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[Rösti]

Not that I disagree with your overall message, but the underlined part is not true - NDAs between individuals/trade entities are of civil statute, not of criminal statute. You can go to jail for breaking a state secret, but not for breaking an NDA.

You can be heavily fined however. For Nintendo, the repercussions for breach of contract are usually termination of license (development/publishing) plus an order to either destroy or resend (to Nintendo) confidential information in terms of documentation. Nintendo may also conduct an audit of affected company to determine if sufficient actions have been taken to either destroy or resend said confidential information. Or if the breach is lesser the company may experience a lockout period.

 

[Akki]

On April 26, 2011, during Nintendo's Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2011, Satoru Iwata said this about Wii's successor system:




Source: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/110426/05.html

And, as I have posted many times already, Mr. Kimishima had this to say during Nintendo's Q&A session for the Third Quarter Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ending March 2016:


Source: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/160203qa/03.html

What I hope to be announced/discussed during the upcoming IR event

• What NX is - Home console, handheld or both?
  
• When and where it will be fully revealed
  
• What year it will be released
  
• How NX will respond to the major challenges that are on the table.
  
  
  • The challenge of rekindling developer interest
  • The challenge of aligning it with the current market (smart devices)
  • The challenge of performance (in relation to PS4(K) and Xbox One(.5))

Great post.

I think a lot here dont understand the importance of the Financial Results Briefing/Shareholder Meeting. Nintendo wants Investors to buy their shares. They need to convince them to invest their money. But how can they do this?

First they need to talk about their business this FY. Explain the numbers and results, talk about the successes or why they did/didnt achieve their goals.

Then they have to talk about their future and show how they can reach their "Nintendo-profits". They cant say: "We are going to release a new console this financial year, its going to be awesome because it has Mario and will sell millions or we wont say anything, just wait for E3 this June." They have to adress what Rösti mentioned. Talk about the NX. Explain the basic concept and longterm goals, reveal and release timing. Explain how they´ll avoid the Wii U/3DS problems. Talk about 3rd-party.

 

[10k]

Ddr4 would be 100 instead of 138 of the LPDDR4.

LPDDR4 and DDR4 are cheaper than GDDR5 and you have less chips and less cooling.

Hmm so maybe I'm not far off with my spec predictions.

2 quad-core A72's at 2.2Ghz (14nm)
Custom Polaris GPU at 2TF or more (14nm)
8GB LPDDR4 on 256-bit bus

That would certainly be a great step up from PS4.

 

[KTO]

What do you think Nintendo has to do?

Lol, you trying to start another rumor thread? honestly i don't know. but i think innovation and presenting a vision of the future of gaming is essential because I feel like right now people don't know and we are coming to a crossroads. Everyone on this board seems to accept that consoles are dying and the market for a dedicated box may not be around in 10 to 15 years. gaming isn't dying though, it's actually growing but in areas like mobile and ftp. so I think if nintendo presents a vision and lays down the groundwork for how people WILL be gaming in 10 to 15 years they would be onto something. But gamepad v2 isn't it and console handheld hybrid frankly isn't it either.

 

[Thraktor]

As there seems to be a bit of confusion regarding available RAM options, it's probably worth me re-posting my table of every hypothetical option available this year:

	Capacities					Max speed	Max I/O		Max bandwidth
	0.5GB	1GB	2GB	3GB	4GB	6GB	per chip	per chip	per chip
LPDDR4		x	x	x	x	x	 3733 MT/s	  64 bit	 29.9 GB/s
HBM2			x		x		 2000 MT/s	1024 bit	256.0 GB/s
HBM1		x					 1000 MT/s	1024 bit	128.0 GB/s
DDR4	x	x	x				 2666 MT/s	  16 bit	  5.3 GB/s
DDR3	x	x	x				 2133 MT/s	  16 bit	  4.3 GB/s
GDDR5X	x	x					12000 MT/s	  32 bit	 48.0 GB/s
GDDR5	x	x					 8000 MT/s	  32 bit	 32.0 GB/s

These are all per chip specifications based on publicly available information, and they're ordered in roughly increasing order of power consumption. Obviously some options *cough*HBM2*cough* are a lot less likely than others.

