What we know so far about the Nintendo NX with sources

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blu said:
UE4 mobile is designed for handhelds.
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Yes, it's not a sure thing that UE4 won't be available on the handheld. My not-that-great $150 tablet can run UE4 full speed. It's all about how well you optimize each specific game for the hardware. UE4 is very scalable.

If it doesn't end up on the handheld it'll be due to a business decision, just like with Wii U. Not because the hardware couldn't handle it.
 
Been looking at 3DS and Wii U releases from 2013-2015 and I saw an average of 10 exclusives for Wii U at retail and 14 for 3DS, not counting digital games.
If the library is shared, let's say that 20 games are made per year for Nintendo systems exclusively with little to no droughts based on the devs costs slightly evening out.
(Would be cool if someone found a list of total retail games for both platforms per year, couldn't find a good one)
The portable games get a big bump to an almost HD device but the console's development costs go down slightly and they already have established HD experience and dev tools at their disposal.
This should help with launch and to have something consistently coming out.
One of the biggest issues with Nintendo is that they push completed games back to the holiday season to sell more leaving droughts, and they space out releases thinking the fans have both systems which leaves some months where the 3DS or the Wii U feels under used.
I think just with that they fix a lot of their issues and could make consumers happy even if at worst case scenario the 3rd party support is a repeat of this generation.
If they can see a big improvement over 3rd party support, and get major titles like DQ, FF, CoD, Star Wars, etc, Nintendo could have something pretty special here and either way I think fans will be pleasantly surprised.
 
Neoxon said:
But then it would leave Nintendo exposed to being undercut by Sony & Microsoft with strategic price cuts (alongside a double-whammy hit from Sony via PSVR) & more third party support. And given that western third parties may be apprehensive about supporting Nintendo, going balls-out may not be the best course of action right now.
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Let's look at this logically:
- Microsoft's already played whatever cards they have to play for the XB1 and were pretty aggressive in trying to stop Sony from adding market share with price cuts, bundles, free games, etc. I don't think Nintendo would be a big factor in pushing them any further.

- Sony hasn't been really reacting to what Microsoft's been doing (I think they could match Microsoft's price/deals if they wanted, but they aren't). If Nintendo scares them into doing that for PS4 I'd say NX is already a big success and will sell a lot more than the Wii U.

- Going "balls-out" would be a system a half-gen ahead of the PS4/XB1, systems that weren't bleeding-edge tech in 2013. A machine that's modestly more powerful than PS4 isn't going to cost much more than what even the pessimistic people are expecting.
 
thefro said:
Let's look at this logically:
- Microsoft's already played whatever cards they have to play for the XB1 and were pretty aggressive in trying to stop Sony from adding market share with price cuts, bundles, free games, etc. I don't think Nintendo would be a big factor in pushing them any further.

- Sony hasn't been really reacting to what Microsoft's been doing (I think they could match Microsoft's price/deals if they wanted, but they aren't). If Nintendo scares them into doing that for PS4 I'd say NX is already a big success and will sell a lot more than the Wii U.

- Going "balls-out" would be a system a half-gen ahead of the PS4/XB1, systems that weren't bleeding-edge tech in 2013. A machine that's modestly more powerful than PS4 isn't going to cost much more than what even the pessimistic people are expecting.
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But it would likely end with Nintendo having to make the NX Console cost more (especially if they go with ARM across the board (if there are powerful options for ARM that are affordable, let me know). And given that Nintendo likely won't have much in the name of western third party support at launch, it wouldn't be in their best interest to go into a gun fight without a few clips. And it all ties back into the downward spiral of console sales. Granted, the NX Handheld is probably gonna do decent numbers, but I sadly can't see the NX Console succeeding at the level that I would hope for this late in the generation.
 
Neoxon said:
But it would likely end with Nintendo having to make the NX Console cost more (especially if they go with ARM across the board (if there are powerful options for ARM that are affordable, let me know). And given that Nintendo likely won't have much in the name of western third party support at launch, it wouldn't be in their best interest to go into a gun fight without a few clips. And it all ties back into the downward spiral of console sales. Granted, the NX Handheld is probably gonna do decent numbers, but I sadly can't see the NX Console succeeding at the level that I would hope for this late in the generation.
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Mainline pokemon is gonna help for sure. Assuming the shared library theory holds true.
 
