Nintendo President Satoru Iwata today mentioned the company is creating a new next-generation hardware concept called NX during a media event today.
Iwata revealed sparse details of the new "dedicated game system" during a joint announcement of its . The partnership will result in the development of smartphone games starring Nintendo characters along with a new multi-platform platform software service.
"Nintendo, together with DeNA, will jointly develop a new membership service which encompasses the existing Nintendo 3DS and Wii U systems, the new hardware system with a brand-new concept, NX, and smart devices and PCs, and Nintendo will be the primary party to operate this new membership service," Iwata said via official translation.
"Nintendo, together with DeNA, will jointly develop a new membership service, which encompasses the existing Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, the new hardware with a brand new concept NX, smart devices and PCs," Iwata said. In a Q&A during the media event today, Iwata said that NX is not directly related to the service platform.
"As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business, let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under the development codename 'NX,'" he said. "It is too early to elaborate on the details of this project, but we hope to share more information with you next year."
That's... quite a lot to process. The notion of a "new concept" could simply be marketing speak, or it could be the company showing it's unfazed by the Wii U's problems and it will continue to innovate. But what of the Wii U? Does this mean The Legend of Zelda may not be the savior of the console but instead its swansong? This is made less likely by the membership mentioned today spanning Wii U and NX, though it's not impossible.
Years ago, Nintendo referred to the DS as the "third pillar" of its entertainment business, bridging the gap between consoles and handhelds. What if this is a new vision, in which the Wii U and 3DS are for the more committed gamers, with the NX being a new phone-like creation? Nintendo said it's scared of losing 3DS sales if it made titles available on mobile platforms and the codename, "NX" could easily imply "Nintendo crossover". There's also the ongoing chatter about the health-based quality-of-life hardware the company has been mentioning.
Of course, the biggest hint we have to go on is the phrase "dedicated game system". This certainly seems to imply a new home console, and the pairing of the announcements should certainly stop headlines predicting the company is leaving the living room behind.