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[The Abominable Snowman]

This thing will be around X1 power level though based on the chipset and rumors.

Not if it's a Tegra X1. The chip is a beast for mobile, though. It'll have temp problems if it's the same clock and wattage as the tablet version, so I wonder if they might even underclock it.

But they will want a third horse mobile device?

3DS sold approx 4x more than the WiiU and continued to sell at least 3X the rate of the WiiU after the WiiU's release

 

[Davey Cakes]

The fact that this system will automatically be less dated than the DS and 3DS makes it a beauty

Like a pretty Pokemon game that isn't 240p

God I can't believe 240p games are still around in 2016 thanks to Nintendo

I like your optimism! It definitely comes from a handheld player's mindset though. That's where the dividing line seems to be in this thread. Console people are less thrilled because of power limitations and potential lack of console-level third party support. Handheld people have no reason NOT to be thrilled since the NX is basically just a powerful 3DS successor where the gimmick is console functionality instead of 3D.

My one hope is that Nintendo experiments with pricing. Be willing to have budget titles (in line with current 3DS prices at most). Be willing to have premium titles. Just read your damn audiences correctly and offer them something they're willing to pay for.

 

[MuchoMalo]

If its NVIDIA, can we talk about nvlink?





Which might be what Nintendo was looking for in a hybrid system.
And if they want backwards compatibility:

That's basically an proprietary version of PCIe. There's nothing new, exciting or beneficial about that for us. it's also not really possible in a portable. Even the Drive PX2 (Tegra-based smart car board with dedicated GPUs) uses PCie instead.

 

[DOWN]

Highly doubt it considering Nintendo priced the new 3DS XL at 199€ without the charging cable.

My guess would be 300€ for the handheld and docking station with the controller and external HDD sold seperately.

Dollars tho

 

[Maintenance]

I need to know how are going to deal with storage on the handheld. 32gb games on a handheld is not going to be ok for digital distribution, how the fuck are you supposed to store that. SDs bigger than 128 are not exactly cheap, plus you wouldn't even be able to put 4 full sized games.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Not sure how this will do with consumers, but even if it just consolidated their hardcore handheld and console fans and allowed Nintendo to cut back on game development by having one platform instead of two I think it's a smart idea on their part, certainly smarter than just releasing another set of DS/Wii successors or trying to go toe to toe with Sony and MS, which would have been a fool's errand.

 

[ExigentContact]

You mean the 3DSXL that you can't fit on your person and has a pixel density out of 2002?

Your vastly overestimating the difficulty of putting a 3DS in your pocket. I take my wallet, 2 phones (one as an MP3 player), and my 3DS to work every day. I also don't carry a bag so it not being able to fit in a pocket would kill its portability.

Are you me? lol

Aside from that, I'm of mixed opinion on the rumor, but do think this might be Nintendo's best chance to succeed in the hardware space. Consolidation of hardware across the board seems a very real thing and this is likely their answer to that. Whether it will succeed or not, I don't know, it all depends on execution.

But they do need to be as concise as possibly when revealing this thing. Name, launch, price, and what games are coming with it all need to be announced in one go to generate maximum buzz. If the price is right, I'm in day one.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Those damn VC games better cross over. Fuck buying those games again.

 

[Karu]

Fucking hyped. Hybrid aaaaall the way!

 

[Unknown?]

I've never owned a Nintendo system(I did like the N64 and GC though) but this info has me hyped as Fuuu!! If executed well I would be tempted to buy one to go along my PS4/Neo.

 

[_Ryo_]

Nooooo Gaf says, It's not a hybrid.

Yet..

It's a Hybrid.

Anyway, hype is through the roof. But is it gonna have better hardware than Wii U? Zelda had a lot of popin on Wii U... So I am kinda skeptical of it on a handheld.

 

[Litri]

7" LCD, Tegra GPU, docking station and controller, for $199? Almost certainly out of the question.

If that's the price and we get an HD ready screen, consider myself in. That would be an awesome price.

My biggest concerns are battery and heat...

