14 DAY TRIAL // Nintendo surprised a lot of people when it informed us that it would only launch the new NX gaming platform in March of 2017, given that plenty of rumors were suggesting that an announcement would come in early summer and the delivery of the device would start before the end of fall.
With the extended waiting period comes the opportunity for more speculation about the device, especially given that the Japanese company has failed to offer any concrete details about the hardware today or about the core features that it plans to deliver.
Tatsumi Kimishima, the President of Nintendo, was asked what kind of gaming machine the NX is, and according to NeoGAF, his answer was vague but also promising.
The executive stated, "At this current stage, I’m not able to say. However, it’s not merely the successor to the handheld 3DS or stationary console Wii U. This will be hardware that’s been made with a new way of thinking. I’d like to announce more particulars regarding its specs and how it works another time this year."
According to Nintendo, the plan is to talk about the NX in the winter, with the focus during the coming E3 2016 event being on The Legend of Zelda, the video game that is also coming in 2017 and should be offered on both the new device and the already-available Wii U.
The NX will need to have a very interesting unique feature
Nintendo has been suggesting that it wants to somehow combine mobile gaming, which is currently covered by the 3DS, with the extra power and more complex experiences normally associated with a living room-based device like the Wii U.
It's unclear how the NX will mix elements of the two, but the company has made it clear that this is not a hybrid.
Rumors about the new platform are saying that its hardware will deliver a performance that will be equivalent to that of the coming NEO version of the PlayStation 4, with a focus on ease of use.
Nintendo is also saying that it wants to have a solid launch lineup for its coming home console, with many first- and third-party titles joining the already-confirmed The Legend of Zelda.
Until the NX arrives, gamers will probably witness official announcements and launches for two other pieces of hardware that are rumored right now: the Slim version of the Xbox One and the upgraded NEO for the PlayStation 4, both set to arrive this year.