Trying To Make Sense Of The Latest NX-Rumors: SemiAccurate and Nvidia; Emily Rogers and Horsepower
Interesting...
On Thursday, May 12th, SemiAccurate.com reported that Nvidia-chips may be in NX. The following day, famed Nintendo-reporter Emily Rogers blogged about the horsepower of the NX. Both rumors seemed to be able to coexist, meaning they didn't necessarily clash and contradict each other.
As far as Nvidia goes, they don't make CPUs for desktops like AMD and Intel, but make SOCs for mobile devices and automobiles. This coincides with what Rogers wrote about how NX won't be x86 and won't blow the socks off of XB1 or PS4.
There are four avenues that Nintendo can travel:
1. A handheld-only future is definitely possible. Wii U has sold like garbage, while 3DS has sold very well. It makes financial sense to quit making home-consoles.
But this doesn't make developer-sense. Shigeru Miyamoto, their most respected developer, has been making games for arcades and home-consoles throughout his career. I don't think they'll drop the home-console portion of their company-wide development-model anytime soon. They might compromise and make it a hybrid, but I don't think NX will be handheld-only, with no TV-output.
Personally, I wouldn't want this, either. I do like handhelds, but if I had to choose only one, I'd choose the home-console. I could play old games on my old handhelds, as well as F2S (Free To Start) Nintendo-games on my phone.
2. A home-console-only future doesn't make sense for them. Financially, their biggest money-maker is Pokémon, which is known for being a portable game, and Animal Crossing has clearly made a home for itself on 3DS with New Leaf and Happy Home Designer. I foresee a new, mainline Animal Crossing title on a handheld in the future.
Portable gaming is huge in Japan, Nintendo's home-country, so I don't think they will eschew the handheld portion of their development-model.
Personally, I wouldn't mind a home-console-only future. I didn't play much Game Boy until Gameboy Advance came out, and even then, my playtime on it was spotty. I spent the majority of my time playing Gamecube. As much as Pokémon sells a lot, I personally don't care much for it. I beat Leaf Green but haven't been able to beat another game in the series because I got bored.
Having two separate Nintendo-devices with a semi-shared library might hold the home-console back as far as graphical fidelity and features being dumbed down so that development can happen only once for the lower-specced handheld, and have it automatically work on the home-console as well; I wouldn't want that. I just want another NES, SNES, or Gamecube, a system with on-par next-generation graphics and very good third-party support, as well as the obviously excellent first-party support.
3. A handheld that could output somehow to a TV by itself with an HDMI cable or an optional docking-station is also a possibility. This is the "hybrid" theory of NX.
This would make a lot of sense. It's a compromise between having to have two separate devices again, one or both of which may not sell very well. With just one physical device, we could enjoy home-console gaming without having to buy a home-console.
There are degrees to this theory that I foresee problems with:
A. Nintendo has traditionally been a very local-multiplayer-centric developer. I don't see a situation where they only release a handheld that can display to an external TV. They would want to have a docking station of some sort if it's not a separate full-fledged home-console, to be able to handle at least four wired controller-connections.
Why would they need wired controller-options you ask? Smash Bros. I think they want to retire the Gamecube-controller. You need wired power and data going through a controller for competitive games like Smash Bros. Wireless interference is a no-no. I think they want to create a next-generation controller that is like the Wii U Pro Controller, but with analog triggers and a stronger Rumble. One of their patents even stated that wired connections should be possible. This would be like the XB1 controller, and how you can enable wired power and data through a micro-USB cable.
B. A docking-station is very unlike Nintendo. It might look like an ugly mess, and it would remind people of Sega CD, 32X, and other such disasters. I don't think the hybrid-theory will happen.
4. As much as having both a home-console and a handheld makes the least financial sense, it makes the most sense given Nintendo's hardware and software history.
Iwata referred to Apple's iOS system of interconnected devices sharing one OS as something he wanted to emulate. I believe this is his vision for Nintendo. I think there will be both a handheld and a home-console that shares the same OS, and a semi-shared library of games and applications.
This brings us back to the topic of the title. How do we make sense of the latest two rumors?
I think that the handheld will launch in March 2017, and the home-console in November 2017. Why? If you read one of my earlier posts, I posit why there's strong evidence that the handheld is launching in March 2017.
Let us remember that Nintendo has never specified whether NX is a home-console, a handheld, or both.
Reggie said, "...our new dedicated game-platform, codename NX..." A lot of people think he said "console" here but he never did.
If the SemiAccurate.com rumor is true, then we are at least getting the handheld, and I think it's coming first in March. This makes sense, and follows history. This would also give merit to Rogers's rumors. Of course a handheld wouldn't blow the socks off of XB1 or PS4. But if you think about it, a handheld that has the power of XB1 sounds awesome.
This brings us to the home-console. How different will it be from the handheld? How much stronger? How much more expensive? If the SemiAccurate.com rumor is true, the handheld won't be x86, but that doesn't mean the home-console won't be either. Nintendo could make it a stronger variant of the Nvidia-SoC they are putting inside the handheld, but nobody knows.
There is still hope! The home-console can still be everything we want it to be (x86, more powerful than PS4, etc.)! It's possible that Rogers knows absolutely nothing about its specs. That is something to smile about.
