Author Topic: Dedicated Nintendo Hardware, the NX, in Development, New Membership Service Also in the Works  (Read 15249 times)

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Offline the_dan_x

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Nintendo announces new dedicated gaming hardware and a partnership with a Japanese e-commerce goliath.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/39863/dedicated-nintendo-hardware-the-nx-in-development-new-membership-service-also-in-the-works

Nintendo is currently developing a new dedicated gaming platform tentatively called the NX. Satoru Iwata revealed the existence of the new hardware at a recent investor meeting that announced a business and capital alliance between Nintendo and mobile/e-commerce company DeNA. While few details about the next generation of gaming hardware are sparse, the two companies are currently working together on creating a membership service for current generation Nintendo hardware (Nintendo 3DS and Wii U), the NX, smartphones, tablets and PCs, the service is being targeted to launch in the Fall of 2015. The NX has been dubbed as a “new hardware system with a brand-new concept” which will make full use of the membership service as a core element of the system. Nintendo plans to reveal more about the console next year.

The new partnership with DeNA does mean that any and all Nintendo IP could be used on non-dedicated gaming hardware, i.e., through smart devices on a global scale. However, Iwata stated, “We have no intention at all to port existing game titles for dedicated game platforms to smart devices because if we cannot provide our consumers with the best possible play experiences, it would just ruin the value of Nintendo’s IP.”

Speaking more about their game development plan, Iwata went on to say, “We will continue doing our best to develop dedicated game titles for our dedicated game hardware platforms just as we have been doing. For smart devices, even in the case where we utilize the same IP, we will create completely new game software that will perfectly match the play styles of smart devices.”

Nintendo and DeNA have agreed to enter into a capital alliance. The alliance will have Nintendo acquire 10% of DeNA's treasury shares, 15,081,00 of them worth around 22 billion yen. At the same time, DeNA will acquire 1,759,400 shares, 1.24% of Nintendo's outstanding stock, valued at around 22 billion yen.

Danny Bivens
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Nintendo World Report

Offline Nile Boogie Returns

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Sounds like its a "Netflix for Games Box", $12.99 a month and stream "new" games directly.












Offline jglonek

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I hope this is the Nintendo Fusion project we heard rumors about early last year. The idea behind it was some type of console/portable hybrid.[/size]​​If I can get an HD portable Nintendo system that I can connect to my TV and play when I'm at home that would be fine with me. ​​And I think it would be to Nintendo's advantage to only work on one system instead of two. ​Maybe then we can stop having release droughts![/color]

Offline Triforce Hermit

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Anyone want to simplify this for me? Sounds like "Have access to the VC and E-shop from your phone for $xx.xx of a month."
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Offline the_dan_x

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It could be. But, then again, the NX is going to be a dedicated game console. From what Iwata is saying, it doesn't seem like the stuff for that and the stuff for smart devices would be the same. Triforce, as for just simply being able to play VC stuff on smart phones, Iwata specifically said that kind of thing wasn't going to happen. There is a lot of good info in the source (feel free to check out the link above the story!), one thing in particular caught my eye in regards to quick dirty ports: "We have no intention at all to port existing game titles for dedicated game platforms to smart devices because if we cannot provide our consumers with the best possible play experiences, it would just ruin the value of Nintendo’s IP."

Interesting fact - DeNA owns Mobage, a pretty popular service/development platform for mobile games mainly in Japan (they have some stuff available in various countries, too, including North America). I would imagine they would make some kind of a system similar to that for the mobile stuff. Maybe? On the other hand, with that service being at the heart of the new system, that doesn't sound too groundbreaking. This is Nintendo we're talking about here, though, so I'm sure that we'll be surprised one way or the other by the time it's all said and done.

This stuff is just crazy and it's tough to know what to make of it. Keep sounding off in the comments, guys. I know I' looking forward to hearing what you guys think about all of this!
Danny Bivens
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Nintendo World Report

Offline ejamer

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This should be a good business move, but it's hard to trust that Nintendo can pull it off.


It's also an unappealing move to me because I don't own a smart phone and don't really have any interest in owning one.  Looks like my gaming days are numbered... frankly, I'm ok if that's true. Vive le backlog!
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Offline Evan_B

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Ultimately, I think this is a good business move, and will certainly quell the incessant whining of investors. I just don't really know what to make of it.

