX definitely will release in 2016" when you really should say "there's a chance that the NX might release in 2016". See the kinda big difference?

@NintendoFan64
How is it insane?

It's far cheaper to make larger amounts of hardware than smaller amounts of hardware!

WHAT IS WITH ALL THESE NX RUMORS? I'M SICK AND TIRED OF IT!

Now I'm sure that NX is their new handheld. It can't be THAT good and atractive that Nintendo think they could sell 20mil units in one year.
But for handheld it's possible and makes sense because 3ds is one great but old piece of hardware.

It's a sensible and possible plan, though it's earlier then I was expecting. I've got my salt at the ready.

As for the numbers of consoles sold, they're possible buy Nintendo needs a fantastic launch line-up. Hopefully the recent lack of big titles has meant that they've got plenty planned for the NX. Plus, some 3rd party launch titles would really help pick up sales.

@ThomasBW84

Q2 with the calendar in mind or Q2 with a financial year in mind starting in April ending in March?

@Yorumi
That's not entirely true.

3DS reviewed poorly, had too high of a price, and was given loads of bad press due to health issues regarding 3D.

It didn't help that Nintendo was forced to delay major first party titles from the launch window in order to get 3rd parties to support the system at launch.

Wii U was mishandled, mismarketed and too high priced to be successful.
In order to get 3rd party support at launch Nintendo had to agree to withhold major 1st party games from the launch the window, so 3rd parties could sell their games unopposed.

Wii and DS received horrible press for being in short supply to the point many governments investigated Nintendo for purposely creating a shortage of both systems to drive up demand.
Let's not forget Nintendo waited over a year to launch the system from it's unveiling allowing the competition to respond accordingly.

if NX console and handheld launch at reasonable price (in line with Wii and DS) with heavy hitters for 1st party launch titles, then they should sell well out of the gate provided Nintendo doesn't wait a year between unveiling and launch again.

Though if NX console and handheld launch with a first party heavy launch, then it will greatly damage 3rd party support for the generation.
(This is why PS4 has no real 1st party support after 2+ years on the market).

@Yorumi "Wii U is dead"
"NX is out 2016"
"Zelda U is an NX game, just like Twilight Princess"
"Wii U is dead"
"Wii U has no games"
Quotes. Taken from this very article's comments section, some ever so slightly re-phrased. That illustrate my point. Understand now? Speculation and guesswork is fine and healthy but these people I've quoted are not doing that, they are posting the same things all the time trying to claim it as fact and going so far as to attack people who disagree, bringing that pathetic 'f' word into play. Which is why I left this site for several months after E3 when it was particularly toxic. Unless you're biased and on their side, you can't feign ignorance as to what they're doing on a regular basis. It's annoying and stupid, because that's exactly what they are, at least on the Internet.

@TheLastLugia Actually, the only thing we know is that it will be dedicated to playing games, but they have also specifically stated that NX will also be a very different machine too ("a brand new concept"). And the codename NX itself actually stands from a product that is something totally brand new and a concept that's even untested/unproven up till now*. I also agree with you, and I'm not convinced this thing is going to arrive in 2016 either, unless, just like the console, the release schedule is going to break a lot of conventions too.

*That's this thing I can't properly prove, but I did read an article about the specific use of "NX", in whatever industry it was that I read it about, to indicate a product that is completely new and untested/unproven.

According to Gaf, this is actually a separate rumor from what we've heard before. The previous one was supposedly a leak from Foxconn.

Now, based on this, I believe that Nintendo's contract order was for 20 million, but about 10-12 million will actually be shipped to retailers (sold to consumers is an entirely different thing). Therefore there's an extra 8-10 million in storage in case it's needed.

NX is the multiple form factor ecosystem. An NX handheld and an NX home console. Same OS, same library for the most part, same services, and the same or similar architecture (either ARM or x86).

A Q2 2016 launch is possible as they must be referring to the fiscal year, meaning a September launch most likely, though I still think an October/November launch is more likely.

With both a console and a handheld, then I think 10-12 million is certainly possible.

hmmm....I donno,I still think 2017

If true then Nintendo have to be releasing the handheld version first.

If this is the console then I am sorry but them numbers are absolute madness. Not a chance that NX can gain back that amount of market share after the Wii U debacle in such a short time.

This is what I think
2016 launch as a handheld system
Also it will be a little more powerful than the wii u
I also think that zelda u is a nx game the wii u is not powerful to run something that scale.
I also think they drop the wii u next year maybe in early 2016
They maybe going out of the home market. I think they could do a saturn move too.

@Yorumi they throw the first stones, and pointing out that their behaviour as idiotic is of no concern to me when it is idiotic. I actually expected that reply from you, there's only 60 or so comments yet because they go against your opinion it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack and you need me to point them out for you? As I say I expected you to say that so subsequently I don't think it's worth me conversing with you as you're going to keep coming back with more excuses. Adios Mr/Mrs/Ms Glaceon and happy gaming

I'm thinking about something.. If they release that new home console next year, what message they send to their loyal costumes who bought Wii U having on mind it will be "just" 4 years old?! They are telling them.. Oh sorry wii u is a failure, and we are working on new one so don't expect any great new games for your OLD dedicated gaming system.. We want you to buy our new one and let's all hope it sells well so we don't need to make the newest one after 3 years... And so on.
People are not stupid, and they don't want to buy experimental consoles/projects every 2-3 year.
I'm not buying it. And if they really release new home console next year - I'm done with Nintendo.
And as long as they don't lose money with each wii u sold - I don't see what's the rush

@RCMADIAX figures you would trivialize the hard work of hundreds of people with more skill and talent than yourself

@Xenocity "It's far cheaper to make larger amounts of hardware than smaller amounts of hardware!"
I...what? How is that cheaper? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Anyways, given that the 3DS got off to a bad start, and that the Wii U has just recently outsold the Dreamcast, I think Nintendo would want to lower their expectations for sales a bit. Plus, when will they be announcing it, then? How long will third-parties have had time to develop for it? Will they even have enough time to get people to want the system? I'm sorry, but I just don't see this happening.

There's only two time periods throughout the year, that I would see someone releasing something big...be it a console or not, and they would be around the March era (with income tax returns coming in) or around October/November (for the holiday shopping). A summer release wouldn't make that much sense, as people are saving for vacations and families aren't going to spend the money on a console and games at this time...let alone, be stuck inside on nice days. I see nintendo announcing something about it at the beginning of the year, but I don't see a release until the holidays, or into 2017. I do see the next Legend Of Zelda game being a launch title for it, as it seems weird that Japan is now getting the Wii U Pad separated in sales (which could also mean lowering the cost of the Wii U system), but I see that as a usage as an extra controller for the NX.

Guess nobody will know anything (unless they work for nintendo), until Nintendo themselves announce something more about it.

Has Nintendo learned anything from the Wii U? They seem to be going through the motions right now. I can't tell if they're working hard on making the next console a success or they're incapable of releasing games on time.

@Yorumi Ah. I didn't know that.

@Yorumi this was how it went last time I gave the haters 'the benefit of the doubt'

Me: "Actually mate I think it's kinda a bit too early to be making presumptuous claims like the NX will definitely release in 2016 with Zelda U and that the Wii U is dead as there are multiple great games coming out for it.
One or two but it was actually several people in opposition: "Oh my God you fanboy! Stop supporting a dead console! My PS4 laughs at that joke of a system with no games! You have to be a pathetic fanboy to even suggest that Zelda U isn't coming out for NX also!"
Which is why I am not referring to these people or quoting them directly as the last time I tried to be civil with them they...well you've just seen what happened. And again I don't want to treat you like a 5 year old, they say the same things all the time after all, it's harder to avoid it unless you are doing it purposefully.

