How Nintendo’s NX Could Go Very Wrong or Very Right

Let's pretend the recent NX rumors are true, what does this mean for Nintendo's next gaming device?

By Jose Otero

Earlier this week, a report by Eurogamer might have outed the top secret concept behind Nintendo’s next dedicated gaming device, codename NX.

To quickly recap: The console will have its own display - letting it function as a handheld, along with detachable controllers along the sides of the device. It will run cartridge-based games, and use a dock to output games to your TV when you’re at home. The device will be quite powerful for a handheld - somewhere between the power level of the Wii U and Xbox One - but quite a bit less powerful than the current-gen consoles, which are already several years old.

In short, it’s a portable and home console hybrid.

If these rumors are true, what does this mean, both for Nintendo and for gamers? What are the positive and negative takeaways for Nintendo’s next gaming machine? Let’s take a look at some of the ways the NX could go very right, or very wrong.

One Console, All Franchises

A unified video game system that folds home console and handheld into one allows Nintendo to pool its development resources. This will allow Nintendo to throw all of its first-party muscle behind one machine and support it without the software gaps that plagued Wii U owners.

NX gives Nintendo an opportunity to bring specific big franchises gamers have been clamoring for back to the TV

The NX also presents a unique opportunity for Nintendo, one that gives Nintendo a chance to bring specific big franchises gamers have been clamoring for for years back to the TV. Imagine the next major Pokemon game (after Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, of course), Animal Crossing, Smash Bros., or Mario Kart as software that plays great no matter where you are. Having to focus on one device eliminates a problem that Nintendo has struggled with for years: Where should we put the next _____ game? It’s even possible the concept of the NX really took off within Nintendo after seeing Smash 4 thrive on both the 3DS and Wii U.

A home console AAA Pokemon RPG. A Mario Kart you can play at home with friends or on the bus. The Nintendo franchises that could benefit from a unified home and portable console are almost endless. It’s easy to imagine games like Pikmin, Super Mario, Fire Emblem, Mario Party, Metroid, and plenty more benefiting from this paradigm shift and getting better franchise care as a result.

And Nintendo’s partners could take the same approach: Capcom could take the next Monster Hunter, a series that still dominates the sales charts in Japan, but take the graphics and presentation to the next level and give fans a home console version they can take out on the go. The same could be said for the next Dragon Quest or another big Square Enix RPG. It’s easy to see the potential for games like Minecraft or other big indies, too.

Serious Portable Games

If you look at Nintendo’s biggest successes of the last decade, most of them have been on handheld devices. It’s true that 3DS may not have reached the thundering heights of the DS install base, but it has done well for the company until the past year or so. Just look at the sales numbers.

Nintendo 3DS Lifetime Software Sales

• Pokemon X & Y sold 14.98m on 3DS

• Mario Kart 7 sold 13.56m on 3DS

• Super Mario 3D Land sold 10.81m on 3DS

• New Super Mario Bros. 2 sold 10.39m on 3DS

• Animal Crossing: New Leaf sold 10m on 3DS

• Smash Bros for 3DS sold 8.23m

Nintendo Wii U Lifetime Software Sales

• Mario Kart 8 sold 7.7m on Wii U

• New Super Mario Bros. U sold 5.34m on Wii U

• Super Mario 3D World sold 5.01m on Wii U

• Super Smash Bros for Wii U sold 4.90m

• Splatoon sold 4.42m on Wii U

• Super Mario Maker 3.65m on Wii U

With NX, Nintendo can keep certain controls and features that would never work on smartphones and continue its legacy of great portable games. To be clear, that’s not a diss on smartphones. The devices on the market today are great for some types of games, but they still have limitations, especially when it comes to action games for a hardcore audience.

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