So 4 X 2GB LPDDR4 chips for 8GB of LPDDR4 on a 256-bit bus at 119 GB/s is possible? Is ddr4 cheaper than gddr5?

Fixed that for you, LPDDR4 and DDR4 are quite different things. DDR4 is almost certainly cheaper than GDDR5 for a similar capacity, but would provide a lot less bandwidth. I don't really know what the price differential between LPDDR4 and GDDR5 is, but I would actually suspect LPDDR4 is the more expensive of the two (as it requires newer manufacturing processes to hit such low power consumption).

 

[blu]

You can be heavily fined however. For Nintendo, the repercussions for breach of contract are usually termination of license (development/publishing) plus an order to either destroy or resend (to Nintendo) confidential information in terms of documentation. Nintendo may also conduct an audit of affected company to determine if sufficient actions have been taken to either destroy or resend said confidential information.

Oh, you can be seriously monetarily hurt by breaking an NDA - I'm not arguing that. Just the jail part.

 

[James Scott]

What if they do like a Sunday before E3 reveal? Kind of like how last year they did the Smash Direct & NWC just before E3.

Might as well reveal at e3

 

[Proelite]

As there seems to be a bit of confusion regarding available RAM options, it's probably worth me re-posting my table of every hypothetical option available this year:

	Max capacity	Max speed	Max I/O		Max bandwidth
LPDDR4	6 GB		 3733 MT/s	  64 bit	 29.9 GB/s
HBM2	4 GB		 2000 MT/s	1024 bit	256.0 GB/s
HBM1	1 GB		 1000 MT/s	1024 bit	128.0 GB/s
DDR4	2 GB		 2666 MT/s	  16 bit	  5.3 GB/s
DDR3	2 GB		 2133 MT/s	  16 bit	  4.3 GB/s
GDDR5X	1 GB		12000 MT/s	  32 bit	 48.0 GB/s
GDDR5	1 GB		 8000 MT/s	  32 bit	 32.0 GB/s

These are all per chip specifications based on publicly available information, and they're ordered in roughly increasing order of power consumption. Obviously some options *cough*HBM2*cough* are a lot less likely than others.

I believe DDR4 has max of 72 bit for I/O. I think DDR3 has more than 16 bit IO now.

 

[10k]

As there seems to be a bit of confusion regarding available RAM options, it's probably worth me re-posting my table of every hypothetical option available this year:

	Max capacity	Max speed	Max I/O		Max bandwidth
LPDDR4	6 GB		 3733 MT/s	  64 bit	 29.9 GB/s
HBM2	4 GB		 2000 MT/s	1024 bit	256.0 GB/s
HBM1	1 GB		 1000 MT/s	1024 bit	128.0 GB/s
DDR4	2 GB		 2666 MT/s	  16 bit	  5.3 GB/s
DDR3	2 GB		 2133 MT/s	  16 bit	  4.3 GB/s
GDDR5X	1 GB		12000 MT/s	  32 bit	 48.0 GB/s
GDDR5	1 GB		 8000 MT/s	  32 bit	 32.0 GB/s

These are all per chip specifications based on publicly available information, and they're ordered in roughly increasing order of power consumption. Obviously some options *cough*HBM2*cough* are a lot less likely than others.

Oh, so if Nintendo goes lpddr4 it'll have to be in 6GB increments? I feel like even though they could clock ram higher then PS4, it won't make up for having 2GB less of it and they'd have to jump to 12GB. I'm also an ignorant fool so who knows lol.

Oh, you can be seriously monetarily hurt by breaking an NDA - I'm not arguing that. Just the jail part.

Going to jail would be better than losing all that money and Nintendo licenses imo lol.

 

[Jackano]

I know I'm a grumbly old 30+ gamer that re-calibrates happy go lucky NeoGAFer expectations regularly, but I do feel it is important to emphasize that starting potentially in about 2 weeks, we are in for the longest run of and possibly most important year of updates on Nintendo's future direction ever.