Pif said:
Mainline pokemon is gonna help for sure. Assuming the shared library theory holds true.
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That would certainly help, but Game Freak would probably target the game at the NX Handheld & just have it upscale to the NX Console to cut costs.
 
thefro said:
Let's look at this logically:

- Going "balls-out" would be a system a half-gen ahead of the PS4/XB1, systems that weren't bleeding-edge tech in 2013. A machine that's modestly more powerful than PS4 isn't going to cost much more than what even the pessimistic people are expecting.
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The issue is that the technology hasn't yet evolved to the point where they can get moderately more powerful than the PS4/XB1 without the system going beyond a good price range. If they can secure a 14nm process, though, things can get more interesting.
 
Neoxon said:
That would certainly help, but Game Freak would probably target the game at the NX Handheld & just have it upscale to the NX Console to cut costs.
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Honestly, I think lots of people would be fine with that. I know my wife would. As long as she could play it on the TV or the handheld she'd be happy.
 
Neoxon said:
That would certainly help, but Game Freak would probably target the game at the NX Handheld & just have it upscale to the NX Console to cut costs.
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Sounds fine to me.

They can even make certain features exclusive for each unit. HH can obviously host local wifi battles and trading, and NX home can have online co-op.

Its a win-win. I hope it finally happens. A pokemon Y kind of game on the Gamecube could have helped a lot.
 
Pif said:
Sounds fine to me.

They can even make certain features exclusive for each unit. HH can obviously host local wifi battles and trading, and NX home can have online co-op.

Its a win-win. I hope it finally happens. A pokemon Y kind of game on the Gamecube could have helped a lot.
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But that's just it, I don't think Game Freak would go through that much trouble to cater to the NX Console audience. Any potential catering would probably be to the NX Handheld, with those features likely being locked out to the NX Console.
 
lwilliams3 said:
How easy is it to downport and upport between the mobile version and the full version?
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I would imagine that it wouldn't be that difficult to downscale the games for mobile at long there are no issues. But I just hope that handheld wouldn't held back some features if it's in case.
 
I hope that there will be 2 consoles. One for 499$ other one for 299$.

I'll sure will buy the 499$ one, as long it can show killing gfx.

Price doesnt matter for me.


I hope the same thing for handheld.


Imagine what gfx a nintendo game could look like with that kind if power
 
lwilliams3 said:
The issue is that the technology hasn't yet evolved to the point where they can get moderately more powerful than the PS4/XB1 without the system going beyond a good price range. If they can secure a 14nm process, though, things can get more interesting.
Click to expand...

I really hope so. If the will go with 14nm I could see a maximum of 1024 shader units (so between XB1 and PS4), however because of the newer Polaris tech it could be as powerful as PS4 regardless (while sucking a lot less power). This together with 8 A72 cores would make a pretty powerful and (tech wise) futureproof console.
For the handheld I could see 2-4 A72 or 4 A53 CPU cores and 128 shader units on the GPU side.
 
I wouldn't be so sure about the NX console launching in the states in 2016. When has Nintendo ever released something big on time? Even if 2016 is the plan history shows it won't come out on time.
 
Peterc said:
I hope that there will be 2 consoles. One for 499$ other one for 299$.
I'll sure will buy the 499$ one, as long it can show killing gfx.
Price doesnt matter for me.
I hope the same thing for handheld.
Imagine what gfx a nintendo game could look like with that kind if power
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That's an interesting idea. It's possible, I guess, though it would require more work from devs.
Would allow them to appeal to multiple markets but would also lead to market confusion.
Don't think many have thought of 3 systems
 
Pif said:
B0050SWYTC_2.jpg


This is all very subjective of course. But for my eyes it looks like the same generation of device could power Killzone and that mobile UE4 tech demo.
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Lighting, textures, materials and reflections are all one generation behind that demo tech wise, and it's not really subjective.
 
This Trev guy is probably bullshitting. I'm not saying he's making everything up but considering that NX news is in demand and "2016" and "Zelda NX" are two of the more heavily speculated things right now. I wouldn't be surprised if his "source" is just taking wild guesses.
 
