Nintendo Announces A New Console

Lately, we’ve been thinking that Nintendo has gone a little quiet in the last couple months, and now we know why. The Japanese gaming company has announced a new console – which seems like a bit of a strange time to do so, but after all, this is Nintendo.

Nintendo have been doing things a little differently in the last couple years – first releasing the Wii which took a casual long detour from the high-powered HD consoles it was competing with, and then releasing another console, the Wii U, in the middle of the first Wii’s life-cycle.

Currently called the NX, it’s been described, by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, as “a dedicated game platform with a brand new concept,” as transcribed by Eurogamer.

Although little more has been revealed of the console as yet (“It is too early to elaborate on the details of this project,” Iwata said), we know that it’ll form part of Nintendo’s new venture with mobile company DeNA.

Together, they’re creating a cross-platform service which replaces the outgoing Club Nintendo, which will support smart devices, PC, Wii U, 3DS and the forthcoming NX. What this seems to mean is that certain games will be playable on any supported platform by a member holder:

With the Nintendo NX described as a “dedicated game platform,” it sounds as though we’re in for a home console where certain games will also be playable on smart devices; might it allow players to join in a game with their own mobiles or tablets instead of the Wii U’s dedicated touch screen?

Whatever Nintendo has in mind, we’ll have to wait a while before it’s formally revealed. “We hope to share more information with you next year,” Iwata said.

More news as it comes in.