I'm too a grumbly 30+ old gamer and in matter of re-calibration, just imagine if the news in the next 2 weeks shows that Nintendo isn't ready at all for this E3, and that NX is a 2017 device.
Crazy expectations on specs are usual, but I'm more concerned with the community expectations for the amount of news we should get this E3, and by the lack of leaks (true ones with actual verified info I mean).

Smells more like 2005 to me, and this doesn't smell good. Anyway, we will see on the 27th.

 

[Proelite]

Oh, so if Nintendo goes lpddr4 it'll have to be in 6GB increments? I feel like even though they could clock ram higher then PS4, it won't make up for having 2GB less of it and they'd have to jump to 12GB. I'm also an ignorant fool so who knows lol.


Going to jail would be better than losing all that money and Nintendo licenses imo lol.

Notice 6GB is the max.

 

[KTO]

If people judge the system's value based on whether or not its controller has a screen or not I think they're in it for the wrong reason. In the end the only thing that matters is if has good games, ones you don't get elsewhere, and enough of them coming at a solid clip

Nintendo is better positioned as a maker of dedicated gaming devices than the other two because the product they offer, the experiences they offer, are ones you don't get anywhere else. You don't get them on PC.

there are a lot of people who make a lot of good games and not all of them work at nintendo. releasing a nintendostation one 4k doesn't fix what's wrong with console gaming and frankly ignores the issue altogether. It seems stupid and myopic to fight over a shrinking section of the pie while the doomsday clock for all three creeps closer to midnight.

 

[ultrazilla]

Nintendo sold Wii U at a loss at launch, and was still selling at a loss 8 months after.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-10-25-nintendo-admits-wii-u-to-be-sold-at-loss
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/08/nintendo-wii-u-still-being-sold-at-a-loss/

Anyway, I do think we're getting incredibly optimistic about the Nintendo NX. However, now that we have new President, things can be different. Nintendo's philosophy in regards to power and innovation can change easily this generation.How could they not learn after two generations?

I was not aware of that. I stand corrected. Didn't Nintendo see a profit once one game was sold with the system though? Something like that. It was a very small loss from my understanding. Not hundreds of dollars.

 

[Thraktor]

I believe DDR4 has max of 72 bit for I/O. I think DDR3 has more than 16 bit IO now.

DDR4 DIMMs have a max of 72 bit I/O in ECC form (64 bit + 8 bit ECC). In theory DDR4 chips could have any I/O, but I haven't found anyone advertising anything higher than 16 bit. Keep in mind that the vast majority of DDR3/4 chips are sold to companies who put them on DIMMs, and if you're making a DDR4 DIMM then using wider I/O per chip gives you no benefit, as you're limited to 64 bit interface overall anyway.

Oh, so if Nintendo goes lpddr4 it'll have to be in 6GB increments? I feel like even though they could clock ram higher then PS4, it won't make up for having 2GB less of it and they'd have to jump to 12GB. I'm also an ignorant fool so who knows lol.

No, that's the max size available. I've seen LPDDR4 advertised in 1GB (32 bit I/O), 2GB, 3GB, 4GB and 6GB sizes (the rest all 64 bit I/O).

 

[MuchoMalo]

Oh, so if Nintendo goes lpddr4 it'll have to be in 6GB increments? I feel like even though they could clock ram higher then PS4, it won't make up for having 2GB less of it and they'd have to jump to 12GB. I'm also an ignorant fool so who knows lol.


Going to jail would be better than losing all that money and Nintendo licenses imo lol.

That's the max for one chip/package.

 

[GamerJM]

I'm too a grumbly 30+ old gamer and in matter of re-calibration, just imagine if the news in the next 2 weeks shows that Nintendo isn't ready at all for this E3, and that NX is a 2017 device.
Crazy expectations on specs are usual, but I'm more concerned with the community expectations for the amount of news we should get this E3, and by the lack of leaks (true ones with actual verified info I mean).

Smells more like 2005 to me, and this doesn't smell good. Anyway, we will see on the 27th.

It smells a lot more like "it's coming out this year and Nintendo is just being weird and keeping things airtight," to me.What info we do know from leaks basically confirms a 2016 release. I think Sony and Microsoft just changed the game when it comes to console reveals, now there's a much shorter time from reveal to release. If we don't get anything until E3 then that just means that Nintendo is being stubborn and not revealing any info until E3.

