Nintendo GOing Forward.

Sony bought the fab Nintendo was using for the GPU (Latte? I can't remember these stupid codenames...) and is alledgedly going to manufacture CMOS image sensors there instead. I wonder if they'll keep a line open for Nintendo, or if they'll finish a run of chips and then that's it; forever.

Makes ya wonder, doesn't it?
 
Didn't know that. Sony had recently bought another fab for that same purpose! Their imaging sensors must be doing absolutely stellar. Googlage explains Nintendo's position:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/new...truggling-nintendo-refit-it-for-bsi-sensor-pr

According to the Image Sensors World blog, Sony will be receiving the plant less some of its equipment, which has been transferred to another Renesas location to manufacture the lesser quantity of chips Nintendo now needs to meet its revised sales forecast.
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, they moved the machines Nintendo needs to a different plant. They probably have a decent enough back stock of Wii U anyway.

But anyway, I was thinking more of the future consoles. Nintendo wants their next console architecture to "absorb" the Wii U architecture. I'm wondering how the availability (or lack thereof) could affect this. Since Latte's eDRAM isn't very high bandwidth, I wonder if they can just get away with using high bandwidth DRAM on a separate chip. But who would even provide? Nobody sans IBM seems to be making the stuff below 40nm.
 
Intel is doing eDRAM on 22nm fin-fet right now, and have undoubtedly plans for further shrinkage ahead.
 
Or return to Mosys 1tsram. But why not continue with IBM ?!

Why people expect Nintendo to move their next system on Arm cpu instead of their power based cpu ? What will make let say a 4x Cortex A9 for the 3ds successor ( i dont see Nintendo use anything better ) more suitable than a 4x Espresso ? They already have knowledge of Espresso, this will allow them to share software between Wiiu and the next consoles ( handheld and home ), and by seeing how Wiiu struggle to sell, this will be perfect opportunity for them to develop new Wiiu software without worrying too much because the next systems will continue to absorb the cost.
 
Grall said:
Intel is doing eDRAM on 22nm fin-fet right now, and have undoubtedly plans for further shrinkage ahead.
Click to expand...

That's true. It's not that it's not possible I'm sure. There are research papers out there and whatnot, but nobody else who's been in the console game the last couple of gens seems to have anything in that range. If Nintendo want to continue down that path, it could get quite expensive and complicated.

sinox said:
Or return to Mosys 1tsram. But why not continue with IBM ?!

Why people expect Nintendo to move their next system on Arm cpu instead of their power based cpu ? What will make let say a 4x Cortex A9 for the 3ds successor ( i dont see Nintendo use anything better ) more suitable than a 4x Espresso ? They already have knowledge of Espresso, this will allow them to share software between Wiiu and the next consoles ( handheld and home ), and by seeing how Wiiu struggle to sell, this will be perfect opportunity for them to develop new Wiiu software without worrying too much because the next systems will continue to absorb the cost.
Click to expand...

I do agree that PPC would make sense from the standpoint of building on their current OS, optimizing emulators for the various consoles, and perhaps even allowing for Wii U BC with their next gen handheld as a Gamepad. I am hoping for all Wii U VC titles to be carried over at the very least.

However, as noted, they would still get lower power consumption with ARM most likely, and IBM's manufacturing process and eDRAM throws a monkey wrench into SoC prospects.
 
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Fourth Storm said:
That's true. It's not that it's not possible I'm sure. There are research papers out there and whatnot, but nobody else who's been in the console game the last couple of gens seems to have anything in that range. If Nintendo want to continue down that path, it could get quite expensive and complicated.



I do agree that PPC would make sense from the standpoint of building on their current OS, optimizing emulators for the various consoles, and perhaps even allowing for Wii U BC with their next gen handheld as a Gamepad. I am hoping for all Wii U VC titles to be carried over at the very least.

However, as noted, they would still get lower power consumption with ARM most likely, and IBM's manufacturing process and eDRAM throws a monkey wrench into SoC prospects.
Click to expand...

