Nintendo NX features are virtually unknown and fiercely debated, but TheSixthAxis has reported on a recent tweet from a Wall Street Journal source that claims Nintendo’s upcoming console may be compatible with Playstation 4, PC and even smartphones. Say whaaat?
The mysterious Nintendo NX has been so thoroughly suffocated under Nintendo’s security blanket that news of its possible features have dribbled out only piecemeal, to the point where even a mention of the NX merits a news story of its own. But this juicy rumor may indicate that Nintendo isn’t building a traditional home console at all.
Very interesting report by @gibbogame: Nintendo's NX may work with smartphones, PCs and even rival consoles such as PlayStation4.
— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) January 20, 2016@gibbogame is the Twitter handle of reputable industry source David Gibson, who reports on Japanese gaming and tech trends for Macquarie. Macquarie is a research firm where Gibson serves as Senior Analyst and Regional Head of Software at Services. The firm covers everything from economics and commodities to environmental, social and governance sectors.
Of course, there’s no news as to how the NX will “work with” the devices. While the assumption to date has been that the NX is a standard console, for the NX to work with everything from the PS4 to smartphones might mean it connects to an app on whatever device rather than being a piece of hardware that stands alone
App developer DeNA is involved with the NX project, suggesting a much higher degree of mobility than the Wii U has, as well as a degree of improvement over the networking features of previous Nintendo consoles. Considering the enduring popularity of the Nintendo 3DS, the market is clearly eager to embrace continuing evolutions of mobile platforms. The Wii U itself can be used as a mobile platform, as one report demonstrated by plugging it into an outlet on a bullet train, but with the advent of the NX, such extreme measures may not be necessary.
Nintendo continues to keep mum on the subject of the NX. In an interview with new Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima, the president stated: “ I can assure you we're not building the next version of Wii or Wii U. It's something unique and different.”
Multiple reports indicate the NX will be released in 2016, so whatever the Nintendo NX is supposed to do, we’re sure to find out more about it this year.