 

[ultrazilla]

You can be heavily fined however. For Nintendo, the repercussions for breach of contract are usually termination of license (development/publishing) plus an order to either destroy or resend (to Nintendo) confidential information in terms of documentation. Nintendo may also conduct an audit of affected company to determine if sufficient actions have been taken to either destroy or resend said confidential information. Or if the breach is lesser the company may experience a lockout period.

I stand by my "you can go to jail for breaking NDAs". It's all in the wording of the actual NDA and criminal charges *could* conceivably arise from the breaking of them.

 

[GregLombardi]

I'm too a grumbly 30+ old gamer and in matter of re-calibration, just imagine if the news in the next 2 weeks shows that Nintendo isn't ready at all for this E3, and that NX is a 2017 device.
Crazy expectations on specs are usual, but I'm more concerned with the community expectations for the amount of news we should get this E3, and by the lack of leaks (true ones with actual verified info I mean).

Smells more like 2005 to me, and this doesn't smell good. Anyway, we will see on the 27th.

2006 was the year that Nintendo won 50% market share from a major competitor, so this being like 2005 isn't a bad thing.

Still, people's interest on this forum in NX is like a pack of Hens looking at a Dog as a threat while the Fox quietly enters the roost. That reminds me, I need to respond to that thread I made.

 

[10k]

Notice 6GB is the max.

DDR4 DIMMs have a max of 72 bit I/O in ECC form (64 bit + 8 bit ECC). In theory DDR4 chips could have any I/O, but I haven't found anyone advertising anything higher than 16 bit. Keep in mind that the vast majority of DDR3/4 chips are sold to companies who put them on DIMMs, and if you're making a DDR4 DIMM then using wider I/O per chip gives you no benefit, as you're limited to 64 bit interface overall anyway.



No, that's the max size available. I've seen LPDDR4 advertised in 1GB (32 bit I/O), 2GB, 3GB, 4GB and 6GB sizes (the rest all 64 bit I/O).

Ok thanks for this. So two 4GB chips would suffice.

 

[Malus]

And that worked out just swell for them.

I don't see how that's a reason the Wii U failed.

 

[MoonFrog]

I'm too a grumbly 30+ old gamer and in matter of re-calibration, just imagine if the news in the next 2 weeks shows that Nintendo isn't ready at all for this E3, and that NX is a 2017 device.
Crazy expectations on specs are usual, but I'm more concerned with the community expectations for the amount of news we should get this E3, and by the lack of leaks (true ones with actual verified info I mean).

Smells more like 2005 to me, and this doesn't smell good. Anyway, we will see on the 27th.

That would be bad.

As long as the console is beyond Wii U power, which is pretty much a given if it's a home console, I'd be fine, personally on the power front. I don't totally buy into the "Nintendo needs to be powerful to be relevant" mantra either, although if it is weak I will be worried that maybe that mantra is right (and if it is powerful I'll be worried that the price mantra is right) . So I do care about the console's power in a derivative sense, insofar as I care about Nintendo doing better than it did with Wii U both for gaming's sake and Nintendo's sake. But as a consumer and gamer first, I care more about the console delivering software to me and the software I want.

Which ties into what is really riding on this year's E3. 2015 E3 was unbelievably bad and the narrative afterwards has been "oh Nintendo dumped Wii U and is gearing up for NX so they had nothing to show; this means E3 2016 will be the Nintendo fan's dream finally made manifest." If Nintendo is really sitting on nothing, if NX really is not this year...shit just got real.

I mean, 2016 Fall is when we should start expecting Tokyo EPD's next project, Retro's next project, Zelda, etc. surely Nintendo cannot be so dumb as to waste that output on Wii U, especially when NX is going to be 2016 or 2017. So assuming they do not waste those titles and that NX is not 2016...we'd going to have a second barren E3. Maybe some far flung dreams announced, but nothing for the year ahead.

 

[MuchoMalo]

Ok thanks for this. So two 4GB chips would suffice.