Spyder_Monkey said:
This Trev guy is probably bullshitting. I'm not saying he's making everything up but considering that NX news is in demand and "2016" and "Zelda NX" are two of the more heavily speculated things right now. I wouldn't be surprised if his "source" is just taking wild guesses.
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Thanks for your concern, my source is definitely not guessing. I said it was legit and it is.
 
Doctre81 said:
I wouldn't be so sure about the NX console launching in the states in 2016. When has Nintendo ever released something big on time? Even if 2016 is the plan history shows it won't come out on time.
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I don't remember consoles being delayed very much. At least not Wii/Wii U.
 
Have been reading this thread with interest. I'm a little confused as to why there is there so much chat around processors and specs? Nintendo haven't had a spec leading console since the Snes have they? (genuine question).

(A little background I own everything from Snes to Wii U but am possibly more on the casual spectrum in recent years).

Their proposition has in the main has always been about 1st party games and exclusive 3rd party. Virtual Boy and Wii aside, what they represent effectively for the last 30 years is a standard controller and Mario (and I mean that in a good way).

If the next iteration is 'just' a console and handheld and better platform integration that makes no sense. They could do that with 3GS and Wii U now. I think the NX has to have something not talked about here at an interaction/hardware level (no idea what).

The retro stuff - i.e. own everything you want and pay for it again is nice to a point for a limited audience but the real market is always whatever new games are coming in the future.

Nintendo fans will buy whatever, the real trick is if they can gain back the 3rd party game releases through easy platform conversion and effectively move from niche to must buy again. But that's still not enough to win. The only way to get back on top is all 3 of: true innovation + best specs + all AAA games available. If only one of those is missing then Nintendo remain as they are currently with their dedicated and retro fans, nothing more.
 
lwilliams3 said:
How easy is it to downport and upport between the mobile version and the full version?
Click to expand...

There is no separate "version." It's all just one single engine.

The engine just has lots of different settings and features that can be turned on or off at will. When you create a project the editor asks you if you wish to target mobile or desktop, and choosing mobile will make the engine automatically turn off/on certain settings for you to maximize performance (but you can actually change those settings yourself manually later). You could tell it you're targeting desktop, yet then go and change settings yourself to mobile-friendly ones if you want your game to run on super low-end PCs.

Many mobile games, for example, completely turn off all lighting features of the engine and use only unlit materials (as in, all lighting/shadowing, if any at all, is permanently etched into the model's texture, not calculated in real time).

Since the difference between UE4 mobile vs desktop is just changing certain settings, the engine itself is not the biggest obstacle for porting. It's the assets and how they're created and optimized that matters most (you wouldn't want to use super hi-poly models in a mobile game) and that's something performed in Maya, 3DS Max, Blender, or whatever 3D modeling program developers happen to use. The other obstacle is control input methods. Porting a touch screen game to a console with only a traditional controller would require rewriting a lot of code.
 
Turnbl said:
Have been reading this thread with interest. I'm a little confused as to why there is there so much chat around processors and specs? Nintendo haven't had a spec leading console since the Snes have they? (genuine question).

(A little background I own everything from Snes to Wii U but am possibly more on the casual spectrum in recent years).

Their proposition has in the main has always been about 1st party games and exclusive 3rd party. Virtual Boy and Wii aside, what they represent effectively for the last 30 years is a standard controller and Mario (and I mean that in a good way).

If the next iteration is 'just' a console and handheld and better platform integration that makes no sense. They could do that with 3GS and Wii U now. I think the NX has to have something not talked about here at an interaction/hardware level (no idea what).

The retro stuff - i.e. own everything you want and pay for it again is nice to a point for a limited audience but the real market is always whatever new games are coming in the future.

Nintendo fans will buy whatever, the real trick is if they can gain back the 3rd party game releases through easy platform conversion and effectively move from niche to must buy again. But that's still not enough to win. The only way to get back on top is all 3 of: true innovation + best specs + all AAA games available. If only one of those is missing then Nintendo remain as they are currently with their dedicated and retro fans, nothing more.
Click to expand...

I think the N64 and Gamecube were up there as far as specs go. The Wii and Wii U have been the exceptions, but that doesn't mean they can't go back to making high spec machines.
 
