That's still hugely expensive compared to pennies for optical media.
It's not beyond the realms of possibility that they start selling games in Amiibos and hide the cost of the flash in a 2 cent plastic toy and people happily pay extra!
Nintendo NX: Why Not Having An Optical Drive Could Potentially Work In The Big N’s Favor
- Thread starter Boomstick777
- Start date
That's still hugely expensive compared to pennies for optical media.
It's not beyond the realms of possibility that they start selling games in Amiibos and hide the cost of the flash in a 2 cent plastic toy and people happily pay extra!
Soldato
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Why are people making out like the move from cartridge to cd rom didn't produce savings for the consumer?
Games like Street fighter 2 on the snes was about £60 in some places. Mega drive games were £40-£50 and that was including old crap nobody played. Playstation and Saturn games were always cheaper than the N64 equivelant. Games are cheaper now than they were 20 years ago. Considering most things in life are now more expensive its an achievement.
Games like Street fighter 2 on the snes was about £60 in some places. Mega drive games were £40-£50 and that was including old crap nobody played. Playstation and Saturn games were always cheaper than the N64 equivelant. Games are cheaper now than they were 20 years ago. Considering most things in life are now more expensive its an achievement.
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Just looked at some XB1 / PS4 titles. GTA £45, Batman £45 Elder Scrolls £49 yet the media they are using cost pennies.
3DS games on cart SMB2 £35 Majoras Mask £37 Super Smash Bros £37.
Admittedly I haven't shopped around or bargain hunted, these are all priced at GAME but I feel it reinforces my point.
Soldato
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Game are around £10.00 more expensive than online I find. The discs are pennies but the development costs are more than ever. The fact that console games usually cost less or in line with 10-15 years ago is impressive. I honestly wish the N64 was disc based. The potential would have been awesome.
It doesn't, you can easily find those games cheaper elsewhere. In any case, developers and publishers aren't simply going to absorb the increased costs of distribution if the media is more expensive, they would and will absolutely transfer that on to the retail price somehow.
Unless something has changed with flash media that I don't know about then a standard SD card is no faster than the PS4s 6x read speed and the expensive ones still aren't much faster than an inbuilt hard drive.
As for the article I thought it was a load of rubbish. Having a retail indie presence isn't going to magic the NX to the forefront of the indie market. Most people, me included are happy to buy them digitally. There is a good reason console manufacturers moved away from cartridges, the things are damn expensive in comparison to discs.
You would have to compare like for like. The differences in development costs between console and handheld games is staggering. The last mainstream console requiring cartridges was the N64, I remember quite a substantial difference in game prices between the PS and N64 consoles (N64 games were around 50% dearer IIRC). It's not a brilliant comparison but I don't think there's anything better,
Soldato
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Maybe they will save money on packaging as well with the return of cardboard game cases.
Probably the thing that irritated me the most about the N64.
Probably the thing that irritated me the most about the N64.
That would be the coolest, but Nintendo are too stingy to actually do that. They still want to sell their biannual iterations of the 3DS so that ain't happening since it would make the 3DS obsolete.