Sources:
http://semiaccurate.com/2016/05/12/guess-whos-silicon-is-in-nintendos-nx/
Analysis of first source: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1218933
https://arcadegirl64.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/so-about-nx/
On Thursday, May 12th, SemiAccurate.com reported that Nvidia-chips may be in NX. The following day, famed Nintendo-reporter Emily Rogers blogged about the horsepower of the NX. Both rumors seemed to be able to coexist, meaning they didn't necessarily clash and contradict each other.
As far as Nvidia goes, they don't make CPUs for desktops like AMD and Intel, but make SOCs for mobile devices and automobiles. This coincides with what Rogers wrote about how NX won't be x86 and won't blow the socks off of XB1 or PS4.
There are four avenues that Nintendo can travel:
1. A handheld-only future is definitely possible. Wii U has sold like garbage, while 3DS has sold very well. It makes financial sense to quit making home-consoles.
But this doesn't make developer-sense. Shigeru Miyamoto, their most respected developer, has been making games for arcades and home-consoles throughout his career. I don't think they'll drop the home-console portion of their company-wide development-model anytime soon. They might compromise and make it a hybrid, but I don't think NX will be handheld-only, with no TV-output.
Personally, I wouldn't want this, either. I do like handhelds, but if I had to choose only one, I'd choose the home-console. I could play old games on my old handhelds, as well as F2S (Free To Start) Nintendo-games on my phone.
2. A home-console-only future doesn't make sense for them. Financially, their biggest money-maker is Pokémon, which is known for being a portable game, and Animal Crossing has clearly made a home for itself on 3DS with New Leaf and Happy Home Designer. I foresee a new, mainline Animal Crossing title on a handheld in the future.
Portable gaming is huge in Japan, Nintendo's home-country, so I don't think they will eschew the handheld portion of their development-model.
Personally, I wouldn't mind a home-console-only future. I didn't play much Game Boy until Gameboy Advance came out, and even then, my playtime on it was spotty. I spent the majority of my time playing Gamecube. As much as Pokémon sells a lot, I personally don't care much for it. I beat Leaf Green but haven't been able to beat another game in the series because I got bored.
Having two separate Nintendo-devices with a semi-shared library might hold the home-console back as far as graphical fidelity and features being dumbed down so that development can happen only once for the lower-specced handheld, and have it automatically work on the home-console as well; I wouldn't want that. I just want another NES, SNES, or Gamecube, a system with on-par next-generation graphics and very good third-party support, as well as the obviously excellent first-party support.
3. A handheld that could output somehow to a TV by itself with an HDMI cable or an optional docking-station is also a possibility. This is the "hybrid" theory of NX.
This would make a lot of sense. It's a compromise between having to have two separate devices again, one or both of which may not sell very well. With just one physical device, we could enjoy home-console gaming without having to buy a home-console.
There are degrees to this theory that I foresee problems with:
A. Nintendo has traditionally been a very local-multiplayer-centric developer. I don't see a situation where they only release a handheld that can display to an external TV. They would want to have a docking station of some sort if it's not a separate full-fledged home-console, to be able to handle at least four wired controller-connections.
Why would they need wired controller-options you ask? Smash Bros. I think they want to retire the Gamecube-controller. You need wired power and data going through a controller for competitive games like Smash Bros. Wireless interference is a no-no. I think they want to create a next-generation controller that is like the Wii U Pro Controller, but with analog triggers and a stronger Rumble. One of their patents even stated that wired connections should be possible. This would be like the XB1 controller, and how you can enable wired power and data through a micro-USB cable.
B. A docking-station is very unlike Nintendo. It might look like an ugly mess, and it would remind people of Sega CD, 32X, and other such disasters. I don't think the hybrid-theory will happen.
4. As much as having both a home-console and a handheld makes the least financial sense, it makes the most sense given Nintendo's hardware and software history.
Iwata referred to Apple's iOS system of interconnected devices sharing one OS as something he wanted to emulate. I believe this is his vision for Nintendo. I think there will be both a handheld and a home-console that shares the same OS, and a semi-shared library of games and applications.
This brings us back to the topic of the title. How do we make sense of the latest two rumors?
I think that the handheld will launch in March 2017, and the home-console in November 2017. Why? If you read one of my earlier posts, I posit why there's strong evidence that the handheld is launching in March 2017.
Let us remember that Nintendo has never specified whether NX is a home-console, a handheld, or both.
Reggie said, "...our new dedicated game-platform, codename NX..." A lot of people think he said "console" here but he never did.
If the SemiAccurate.com rumor is true, then we are at least getting the handheld, and I think it's coming first in March. This makes sense, and follows history. This would also give merit to Rogers's rumors. Of course a handheld wouldn't blow the socks off of XB1 or PS4. But if you think about it, a handheld that has the power of XB1 sounds awesome.
This brings us to the home-console. How different will it be from the handheld? How much stronger? How much more expensive? If the SemiAccurate.com rumor is true, the handheld won't be x86, but that doesn't mean the home-console won't be either. Nintendo could make it a stronger variant of the Nvidia-SoC they are putting inside the handheld, but nobody knows.
There is still hope! The home-console can still be everything we want it to be (x86, more powerful than PS4, etc.)! It's possible that Rogers knows absolutely nothing about its specs. That is something to smile about.
Sources:
http://semiaccurate.com/2016/05/12/guess-whos-silicon-is-in-nintendos-nx/
Analysis of first source: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1218933
https://arcadegirl64.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/so-about-nx/
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