Anyway defo going now for realz, there's people who don't think exactly as I do elsewhere and I must correct them! j
Oh and Jim Sterling's latest Jimquisition is golden and I'm much preferring reading the idiotic comments there as opposed to here.

I feel like everyone who just bought one of the Wii U bundles this past weekend is going to be very disappointed next year when they find out a new system is out, and therefore, Nintendo probably won't get those people to buy another for another few years at least. 2016 seems like it would be too early for them, but then again, 2017 seems like it would be too far for them.

Hold up. If they're planning to release NX in 2016 (and Spring 2017 if they're doing a staggered release), then there's no way in hell they'll wait until E3 to reveal it. Nintendo has some insane NDAs right now for the thing, but eventually someone will spill the beans. That means they'll likely unveil the NX before E3 so that E3 can be where they have a software blow out and unprecedented partnerships.

How would they reveal it? In a Nintendo Direct, perhaps? Didn't Kimishima say that Nintendo Direct was going to see a bit of reformatting in 2016? Are we perhaps going to see our first Nintendo Direct Live?

Nintendo can't release NX fast enough, any later than 2016 would be disastrous. The Wii U has been an utter failure and they need to claim a stake back into market.

The wii u released over a year too late and was too similar to wii for it to stand a chance.

The NX has the potential to succeed, if Nintendo keep to 2016, they market it right, they get and keep third parties on board.

So no pressure then on the NX's reveal.

I am a Nintendo Fanboy, but if the NX releases in 2016 I will not be buying one.

On Black Friday I bought a 2nd Xbox One, so me and the kids don't have to play split screen mutliplayer. While the Wii U just sits there collecting dust.

Or sell the Splatoon WiiU bundle for $200 and collect the money until 2017, but whatever. I wish these rumor articles stop appearing on here.

@MrGuinea that's at best 2 million between now and Christmas. They can afford to anger two million if it means tapping in to 100 million who are not buying their products

@Yorumi
It's tradition to be down on Nintendo at the end of a generation and hating the systems that are winding down because many customer segments feel "abandoned" by Nintendo and feel that the software was oriented towards kids and "casuals" at "hardcore" gamer expense.
It's part of the Nintendo cycle.

Right now DS and Wii are becoming appreciated for their software library and feature set, while most are hating on 3DS and Wii U for abandoning gamers and focusing in kids ands "casuals".

Same thing happened with SNES, N64, GCN and GBA.

@NintendoFan64
It's exponentially cheaper to fill big orders than fill smaller orders this day in age.
Everything in the industrial process is geared around huge orders.

As for the system itself
3rd parties get development kits year or two ahead of the unveiling.
In the case of NX, EA and Take Two will not be supporting it because it's not aimed a the "hardcore (you know those gamers who love AAA blockbuster games and M-rated games)". Ubisoft, WB and Activision will not break their M-rated game and AAA Blockbuster games until the system can show it can sell those types of games. Instead Western 3rd parties will line up E and T rated software, on the belief that Nintendo systems only cater to those who buy those games.

It's been leaked for a while know that certain key 3rd parties have had development kits prior to the last E3, with others getting shipments since E3.

Sony couldn't not keep up with PS4's demand and all the system had in it's first 1.5 years was multiplatform ports with like practically no 1st party support (it had like 3 1st party games). Yet PS4 flew off the shelves and is now sitting at ~30M sold.

Sony has shown all you need is 3rd party multiplatform games such as EA sports and Call of Duty to make your system sell.

PS4 post price drop sales are ahead of PS2 sales now.

PS4 literally went from a February 2013 unveiling to a blow out at E3 2013 to a 2013 launch.

These same kind of rumors surrounded the Wii and WiiU before release. Way early release dates and high shipping numbers. Not falling for it. This is the Nintendo that's barely kept the WiiU afloat, even struggling to release Virtual Console games, and they're going to have launch software for a whole new system for Fall 2016?

NX will be 2017.

@electrolite77
Yes, Iwata stated it at 3DS launch E3 and Wii U's launch E3 that they had to let 3rd parties have the launch in order to get support from the major 3rd parties.
He was on record numerous times stating it as the lack of 1st party games.

The only Nintendo-made title that has been confirmed to launch with the system is Nintendogs + Cats, but where are the Zeldas and Marios we were hoping to purchase on day one? According to NeoGaf, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata stated that the reason Nintendogs is the only first party game at launch is because Nintendo feels that the software that comes pre-installed on the 3DS is similar in comparison to that of Wii Sports. Iwata also allegedly admitted that they wanted most of the attention to fall on the third parties supporting the new three-dimensional portable.

http://mynintendonews.com/2012/10/30/nintendo-delayed-first-party-wii-u-games-due-to-third-party-support/
http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/wii-u-launch-games-delayed-to-2013/
http://www.shacknews.com/article/70878/nintendo-strategically-holding-back-3ds-games
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=25656999&postcount=1
http://www.shacknews.com/article/70878/nintendo-strategically-holding-back-3ds-games

@Darkthany
Actually Nintendo has released more 1st party games on Wii U than they did on SNES, N64 and Gamecube.

Nintendo has essentially released all their 1st party NES and SNES games on the VC. Most of the unreleased games are blocking due to licensing issues.

@Yorumi your cherry picking you know that right.

If there's any kind of truth to these numbers, I'd be very surprised if the NX was a traditional console at all.

Luckily, I don't have to think too much about it, what with being rumors and all.

It's a handheld if Nintendo are expecting those numbers.

@Yorumi

Wii U is as divisive as the Gamecube, N64, and Wii have been in the West.

The four main reasons why Western 3rd parties don't bring their AAA blockbuster and M-rated games to Nintendo systems are:

1) Nintendo since NES has been seen as company that caters to kids and "casual", while hating on the "hardcore" and "mature" gamers. This leads to people in the industry and 3rd parties believing that Nintendo systems only sell to kids and "casual" and not to "hardcore" gamers.

This means they believe that AAA blockbuster and M-rated games cannot sell on Nintendo systems, thus they don't bother to put the full effort.

2) Sony and Microsoft literally spend hundreds of millions of U.S. Dollars buying 3rd party support, especially from Western 3rd parties. Microsoft has already spent over $500M U.S. Dollars on securing EA support and over $100M+ for other Western 3rd party games.

Sony has spent almost $500M+ to get major 3rd party games on their system, including Destiny, Call of Duty, Ubisoft, and others.

3) Sony and Microsoft literally send their employees over to help code and debug 3rd party games instead of focusing on 1st party games.

4) Sony has released less than 10 1st party games on PS4, with very few in development to ensure they don't crush their 3rd party partners with 1st party software. Microsoft has some more 1st party releases, but they aren't as many as Nintendo.

1st party sales always crush 3rd party sales, which is why 3rd parties avoid systems with heavily 1st party support.

@Pod
Nintendo has yet to make a "traditional" console, every Nintendo console has been labeled gimmicky in the industry because non of them conform to industry standards.

@Yorumi That's possible, but they're gonna have to try their hardest to keep people's mouths shut about the thing until then. E3 is about 7 months from now. If they can keep people quiet until then, then okay then. Otherwise, they'd be wiser to unveil it prior to E3. I just find it hard to believe they could keep people quiet about it until then.

@IceClimbers snes only needed one launch game to sell the system.hint hint super Mario world.what you just said would be wrong.

@Yorumi
Actually the biggest complaints about SNES, N64, Gamecube and Wii U are that these consoles focus too heavily on content that is aimed at fans while ignoring the broader market.