I agree with all that you said. Despite the stance that I stated eariler, I also agree that there are some great advantages for Nintendo to stick with Wii-U's Architecture. I'm just believe that trying to make a portable from such an architecture will be more troublesome than what Nintendo may decide to do.
 
Imho if they stick to PPC they are dumb struck. IBM is disengaging from hardware more and more, there roadmap is nowhere near as active as the ARM one. I guess they won't quit selling PPC micro controllers, etc. (or high end server parts) and leverage legacy software but that is their business plan not Nintendo, who knows when they will deem that not profitable enough too?

Anyway I would bet that their next hardware is going to suck big time. Their last call to investors was scary, waving a white flap and trying to avoid competition for Sony/MSFT but also mobile/smart devices by focusing on an aging population "potential" . That sounds like a cheap excuse to do not what it takes to put the company in "order" so they can fight and maintain a niche for them selves.

Actually I think it is a bad joke, smart devices are getting everywhere (wearable, tv, etc.), lots of work is put in voice recognition, gesture recognition, face recognition, etc. to make usage of those devices easier.
Where is Nintendo R&D on those fronts? What is the catch, the selling point (for that aging population)? Sorry to me it sounded like a completely empty statement. Though it made sense but in bad way, they are focused on the past and more they (management) do not want to move forward.

It is a waste but quite possibly the management drove the company in a corner, they lag competition in too many ways, they know it, I suspect they know they can't bridge the gap. My bet is that they will go by cheap promises to maintain the value of the stock, while trying to use a little cash as possible. That could last till the company valuation goes significantly under its cash level, which may trigger "real" decisions wrt company future.
 

Nintendo are so weird! :D Trouble with that short is we all know what's behind the secret door is going to be a bit naff. Maybe they should move to make content for MS's new video operation?
 
Nintendo should just embrace who they are. They build console for kids. The last thing I think when I think of Nintendo is mature content. And more likely than not, those who enjoy Nintendo wares enjoy them simply because they are fun, not because the wares themselves target a mature audience.

They should turn the Wii U into a "safe for kids" platform and advertise to parents by beating the PS4 and XBO over the head with the CODs, BFs, MGSs, Halos and all the other mature content that symbolizes those consoles. Going online on consoles to me is like going to an R rated movie half filled with 8 year olds. Nintendo should make it a habit of enlightening parents to that reality and offer them a G/PG rated platform with robust and easy to use parental controls.

Like an option to keep all online communication text based and dumped in a log every night for parents to monitor. I am pretty sure people won't get all up in arms over the possibility of the NSA monitoring the conversation of a couple of preteens. They might even like an "stream to the NSA" option to scare away any potential predators. LOL.
 
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nintendo is fun to play in real life (what is the correct english term...). Playing offline multiplayer in splitscreen is super fun.
 
Rodéric said:
Nintendo wants to innovate, not imitate. It works often (DS, 3DS, Wii), fails sometimes (Wii U). I don't see Nintendo really changing about that, neither about putting game quality first and foremost.

I would think Nintendo will market its console better (Wii U marketing was terrible IMO, starting with its name, even Wii HD would have fared better.), and releasing it with major titles.

I don't know what will happen with the Wii U, I have one, I like it a lot, I play it with my wife, and that alone makes it worth buying.
Click to expand...
Thing is... that's a very personal experience, quite non representative perhaps.

What Nintendo needs is a SNES 2! Please Nintendo, bring Super Nintendo 2. Compete with Sony and MS. God knows I'd buy a SNES 2.

Kill the Wii/WiiU, destroy them, bury that crap forever and ever. You can be social without losing the Nintendo classic spirit.
 
So, there's rumors the last couple days regurgitated by sites as big as IGN, Nintendo is set to unveil "new hardware" at E3.

Unfortunately I'm 100% sure it's the QoL junk, if anything. Or possibly a revision of current hardware.

Again only if it exists at all which the rumors evidence seems awfully thin right now.

IGN says they're not even reporting it, apparently it was just discussed on a podcast or something and they then said they dont even have enough to report it.

Biggest site writing it up I see is here http://www.videogamer.com/news/nintendo_will_reveal_new_hardware_at_e3.html
 
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