Nintendo NX rumours
More rumors, to add to the list
More rumors, to add to the list
- He’s under strict NDA with Nintendo Japan
- Informations are from march 2015, with some updates from june-july
- He received a bunch of patents (some of them are publics now), info about what Nintendo is planning and a list of games potentially in development (some of them may or may not have been cancelled), third parties included
- NX is a platform, not tied with a single device
- Wii U is still in the picture thanks to good software results for games like Splatoon, will still be the main home console in 2016
- 3DS is a bit old, they’re planning of replacing it. Some games will still come out on it, but big projects are being moved on portable NX
- With NX, Nintendo wants to create a platform where they can develop software for multiple devices with ease, from the home console to the portable to smartphone and tablets. They’ll have a big catalogue available for multiple platforms, with cross buy, cross saves and cross play, similar to what Microsoft is doing with Xbox One and PC thanks to Windows 10 (that allows to play many Xbox games on PC, which is also getting a bunch of ports from Xbone). Each platform will still have exclusive games
- NNID is tied to the single device, but it will allow to share details between platforms, like friend list, contents, local coop games, etc. Thanks to the new membership program (the successor of Club Nintendo), we’ll benefit from the new Nintendo policies in terms of rewards
- They’ll show the portable in spring 2016, will be out for the end of the year or spring 2017 max. Specs will be higher than PS Vita but nothing mindblowing, screen resolution should be 540p, considering 720p if costs go down. BC with 3DS was problematic
- Wii U successor will not have an optical drive, which will be optional. It will sync with the portable (not obligatory). Specs won’t be super high, but close to PS4/X1 (doesn’t know how much, like with the portable this is still subject to change anyway). Cross games will look better on the home
- Nintendo is focusing a lot on the anti-piracy system
- Big focus on the OS as well. They hired people that worked for Google on Android, the guys who worked on the Gamecube OS and Wii U browser are there too. Optimized versions of the same OS for every NX platform (think, again, W10), each with its set of specific functions. Updates will come out at the same time, they’re focusing on making the OS blazing fast on every platform
- The home console can connect with the portable to send to it its own version of the games you buy, will use the same tech as the Wii U-Wii U Gamepad streaming to do that, or the internet connection
- The home will have bc with the Wii U. Gamepad should be compatible as a controller, considering selling it standalone. Can connect with the portable for offtv and bc. WiiMote compatibility is being considered too. As for support, since the new home won’t have an optical drive, they’re considering an external one. Also being considered NNID/eShop bc for titles bought on the eShop. Seems they’re considering digital games sharing too, but this bit is not perfectly clear
- The portable will have its own internal memory, which will be expandable
- There will be a complete overhaul of online infrastructures, but Nintendo is determined to hold successful operations as Miiverse, extending it even further and making it a central hub for communications by developers and a meeting place for players. It will be even more interactive with the ability to upload videos and screenshots in an integrated system and not dependent on the game
- Voice chat and interactions between users will be revisited too, much will depend on the users age though, to protect the minors
- The home will be out 6-12 months after the portable, creating the “NX system” that will allow Nintendo to better use their resources in games development
- They approached third parties during E3. Capcom, Square-Enix, Ubisoft and Electronic Arts already have devkits. Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Sonic, F-Zero and Metroid are in development, doesn’t know if these are main episodes or spin offs. Zelda is currently a Wii U only title due to high development costs, but they can reconsider to have another big game at NX launch
- Prices will be low, 200-300€ (for the home?), considering a bundle with both for no more than 500€
- Many of these things will be discussed in future Nintendo Directs, which will have a different host in every market if Nintendo can’t find a new CEO by october
- A new 3D Mario will be shown, along with a new Zelda trailer. Retro moved their project on NX, will not be unveiled before 10-18 months
- They’ll talk about a new “Club Nintendo”, which will be in full function with NX
- Considering making agreements with phone carriers in order to better manage applications like Miiverse, Club Nintendo and the ability to purchase software by phone. Some of these will be out by March 2016
- Is everything set yet? Yes, but with Nintendo you’ll never know. If he has updates he will share them with us.