Wii U is literally hated for being a "Nintendo's fan's wet dream!", while ignoring "casuals" and "hardcore" gamers.

PS4 on the other hand is known for being a console aimed at "hardcore" gamers while having tons of software aimed at "casuals".
Sony has even stated a good amount of the PS4 sales are from mass market/"casuals".

@Slim1999 I didn't say that consoles in the past never had a good or even great launch lineup. I'm saying there has never been a system that had the mind blowing launch lineup that some people seem to be expecting (ie 3D Mario, Zelda, Metroid, F-Zero, Animal Crossing, two new IPs, Bayonetta 3, Half-Life 3, all of that year's multiplats and about a dozen 3rd party exclusives). It's just not feasible.

A little surprised at people saying the high expectations on sales must mean it's a handheld. Handhelds are a dying market, consoles are not. People will talk about people in Japan preferring handhelds to consoles, but Japan is such a small market these days, their preference is rather irrelevant. And even there, they vastly prefer mobile to handhelds. PS4 is probably going to outsell the 3DS, the Xbone and even the Wii U will outsell the Vita.

Reads title
"NX Set for 2016 Release With Nintendo Targeting 20 Million Shipped Units"
Re-reads title
"Rumour"

These again

I'm kind of hoping the Final Fantasy 7 remake will come out on NX. Cloud being in Smash Bros. gave me a glimmer of hope.
I hope nobody leaks info and spoils the surprise for us when Nintendo finally reveal it.

@ElkinFencer10 Agreed. When you look at how Nintendo has handle launches in the past, that makes the most sense. It does then absolutely zero good to panic and rush a release. After the Wii U, there's going to need to be a long courtship before any meaningful 3rd party support as well.

@Yorumi
I'll put it to you this way...

Microsoft:

3 key divisions
~118,000 Employees
$12B in Profits for 2015 (lowest one in recent memory)
$100B+ in the bank

Sony:
26 divisions
~130,00 employees
Still losing money
Plenty of real estate to sell to keep the company afloat

Nintendo:

3 divisions
~5,300 employees
~$300M in profits for 2015
~$10B in the bank

Nintendo doens't have the resources to compete fully with Microsoft and Sony when it comes to losing billions on product and giving hundreds of millions away to 3rd parties.
They also don't have enough employees to develop their own games and send them out.

Though most 3rd parties did send the employees back because they didn't want to work with Nintendo during Wii and Wii U.

Nintendo's small size makes it very hard to compete against two very massively large corporations that can buy up the support.
This is also why Valve cannot get most major 3rd party games on Steam, especially from Western developers. Those that do release are typically buggy, if not down right shotty.

Wii U has plenty of variety, except for the big blockbuster AAA and M-rated games.

Most of the first party games you want are niche and don't sell well.
Wave Racer struggled to break a million in Gamecube
1080 bombed on Gamecube and N64
Metroid has never sold well at all, Metroid (NES) and Metroid Prime 1 tied with being the best selling game in the series at ~4M worldwide.

Super Metroid struggled to sell 1M, Metroid II bombed, Metroid Fusion bombed, Metroid Prime 2 bombed, Metroid Prime 3 struggled to sell 3M on Wii, Metroid: Other M bombed, Metroid Prime: Hunters bombed, etc...

F-Zero only sold well on SNES; the N64 game struggled to break 1M worldwide, the Gamecube game never hit 500k sold globally. the GBA games bombed, the Anime was canceled in the West after 4 episodes due to low ratings.
AX also did horrible at arcades.

As for Animal Crossing, it literally has been 2.5 YEARS since New Leaf came out in the West. The last console Animal Crossing was deemed a REHASH, LAZY SEQUEL, AND AN UPREZZED DS PORT by reviews and media. Nintendo isn't stupid enough to release another console game within 4 years of it's handheld counterpart.

EPD2 aka Animal Crossing team has been busy co-developing many games in Wii U and 3DS libraries.
The 2015 games they co-developed are:
-Majora's Mask 3D

• Triforce Heroes
  Super Mario Maker
• Happy Home Designer
  Amiibo Festival
  And few others

They also took the full development reigns on Splatoon which just released this summer and are finishing up DLC content.

Most of Nintendo's IPs sell horribly in the West including new comers such as CODE NAME STEAM, ENDLESS OCEANS, FLINGSMASH, ETERNAL DARKNESS, PIKMIN (YEAH IT DOESN'T SELL WELL AT ALL), ETC...

Animal Crossing, Splatoon and a few others did well.

This afflicts all companies, when people ignore new IPs in favor of existing IPs.

This is why companies rarely invest in new IPs and niche iPs.

Though Friday we get Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Why is Zelda taking 4 years to complete?

Because 3D Zeldas typically take 4-7 years to complete.

Zelda Team has been getting hate for every Zelda game it has made starting with Majora's Mask and ending with Skyward Sword.

Zelda team also took to heart all the feedback they were given in order to make Zelda U the best and biggest open world Zelda game ever.

Zelda Team is very aware of all the hate each 3D Zelda gets and takes it to heart when making the next game.

I have plenty of non Mario games on my Wii U to play, many of which are 3rd party games.

There is no shortage of games on Wii U, just a shortage of AAA Blockbuster games and a shortage of M rated games.

Since I don't care for those 2, I have plenty to play.

@Yorumi
Wii U had the best console launch ever in terms of variety.
It had fighting games, shooters, racers, 1st party games, sports, party and other games.

23 games from 3rd parties crossing most genres.

It was my favorite launch due to the variety.

FYI: Sony made PS2 hardest to develop for, to discourage 3rd parties from porting to and developing for other consoles.

PS3 was made to be the most difficult console in history to develop for, so 3rd parties support would be made exclusive to PS3 and it would prevent them from porting to 360 and Wii.

It backfired horrible on Sony with PS3, while benefitting them a lot with PS2.

If they launch in 2016 expect a first party line-up equal to or less than the Wii U's. A NintendoLand sized game and maybe a 2D Mario, but that would probably be rushed. They need one or two first party killer apps to sell the system — and not just upgraded ports of Wii-U games.

@TheLobster You sold people a $50 used Wii to watch Netflix? That's horrible. Better off with a $35 Roku or Chrome cast or Firestick.
Wii Mini has always bothered me since it released, a Wii without online. You just said you sell Wii for Netflix but no Internet on Wii Mini. And Nintendo launched it $100 at the same time they launched the Wii U, hence taking away potential sales of the newer console. And I've been in Target every and they almost always have 1 or 2 in stock right next to the Wii U. It just bugs me that it exists.

Eh, I'm not bothered by the NX at the moment. I'm more interested in all of the 3DS and Wii U games coming out in 2016. Zelda, Pokken Tournament, Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam, Bravely Second... and that's just scratching the surface! Next year is going to be sweet for the current generation systems.

@Tsurii I'm in the exact same boat as you!

@Yorumi
3rd parties typically try to get better deals from platform holders, when one offers them money and resources.
This is how EA quickly nabbed a very expensive Microsoft "unprecedented deal" in the history of the industry after strike a historic deal with Nintendo. EA had the deal with Microsoft before the deal with Nintendo collapsed.

No company gives all their products full marketing.

Ubisoft only gives games that have huge sales potential marketing while ignoring the rest of their games.

EA only markets EA sports and a few others, while ignoring the rest.

Activision only markets Call of Duty and Destiny now, while ignoring the rest.

etc...
Sony doesn't even market all their games even on PS4.

Microsoft doesn't market their lesser games either.

Nintendo doesn't chase fads as in they experiment with hardware.