It would need to be 4x2GB or 8x1GB chips on a 256-bit bus. If they were willing to go crazy, they could go for 4x3GB and destroy PS4 in the texture and pop-in departments.

 

[Rösti]

In terms of memory, there's HMC as well:

Source: http://www.hybridmemorycube.org/specification-v2-download-form/

Just an alternative, I doubt Nintendo would use that though.

 

[Malus]

In terms of memory, there's HMC as well:

Just an alternative, I doubt Nintendo would use that though.

Cube?

Done deal, mystery solved, let's pack it up and go home.

 

[Roo]

And that worked out just swell for them.

Wii U had too many issues against it from the start.
Pricing was one of them but I'd even say it was one of the least damaging.

 

[Thraktor]

In terms of memory, there's HMC as well:



Source: http://www.hybridmemorycube.org/specification-v2-download-form/

Just an alternative, I doubt Nintendo would use that though.

I'd rule that out on the basis that it's only being used for the moment by Intel with their Xeon Phi line. As HBM is pretty much a direct competitor to it and AMD was heavily involved in its design, I don't really see Nintendo using HMC with a AMD designed chip.

Also, I updated the table above to make things a little clearer.

 

[blu]

As there seems to be a bit of confusion regarding available RAM options, it's probably worth me re-posting my table of every hypothetical option available this year:

	Capacities					Max speed	Max I/O		Max bandwidth
	0.5GB	1GB	2GB	3GB	4GB	6GB	per chip	per chip	per chip
LPDDR4		x	x	x	x	x	3733 MT/s	64 bit		29.9 GB/s
HBM2			x		x		2000 MT/s	1024 bit	256.0 GB/s
HBM1		x					1000 MT/s	1024 bit	128.0 GB/s
DDR4	x	x	x				2666 MT/s	16 bit		5.3 GB/s
DDR3	x	x	x				2133 MT/s	16 bit		4.3 GB/s
GDDR5X	x	x					12000 MT/s	32 bit		48.0 GB/s
GDDR5	x	x					8000 MT/s	32 bit		32.0 GB/s

Just to add to the list: LPDDR3 data bus is 32-bit, 1600 MT/s, 6.4GB/s per part.

 

[diaspora]

The branding and initial reveal of the Wii U was one of the worst things I've ever seen. Like no effort was made to differentiate the machine from the Wii itself.

 

[Tarin02543]

Any chances of it using something exotic as opposed to x64?

 

[BGBW]

NES would be a perfect name.

Repeat history by naming it after a system that no one bought in Japan and wasn't that popular in Europe.

 

[ffdgh]

The branding and initial reveal of the Wii U was one of the worst things I've ever seen. Like no effort was made to differentiate the machine from the Wii itself.

The funny part is that they somehow didn't see it coming. Really should have called it wii 2/ hindsight.

 

[ShadowFox08]

What happens if PS4K is way more powerful than NX and both have got revealed at the same time?

Way more powerful? I don't see that happening until a full console Gen leap. Even being 1.5-2x as powerful as PS4 isn't gonna be too drastic in today's era.

 

[sn00zer]

Ports bum me out a it because there is going to be the one game that doesnt make it over. Although tbh as long as they bring over all the first party games I dont think there will be much to miss. I just gotta imagine Bayo 22 is going to get lost in the shuffle.

 

[Malus]

Wii U had too many issues against it from the start.
Pricing was one of them but I'd even say it was one of the least damaging.

If them selling it at a loss was Nintendo's problem then that implies it should've been more expensive lol. I'm sure Wii U would have been smashing at $400.

 

[SuperLeviathan]

Star Fox Zero...

...Wait a sec. What if their entire surprise was the NX announcement the moment you finish the game?

Either way, the timing would make sense. Waiting until the last handful of big Wii U exclusives are out so the news of the NX doesn't impact their sales.

Paper Mario is filler, #FE is retail poison, and Zelda is likely crossgen, so the NX being announced before they come out wouldn't impact much.

 

[Aostia]

The funny part is that they somehow didn't see it coming. Really should have called it wii 2/ hindsight.

I remember a trademark in the line of "super wii" or "power wii" depisited shitty before the wiiu reveal...

