Topic: Nintendo: NX, Zelda Launching March 2017 Worldwide

[Ian Sane]

Would Nintendo delay a whole system because of one game?  They SHOULD have other titles in the works as well so in theory if the hardware was all ready to go couldn't they launch without Zelda and then have it appear in March a few months later?  They could throw that vague "launch window" wording everyone uses.  I'm thinking there are logistical issues with getting the NX ready for 2016 in terms of having the amount of units ready to go that they want or ALL of the games aiming for launch are still too rough to make that date or they couldn't get dev kits out quick enough for third parties to make that date.  If Zelda is causing the delay then isn't the NX in trouble if it and Zelda have to go hand and hand?  It would suggest that beyond Zelda there won't be much else around launch.  Though I suppose it could just be Nintendo feeling that they need something big like Zelda, even if there will be other good titles available.

[Phil]

Would Nintendo delay a whole system because of one game?  They SHOULD have other titles in the works as well so in theory if the hardware was all ready to go couldn't they launch without Zelda and then have it appear in March a few months later?  They could throw that vague "launch window" wording everyone uses.  I'm thinking there are logistical issues with getting the NX ready for 2016 in terms of having the amount of units ready to go that they want or ALL of the games aiming for launch are still too rough to make that date or they couldn't get dev kits out quick enough for third parties to make that date.  If Zelda is causing the delay then isn't the NX in trouble if it and Zelda have to go hand and hand?  It would suggest that beyond Zelda there won't be much else around launch.  Though I suppose it could just be Nintendo feeling that they need something big like Zelda, even if there will be other good titles available.

A quote from the president mentioned the NX was being moved to 2017 so there would be a better lineup of games ready for the system then. Not just because of Zelda.

[Lemonade]

They want as many launch games as possible. It wakes sense.

[Caterkiller]

I'm completely fine with Nintendo delaying the NX to make sure there are plenty of games to go along with it during and right after launch. I will say thats a much better plan than what went on with Wii U. Not only did it take forever for Nintendo's bigger games to come out, remember how slow the operating system was?


Still when this site was Planet Gamecube and I was going by HyperTails in our old forum I remember hearing from Iwata(or maybe Miyamoto) how the Gamecube would allow for easier development or some such and that the droughts that plagued the 64 wouldn't be happening again. Now relative to the PS2 and the N64 Gamecube probably was easier to develop for, at least for developers who actually worked on multiple systems any way but I still remember droughts and lots of em. I didn't mind much then and I don't really mind much now but still, I'm not the one they need convincing. I remember Killer7 was my last awesome game before TP and that was a heck of a wait.


Before the Wii was announced I remember Iwata specifically saying how they were going to avoid droughts with some streamlined nonsense. And the last 2 Wii years were tough.


Before the Wii U launched I remember the same exact thing.


I expect to hear roughly the same things this time around and honestly I've got very little reason to believe them because of their track record. When we were getting nothing from the Wii I thought for sure what ever was coming for the Wii U would be far into development and we'd get some quick releases. I feel the exact same thing now and I know Nintendo is working on NX games as we speak, they just have to, but one can never underestimate how long Nintendo takes to polish their games.

Now with all that said, once again the super excitable Caterkiller actually believes a steadier stream of games actually will become a reality this time around. For one, delaying the NX to after the holiday period does give me the impression that they want to release it along side more of their bigger games when they are all ready. Then couple that with the potential for a shared library between a potential NX handheld and NX home console I really believe that release schedules will see a big improvement this time around.

Of course, a significant increase in the release schedule for a Nintendo system could still be pretty slow in comparison to the competition lol. Still if this means no 2 versions of Smash Bros, no 2 versions of Mario Kart, no 2 versions of 2D Mario games, no developers using resources to port over big games like Xenoblade and Donkey Kong Returns to the hand held and all that extra time going into just something else, well I have even more hope than ever before.

[Mop it up]

Nintendo can't just poof a system out of thin air. If they don't want to repeat the same mistakes as the the 3DS and Wii U by releasing incomplete hardware with missing features, slow menu times, and whatever other problems, they need to make sure they spend enough time to launch a good product. It also takes time to create a solid launch lineup of good games as well, which I'm sure is part of why the Wii U will be so barren leading up to it. It's a sucky situation, but this is the best course of action, better than rushing out the console yet again, and better than thinning its lineup by "wasting" games releasing them on Wii U instead of NX.

The Zelda split is what we all expected, though maybe a bit later than we thought.