Microsoft chased the shooter fad with Xbox.
Sony chased the M rated games fad
Sony also chased each new media fad with each console.
PS1 had a CD drive in it and Sony marketed the PS1 as the best CD player for it's money.

PS2 was marketed heavily on it's DVD player, the DVD player was there to make DVD a success not to benefit gaming.

PS3 only had blu-ray player to ensure blu-ray won the HD format wars.
It had nothing to do with Gaming.

PS4 is marketed on the "full HD experience" and 4K content (yes Sony has been marketing 4k content).
PS4 newest gimmick is VR (it's a gimmick until it becomes industry standard), which requires Move and PSEye to use.

Every Nintendo system has had gimmicks too:

NES was decried in the 1980s at and industry trade shows for having gimmicky control that featured an untested D-pad and two face buttons. This was radically different from the competition.
SNES controller was mocked for being gimmicky over the industry standard of the arcade layout.

N64 was mocked for being a massive gimmick and breaking with traditional controls and banking on analog and rumble.

Gamecube controller was mocked for being gimmicky and it didn't add anything new outside of shape and clickable shoulder buttons.

As for handhelds, Western 3rd parties avoid handheld development. They refused to support GB, GBC, GBA, DS, 3DS, PSP and PSVita with their IPs. They did release plenty of shovelware

Nintendo was able to sell 55M 3DSs because they had the mainstream IPs that moved hardware.

Sony's internal studioes refused to support Vita, and SCEA didn't want to be bothered with the Vita.
Sony couldn't get Western 3rd parties to make games for Vita.

Vita was dead, also the memory cards did damage too.

These rumour articles will doom the NX.

Where are the romantic days when hardware and software launches did surprise gamers? I miss how I learnt about N64 existence!

@Yorumi "but who is going to buy the NX?"

That's what I'd like to know.

If it's a $300 comparable home console people will just keep buying the other 2.
If it's a new handheld people will just keep playing on phones and tablets. Though they could probably sell 20 million handhelds with new Pokémon, AC and Monster Hunter games.
If it's hybrid console, even just a new handheld with TV out, it could sell better.

Price will be a huge factor though.

And I think maybe Nintendo goes all in on nostalgia with some type of subscription service. Not quite a $40 retro console, but that could be a component.

But who buys it? To me that's the real reason it has to be 2016.
260 million Gen 7 home consoles
60 million Gen 8 home consoles
That's 200 million people with a PS3, Xbox or Wii who still don't have a PS4, Wii U or Xbox One. Some of those 200 million might be convinced to buy an NX in late 2016 if it's unveiled in March and has a blowout E3 and it's $249. If they stay mum until 2017 it will be too late, PS4 and X1 will rack up next holiday. Wii U could sell a few more next holiday with Zelda and $199, but not enough to justify putting off NX to 2017 when PS4 will be too cheap to compete against and Sony starts whispering PS5.

The only device is an inexpensive hybrid with promises of cheap nostalgia that anyone can pick up as a 2nd console. They still may not find an audience, but it's their best chance.

@electrolite77
Published and developed Sony games are two very different things.

Most of those games are indie and niche 3rd parties, with Sony's internal development studios releasing very few games.

Microsoft had made two very big deals with EA, the first announced at E3 2013 to the tune of ~$500M for full 3rd party support, and another deal leading to EA access at E3 2014.

Microsoft also bought and marketed Titanfall 1 as well.

Microsoft also signed a $500M content and marketing deal with NFL for Xbox One at E3 2013.

Microsoft also bought other games including Rise of Tomb Raider which was very expensive.

Microsoft claims they ear marked $1B dollars for 3rd party support and the EA and NFL deal aren't part of it.

Sony has been open about how much they are spending to lock in 3rd party support.
Sony has claimed they had spent over $300M+ on 3rd party support for PS4.

We are literally looking at the first generation where it will costs billions on each major platform to get full 3rd party support.

The numbers are there.

I mean Microsoft made no big secret of the $500M+ it spent to get 3rd party support for Xbox 360, including the $100M to get GTAIV on 360 and the $50M to get exclusive DLC content for GTAIV on 360.

Sony lost a lot of 3rd party content on PS3 because they refused to pay for the content.

Anyways Nintendo only has ~5,300 employees. They don't have the man power to help 3rd parties in any real means. Western 3rd parties also said they don't want to work with Nintendo on anything.

Major 3rd parties also said they'd bring big games, if Valve was willing to do the work to port the game.
Gabon said they don't have man power to do that and 3rd parties should do it themselves.
FYI: Valve only has ~300 employees to.

@Yorumi
No there is not that many 3rd parties.

After last gen there are literally 5 major Western studios, and ~10 Japanese studios who makes 3rd party games.

The rest of the 3rd parties have gone out of business or been bought out by the big 6 3rd parties.

The rest of the companies are called indies, which don't count as 3rd parties due their size and output.

@rjejr
There are plenty of people who want an alternative to what PS4 and Xbox One offer.
Xbox One and PS4 offer mainly big AAA blockbusters and M rated games with little variety outside of Sports and racers.

Nintendo can easily capitalize on it if the price is cheap enough.

The console has to be sub $250 and the handheld has to be sub $150.

Though this means you don't get those AAA blockbuster and M-rated games.

Wii U has very high satisfaction and attach rate comparable to Xbox One this gen.

Strangely PS4 has lower satisfaction and attach rate based on what NPD says.

It's myth that the majority Wii U and Xbox One owners regret their purchases.

10-12 million units shipped by the end of 2016?? Either NX launches early/mid next year (virtually impossible seeing how Nintendo won't even talk about NX until early/mid next year), or NX launches late next year and sells at more than twice the pace of the PS4's launch shipments (also virtually impossible).

Even if both the NX handheld and NX console launch next year, and even if the report was referencing the end of Nintendo's Fiscal 2016 rather than the end of calendar 2016, hitting that 10-12 million unit sales target would still be very, very difficult. I am VERY, VERY, VERY skeptical about this rumor.

The earliest I can fathom a release would be September 2016 (N64 released in North America in September 1996), MAYBE August. Still, let's wait for E3 and see what happens. Meanwhile, I've got some Smash and Mario Kart 8 to finish.

@Yorumi He lost all credibility when he said that Valve can't get major western 3rd party support on Steam in comment #112.

@Yorumi Not really. Outside of AAA, games on PS4 and Xbox One sell terribly (and everything sell terribly on Vita). The audience on these machines is less varied than what you think. Don't be a blind aggressive fanboy please. There is a market outside of the AAA games and Nintendo is the biggest contender there in term of sales.

@Yorumi
They do offer variety, but the majority of the games released on them are AAA blockbuster and M rated games.
This is what the systems are marketed and positioned as in every piece of marketing and media.
They built the hardware to run those games.

You can have variety and still have the majority of the library still be AAA blockbuster and M rated games.

The best selling games on PS3 and 360 are AAA Blockbuster and M rated games except for LBP and Minecraft.

The games that are doing well on PS4 are:
Realistic Sports
Realistic racers
AAA Blockbusters
M rated games
Shooters

Everything else is bombing in the West.

Xbox One is just Minecraft, shooters and EA games.
We have NPD and Euro sales charts.

Wii U sales charts are 1st party and E rated 3rd party games.
Those the Wii U and 3DS eShop sales data show indies doing quite well on them.

@Yorumi
Actually if your not a big AAA blockbuster game and/or M-rated, you are doomed to Wii U type sales on PS4 and Xbox One.
This was also the case on PS3 and 360.

E-rated games especially do bad on PS4 and Xbox One outside of Minecraft.