I will never play a game on my phone. Ever. I decided that after playing a number of titles, both casual and core, that just didn't feel tactile or engaging enough- and Nintendo IPs aren't going to change my opinion of that. However, I see this as profitable advertizement for the company- make the characters more of a household name and thereby cause more people to gravitate towards the consoles, and make a quick buck off of it too.

What interests me more is the membership program, of course. What I want from Nintendo is something that I'm not entirely certain they could ever truly deliver, so it satisfies me that they know their limits and are co-developing something that is truly cross-platform and easily accessible to all console owners.

The NX is tantalizing, of course, but considering we know nothing about it, there's not much to say. It's the 3DS successor, though. No doubt about that.
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Offline LudicrousDa3ve

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No real surprises, but this is brilliant. This will get Nintendo IP to proliferate, but not diminish. You want the full Nintendo experience that you're being teased? Go buy that hardware.

The announcement and vague "you'll see next year" on the NX is completely on schedule. On a personal note, I seriously hope the "Fusion" thing is what NX is.

Offline Adrock

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I see where Nintendo is going with this partnership. It wants to use mobile device to introduce its intellectual properties to more people. None of the games are meant for me. I don't need convincing. I can see Nintendo aiming younger considering how many parents in grocery stores and malls hand their kids their smartphones just to shut up for a while.

Let's hope it is more than just an app that lets you view Let's Play videos officially sanctioned by Nintendo. I like the idea of a unified account system so when I migrate, if I migrate, to the next hardware I don't loose any games.
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Online broodwars

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I really don't know what to think of this news. It was inevitable that the shareholders would eventually drag Nintendo kicking and screaming into the mobile market, and Sony's found some success in that market with tie-in games advertising their console experiences (Knack's Quest, Run Sackboy Run, etc.) so it might not be horrible. But on the flipside, I just don't see any quality gaming experiences coming from any venture into mobile, where games are measured by their similarities to slot machines.

As for the new NX device, I'm pretty sure Nintendo's going to boldly go where they've never gone before with that enterprise.  :cool;



 :P:
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Offline Caterkiller

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No real surprises, but this is brilliant. This will get Nintendo IP to proliferate, but not diminish. You want the full Nintendo experience that you're being teased? Go buy that hardware.

The announcement and vague "you'll see next year" on the NX is completely on schedule. On a personal note, I seriously hope the "Fusion" thing is what NX is.


Exactly this. In the last few years I know the pressure coming from the world was just to slap Super Mario Bros 3 and the latest 3D Mario onto mobile and call it a day. That never sat right with me and I'm so glad it isn't happening. Having brand new types of "mini" games with Nintendo IP's splashed across people's smart phones will do wonders for advertising to the masses. Sure you can get a Mario Jumper that will be addictive for high scores but the real deal will forever be hung over your head with Nintendo's handheld or home console.


Something like this will really keep Nintendo relevant with kids again. I was at some big mall Sunday and I walked across 2 adult men sporting Pikachu shirts, one adult woman with an awesome Gen 1 Pokemon hat, and 2 men with Zelda shirts. Of course this is purely anecdotal but those people seem like me, the near 30 year old who has grown up with Nintendo and just still enjoys it. I see more of them now a'days than I do kids running around with those types of shirts. Getting Nintendo IP's exposed on mobile will do wonders for their popularity with kids.
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Offline Triforce Hermit

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Part of me is interested and then part of me is thinking "this is outside my interests."
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Offline Ian Sane

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"new hardware system"

YAY!!!

"with a brand-new concept"

D'OH!!!

Sorry but "brand-new concept" makes me think "dumb gimmick controller".  IE: Wii 3, fails the same as Wii U, etc.  I don't trust Nintendo's ideas these days.  I would honestly want them to say they're making something conventional.  I really just want a normal console with Nintendo games on it like the ones Nintendo made prior to the Wii.  A glorified PS4 with Nintendo first party games would be awesome.  Anyway the important thing is that Nintendo is replacing the Wii U (or so I assume unless the NX is some weird Virtual Boy thing) and that's the right move.

It kind of sounds like Nintendo will be doing a universal account system across all platforms.  GOOD!

