PixlBit

My thoughts on the NX

Hey Pixlbit, how are you? A new Nintendo Direct is scheduled for September 1st (or in a few hours depending when you read this) which will focus only on the 3DS. No mention of the Wii U. And no NX info either. But as usual, I'll do a recap on the Direct, and they say there's a surprise 3DS game or something, maybe Pokemon remakes or something but I doubt it, Pokemon GSC on the eShop, or amiibo, so look out for that recap post if you want. NX, despite all the leaks and rumors, is still shrouded in mystery, it's like we get new leaks and rumors every day that it is hard to ignore. Some outlandish, some plausible. Nintendo needs a better plumber to fix those leaks. It's really getting out of hand now, and while we will not get any NX info in the Direct (who knows) I thought I'd give my thoughts on what I think this is.

As far as we know, it's a handheld/console thing. Some people say it's a hybrid of both. This makes alot of sense as Nintendo has merged both its handheld and console teams not that long ago. It's a handheld that you can play anywhere obviously, but you will be able to it into your tv so you can play the games on the tv like a console. It is said it will come with a docking station or supplimental device to dock it in. I asume this is so you can plug it to the console. It remains to be seen if it will give it extra power when plugged on the tv. But from what the rumor says, it's for network functions or something. The NX is said to run Nintendo's mobile games. And it'll come with detachable controller bits, like you can detach the analogs and whatnot.

                  

Here's what I think, if it will run their mobile games, the NX controller itself might be the size of a smartphone, at least the screen part without the controller attachments. It seems Nintendo wants to bridge the gap between console, handheld, and mobile games. If you think about it, it makes sense somewhat. One major complaint is that you can't emulate controls well on a mobile device. Something like a 3D Mario would be hard to do without proper controls, this will solve that issue. Maybe they want to perfect them with the NX. They want you to take the console experience wherever you go no matter where you are.

This sounds like a good idea actually. Say you go on vacation or on a trip, instead of carrying a whole console, just bring this thing along and plug and play on a tv, or use it as a handheld if the tv is in use or if you don't have access to an actual tv.

Nintendo also aims to expand it's audience with it and get more people on board. Casuals and hardcore gamers. Question is, how do you do that without alienating either audience? I personally think the Wii had a good balance of both, as in games for both the casual and hardcore crowd. Except no one (at least hardcore gamers) really wanted motion controls in their games. This I'm not so sure of myself to be honest.

I do have one major concern though. Dual Screens. When the DS came out, people weren't on board with it as they thought games didn't need a second screen. However that all changed and alot of games benefited from dual screens. They aren't abandoning it, as you'll most likely be able to use 2 screens at once if you count your tv. Thing is some games or series that benefit from them might feel clunky and cluttered without them. Especially if you use it as a handheld. Pokemon is a good example. You had menus and whatnot on one screen back in the Gameboy days. But they refined it on the DS nad made everything more smoother, like all the text menus for attacks where on the bottom screen while the action was at the top. I am complaining here, but I wouldn't mind, though it will seem like a step backwards. Maybe Nintendo wants to move away from them, who knows.

As for the detachable buttons and analogs, I actually love this. One thing about controllers is that you'll wear out the buttons and analogs over time and they wont last forever no matter how well you take care of them. With this, you can just go to the store and buy them, (considering Nintendo let's you buy them separately) and swap out the broken ones rather than having the whole unit replaced. I'm sure that's not the real purpose of the idea, but to me this is a godsend.

Take for example, the left analog on my Wii U gamepad doesn't work properly. The right one seems like it might be on its last legs. I can either buy a whole 300 dollar Wii U console to get a new Gamepad, buy a separate one off eBay for almost 200 bucks, or send it in to Nintendo to get it fixed, which will cost almost as much as those 2 other options. I'd rather spend 50 bucks on replacement buttons/analog components than spending 300 bucks to get another console that I already have.

We have the docking station, or the supplimental computing device, not sure if they are both the same thing. But with this you can play on your tv. They haven't said what else it will do. Some have theorized that it will give the NX more power. That would be great, but that seems highly unlikely, as Nintendo has abandoned the hardware power race years ago and this would clash with their affordable hardware philosophy as it can/could drive the price up. Besides, some rumors state the NX could cost somewhere between 250 bucks or less. According to some patents, this device can allow the NX to do more things. I'm not sure but it mentioned that you can connect to multiple devices or something.

And now for my final thing on the list, backwards compatability. The NX will run cartridges, which means no Wii U backwards compatability. However that means it might be able to at least play 3DS games. A new rumor states that Nintendo plans to support the 3DS till 2018. Why would they do this if the NX will have be an established thing by then? Well it's obvious that the 3DS is making them money, so that would be a good enough reason. But it might also mean it can play 3DS games. Kimishima said they plan to move away from the Wii/Wii U with the NX, which is why it wont be backwards compatable with those games. But with the supplimental computing device, maybe hooking up the Wii U to it might make that possible. Some Wii U games like Splatoon rely on the touch screen in order for the game to work. Though it might just mean they'll plan to re-release such games on the NX eShop or whatever they end up calling it. A recent rumor says that the NX will have mtion controls and whatnot, so it's obviously re-releases and new games that'll use them. Who knows.

Final thoughts: I'm not sure tbh. I'm really excited for the NX, new Nintendo hardware always excites me if you couldn't already tell. I'm going to say this though. I think the Wii U might have been a test, a test to see if we wanted dual screen experience on a console. Nintendo wanted to see if we liked it, so they can use that on the NX. So the NX might just be a better executed Wii U, except that you can really play your games anywhere. Maybe the NX was something else, but they had to change their plans because the gaming landscape has changed these past few years due to the rise and dominance of mobile devices and games.

Kids these days are growing up with mobile devices rather than traditional gaming machines. Which is why I think the controller might be the size of a smartphone or a tablet. Nintendo wants to capitalize on that with the NX. So rather than having 2 separate devices, they'll merge it into one single device that brings you both handheld and console games. Which I think is the best of both worlds. They do have a tough battle up ahead though to convince people why they want this thing. They will always have my money as long as they keep making the games I love. I really want to play Link vs. Wild and still hoping for Super Mario Galaxy 3. So good luck Nintendo, and show us the damn thing already. Oh and no circle pads.

*I do not own the images used in this post*