More rumors, to add to the list
- He’s under strict NDA with Nintendo Japan
- Informations are from march 2015, with some updates from june-july
- He received a bunch of patents (some of them are publics now), info about what Nintendo is planning and a list of games potentially in development (some of them may or may not have been cancelled), third parties included
- NX is a platform, not tied with a single device
- Wii U is still in the picture thanks to good software results for games like Splatoon, will still be the main home console in 2016
- 3DS is a bit old, they’re planning of replacing it. Some games will still come out on it, but big projects are being moved on portable NX
- With NX, Nintendo wants to create a platform where they can develop software for multiple devices with ease, from the home console to the portable to smartphone and tablets. They’ll have a big catalogue available for multiple platforms, with cross buy, cross saves and cross play, similar to what Microsoft is doing with Xbox One and PC thanks to Windows 10 (that allows to play many Xbox games on PC, which is also getting a bunch of ports from Xbone). Each platform will still have exclusive games
- NNID is tied to the single device, but it will allow to share details between platforms, like friend list, contents, local coop games, etc. Thanks to the new membership program (the successor of Club Nintendo), we’ll benefit from the new Nintendo policies in terms of rewards
- They’ll show the portable in spring 2016, will be out for the end of the year or spring 2017 max. Specs will be higher than PS Vita but nothing mindblowing, screen resolution should be 540p, considering 720p if costs go down. BC with 3DS was problematic
- Wii U successor will not have an optical drive, which will be optional. It will sync with the portable (not obligatory). Specs won’t be super high, but close to PS4/X1 (doesn’t know how much, like with the portable this is still subject to change anyway). Cross games will look better on the home
- Nintendo is focusing a lot on the anti-piracy system
- Big focus on the OS as well. They hired people that worked for Google on Android, the guys who worked on the Gamecube OS and Wii U browser are there too. Optimized versions of the same OS for every NX platform (think, again, W10), each with its set of specific functions. Updates will come out at the same time, they’re focusing on making the OS blazing fast on every platform
- The home console can connect with the portable to send to it its own version of the games you buy, will use the same tech as the Wii U-Wii U Gamepad streaming to do that, or the internet connection
- The home will have bc with the Wii U. Gamepad should be compatible as a controller, considering selling it standalone. Can connect with the portable for offtv and bc. WiiMote compatibility is being considered too. As for support, since the new home won’t have an optical drive, they’re considering an external one. Also being considered NNID/eShop bc for titles bought on the eShop. Seems they’re considering digital games sharing too, but this bit is not perfectly clear
- The portable will have its own internal memory, which will be expandable
- There will be a complete overhaul of online infrastructures, but Nintendo is determined to hold successful operations as Miiverse, extending it even further and making it a central hub for communications by developers and a meeting place for players. It will be even more interactive with the ability to upload videos and screenshots in an integrated system and not dependent on the game
- Voice chat and interactions between users will be revisited too, much will depend on the users age though, to protect the minors
- The home will be out 6-12 months after the portable, creating the “NX system” that will allow Nintendo to better use their resources in games development
- They approached third parties during E3. Capcom, Square-Enix, Ubisoft and Electronic Arts already have devkits. Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Sonic, F-Zero and Metroid are in development, doesn’t know if these are main episodes or spin offs. Zelda is currently a Wii U only title due to high development costs, but they can reconsider to have another big game at NX launch
- Prices will be low, 200-300€ (for the home?), considering a bundle with both for no more than 500€
- Many of these things will be discussed in future Nintendo Directs, which will have a different host in every market if Nintendo can’t find a new CEO by october
- A new 3D Mario will be shown, along with a new Zelda trailer. Retro moved their project on NX, will not be unveiled before 10-18 months
- They’ll talk about a new “Club Nintendo”, which will be in full function with NX
- Considering making agreements with phone carriers in order to better manage applications like Miiverse, Club Nintendo and the ability to purchase software by phone. Some of these will be out by March 2016
- Is everything set yet? Yes, but with Nintendo you’ll never know. If he has updates he will share them with us.
Sounds interesting. Even though I only bought a Wii U on Friday as long as it lasts a year I'll be happy.
If I saw a new console out in 2016 or 2017 I'd be happy to upgrade then. I'd definitely get the external optical drive if that rumour is true so I can put the Wii U into storage (as long as it is backwards compatible of course).
Hopefully any games I buy on the eShop for the NES / SNES and N64 will still work on the new console.
I'd imagine if they wanted to get major support from third parties they'd need to make the console as powerful as the PS4 and Xbox One if not more so. It would be pretty awesome to play a Mario game with graphics as good as the PS4.
As PS4 and Xbox One will probably be here for the next 5 years part of me thinks Nintendo should release a massively powerful console and just blow them out of the water.
I know it'll never happen, plus they probably can't afford to build it, and they wouldn't be willing to sell at a massive loss but it would be great to see them really push the hardware side.
Whatever NX is there will be a gimmick of some sort, the only thing I could imagine is beating the rest to the punch and releasing a console with VR but VR just doesn't seem like a good fit for Nintendo.