Don't care about the smartphone stuff though I know their stockholders were pushing for it.  I'm glad Nintendo's intention is to not ruin the value of their IP.  I want "real" Nintendo games, not smartphone bullshit.  That's at least one thing Iwata and I see eye to eye on.

Offline tendoboy1984

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I see plenty of kids on Miiverse, so the notion that "kids don't play Nintendo games" is false. Also, a majority of people playing video games are teenagers and adults, and they're the main demographic of PlayStation, Xbox and Steam. Nintendo needs to reach out to everyone, not just kids OR adults.
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Offline leahsdad

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I still don't understand why everyone wants Nintendo to have just ONE console, instead of one portable and one home.   

I mean, sure, it would mean we're spending less money, because we're just buying 1 Nintendo device, as opposed to 2.

And it would SEEM like we're getting more games for said unified console, because all of Ninendo's development resources would be focused on one platform instead of being divided between supporting two.

But wouldn't that just be the same status quo as now?   Sure, the Wii U doesn't have a lot of games this year.  Neither does 3DS.  But with a unified console, we'd still just have the same amount of games.  Hell, maybe even less.   Some years we get 2 Zelda games in 1 year (Wind Waker HD and Link Between Worlds, for example).   That would NEVER happen on a unified console.
[Showing off game collection]

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Offline tendoboy1984

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"new hardware system"

YAY!!!

"with a brand-new concept"

D'OH!!!

Sorry but "brand-new concept" makes me think "dumb gimmick controller".  IE: Wii 3, fails the same as Wii U, etc.  I don't trust Nintendo's ideas these days.  I would honestly want them to say they're making something conventional.  I really just want a normal console with Nintendo games on it like the ones Nintendo made prior to the Wii.  A glorified PS4 with Nintendo first party games would be awesome.  Anyway the important thing is that Nintendo is replacing the Wii U (or so I assume unless the NX is some weird Virtual Boy thing) and that's the right move.

It kind of sounds like Nintendo will be doing a universal account system across all platforms.  GOOD!

Don't care about the smartphone stuff though I know their stockholders were pushing for it.  I'm glad Nintendo's intention is to not ruin the value of their IP.  I want "real" Nintendo games, not smartphone bullshit.  That's at least one thing Iwata and I see eye to eye on.


NX is obviously codename for their console/handheld hybrid system.


NX = Nintendo Cross(platform)


And I'm really sick of people calling the Wii U Gamepad a gimmick. It's just an oversized normal controller with a touchscreen, like a large handheld. If touchscreens are gimmicks then what does that make the DS, Vita, and smartphones/tablets?
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Offline leahsdad

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I see plenty of kids on Miiverse, so the notion that "kids don't play Nintendo games" is false. Also, a majority of people playing video games are teenagers and adults, and they're the main demographic of PlayStation, Xbox and Steam. Nintendo needs to reach out to everyone, not just kids OR adults.

Yeah, my daughter's 9 and her platform of choice is her 3DS.   She has her own Iphone, she has her own Ipad, but her top choice tends to be the 3DS.  Granted, she's my daughter, and when she walks into my office and sees my shelves and shelves of Nintendo games and systems, and when she sees my copy of Nintendo Force arrive in the mail every month, there's bound to be some artificial bias there.

But man, I checked her activity log the other day, and she's put 140 hours into Animal Crossing, 30 hours into Tomodachi Life, 10 hours into Disney's Magical World (not as big a hit), and 50 hours into Style Saavy.   It's almost embarassing for me, because I originally bought Animal Crossing for myself, I'm the mayor of our freakin town, but she schools me on that game constantly.   I've never even been to the island!

[Showing off game collection]

Oh yeah, I know I have 2 sealed copies of that game.   1 is for trading.  But people who collect Amiibos?  They really have a problem!

Offline Khushrenada

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And I'm really sick of people calling the Wii U Gamepad a gimmick. It's just an oversized normal controller with a touchscreen, like a large handheld. If touchscreens are gimmicks then what does that make the DS, Vita, and smartphones/tablets?

Whoever said, "Cheaters never win" must've never met Khushrenada.

I still don't understand why everyone wants Nintendo to have just ONE console, instead of one portable and one home.   

I mean, sure, it would mean we're spending less money, because we're just buying 1 Nintendo device, as opposed to 2.