 

[RedAssedApe]

im ok with this. i feel content with my one console per generation future as an "old" person with time constraints

 

[Colonel Mustard]

So Monster Hunter, Pokemon, Etrian Odyssey, Fire Emblem, Bravely Default and Shin Megami Tensei on my TV and Xenoblade, Fatal Frame, Zelda, Bayonetta, etc on the go?

This.

This is what I want.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Those damn VC games better cross over. Fuck buying those games again.

 

[doemaaan]

This.... is hella interesting...

 

[javac]

Why do people think this is going to have two distinct controllers for two separate players? Its one controller halved, why would a handheld have two sets of ABXY buttons lol.

 

[Pie and Beans]

I'll be coming after you if this thing is shit

With a pointed stick or a small unpleasant rubbery thing to hit you with

My Nintendo branded Nvidia SHIELD will protect me B)

Yeah, its gonna be a mixed bag of not being powerful enough for what people want and I'm curious just how much battery they're gonna manage to cram in there. But people that thought Nintendo were gonna double down on the home console market when the WiiU sales just painfully showed the reality they're not wanted there.

I mean really ya'll dense motherfuckers. When it was revealed Nintendo was going with Nvidia this time round, it was so obvious it was for Tegra tech and portable stuff in mind. The madness of the usual WUST lot even entertaining thoughts of a PS4 contender with Polaris and god knows what else... well, they lay broken before they mighty Team Hybrid now.

 

[Hispanic! At the Disco]

All I care about is that the touch screen be a good capacitive multi-touch screen finally. Please!!

 

[Hoo-doo]

Also, I had the impression that the Vita already kinda proved that the masses aren't really interested in traditional console experiences on a handheld. What looks to be an amazing idea on paper 'OMG Uncharted in the palm of my hands!' quickly wears out it's welcome in practice where people want games that tailor to the platform's strengths and are playable in short bursts.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

WOW

It's a hybrid! Never in a million years did I think this would be the case.

It uses cartridges! Awesome.

This isn't really what I wanted, but if it's implemented well and there are a TON of Nintendo games (which there should be, as this is clearly replacing both Wii U and 3DS), it could be really, really awesome.

Just hope they can launch this at a reasonable price level. I'm not seeing how they'll be able to pull that off though.

Also, I had the impression that the Vita already kinda proved that the masses aren't really interested in traditional console experiences on a handheld. What looks to be an amazing idea on paper 'OMG Uncharted in the palm of my hands!' quickly wears out it's welcome in practice where people want games that tailor to the platform's strengths and are playable in short bursts.

It's going to have PLENTY of games that can be played in short bursts, particularly from Nintendo. This is also replacing the 3DS.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

No man, that's a legit leak. Straight from Reggie's harddrive. The real deal.

Lol

Im just saying.. why people speculate and making concept of things with 2 controllers on the side. The fuck you and somebody else gon play with 2 controllers on the side?

Mancala? lol

 

[casey_contra]

Those damn VC games better cross over. Fuck buying those games again.

Yeah I am pretty much refusing to buy any more until cross-buy is confirmed haha.

 

[Yoshi]

You do realize it can run at different performance levels depending on if it's docked or not? That's not particularly new tech, and a handheld doesn't need 1080 p with the smaller screen size

Well, they can downclock the system if portable, but have a look at PSP and PSV, which were considerably below PS2 / PS3 in tech, the battery runtime was quite low, even though PSP started with downclocked CPU. Also the systems were both priced beyond what is viable for Nintendo to capture their typical handheld audience. Nintendo would need a technological and economical miracle, their system would have to be stronger, relatively, than PSP and PSV were at their time, yet cheaper.

 

[robotrock]

32gb carts? That's a cheap thing? What are the current ds carts in size?

Flash storage so cheap in 2016

 

[callhitman]

There has to be more. To simple of an idea to hide on e3. The gimmick has to be in the doc.

 

[Vinsanity.]

Shield is $199 and Nintendo have said they won't sell it at a loss. It's going to be more for sure.