@Yorumi Then you are just a vocal minority since the WiiU sold much more games than the Vita
Look how games like Toukiden, Guilty Gear Xrd, Tearaway Unfolded or Disgaea 5 sold so terribly on the ps4. And those games got great reviews and were exclusives to sony.
When you look at Bayonetta 2 sales it's easy to assume those games would have sold better if they were on WiiU, where AA games sell. They've been crushed on PS4 because the PS4 audience only play AAA games. Japanese developers of AA games should support more Nintendo. This is where their audience is.

@bitleman
Actually Bayonetta 2 sold as much on Wii U, as Bayonetta 1 did on Xbox 360 (best selling version of the game).
Astonishingly it sold at full price on Wii U, while the 360 version sold the majority at sub $20 on clearance.

Bayonetta 1 sold ~1M on 360 and PS3 combined worldwide.
Bayonetta 2 sold ~600k and steady selling still on Wii U.

@kaze_memaryu

False. They are vey noticeably winding titles down on the Wii U to focus on the NX. What are these "too many" titles. Starfox and Lost Reavers? MAYBE Zelda still coming?

Pay attention, the Wii U is dying.

@rjejr

What will happen to the Wii U is it's being replaced since it's a complete failure. It'll have had 4 years or so of a run by then, and it's being cut a year short since it's just barely hitting DREAMCAST numbers. Simple.

Its just... a rumor. Lets not get ahead of ourselves. I would assume based on the wii and wii u releases, that Nintendo will release late fall/early holiday, just like last time. Only this time, we are going to see a HEAVY marketing campaign, and there will be NO QUESTION what the NX does, or who its target audience is. It wont be aimed at casuals, and it wont feature vague adverts that dont differentiate between itself and the Wii U. Every channel will be playing commercials for it, tv shows will be doing segments about it, its going to be everywhere, just like the wii was.

20 Million?

Sounds more like big talk to push their stock value up.

If true Nintendo either needs some really, really, really amazing games out at launch of the NX or they are really naive.

@Grumblevolcano I've got a feeling that whatever the NX turns out to be, is going to disappoint many people...

Eh, unfortunately I'm going to be too busy with my soon to arrive Xbox One to worry about the next Nintendo system. That being said, I am still super hyped for Xenoblade Chronicles X, Zelda U, and Star Fox Zero. Those games are sure to be fantastic.

@Octane I expect the thing that would cause the most disappointment is a 2016 release date. Plenty of people either lived through or heard of the Saturn/Dreamcast situation and may come to the conclusion Nintendo is doing the same thing, cutting a console cycle short because it flopped in terms of sales and getting out a new one fast.

The rumours point towards 2016 release but would the damage caused by not waiting another year be worth it?

The only way I can see this even being remotely possible is if it is a 3ds successor/replacement.

I doubt this holds any grain of salt. I'm sure that Nintendo wants devs to get more familiar with the system to garner more support. The WIIU was a perfectly fine system....the marjority of the games on it look great (I have everything plus gaming grade pc so this isn't rose tint talking) but they have no support....support is supposedly the savior (I disagree as the the gamecube waves hello but whatever...new era and all that) so that is what Nintendo will hopefully go after. Otherwise I don't know what they are going to do.

@Grumblevolcano Another problem is also that many have already made up their minds about what the NX is based on rumours. Many have different ideas and only one can turn out to be true, even anyone has even guessed what the NX is. So logically, we're getting something that people are probably not expecting.

Sega had more problems than that, but yeah, cutting a console's lifespan is generally not a good idea. People are already cautious when buying a Wii U, because ''the NX might replace it very soon''. If word gets out that Nintendo replaces their consoles as soon as possible when they aren't a commercial success, I suspect even more wariness and caution from a consumer's perspective.

Anyway, I don't expect the Wii U to be replaced next year. If the NX launches next year, I bet it's something else, probably a handheld console (the 3DS is then 5 years as well). The rumours actually don't say what the NX actually is, so anything is possible still. Who knows though, just don't let your expectations become too high.

Well... Hopefully Zelda U is also on NX.. Cuz you know Zelda won't release until the fall/winter, and if the plan for NX is next year, that'll probably launch in fall/winter as well. It'd be a killer launch title, that's for sure.

Mmmh...no, thanks. I'll be too busy with XCX, Zelda U, Star Fox and GIR#FE in 2016.

I don't think this is true. Nintendo usually reveals their systems a year before release. I don't think they'll want to break that trend.

I reckon a new handheld will come out in the summer and it'll be compatible with Wii U, then the new home console will come in late 2017

Just a hunch.

I don't really like the NX name, I hope they change it, or explain it. I smoke Marlboro NXT cigarettes, and I don't know what it means, or even how to say it. If I say "N - X - T", the cashier says "You mean NeXT?" or visa versa.

Holiday 2016 to coincide with Zelda me thinks.

Yeah I think Holidays 2016 will see the NX. It's coming around fast.

@LetsGoRetro Ever heard of Project Guard, Project Giant Robot, StarFox Zero, Genei Ibun Roku #FE, Pokkén Tournament, or Twilight Princess HD? Add these to what you were able to recall, and it's obvious Nintendo isn't done with the WiiU yet. Not to speak of the Cloud DLC for Smash.

Ive just got a ps4 in the sales ready for final fantasy, kingdom hearts and ratchet and clank next year, but honestly as long as the NX is at least as powerful as the xb1 I will happily sell it for the NX. Sony and Microsoft just dont make games like nintendo but I will say I played journey for the first time today and it was awesome! I am struggling to find stuff of that quality though which sucks.

@3DSWiiUFanatic. I doubt it will be, the wii was branded revolution right up to the point where we knew almost everything about it.

Still too soon. We havent even been shown anything yet. If the are gonna do it then I'd say show it off e3 2016, relase in 2017. But who knows if they can strech the Wii U out another 2 years.

@CroRock Yeah I agree. Especially with these holiday bundles and such. Imagine a kid getting a console that would be dated in year.

NX is much more likely to be out in 2017 or 2018. When has Nintendo ever released a console after only one E3, which they haven't even done yet? They have big titles coming this year for Wii U, which is a bit confusing if they also plan to release a new console.

Lets wait till E3 thats when Nintendo might reveal Nxt, I hope the console is called the Nintendo 7.

@Xenocity "Strangely PS4 has lower satisfaction and attach rate based on what NPD says."

Well that's what happens when you sell a console built on promises and then don't deliver. And "The Order" didn't quite live up to expectations.

I think most people bought a PS4 based on future games - mostly Uncharted 4 and FFXV - and are grumbling due to waiting for them. And waiitng forver for No Man sSky, and Tomb Raider being a 1 year wait. And Ratchet and Clank being delayed. What's there to be satisfied about?

@Yorumi " if I could play portable games on the tv with a normal controller"

I just want to be able to play Kid Icarus Uprising, Fire Emblem Awakening, Luigi's Mansion 2 and maybe MH4 on my big screen tv. 3DS got all of those games, plus ports of Xenoblade Chronicles and SSB. What did Wii U get from 3DS?

And Pikmin 4 is supposedly "near completion", but they never talk about it. It's probably NX, and I think Pikmin's short "day" level system means it could work pretty well on the go. I sitll don't know why the "new 3DS XL" couldnt do tv out, even via the Wii U somehow, Gamecube had the Gameboy player so Nintnod has already done it once.

I think people would pay $250 for a system that could play both Wii U games on the go and 3DS games on the tv w/ just a few new games thrown in.

@rjejr Well I definitely agree they could have bought a Roku, but Gamestop doesn't sell Rokus and it's sort of against the idea of the store to send them elsewhere when you can get them to buy from us! When we don't have something that can do what they want I definitely tell them the cheapest place to get something but I'm really not supposed to do that on stuff we stock, you know? It's bad for business. I'm too honest anyway because when they pick out a game that's bad I tell them, but 90% of the time they buy it anyway so for all the good that does.

