Nintendo files patent application for stationary game console without optical disk

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Oregano said:
I meant more in regard for the storage of updates & stuff on a memory card. Why do that when an external HDD can do the same job?
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Yeah, the memory card part is weird. It sounds like Nintendo could ship OS updates to retail maybe? Maybe because the OS would be the same across different devices, you could use the update card in the stationary console and/or handheld. This is since there will presumably be a version w/ an optical drive, and rather than ship the update on a disc, they would use the medium that can also be inserted into the handheld. *shrug*
 
Neoxon said:
The Xbox One tried to be all-digital, look how that turned out. Phones have the benefit of accessing 4G networks. Consoles don't, unless you want to pay extra. Data caps & limited access to the internet are still real issues.
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No Microsoft poorly made a peep with little to no details and poor information and messaging. Gamers freaked out. This was also several years ago.

Look it's coming. It already exists.

I find it funny you mention 4G in one breath as a positive and then Data caps on home internet as if cell phones and mobile plans aren't severely capped too.

What I was saying and it holds true, is that the general public has no issues with a digital only future. It already exists. People have little issue with Netflix and Prime instant video and other digital means. It's only a matter of time before it's the norm in games too.

And with Nintendo looking to unify their platforms it's almost a necessity.

Finally I love how you brought up the Xbox One story as if someone posting here wouldn't know about it. I mean we are discussing on a gaming enthusiast message board. It is safe to assume that most if not all of us have knowledge of some of the major news stories in gaming over the past 4 or 5 years.
 
Gucci Messiah said:
...3DS games are much smaller in size and budget than your average console game
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I'd imagine NX portable games would also fit that criteria. And if they cant there's also a digital option. Main point being prices of modern "carts" is nowhere near what it was in the 64 days. Someone posted a price comparison a while back for 3DS sizes that was very favorable. And that was several years ago.
 
Neoxon said:
Tropical Freeze as well as the start-up times for most games do take a while.
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And they probably don't have much of a difference in load times if you bought them physically or digitally. Any grade of SD card that has to compete with optical media on basis of price is going to be slow as shit. This is Nintendo the cheap fucks who can't pack in a charger for their battery operated device that has no other means of charging. Any costs are going to passed onto the consumer. This also sounds like a way to drive 3rd parties even further away if they have to pony up more money to ship on a cart than an optical disc. Then add in the screen on the controller and this seems like a carnival of not learning from past mistakes. I hope it works out for them.
 
So the controller is charged by the internal power supply of the console, rather than a separate AC adapter. Very cool. Wii U's two power supplies can be somewhat of a hassle, especially when I'm taking it on the go.
 
yoplay said:
If they were smart, they would switch back to carts. Nintendo fans give none-fucks about what is going on outside of nintendo. They can charge $70 for first party games and we will still buy them. This would make the console unique and sell like crazy. Nintendo needs to compete in their own airspace.
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Nintendo sold the most games they ever sold during the Wii era where they had a $50 games across the board vs. $60.

Yeah I know it's not the Wii era anymore but fans are already spending enough on Amiibos and peripherals. Boosting game prices would only hurt them.
 
If this is digital only, Nintendo has a long way to go to show that out of the big three, they're the ones who are actually ready for this.
 
Teletraan1 said:
And they probably don't have much of a difference in load times if you bought them physically or digitally. Any grade of SD card that has to compete with optical media on basis of price is going to be slow as shit. This is Nintendo the cheap fucks who can't pack in a charger for their battery operated device that has no other means of charging. Any costs are going to passed onto the consumer. This also sounds like a way to drive 3rd parties even further away if they have to pony up more money to ship on a cart than an optical disc. Then add in the screen on the controller and this seems like a carnival of not learning from past mistakes. I hope it works out for them.
Click to expand...
Isn't Nintendo carts/disc proprietary? I wonder how much it cost third parties to put their games on Nintendo's media format in comparison to any other disc.
 
jwk94 said:
If this is digital only, Nintendo has a long way to go to show that out of the big three, they're the ones who are actually ready for this.
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Isn't MS rumoured to be doing the samething? X1 mini

It is happening next generation for sure.
 
Expect new games to look like this.

cards.jpg


Preload your games, and then put one of these in the NFC card slot to play.
 
yoplay said:
If they were smart, they would switch back to carts. Nintendo fans give none-fucks about what is going on outside of nintendo. They can charge $70 for first party games and we will still buy them. This would make the console unique and sell like crazy. Nintendo needs to compete in their own airspace.
Click to expand...

you should apply for a job at NCL. your analysis capacities are quite sharp.
 
yoplay said:
Nintendo fans give none-fucks about what is going on outside of nintendo. They can charge $70 for first party games and we will still buy them. This would make the console unique and sell like crazy. Nintendo needs to compete in their own airspace.
Click to expand...