That's fine and all, but if it touches $300+ - it will match WiiU sales. Guaranteed.

 

[defferoo]

I don't get it... why would there be two detachable controllers? that just seems like a design and engineering nightmare. they would be asymmetrical and tiny if they were attached to the handheld. it makes more sense for it to be a traditional handheld that docks and be compatible with normal console controllers through Bluetooth.

 

[BitStyle]

So I'm coming around to this idea in a big way, and for a couple main reasons;

- This should mean that all of Nintendo's teams are now working on the same platform.
- That *should* theoretically mean much more games on this console.
- Which means no more handheld-only Marios, Zeldas, Fire Emblems, etc. No more "Man, this Kid Icarus game is really good, I just wish it was on a console"

Assuming all those things, the software output for this should theoretically at least double, with a ton more games coming out for it.

Monster Hunter is now a console game. Phoenix Wright is now a console game. POKEMON is now a console game. Likewise, Splatoon 2, Breath of the Wild, and other big budget titles, are now portable games.

I can get behind that, in a big way.

This is definitely what gets me excited if this information happens to be true. Would save me money in the long run too, which I can definitely get behind.

 

[Hermii]

Unclear on this also. Curious though. As Mihael said, maybe it's where the SCD patent went?

Would make sense if the handheld is 540p and the dock is connected to the tv and targets 1080p.

 

[Trago]

Not sure how this will do with consumers, but even if it just consolidated their hardcore handheld and console fans and allowed Nintendo to cut back on game development by having one platform instead of two I think it's a smart idea on their part, certainly smarter than just releasing another set of DS/Wii successors or trying to go toe to toe with Sony and MS, which would have been a fool's errand.

If the Nintendo fans can get access to all of Nintendo's first party offerings on one device, they'll eat this up. Casuals on the other hand...

The price is will be super important.

 

[wrowa]

Sounds too complex for casuals.

I don't think it's complex, but I don't see what about it should be particularly appealing to casuals: "Hey look, the device you replaced with your smartphone can now become a console light!"

 

[Redd]

If true I'm kind of disappointed. Oh well I need my Zelda and Smash fix so I'll buy it but probably wait a few years instead of day one.

 

[Ridley327]

I need to know how are going to deal with storage on the handheld. 32gb games on a handheld is not going to be ok for digital distribution, how the fuck are you supposed to store that. SDs bigger than 128 are not exactly cheap, plus you wouldn't even be able to put 4 full sized games.

Well, the easy solution is that most games won't be anywhere close to 32 GB. Most of Nintendo's own games on the Wii U don't even fill half of a game disc.

 

[GinoFelino]

If its NVIDIA, can we talk about nvlink?





Which might be what Nintendo was looking for in a hybrid system.
And if they want backwards compatibility:

Great post. Deserves more attention.

 

[Peltz]

is it really a "hybrid" if it just puts out video? I mean there were a couple of PSPs and Vitas that did that, no?

Yes, because this looks like two players can have a full multiplayer experience on one "console" while on the go.

My only takeaway from the OP is this line:


So once again, we won't be getting much if any third party support because devs don't want to have to build lesser versions of their games/engines for lower-end hardware.

So they have learned nothing from the Wii U whatsoever... I can't say I'm surprised.

Spoiler

But I'm there day one because I love the abuse.

The 3DS has PLENTY of 3rd party support with EXTREMELY underpowered hardware.

We won't be getting western AAA support but the indie games and Japanese games should be spectacular if this thing is 3x more powerful than a Wii U.

 

[DNAbro]

Hoping price is $250

 

[KAL2006]

Well, this sounds incredibly stupid. There are people who have zero interest in a handheld, and vice-versa. No matter how advanced the technology may be, this hybrid will be an expensive handheld and a compromised console, not to mention having to fiddle with some bullshit dock when you get home and want to play on the big screen. If the whole point of this move was to focus on one development pipeline, they could have just made a separate handheld and console that play the same software.

