By: Max Cannon
The Nintendo NX has been rumored to be a "portable, handheld console with detachable controllers" according to several unnamed sources close to Eurogamer. There have been several rumors thrown around concerning Nintendo's new console - which is scheduled for a March 2017 release - and Eurogamer's track record has typically been right on the money with these sort of things.
New Console. Old Tricks.
The console is expected to have a center unit with a screen that looks similar to the Wii U and has a detachable controller on each side. The unit can be taken around as a handheld - similar to the PS Vita or the Nintendo 3DS - or it can be used as a typical home console. Both PlayStation and Xbox are known to use AMD chips in their graphics cards but Nintendo will reportedly be using a currently unreleased card from AMD's competitor Nvidia.
A mock-up of a potential NX design.Courtesy of Dual Pixels
Though it's unclear how it would work exactly, it's expected that you'll have higher graphical fidelity when the console is plugged into your TV rather than when it's on the go. Even though an appearance boost is in the card for the NX, sites like IGN are speculating that the console will be weaker than current gen consoles like the PS4. This is concerning, not just for the NX compared to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One but compared to the upcoming upgrades to those consoles with extremely superior graphical capabilities i.e. the Xbox Scorpio and PlayStation Neo. Remember though that everything is currently unsubstantiated rumor that we shouldn't take too seriously, until we hear it straight from Nintendo.
Another NX rumor has really taken us back in time, the return of cartridges. Mainstreams consoles made the jump from cartridges to discs because of how much data they can store and because of cheap the discs are to manufacture, that's why the Nintendo 64 was the last non-handheld console to remain mainstream and still use cartridges. Rumors are circulating concerning the NX using special cartridges that can hold up to 32 GB of data. Some are voicing their concerns as 32 GB is less than many standard games however cartridges can typically load games faster at the risk of costing more to manufacture. If Nintendo has found a cheaper way to return cartridges to the market - and potentially bump up their storage space - than the game may drastically changed, pun intended.
The NX may return to the cartridge design that Nintendo made so famous.Courtesy of Digital Trends
Nothing officially has come out from Nintendo, aside from the March 2017 release date - but we should start hearing concrete information soon. Most console manufacturers start advertising their consoles early, especially with the game industry's emphasis on pre-orders, to generate hype before an official release. With the console less than a year away Nintendo needs to start offering news soon or push back the NX's final release date. Several Wii U games are rumored to make the jump to the NX including Super Smash Bros, Splatoon, and Super Mario 3D World. The only confirmed game to be cross-platform is the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild.
Have Your Say!
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