@rjejr Also we don't have a Target around for over 70 miles so maybe Target has the Wii Mini and Walmart doesn't? We also don't have Best Buy for about the same distance. This be the sticks.

@Darknyht That doesn't surprise me, our store didn't have good sales period this Black Friday weekend. Neither did most other Gamestops I know about. It's going the way of Blockbuster is my guess unless something changes.

So it'll be out of sync with the console cycle, Nintendo will again miss 3rd party games that go to Playstation and Xbox, and WiiU owners will get left in the dust without a single dedicated WiiU Zelda title for their support. If this happens I am done with Nintendo for good. They should be putting all their efforts into supporting their core audience that's stood by them with the WiiU, for the whole console term, instead of giving up and shafting them.

@Yorumi you know most of xenocitys comments are facts. I looked up a number of them like the number of employees at each division and the ea access deal. I think he knows his stuff and is just being logical. Maybe you should give him the fan boy treatment

@Frank-The-Tank well they aren't getting them now are they? I doubt they will get them trucking along with the Wiiu but at least they have a chance with the nx

@3MonthBeef look at the number of posts. It's obvious that their audience wants this.

It could happen in 2016, but we don't know. So don't wait, go buy a Wii U bundle and enjoy all the great games with significant games coming in 2016 (Star Fox! Zelda!)

If NX comes out in 2016, you can wait for the library to fill in and play a nice backlog of Wii U games happily while you wait.

I think of all the great games that people can't play all at once if they buy in to Wii U right now and I think all this worry about gamer's feelings if NX releases next year just amounts to nothing. The people who wait to buy a Wii U are the same that will wait to buy NX. The people who bought Wii U at launch will hopefully be excited to buy NX at launch (raises hand).

If I can get Zelda on a more powerful system next year as an alternative I will pay to do it. I will have gotten 4 solid years of gaming out of Wii U and developed a backlog on it.

Thing is, we have no idea what NX is, like @Kirk says. It could be handheld in which case I'm going to be much harder to convince. It could be a combination, very underpowered, more mobile-ish, it could be anything really that is for dedicated gaming.

@rjejr I think the NX is going to be a red Wii U for $99... maybe blue so they can still sell the red Wii next to it for $50.

@andrew20 I honestly can't tell if your seriously, the wii u can't run Zelda at that scale. Wtf if that's the case it wouldn't exist. This is what I think that you should do: start thinking about what you will say before you say it.

@RCMADIAX They got lucky? You're saying that's the reason the Wii sold that much? I guess creativity, good marketing, a solid line up with a couple of killer apps and other right choices aren't that important.

@Yorumi: Though I usually don't agree with your comments, they tend to have good points. Not this time.

Either way, chances are high that they already have my dollar. I will be even happier if they have some early multi-plats I missed this year like Star Wars Battlefront and Fallout 4 near launch.

@rjejr A handheld that has a tv out option? Sounds like the Sega Nomad. I'd be down with that.

Nintendo would have to hook me in to get the console on launch day.

I'd be really skeptical to see this launch by next Fall, though.

Eh, people, it could very well be a handheld. NX was even mentioned in contrast to mobile phone development.

If it is, I just hope they keep the 3d.

@Kaze_Memaryu
I think you hit the nail right on the head. I could see 2016 being possible for NX release, but not likely (Im hoping not). There are just too many big titles still coming to Wii U and that does not leave Nintendo ample time to market it properly this time or give them time to have a killer launch line-up.

And yeah...rumors are fake until I see a Nintendo Direct about it...

This is based on a 6 month old rumor that was debunked once. The lack of journalism at NL is...not good.

Here's the original rumor article from July 02. Just because they post the same erratic material twice doesn't mean it's correct.
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20150702PD204.html

@ThomasBW84 it's really terrible that you don't put more research into the articles. Putting it under a "rumor" tag doesn't help.

Meh...they can keep thinking that.

@russellohh Yes for the Wii, however, Wii U dev kits hit 3rd larty developers around 6 months before the console released.

Criterion were moaning that they had only 6 months to create Need for Speed Most Wanted U. Turns out they should not have worried, as it is the same as the PC version.

Personally, I would imagine Xmas 2016 would be the best time to launch. People will have had time to take in everything from E3, and with the right line and ADVERTISING, they should be on to a winner.

seems legit

i don't know what it is people expect this new machine to do better than the Wii U. If it's backwards-compatible with Wii/Wii U and has ports of GTA V and the latest Call of Duty/Gears of War/Battlefront/Medal of Honour games, does anyone honestly think that's going to be big business for Nintendo? People who are that into those games already have other machines to play them on. If it's a souped-up Wii U with the ability to download games to the gamepad to play on the go I can't see a big market for that either.

I dunno, maybe I'm just done buying game consoles...

Can people stop comparing this to the WiiU and mentioning the PS4? This is almost certainly a next-gen handheld - we have no idea if it has any console-like abilities at this stage.

Personally, what I really want is a portable WiiU GamePad - being able to play games the calibre of Dynasty Warriors / Bayonetta / Zelda (etc) on the go is still a fantasy.

To solve this, they will need to address power issues, battery issues and the big one - storage issues. Storage is the one element that is stopping mobile games from getting even close to console games (no buttons doesn't help either...). Cartridges with the capacity of a BluRay, and the speed of a SSD?

I know I'll get a lot of complaints about this one, but I have to say that the Wii U is JUST for nintendo fans like myself. I like the console, but I don't love it. I loved the Gamecube for the various games that were one it, and it had plenty of exclusives and new types of games for it (Animal Crossing, Chibi Robo, Custom Robo, Odama, Battalion Wars and more were just some new IP's being added). I liked the N64 for a few, but it seemed to be the system that was flooded with racing sims and sports titles instead of the other love. The Wii was a good system...lots of good exclusives but then some of the good games were flooded with junk titles made for a quick profit...if you actually had all of the games for it, there were some pretty fun and entertaining ones (The Munchables was one of my favorites for it).

The Wii U had potential, but the lack of commercials and advertisements...the name itself...and the horrid launch titles proved nintendo wrong that just throwing out something that they made, would sell.

Somebody said that all they need is a Mario adventure for their system to sell. The Super NES released Super Mario World and the N64 released Super Mario 64...gamecube had no Mario adventure (almost a year into it) and the Wii had no Mario adventure (almost a year into it) 3DS had no mario adventure either, but the Wii U had New Super Mario Bros U, and it still didn't sell as much.

NX should have a great Mario ADVENTURE title, and if rumors suggest that the next Mario adventure would be on the next console, then this could be good...as long as they don't delay it and actually release it on day one. Nintendo can release one good first party title and then have some 3rd parties released some really good titles for the launch, and have a success...they kind of fell out of the consumers view for the past 3 years, so maybe it'll help them to released a powerful console for families.

Playstation 4 is going to continue to dominate, and it has a wide variety of genres to keep it going (and no one can lie and state that it doesn't). No matter what, the PS4 is a good system, but families need a console that's made for everyone, that they know that their kids would be safe on...that's where nintendo steps in! I have 2 young children, and I'd rather them pick up the Wii or Wii U to play, rather than the PS3 or PS4, only because all of the games for the Wii and Wii U that I own are E RATED. The PS3 and PS4 are basically my wife and I's system of choice.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is that there is always love for nintendo. I can always go back and play the NES or Gamecube, and even though I love my PS3 and PS4, I find myself never really going back to play the PS2 or PSOne consoles as much as I do with nintendo...there's just something there with nintendo that keeps players coming back to play...some kind of magic that nobody will ever be able to get!