 

[MuchoMalo]

Any chances of it using something exotic as opposed to x64?

Not if any rumor stated from the start is true. In terms of likeliness:


ARM64>AMD64>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PPC>>>>>>>>Something else

 

[10k]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=AFHE9kjUXew

 

[Vena]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=AFHE9kjUXew

Ah yes, that verified leak by 10k.

 

[Peterc]

Lol, you trying to start another rumor thread? honestly i don't know. but i think innovation and presenting a vision of the future of gaming is essential because I feel like right now people don't know and we are coming to a crossroads. Everyone on this board seems to accept that consoles are dying and the market for a dedicated box may not be around in 10 to 15 years. gaming isn't dying though, it's actually growing but in areas like mobile and ftp. so I think if nintendo presents a vision and lays down the groundwork for how people WILL be gaming in 10 to 15 years they would be onto something. But gamepad v2 isn't it and console handheld hybrid frankly isn't it either.

Don't think we must count mobile. It's like flash games. The games are mostly cheap, small and mostly made for mainstream.
Touchscreen only isn't the way to play big games.

What if mobile could only play games? It would be a whole different story.


Consoles are here to stay. Think there is just allot more ways to play. Vr is also comming, even hololens.
So you have:

Wiiu
ps4
Xbox1
Steam
3ds
Oculus
Samsung vr
Sony vr
Htc vr
Android
Iphone
Pc
Vita
...

For each gamer there are one of two devices you will own to play games on.

The market is getting too big.

Think ofcourse that 3 consoles for game market is to much. Maybe it was better for Ms to stick with pc, and using it as some kind of xbox option. Instead of making a console, because it does almost the same as ps4.

 

[ShadowFox08]

Notice 6GB is the max.

Dumb question, but..
Does/can NX or even PS4/Xbox One even fully utilize 6-8GB ram for gaming? You have like 2GB for the OS, but is what's left more than enough for gaming?.. Sorry
I'm not tech affluent. I heard something about bandwidths from RAM as well, which are even more important than simply having X amount of RAM(and tied to how fast the RAM is?)..

 

[10k]

Ah yes, that verified leak by 10k.

Dat vindication.

Dumb question, but..
Does/can NX or even PS4/Xbox One even fully utilize 6-8GB ram for gaming? You have like 2GB for the OS, but is what's left more than enough for gaming?.. Sorry
I'm not tech affluent. I heard something about bandwidths from RAM as well, which are even more important than simply having X amount of RAM(and tied to how fast the RAM is?)..

5.5GB of the 8 is useable for games for PS4.
4.5GB of the 8 is useable for games for the XB1.

So the PS4 uses 2.5GB for OS
The Xbox One uses 3.5GB for OS.

Edit: Maybe it's 5 for both now after updates?

 

[frankie_baby]

Dumb question, but..
Does/can NX or even PS4/Xbox One even fully utilize 6-8GB ram for gaming? You have like 2GB for the OS, but is what's left more than enough for gaming?.. Sorry
I'm not tech affluent. I heard something about bandwidths from RAM as well, which are even more important than simply having X amount of RAM(and tied to how fast the RAM is?)..

X bone had 5gb for gaming at launch and ps4 I think 5.5gb, not sure if that's changed

 

[MuchoMalo]

It looks like the LPDDR4 4GB chip in the Galaxy S7 costs $25. So, 4x2GB of LPDDR4 is probably $60-70. For the comparison, PS4's GDDR5 was $88 at launch.

Dumb question, but..
Does/can NX or even PS4/Xbox One even fully utilize 6-8GB ram for gaming? You have like 2GB for the OS, but is what's left more than enough for gaming?.. Sorry
I'm not tech affluent. I heard something about bandwidths from RAM as well, which are even more important than simply having X amount of RAM(and tied to how fast the RAM is?)..

Both XBox One and PS4 have 3GB for the OS and 5GB for games. Bandwidth is essentially the speed of memory access and is a bottleneck if it's too slow. THat's why we're talking about it here.

