14 DAY TRIAL // Nomura Securities, a Japanese analysis firm, says that Nintendo is getting ready to announce the new NX platform during the month of June and that launch will take place during either October or November of this year, presumably on the same date all over the world.
The market suggests that this is actually bad news for the company because the reveal of the home console will lead to a decline in sales of both the Wii U home console and the 3DS handheld, which are already relatively low.
Barrons quotes analyst Junko Yamamura as saying that, "We think the NX will start to boost operating profits in 18/3, when it will have been on the market for a full year and will have a line-up of software titles, which carry high operating margins."
The firm also says that software sales associated with the 3DS have been falling recently and might be affected even more when players are no longer interested in the handheld because they are saving money to get the new console and games associated with it.
The price of Nintendo shares has fallen by 5 percent after Nomura Securities revealed its latest estimate about the new platform and the company might have to make some official announcements in the coming days to regain the agreement of some investors.
At the moment, the NX is just a name that both the Japanese hardware manufacturer and other entities use to refer to the coming hardware platform, but no details about its features or about the exact components it will contain have been offered so far.
Rumors are saying the new manufacturing process is tested by Nintendo
Sources have been talking about test runs being prepared in factories that will manufacture the NX, which should be completed in late spring so that full production of the home console can be launched as soon as early summer.
Other rumors are claiming that Nintendo is planning to launch the new device immediately after it is officially unveiled, sometime in July, and that by the end of the year it wants to sell between 12 and 14 million units, although no price has been mentioned yet.
The target is very ambitious, especially given the relatively poor performance of the Wii U, which will continue to be produced and supported by the Japanese company for a few years more.
So far Nintendo has not explained what the unique selling proposition for the NX is and what kind of features will make it more attractive for gamers than the PlayStation 4 from Sony or the Xbox One from Microsoft.
Gamers have speculated that the device will feature improved processing power as well as a way to mix the classic home console and handheld experiences.
Rumors are saying that Nintendo might already be working on a new Mario and a new Zelda title that are designed to be offered as soon as the NX is announced so that long-term fans of the characters have a reason to get the new platform.