Not saying this couldn't be successful, but good luck to Nintendo for selling this thing. Really disappointing if true or if there isn't a proper home console coming down the line.

While I agree with you there is some advantage of going hybrid

Manufacturing 1 device is cheaper

They may request Gameplay requirements in handheld mode such as some AR stuff either camera and gyro

It won't be much more expensive as the dock is just a HDMI passthrough and charger. The system itself will just over clock when docked as there is no worry about battery life burning

They may want some of the tablet crowd with exclusive touch screen games which cannot happen if it's only a console

Because it has detachable controls the handheld unit doesn't need it's own controls the detachable controls can be used on the handheld tablet or as as seperate controller for docked mode. This saves Nintendo money from having to have extra controls on the handheld unit

It has a gimmick instead of 2 platforms that sounds more boring this is better for marketing

 

[Not Spaceghost]

As someone who has recently found it much easier to pick up a handheld and play it this is a neat surprise.

 

[TimeEffect]

I think it's quite telling how they've changed to more realistic character models (no more chibi thank god) and use more cinematic camera angles for Sun/Moon.

But arent portable games cheaper to make and rely more on things like text over voice acting?

Dont they also cost cheaper?

I dont want to see them forced into "AAA" console development

I like my portable games to feel portable/SNES-like. I love Golden sun, and top down zelda, and Wario land

Wont this mean there will be two different kinds of games/markets on NX?

One primarily for portable, one primarily for console?

 

[Kintaro]

Hmmm...

I'll take a wait and see approach. This probably kills any chance at BC though.

I'll stand by my $200 approach. $250 if the launch software is the greatest ever in history. But I don't see Nintendo ever getting good 3rd party support ever again.

 

[Aostia]

Speculation. He asked if it was possible, not if it was confirmed. As I said before, it absolutely is possible, especially with Nintendo's patent on an external computing device that provides extra power

Understood. As far as we know, from the EG leak, it is just a portable with HDMI cable.

 

[BumRush]

Tom Phillips @tomphillipsEG
Here's the Nintendo NX design (NB: not Nintendo's illustration, but useful pic of concept)

This mock up makes it look INCREDIBLY uncomfortable to hold. Handhold consoles need to be - first and foremost - portable.

 

[MrSaturn99]

The reported power is worrisome I suppose, but I'm onboard with everything else.

 

[joms5]

Thanks for the info OP. Eurogamer sure did a terrible job of explaining it though. In fact i'm still not sure I understand how this is supposed to work.

What really doesn't make sense it that they say the games will use cartridges, but Nintendo recommends a 32gb cartridge. Is this what they're recommending for manufacturers or for consumers to buy as a storage medium like a hard drive?

Also how will third party support transition from putting their games on discs to carts? They'll be more expensive and will they have trouble making the port from the different medium?

 

[KingBroly]

This is going to be the worst of both worlds, I feel.

 

[Real_Madrid]

Not if it's a Tegra X1. The chip is a beast for mobile, though. It'll have temp problems if it's the same clock and wattage as the tablet version, so I wonder if they might even underclock it.



3DS sold approx 4x more than the WiiU and continued to sell at least 3X the rate of the WiiU after the WiiU's release

I've seen this argument multiple times, but compare what the DS sold to the 3DS and that was even before the whole mobile gaming boom.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

It could be a sign of Nintendo saying "traditional video games" are only a part of our business now, and our company is not going to live and die based upon how many home consoles we sell. They are pretty clearly diversifying and probably not interested in having all their eggs in one basket anymore.

 

[jett]

Discrete GPU at base station is perfectly possible if they use some technology akin to Thunderbold 3 over USB Type C. It all depends on how much Nintendo is willing to invest.

It's nice to want things.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

We already have Sony, Microsoft, and PCs to cover high-end home gaming. I'm all for NX being a really nice portable system that blows the Vita & 3DS away while having the controls for traditional games that tablets & phones don't have. Given that Zelda is going to be on it, I assume it'll at least be as strong as the Wii U and probably have a lot more RAM which will be nice after struggling with RAM limitations on the Vita.