I think late 2016/early 2017 isn't too unrealistic. Nintendo is being incredibly secretive about this console. I think it may very well merge console and handheld gaming and carry over support for the Wii U gamepad and/or 3DS for input alongside a new controller of "classic" description.

I hope to see a big reveal and a live conference at the next E3 as opposed to revealing via Nintendo Direct.

It'll be out next year for sure, likely just before holidays and with a enhanced version of Zelda U as a launch title.

Everybody saying it's "obvious" it's coming in 2016, I still think that sounds incredibly rushed to me. Developers still need to make games for it, you know.

@akaDv8R hmm i worked for a partner of Criterion at that time and i thought it was 8 months. But, i swear the 90s were only a few years ago, so ah well.
Still, that would put the NX right at a MARCH release, much less april or next holiday season. so, july-christmas seems perfectly valid

For those saying NX releasing late 2016 is too soon... What would there be to fill up the chasm gorge sized gap in 2017? The 2016 lineup is already looking like a prolonged drought for Wii U, and I doubt there will be much of anything of note for Wii U in 2017. To release any later than late 2016/early 2017 would be allowing their situation to languish, just like Sega did outside of Japan between the Saturn and Dreamcast.

In 1998-1999, almost two years straight, Sega had almost no 1st or 3rd party games at all coming out for the Saturn outside of Japan, leading up to the Dreamcast. They had Burning Rangers and Panzer Dragoon Saga, which were awesome, but those didn't sell well and had a low print run. I suspect Star Fox Zero and Zelda U (if it's not a dual NX launch title) will be in a similar situation.

Nintendo would be repeating Sega's mistakes if they don't release NX in late 2016/early 2017. They've pretty much been forced to go with that time frame.

The only thing that's REMOTELY true is the system being manufactured at Foxconn, which manufactures 95% of ANY electronics used in the USA as well as worldwide. TBH, I really can't stand that company. Way too many things have been revealed about it that are nothing short of stomach-turning...

The only thing that's REMOTELY true is the system being manufactured at Foxconn, which manufactures 95% of ANY electronics used in the USA as well as worldwide. TBH, I really can't stand that company. Way too many things have been revealed about it that are nothing short of stomach-turning...

@ElkinFencer10 My money is two years away, end of November like most of Nintendo's hardware.
No way would Nintendo be about to start making and shipping a console that haven't revealed yet. How many years was it between the announcement of the Revolution and release of the Wii?

If it was so close then developers would actually know about it so they could make games.

@MrPuzzlez Gotta put those high school kids and pregnant women to work for slave wage labor for 12 hour shifts 6 days a week to get those 10-20 million NX's out in time! They have to do it! If they don’t obey, their employers will expose them to the sun without being to work all day (an actual punishment for talking on the job), the schools will prevent the high schoolers from graduating, and the pregnant women won't be able to feed their children!

Yeah... all electronics have a dire hidden cost these days. At least there was some dignity in the workplace back when a lot of these electronic devices were still made in Japan... For Nintendo, I think the last of those were the Gamecube and Game Boy Color.

@electrolite77 Just b/c people have a lot to be thankful for doesn't mean they won't grumble about the few games that are delayed. U4, R&C, and that whole TR thing. People complain, no matter how many great games they have to play.

@aaronsullivan "I think the NX is going to be a red Wii U for $99"

But then how much do they sell the Gamepads' for?

I can't imagine what NX could have that could make me buy 1 anywhere near launch. I'm getting a PS4 after I finish's Bayonetta 2 and XCX and I must have 2 years worth of games on that system to play before I look at an NX. Well that includes Zelda U next Christmas on Wii U. It may have an NX port, unless NX is BC then it doesn't need a port, just needs the handheld part.

My son is starting his Lego Dimensions collection w Dr. Who even though we don't have the game yet - he said he doesn't want it - and I'll probably wait to get it on PS4, Wii U sounds a bit buggier. Both my sons graduate next June- 5th and 8th grade - figure it will make a nice double gift, and my birthday in July for PS4. It's not only Nintendo's calendar I obsess over, mine as well. Started making 4th of July summer vacation plans over Thanksgiving weekend w/ my wife's family. Busy busy busy.

@electrolite77 I've been following Nintendo since the GameBoy...This would be the first time. I'm pretty sure the specifics for the console haven't been locked down for that long. I'd be really really really surprised if that thing comes out 2016 and has ANY 3rd Party support.

10-12 million? Isn't that a little too ambitious? It's not like Nintendo to be reckless, especially considering it's taken the wiiu 3 years to reach that amount.

@Xenocity The "kiddy" stigma applied somewhat accurately to the N64 and Wii, but it's a total misnomer for the SNES and GCN. The SNES was host to some of the bleakest and darkest video games in existence, with almost universal 3rd party support, and the GCN received a huge surge of 3rd party support and Mature-rated (and truly mature acting) titles after blundering with the N64. No one complained about the SNES' offerings, except maybe some hardcore Sega fans back in the 90s. Only those who were RPG fans could really complain about the GCN's offerings.

This isn't a 1:1 comparison of the Wii U being stigmatized compared to past consoles. Despite having more than several good titles (most of which sold poorly, for various reasons), the Wii U has well and truly been a flop of a home console. At this point in time, this pretty much signs the death knell for Nintendo in the dedicated home console space. No previous Nintendo home console performed so poorly- the reasons for that goes beyond stigmatization.

Focusing on the portable space, as well as devices serving as a foil to the portable space, is all but assured for Nintendo in the future.

I still don't think we'll see the NX until 2017. Remember, it still hasn't been officially revealed and was only mentioned in the first place to reassure us that they weren't abandoning consoles when they signed that mobile agreement.

@PlywoodStick What 2016 drought? We've already got Star Fox Zero, Zelda U, Pokken Tournament, and Shin Megumi x Fire Emblem coming out next year, and there's plenty of time for them to announce and make more games to fill up the rest of the year and on into 2017.

@BulbasaurusRex Four games. None of which are likely to sell particularly well, except perhaps Zelda (in the West). Star Fox has never been a hot seller, even on more popular consoles. SMTxFE, which is really more of a Persona spinoff, would have done well on the PS3/PS4... not so well on Wii U. Even Pokken isn't a surefire hit, seeing as how it's already been pulled from Japanese arcades due to being so incredibly unpopular.

First party Wii U game production has otherwise ended, so beyond the already sparse 2016 lineup, there's not likely to be much else, except for half-baked efforts like the official Twilight Princess HD redux.

Historically speaking, a drought is in effect if there isn't at least one big release, whether it be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd party, on an average of once per month. Even the suggestion that a few big titles over the course of an entire year is enough to prevent a drought proves how dire the situation is for Wii U.

... But.... What about.... What about Pokemon Z?

@TerrapinJess If Nintendo follows 5th gen logic, there will be X2 and Y2 instead of Z. Pokemon generations are being spaced out much further apart now.

@PlywoodStick "The "kiddy" stigma applied somewhat accurately to the N64 and Wii, but it's a total misnomer for the SNES and GCN."

Well said, my man. Some people just don't know how to separate fact from fiction or they seem to have an entirely different perspective of how things actually went down.

And I would also like to add the NES to your list: because of the stranglehold that Nintendo had on the market back in the 8 and 16-bit era, there were actually quite a lot of third party games on those consoles, so the kiddy stigma was indeed first introduced when the N64 was out, as you have already stated very correctly.