And it would SEEM like we're getting more games for said unified console, because all of Ninendo's development resources would be focused on one platform instead of being divided between supporting two.

But wouldn't that just be the same status quo as now?   Sure, the Wii U doesn't have a lot of games this year.  Neither does 3DS.  But with a unified console, we'd still just have the same amount of games.  Hell, maybe even less.   Some years we get 2 Zelda games in 1 year (Wind Waker HD and Link Between Worlds, for example).   That would NEVER happen on a unified console.



Because not everyone buys BOTH systems. Some of us pick one or the other. So we don't get TWO Zelda  games we get one. Sure hand helds are popular but consoles appeal to an entirely different demographic. It is the same old bullshit PC fans keep saying why even bother with consoles at all when everyone has a PC. Because there are different people with different tastes.
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Offline relewis2011

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This is definitely some interesting and exciting news...I cannot wait to hear the inevitable hour-long discussion on this weeks RFN  :D

I see plenty of kids on Miiverse, so the notion that "kids don't play Nintendo games" is false. Also, a majority of people playing video games are teenagers and adults, and they're the main demographic of PlayStation, Xbox and Steam. Nintendo needs to reach out to everyone, not just kids OR adults.

Yeah, my daughter's 9 and her platform of choice is her 3DS.   She has her own Iphone, she has her own Ipad, but her top choice tends to be the 3DS.  Granted, she's my daughter, and when she walks into my office and sees my shelves and shelves of Nintendo games and systems, and when she sees my copy of Nintendo Force arrive in the mail every month, there's bound to be some artificial bias there.

But man, I checked her activity log the other day, and she's put 140 hours into Animal Crossing, 30 hours into Tomodachi Life, 10 hours into Disney's Magical World (not as big a hit), and 50 hours into Style Saavy.   It's almost embarassing for me, because I originally bought Animal Crossing for myself, I'm the mayor of our freakin town, but she schools me on that game constantly.   I've never even been to the island!


Yeah that is 3DS, NOT Wii U. Why is it so hard to realize Nintendo is trying to expand their band to sell more CONSOLES hand helds ALWAYS appeal to kids more nobody is arguing that.
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Offline Triforce Hermit

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And I'm really sick of people calling the Wii U Gamepad a gimmick. It's just an oversized normal controller with a touchscreen, like a large handheld. If touchscreens are gimmicks then what does that make the DS, Vita, and smartphones/tablets?
Gimmicks
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Offline Caterkiller

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I still don't understand why everyone wants Nintendo to have just ONE console, instead of one portable and one home.   

I mean, sure, it would mean we're spending less money, because we're just buying 1 Nintendo device, as opposed to 2.

And it would SEEM like we're getting more games for said unified console, because all of Ninendo's development resources would be focused on one platform instead of being divided between supporting two.

But wouldn't that just be the same status quo as now?   Sure, the Wii U doesn't have a lot of games this year.  Neither does 3DS.  But with a unified console, we'd still just have the same amount of games.  Hell, maybe even less.   Some years we get 2 Zelda games in 1 year (Wind Waker HD and Link Between Worlds, for example).   That would NEVER happen on a unified console.


The way I see it we will get more than one device but with both working under the same OS. I imagine Mario Galaxy World would be available for both devices, only the home console would be prettier. So essentially if you only wanted one or the other that would be all you need.

I don't particularly look at it as less games either. Maybe less from the same franchise but that sounds great to me! The resources that would go into a 2nd Mario Kart or New Super Mario Bros would be going into an entirely different game or franchise. I mean we got NSMB2 and then 35 seconds later we got NSMBW, then 45 seconds after that we got Super Luigi on top of it all! We got 3 NSMB games in one generation developed across 2 platforms. If people really want more it's clear DLC to increase the game by 50-100% is the way to go.

So now that a single Mario Kart satisfies both the hand held and home console audience that team is free to either do some DLC and have it prepared a year from now or get on to their next project which could have been something that would have never existed during the old structure.

The time and resources that would have went into the opposite hand held/console version now goes to something else giving us more variety. I don't see the down side at all for us. Of course the downside for Nintendo is that they could have sold a completely different 2D Mario for people who buy both but they could just as easily make something else that would be just as successful with that extra time on their hands.
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Offline ShyGuy

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I knew it was all over when I saw Mario is Missing come out for the PC...  :'(