If that would make any sense, Nintendo wouldn't already get ready to abandon the WiiU, lol. They are constantly losing fans and what is often overlooked is that not only hardware sales for WiiU are abysmal, but software sales crashed even harder. The WiiU would be lucky selling half the total software the GCN did at the end of its life. Only exploiting the few remaining hardcore fanboys isn't exactly a good strategy.
 
yoplay said:
If they were smart, they would switch back to carts. Nintendo fans give none-fucks about what is going on outside of nintendo. They can charge $70 for first party games and we will still buy them. This would make the console unique and sell like crazy. Nintendo needs to compete in their own airspace.
Click to expand...

Except Nintendo can't survive solely focusing on their hardcore fans. That's what they are trying to do with the Wii U, and it's obviously not working. The number of Nintendo die hards probably falls somewhere around 11 million, and that number is shrinking. Nintendo need another mainstream success.

And the general public will not care about carts vs. discs. They just want affordable games on affordable consoles.
 
Gucci Messiah said:
How much time do you spend around children? This is all anecdotal but from my experience, yes, they are picky when it comes to video games and being "cool" matters way more to them than adults. This is one reason why all the ones I know play iphone games or Xbox instead of Wii U even though I would argue it has the best exclusive library. There is no benefit to using carts anyway or else someone would already be doing it in the home console space.
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all the time, and i can tell you they dont think disks are cool at all, they are just disks. they dont care if you download it, play with a disc, or play with a card, its what it produces that matters. If it looked like an nes cartridge, then yea that would look old school, but they look like this now

16GBHand.jpg
, if anything it looks more cutting edge because it takes less space. but ill guess we will have to agree to disagree here
 
Dreadx_Jecht said:
What is speed control processing?
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It seems to deal w/ controlling HDD read/write speed. Low speed mode is needed in order to provide compatibility w/ an external HDD. Still trying to figure it out, honestly. I think it has to do w/ the various hardware configurations Nintendo might want to try out in different markets.
 
Grampa Simpson said:
Possibly processor step-down to play older games that expect a slower processor.
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It's more like that the internal HDD has to use a low speed mode in order to match the speed of an external HDD or optical drive.

Also, not to be rude, but I need to bold this since people seem to be skipping over it...This does not describe a cartridge-based console, but a digital console which also may have an optical-based counterpart.
 
Were people really not expecting the controller to have a screen? How else could the NX unify their home console and handheld? And what about BC for Wii U and 3DS?
 
WraithBringer said:
For those more technically minded than myself, would the console see any benefits over blu ray if it worked using a memory card type media? If the console has capabilities more akin to the current gen of consoles, wont most cards have to be 64GB with really fast read speeds??
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Option 1) The game card is permission to play the game. The game is downloaded from the internet to the console's hard drive (internal or external)
Option 2) Most games are small. Lots of video is what takes up space. Solution - the cartridge keeps the game assets minus all video that is not seen at the game opening. Other video is downloaded to the console in the background, or is just streamed from a youtube like service.

Notes:
Max blu-ray speed (wikipedia): 72MB/s (16x)
Max sd-card speed (wikipedia): 312MB/s (UHS-II)

If unmetered internet is widely available (which it is in most places where nintendo sells consoles), then these options are all valid.

Personally I look forward to the death of the physically distributed game media, but I still like the idea of being able to loan a game to a friend.
 
Prevolition said:
Were people really not expecting the controller to have a screen? How else could the NX unify their home console and handheld? And what about BC for Wii U and 3DS?
Click to expand...

There are...ways.

I think that Sharp free form display could very well be used here, although I can only imagine how that will affect the price.
 
Hey, wait a minute...

  • card slot
  • controller with a screen
  • (probably dorky-looking) square-shaped console
They've decided that the way to success is by repeating the 3 biggest mistakes of their 3 worst-selling consoles!

:D
 
I hope they use cartridges, faster load times, more durable and last a lot longer shelf life wise usually. Would be kind of neat to see it return to console form.
 
Tertullian said:
Hey, wait a minute...

  • card slot
  • controller with a screen
  • (probably dorky-looking) square-shaped console
They've decided that the way to success is by repeating the 3 biggest mistakes of their 3 worst-selling consoles!

:D
Click to expand...

Yes, the SHAPE of the Wii U is one of its biggest mistake.

Of course!
 
Prevolition said:
Were people really not expecting the controller to have a screen? How else could the NX unify their home console and handheld? And what about BC for Wii U and 3DS?
Click to expand...

Only one screen for the handheld. And with constantly forcing different console concepts, there's only so long you can carry BC. At some point a clear cut is inevitable.
 
I happen to like owning physical copies of my Nintendo games but if a digital future becomes the only option I won't complain as long as I still get my Mario and Zelda.
 
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