Nintendo announce: Nintendo NX

[wco81]

Maybe they'd try to hit $400 price point and would justify it because it will include a mobile device/controller as well.

 

[RDGoodla]

Yeah WSJ has an article with similar verbiage.

"Industry-leading" but industry leading in which year?

If NX is like PSVITA+ VITA TV or iPhone + apple TV with universal games/apps, then the "industry-leading" chip may just imply
a modern mobile chip. An advanced mobile chip (even A9 is relatively small) is not as expensive as desktop SOCs. Of course
whether they will use 16/14 nm Finfet is another question^^.

 

[liolio]

Maybe they'd try to hit $400 price point and would justify it because it will include a mobile device/controller as well.

Such a price is scarecrow for everybody (family, casual) but Nintendo fans.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

The original source is actually Wall Street Journal from their Tokyo correspondent, Takashi Mochizuki, meaning there's a chance the SDK distribution only started in Japan for now. The third-parties are probably Nintendo's 2nd-parties like Platinum Games, Bandai Namco, Team Ninja and Capcom.

The exact statement about the hardware is:

The exact shape of the NX hardware isn’t yet clear. People familiar with the development plans said Nintendo would likely include both a console and at least one mobile unit that could either be used in conjunction with the console or taken on the road for separate use. They also said Nintendo would aim to put industry-leading chips in the NX devices, after criticism that the Wii U’s capabilities didn’t match those of competitors.

It seems they will launch both the new handheld and the new home console at the same time. Question remains if this means they will come in a single package or separately.
Maybe they're aiming at a more powerful Wii U with a tablet controller that can switch between pure streaming device or independent handheld machine.


The "Industry-Leading" could mean the NX is actually powerful, or it could just mean the chips will be technologically advanced (recent architecture, recent fab lithography, etc.) but then they give it a 10W TDP and the performance sucks anyway.
Then again, the second option wouldn't really counter the "criticism that the Wii U's capabilities didn't match those of competitors", so...

 

[Rangers]

I'll believe Nintendo and powerful only when I see it...too bad this vague blurb will fuel the fanboys into claiming NX will be a monster for probably months...

Maybe they mean industry leading mobile chips?

Also I still think if the chipset has any power it has to be from AMD and we'd hear some kind of leaks?

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Also I still think if the chipset has any power it has to be from AMD and we'd hear some kind of leaks?

During late 2014, AMD claimed they had won 2 very high-profile and high-volume custom designs and that one of them wasn't for gaming -> meaning the other one was.
This came up a couple of months after Nintendo spoke about the NX platform that would release during fiscal 2016.

Neither Microsoft or Sony are interested in creating handhelds right now and their home consoles are too young to be replaced. The attempts from apple, Google and Amazon at creating game consoles have been little more than slapping yesteryear's smartphone SoCs into tiny boxes and they don't seem interested in creating powerful consoles at all.

From there, you really just have to add 2+2.

Not to mention that GCN should be pretty much obligatory if you want multiplatform ports from PS4/XBone. Especially if you're a console maker with terrible popularity among 3rd parties like Nintendo.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Sounds like a Vita-like mobile unit, maybe more tablet like (a decent rendition of the Wuublet might be a good idea), and Wuu like synergy with the main console. The problem with the mobile aspect is if it doesn't run Android or iOS, it's basically redundant.

Now a Nintendo Android Phone running Nintendo games and synergy with the console (like XB SmartGlass, or Vita input) would be more interesting.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Sounds like a Vita-like mobile unit, maybe more tablet like (a decent rendition of the Wuublet might be a good idea), and Wuu like synergy with the main console. The problem with the mobile aspect is if it doesn't run Android or iOS, it's basically redundant.

I think Nintendo is way too protective of their IP to really consider making an Android phone. In a heartbeat modders&hackers would be rooting their device, exploiting their network infrastructure and pirating their games to run on other smartphones.

What I do think they could be doing - considering the shared architecture suggested before by Iwata and others - is that the Home NX and the Handheld NX both have the necessary hardware to essentially run the same game, with the difference being that the Home would run them at 900-1080p while the Handheld would do so at 600-720p without antialiasing, anisotropic filtering, lower-resolution shadows, reduced viewing distances, reduced FOV, etc.
This way the Home and Handheld NX systems could really participate in the same game without the Home having to offload processing towards the Handheld. Also, there wouldn't be any limit to using Handheld NX systems together with one Home NX in local coop mode.
This way, all the NX titles are automatically cross-buy.

Also, of course the Handheld NX has a dual screen and a size similar to the Nintendo 3DS XL and the top screen is 3D capable for backwards compatibility.


Lots of wishful thinking, though.

 

[wco81]

Not only that, the Nintendo crowd would be less able to deal with Android malware.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Nintendo's games could be walled off in their own OS something-or-other, no? Could have Android OS in parallel to N. OS. However, without smartphone functionality the device becomes a fifth wheel and competes with the mainstream mobile devices.

I assume the 'Nintendo crowd' will use a Nintendo Android device the same way they use their current Android device, assuming they have one. Or do all DS owners own iPhones?

 

[Goodtwin]

I think there is no question that Nintendo will opt for an industry leading "mobile" chipset. Nintendo is still a strong player in the portable/mobile world, and doesn't look to be getting any competition from Sony or Microsoft in that market. Obviously smart devices continue to devour that market, but by limiting the number of devices Nintendo has to support allows them to more completely support their new platform. Not to mention if the device is capable enough that ports are easy to accommodate, third parties will take advantage.

 

[east of eastside]

"industry leading"
16nm FinFet+..

So, in Japan, it will be the console that plays Dragon's Quest XI at 40 watts instead of 130, and is smaller and cheaper with a portable extension.

 

[DieH@rd]

I think chances are truly minimal that Nintendo will use 14/16nm finfet if they are aiming for x86. Making a console is a lengthy process, and they would most certainly aim for the tested transistor production node for the more power hungry home console chip(s).

But if NX products are based on ARM, then smaller node is then in play. I wonder if Nvidia is ready to get back into console race. They could offer Nintendo good Tegra-based products. I can see either that, or AMD making x86 APU for home console and ARM+Radeon combo for handheld. Of course, Nintendo could fuck everything up and again go for some weird HW combo.

 

[east of eastside]

Is HBM or HBM2 a viable memory candidate, cost and availability wise, for a $399 console within the X1/PS4 power envelope by Q3 2016?

The form factor space savings would be the most significant advantage for Nintendo to use it, much more so than just memory performance.

 

[orangpelupa]

i dont think they will be split architecture between the handheld and the home device.

their vision is the game can be playedon home or mobile right? then both using same architecture will be the best from developer persective. Code the game once, and it run on Both platform.

just make the game automatically switch to lower quality and switch to handheld butttom mapping when on mobile.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

nVidia can provide a unified GPU architecture. If ARM goes in the console, it can be fully unified with the same chipset family. Pascal is due 2016.

 

[Rikimaru]

nVidia can provide a unified GPU architecture. If ARM goes in the console, it can be fully unified with the same chipset family. Pascal is due 2016.

nVidia does not want low margins.
And Nintendo quite attached to AMD people.

 

[Rootax]

I doubt they will do it, but they can go all Imagination Technologies (they have MIPS cpus and PowerVR GPUs). It won't happen, but it's my weird dream to see a PowerVR GT 7900 in a device

 

[DieH@rd]

nVidia can provide a unified GPU architecture.

As can AMD.

 

[Rikimaru]

As can AMD.

Yeah, Mediatek is going to use AMD IP.