@TheRealThanos You're right about the NES, though it had such massive variety in it's library that it was more clearly targeted towards "All Ages" audiences than it's successors. I'm sure there are some Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, MSX, Amstrad CPC, and PC-8801 fans around who would have decried the NES as "kiddy" back then, though.

@PlywoodStick Yeah, to some extent, but haters gonna hate and there were probably plenty of sour people back then too, who seem to think that a hobby is so important that you need to fight over it to "win" an argument.

But the thing is that back then you really didn't have these hate groups or label pushers as I like to call them, or at least not in these numbers. The internet certainly has done us a HUGE disservice in that regard...

Terms like "hardcore" and "casual" gamer and such were possibly used by some people somewhere, but it wasn't really such a harsh distinction, even in the middle of the Sega vs Nintendo console wars, largely because video gaming was more for kids back then anyways, so the "more adult" gamers weren't there yet to poison the community.

As for Nintendo: they have always wanted to reach out to all ages, except through the ages, the label for that has changed from family-friendly to kid-friendly (aka kiddy in the eyes of the haters).

I myself experienced some minor disdain during my youth amongst friends and classmates because I first chose an MSX over a C64, and then when I finally made the move to Commodore by way of an Amiga 500, some of them had moved to the Atari ST, so again not all of them were happy. Oh well, what can you do?

@PlywoodStick definitely not the first time I've read something along the lines of this. The more I read it the more believable it's becoming.
I suppose time will tell! I'm putting off getting Y because I'm waiting for Z but I'm really just getting closer to just splurging and getting Y. If it does end up being Z, will it be MUCH different than X and Y? I've been out of the loop since red/blue/yellow but got Alpha Sapphire last year and LOVE it. Being able to use some of the original 150 is awesome so I want to add to my collection of those original 150 I've been building. (Sorry for bringing a Pokemon conversation into one about NX!)

@TheRealThanos Yeah, the opposing camps only really started with the 4th generation as various companies rose up to compete with Nintendo. It was brutal at times, but mostly only among the companies themselves, not the end users. It wasn't until the 5th generation, and the culmination of the public internet, that more people started becoming more aggressive.

As for the "hardcore" vs "casual" term... It is a recent invention. Back in the late 80s to late 90s, in publications such as Nintendo Power and GamePro, no such distinction existed. Either you were a gamer, or a non-gamer. There was a distinction of those who were more skilled, but because many games of that era required a high level of skill and concentration to complete anyways (especially leading up to that point during the NES days), being a gamer was naturally associated with being more adept than a non-gamer. "Casual" was not a term relegated to lower difficulty or more mainstreamed titles, but to rarely playing games at all.

The distinction of terms would come later, as certain subsets of people became more haughty about their accomplishments. Eventually, human nature kicked in and video games ceased to be a boutique industry for those with a common set of interests. The motivation for being capable of fulfilling ever greater achievements (not the ones we know today) became the lynchpin for having a certain identity, and proving oneself (or not) in one way or another.

Today, motivations for gaming are more varied, but certainly in general, they are more aggressive.

@TerrapinJess Platinum was a definite improvement over Diamond/Pearl, and it featured Giratina during the climax of the Team Galactic plotline. In D/P, though, Giratina was more or less hanging out in a cave waiting to be found.

...Sounds familiar for Zygarde, doesn't it? Now that I think about it, maybe a Z version isn't out of the question, either. Zygarde's description in the Dex:

X: When the Kalos region's ecosystem falls into disarray, it appears and reveals its secret power.

Y: It's hypothesized that it's monitoring those who destroy the ecosystem from deep in the cave where it lives.

This wasn't featured at all in X or Y, so it's just calling out to be given greater attention. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a Z version with a different take on what happened from X & Y. Or perhaps, X2 and Y2 would be sequels involving a storyline that mixes Black&White1 with ORAS, featuring Zygarde as the legendary foil.

I could see it go either way at this point. I suspect that Pokemon may go even further than B&W1 and ORAS in questioning the morality of the player's actions, along with a more pronounced nature vs technology narrative.

@PlywoodStick Yeah, agreed. These modern-day stupid and meaningless terms are more for people in desperate need of some entitlement or whatever, when in my eyes the true "hardcore" gamer is one from our generation who is still gaming today and has a wide array of consoles/handhelds and actually knows stuff because he or she lived it instead of being the best in an online fps, racing game or any other über-realistic looking game and getting all your gaming history from wiki pages, but it seems that even grasping concepts like that is beyond most individuals of the current generation of "gamers".

It is also no surprise to me that most kids nowadays are really bad at retro games, unless some indie company has reintroduced the genre to them so they actually know how you're supposed to play them. And the excuse that a lot of them use is either that the controls are bad or that they lost interest because the game is ugly and/or stupid or whatever other derogatory term they can come up with. And yet they flock towards games like Minecraft and what not, go figure...

Ah, the good old days. Nintendo and Sega slamming each other only once a month in some magazine we had to save money for...

@TheLobster You don't have a Target for 70 miles? Are you in a gulag in Siberia? I have 9 within 10 miles, no joke. Though I only frequent 3.

I thought Gamestop started carrying Roku when they went all in on the tablets. They are on the website:

http://www.gamestop.com/browse?nav=16k-3-roku,28zu0

I hadn't been in a Gamestop for a couple of months and man are you guys all in now on the ThinkGeek stuff. Can hardly even find the Wii U section. Well positioned for the coming "digital only" of next gen. Can you get broadband out there in the sticks?

i don't know but i want to say this is epic good job

@PlywoodStick That's just the first half of the year (well, maybe not Zelda, but it could be), and everything except the niche crossover is indeed likely to sell pretty well. (The Pokken arcade game has probably dropped in popularity lately simply because folks are waiting for the home version.) It's still too early for them to have announced everything they're releasing next year.

Oh yeah, that's right, the Twilight Princess remaster is also coming. That'll sell a bundle. While it'll be niche, we've also got that Lost Reavers game coming. On top of that, I'm sure that whatever Retro is working on right now will be big and release on the Wii U either late 2016 or early 2017.

@rjejr Well, we don't carry it in the store, which is what matters when a hillbilly walks into a store wondering what she can buy in that store. Most of our customers don't like to buy online. You mention the website and they get all huffy and go next door to Wal-mart.

Oh yeah, the ThinkGeek stuff has taken over. Some of it is really cool and tempting too, which sucks when you are standing around it for hours on end. What's worse is when you get a shipment of it for display and there's no place to put it. Contrary to what you might think, for a lot of that stuff there's no instructions on where to put it. It's just "where it fits in the store." But they send so much of it that the store is splitting at the seams. I can't help it if your store is blocking the Wii U section. It's not like that section is very big Our entire Nintendo section is half the size of either the PlayStation or Xbox sections. They use the final sixth of the store for "apparel" and Skylanders/Disney Infinity." Plus of course the cashwrap.

Haha, broadband, that's a good one! I just ran a speed test and I get 33 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up. And I have GOOD internet.

@TheLobster "You mention the website and they get all huffy"

I feel that way about Barnes and Noble. They sell the same books online for $20 and $40 in the store. Even if you show them their own website in store on a phone or tablet they just say "sorry". My mom just bought my wife a book for her birthday for $40 in store. I had her return it and get it on Amazon for the $20 B&N was selling it for online. Yes, she could have bought it online for the same price as Amazon, but after making the 2 trips to the store - buy and return - she decided on Amazon.

I've never had any online problems in store at Gamestop. I just bought a new gift online at Gamestop that came all torn up - a Disney Infinity toy - brought it into the store and the guy gave me his last brand new one off the rack. Easy.

Congrats on the broadband. I won't be dragged into a Walmart discussion though.

@rjejr Haha nobody needs to discuss Wal-mart. Ew!