I know it'll never happen, plus they probably can't afford to build it, and they wouldn't be willing to sell at a massive loss but it would be great to see them really push the hardware side.
Whatever NX is there will be a gimmick of some sort, the only thing I could imagine is beating the rest to the punch and releasing a console with VR but VR just doesn't seem like a good fit for Nintendo.
Nintendo need to realise that console buyers don't want gimmicks. The wii might of sold well but how many people honestly used it as there main console? I bought one on release and only played it a handful of times, just like everybody else who I know that bought one. In my opinion Nintendo need to release a powerful console with a good online service. Surely the wii u and it's poor sale have shown them that people don't want gimmicky consoles?
Do you really think Nintendo have learnt anything? I hope they have but they continue to surprise me and how bad they can be at certain things such as online play, eshops, cross-platform buying/accounts.
What scares me is when they start talking about unified platforms, I remember Microsoft saying similar things for Windows 8 and look how that turned out...
What scares me is when they start talking about unified platforms, I remember Microsoft saying similar things for Windows 8 and look how that turned out...
Soldato
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Same power as a ps4 in 2017? Oh Nintendo 
I can only dream what Nin could do with some decent horse power, twice that of the ps4 or something.
I can only dream what Nin could do with some decent horse power, twice that of the ps4 or something.
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Agreed with a lot of posts on here, what Nintendo really need is performance parity at a minimum with preferably a more powerful system than X1 and PS4.
Nintendo games are great, if the system was powerful enough it would allow those games to really shine and wow people, and third party's could bring multi-platform games to Nintendo hardware as well. A superior version would be even more enticing, more people would then be willing to make the jump, rather than just the current Nintendo fans, which are dwindling if you look at the stats (The Wii was an outlier, the general trend is downwards since the NES / SNES).
Graphics / performance is important, as the constant debate about with X1 and PS4 owners already shows. Nintendo having the gaming prowess, now just match that with great hardware and people would pony up the cash for a new console imho.
Nintendo games are great, if the system was powerful enough it would allow those games to really shine and wow people, and third party's could bring multi-platform games to Nintendo hardware as well. A superior version would be even more enticing, more people would then be willing to make the jump, rather than just the current Nintendo fans, which are dwindling if you look at the stats (The Wii was an outlier, the general trend is downwards since the NES / SNES).
Graphics / performance is important, as the constant debate about with X1 and PS4 owners already shows. Nintendo having the gaming prowess, now just match that with great hardware and people would pony up the cash for a new console imho.
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What I would like to see on Nintendo's / AMD's architecture. Hopefully it's APU based on 14nm with updated CPU / GPU core.
GPU with 2000+ GCN 'Updated' Shaders.
8 core low power CPU cores.
4GB Minimum HBM memory.
512GB HDD, with new format for games i.e SSD / Flash based media. (Do away with optical drive).
Better graphical interface and online capability. Re vamp of Nintendo shop.
I still think Nintendo could dominate with something like this.
Sadly it's more likely we'll get something with similar spec to Wii U, in a mobile / home console format. That you can take with you or play at home on TV. Kind of meh for me since I would rather a more powerful home console..
GPU with 2000+ GCN 'Updated' Shaders.
8 core low power CPU cores.
4GB Minimum HBM memory.
512GB HDD, with new format for games i.e SSD / Flash based media. (Do away with optical drive).
Better graphical interface and online capability. Re vamp of Nintendo shop.
I still think Nintendo could dominate with something like this.
Sadly it's more likely we'll get something with similar spec to Wii U, in a mobile / home console format. That you can take with you or play at home on TV. Kind of meh for me since I would rather a more powerful home console..
This and Nintendo know it, they have no intentions of being in any kind of 'console war'. They don't need to either.
All this NX talk is making me excite bike.
Disagree, they need third party games on this console, otherwise it's WiiU MKII with only the blind Nintendo faithful buying the thing.
For third party games they need to be on the same level performance if not more than the PS4/Xbox One.
Nintendo are becoming irrelevant, the Nintendo fans wont like me saying that because they cannot accept that fate for their dearly beloved company.