Turnbl said:
Have been reading this thread with interest. I'm a little confused as to why there is there so much chat around processors and specs? Nintendo haven't had a spec leading console since the Snes have they? (genuine question).

(A little background I own everything from Snes to Wii U but am possibly more on the casual spectrum in recent years).

Their proposition has in the main has always been about 1st party games and exclusive 3rd party. Virtual Boy and Wii aside, what they represent effectively for the last 30 years is a standard controller and Mario (and I mean that in a good way).

If the next iteration is 'just' a console and handheld and better platform integration that makes no sense. They could do that with 3GS and Wii U now. I think the NX has to have something not talked about here at an interaction/hardware level (no idea what).

The retro stuff - i.e. own everything you want and pay for it again is nice to a point for a limited audience but the real market is always whatever new games are coming in the future.

Nintendo fans will buy whatever, the real trick is if they can gain back the 3rd party game releases through easy platform conversion and effectively move from niche to must buy again. But that's still not enough to win. The only way to get back on top is all 3 of: true innovation + best specs + all AAA games available. If only one of those is missing then Nintendo remain as they are currently with their dedicated and retro fans, nothing more.
Click to expand...
The N64 was a beast but hard to program for. The GameCube was more powerful then the PS2 but not up to par with the Xbox. Really, it's only been two generations where Nintendo went with weak hardware.
 
Turnbl said:
Have been reading this thread with interest. I'm a little confused as to why there is there so much chat around processors and specs? Nintendo haven't had a spec leading console since the Snes have they? (genuine question).

(A little background I own everything from Snes to Wii U but am possibly more on the casual spectrum in recent years).

Their proposition has in the main has always been about 1st party games and exclusive 3rd party. Virtual Boy and Wii aside, what they represent effectively for the last 30 years is a standard controller and Mario (and I mean that in a good way).

If the next iteration is 'just' a console and handheld and better platform integration that makes no sense. They could do that with 3GS and Wii U now. I think the NX has to have something not talked about here at an interaction/hardware level (no idea what).

The retro stuff - i.e. own everything you want and pay for it again is nice to a point for a limited audience but the real market is always whatever new games are coming in the future.

Nintendo fans will buy whatever, the real trick is if they can gain back the 3rd party game releases through easy platform conversion and effectively move from niche to must buy again. But that's still not enough to win. The only way to get back on top is all 3 of: true innovation + best specs + all AAA games available. If only one of those is missing then Nintendo remain as they are currently with their dedicated and retro fans, nothing more.
Click to expand...
GameCube was pretty good during its gen right? Even better than the ps2 was what I heard. Though the Xbox was just ahead of everything apparently.
 
Peterc said:
I hope that there will be 2 consoles. One for 499$ other one for 299$.

I'll sure will buy the 499$ one, as long it can show killing gfx.

Price doesnt matter for me.


I hope the same thing for handheld.


Imagine what gfx a nintendo game could look like with that kind if power
Click to expand...

That's too much.

I think that the PS4 and XOne with a game will be $300 in the end of the year, so a new machine that is almost twice the price will not sell well at $500.
 
Trevelyan9999 said:
PM has been sent to bishoptl, I hope to find out how to proceed further soon.

Good times :)
Click to expand...

you got info ? if so then bring it. We either get something about the NX in March if not then we just have to wait for E3.. the wait Man, tired of people talking about the same stuff over and over
 
Turnbl said:
If the next iteration is 'just' a console and handheld and better platform integration that makes no sense. They could do that with 3GS and Wii U now. I think the NX has to have something not talked about here at an interaction/hardware level (no idea what).
Click to expand...

What makes you say that? They talk in the OP about how making cross platform games between 3DS and Wii U is very difficult.

Trevelyan9999 said:
PM has been sent to bishoptl, I hope to find out how to proceed further soon.

Good times :)
Click to expand...

Good luck. Once they see your PM you will be whisked off to Gaf Castle and made to take on the Trials. Make sure you are in peak mental and physical condition, as I hear it involves a lot of hula-hoops.

Armadilo said:
you got info ? if so then bring it. We either get something about the NX in March if not then we just have to wait for E3.. the wait Man, tired of people talking about the same stuff over and over
Click to expand...