 

[Ogodei]

I'm too a grumbly 30+ old gamer and in matter of re-calibration, just imagine if the news in the next 2 weeks shows that Nintendo isn't ready at all for this E3, and that NX is a 2017 device.
Crazy expectations on specs are usual, but I'm more concerned with the community expectations for the amount of news we should get this E3, and by the lack of leaks (true ones with actual verified info I mean).

Smells more like 2005 to me, and this doesn't smell good. Anyway, we will see on the 27th.

Nintendo simply can't push Wii U through this holiday season, even with Zelda U. 3DS would fare little better despite Pokemon. The momentum's gone out of both machines.

 

[ShadowFox08]

That would be bad.

As long as the console is beyond Wii U power, which is pretty much a given if it's a home console, I'd be fine, personally on the power front. I don't totally buy into the "Nintendo needs to be powerful to be relevant" mantra either, although if it is weak I will be worried that maybe that mantra is right (and if it is powerful I'll be worried that the price mantra is right) . So I do care about the console's power in a derivative sense, insofar as I care about Nintendo doing better than it did with Wii U both for gaming's sake and Nintendo's sake. But as a consumer and gamer first, I care more about the console delivering software to me and the software I want.

Which ties into what is really riding on this year's E3. 2015 E3 was unbelievably bad and the narrative afterwards has been "oh Nintendo dumped Wii U and is gearing up for NX so they had nothing to show; this means E3 2016 will be the Nintendo fan's dream finally made manifest." If Nintendo is really sitting on nothing, if NX really is not this year...shit just got real.

I mean, 2016 Fall is when we should start expecting Tokyo EPD's next project, Retro's next project, Zelda, etc. surely Nintendo cannot be so dumb as to waste that output on Wii U, especially when NX is going to be 2016 or 2017. So assuming they do not waste those titles and that NX is not 2016...we'd going to have a second barren E3. Maybe some far flung dreams announced, but nothing for the year ahead.

NX needs to at least be between Xbox One to PS4 in power and features(including a large HDD, not that bs 32 GB crap) though more power would be preferable to help it be future proof against ps4k and x1.5.

Why exactly? Power matters more for home consoles than for handhelds. You have a more dedicated base that are willing to invest more for a PC like experience. Not just fans mind you, buy devs too who want to port games easily and work on consoles with enough power to make their games come out just like they envisioned.
Nintendo needs all the 3rd party support it can get, so having NX to be relatively equal in power and features to its competitors is crucial and one of the most important things. I don't think Nintendo can emulate Wii console sales again, and even they sold the most consoles, the attachment rate of games were lowest among gamers.

Man this is so weird for Nintendo to release a new console mid Gen.. If PS5 and X2 get released in 3-4 years, Nintendo will be playing catch up. They forever changed the pace.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

You know all this talk about ram and bandwidth is going to be irreverent when Nintendo only talks about how cool it is to take your NX games anywhere on the go.

 

[ozfunghi]

Oh, so if Nintendo goes lpddr4 it'll have to be in 6GB increments?

No

EDIT: sorry, didn't see there were already answers on the next page.

 

[ShadowFox08]

It looks like the LPDDR4 4GB chip in the Galaxy S7 costs $25. So, 4x2GB of LPDDR4 is probably $60-70. For the comparison, PS4's GDDR5 was $88 at launch.



Both XBox One and PS4 have 3GB for the OS and 5GB for games. Bandwidth is essentially the speed of memory access and is a bottleneck if it's too slow. THat's why we're talking about it here.

edit: Can consoles have too much RAM to the point it would be irrelevant/overkill for gaming purposes though?

Its hard to keep up with so many different types of RAM. I'm familiar with DDR3, and 5(rams Wii u and x1/ps4 uses) but not so much with everything else. I really want to understand the conversations going on from a tech perspective. I'll try doing some research on my own.

 

[Thraktor]

You know all this talk about ram and bandwidth is going to be irreverent when Nintendo only talks about how cool it is to take your NX games anywhere on the go.

Actually, the only system specification which Nintendo gave for the Wii U was that it used 2GB of RAM (which, incidentally, was the only straightforward specification where it significantly exceeded PS360). If they use some kind of exotic RAM, or just a lot of RAM, they'll probably tell us about it (and even if they don't it's very easy to determine from a teardown).