He's been bringing it. Now he's just looking for Gaf approval.
 
Sammy Samusu said:
You guys need a source for NX and Zelda in 2016? Really?

Are we waiting for a Nintendo insider to confirm the next Mario too?
Click to expand...

I don't think NX home console in 2016 can be assumed. ShockingAlberto has been saying things like 'I think they should release both handheld and home console in 2016 but that doesn't mean they will' and we could use more evidence.

Of course Nintendo could really benefit from NX releasing soon, but that doesn't mean it'll be ready.
 
Sub Boss said:
$199 for a handheld would be insane, even the original 3DS could not support that price.
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Because there weren't games for it at launch.

3DS was not prepared to launch when it did. Nintendo bet everything on Pilotwings Resort, Steel Diver and three fucking Nintendogs games. What were they thinking? Then, 4-5 months until we got OoT. Then another 4-5 months for Super Mario Land and Mario Kart.

The price itself is not the problem for most people.
 
Trevelyan, can you tell us some more about the Zelda screens you saw? You don't have to tell us everything, but it would be really interestimg to get some info about the project. The wait has been so long.
 
Hoo-doo said:
Reminds me of IdeaMan's antics in the Wii-U speculation threads.
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Yes, this is so reminiscent of IdeaMan because everyone remembers that one time IdeaMan decided to stop being endlessly vague, claimed to be in direct contact with a Nintendo employee and was willing to put his account on the line in order to verify his info with a mod.
 
Malus said:
What makes you say that? They talk in the OP about how making cross platform games between 3DS and Wii U is very difficult.



Good luck. Once they see your PM you will be whisked off to Gaf Castle and made to take on the Trials. Make sure you are in peak mental and physical condition, as I hear it involves a lot of hula-hoops.



He's been bringing it. Now he's just looking for Gaf approval.
Click to expand...

Well I am good at those Insanity 30 minute workouts if they need me to jump :) lol

Can't wait to verify this guys, it was a bit stressful preparing this information with a fine toothed comb but worth it to make sure it was done right.
 
Malus said:
What makes you say that? They talk in the OP about how making cross platform games between 3DS and Wii U is very difficult.
Click to expand...

What I mean is that pretty decent devices at a hardware level (Wii U & N3GS) exist now. Any cross platform problems or difficulties are software related. Software Nintendo owns on proprietary platforms. If they decide that the new NX is 'just' a standard console and and a standard handheld with an easier development platform then that's fine but they could've developed the same for the current architecture, aside from the financial incentive of releasing new systems. That's why I think it must be more than that.
 
Ozorov said:
Soo... Can anyone summarize these 130-pages for me?
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The OP has pretty much everything that has been officially said about NX. This is all mostly detailing the philosophy behind Nintendo's future system and game development.

Within the thread, there's been lots of speculation and discussion about what Nintendo could do regarding the tech, the release schedule/plans, interpretation of the sources, etc. Occasionally, insider reports of varying levels of credibility are discussed as well.
 
Ozorov said:
Soo... Can anyone summarize these 130-pages for me?
Click to expand...

-Lots of signs pointing to 2016 release
-Hardware power is a total question mark, with a bunch of people super confident that it'll be powerful and a lot of people confident it will be weak
-Some rumblings about PS4 ports
-Loud rumblings about Zelda and Smash NX ports
-Lots of going over the patents (clickable scroll wheels. cloud computing, no disc drive, free form LCD displays, etc.)
-Trevelyan9999 is the new IdeaMan. (someone remind me how that story ended)
-Lots of random tech discussion having little to do with NX
-Lots of random mockups
-"ahaha" ShockingAlberto 2016
 
deriks said:
That's too much.

I think that the PS4 and XOne with a game will be $300 in the end of the year, so a new machine that is almost twice the price will not sell well at $500.
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In that case you still have the cheaper one of 299$ that run games on lower res and frames.

I dont think its difficult to run a game on 2 different power system. PC games does it all the time. Why would that be impossible for consoles?


Also, wiiu also started with the white and black version. Its the perfect solution to make everyone happy
 
NX should not cross the $399 mark no matter how powerful it is. A new shiny more powerful than ps4 console at $299 would do some damage. Even more if it cam bundled with the new 3d mario.
 
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