According to the Wall Street Journal, Nintendo is already distributing NX developer kits to third-party studios. Furthermore, the gaming box is reportedly a home console/handheld hybrid that utilizes “industry-leading chips.” The platform allegedly includes at least one portable unit. The same source states that the Big N is prepping to introduce the newest platform “as early as next year.” All of this information is in line with many of the rumors that have surfaced in the past few months.

Join Jessica Chobot as we speculate what other hardware devices could join a console and handheld device on the Nintendo NX platform, as we are visited by Once Upon A Time‘s Robin Hood, Sean Maguire, on today’s Nerdist News!

If rumors and this source are to be believed, it would make a whole lot of sense that different studios would be getting their hands on dev kits right now, especially if the console will be launching by the end of next year. This also supports the theory that Zelda Wii U will pull a The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princes and become a launch game for the NX as well as a Wii U title.

Even the most optimistic Wii U supporters will concede that the console is struggling to sell. The once struggling Xbox One has now surged past the Nintendo home console in sales. In other words, now is the time to abandon the platform and quickly move on to what will hopefully be a more prosperous venture.

This is obviously huge news with many moving parts. The more powerful chipset should make it easier for developers to port games onto the console, but it really is hard to say if that’s what the Nintendo is aiming for with so little information on the specifications of the hardware. The mobile unit could be something like a 3DS in which they are combining their most lucrative hardware with the home space, or it could be a Wii U 2.0 sort of situation where the mobile unit is a much better gamepad. I believe the latter could work. Turning the gamepad into a more functional piece of tech with an ability to run games and not just stream them would be fantastic. But, that may be easier said than done.

The other question is whether the two pieces will be sold separately. Having a mobile unit means that it has to be able run the games on said machine. Maybe the plan is to allow existing New 3DS owners to pair up with the home console aspect, but that would limit the types of games that could be played on the platform since the handheld is underpowered compared to the PS4 and Xbox One.

Unfortunately, no word on a headset piece. This kind of dispels hope for a virtual reality console from Nintendo. It doesn’t mean it won’t eventually support VR, but I was hoping they would build hardware specifically for made for it. Expect more news to trickle out about the NX in the coming months. I don’t think we will have to wait very long for a full reveal.

Thanks for watching today’s episode! Be sure to see Jessica’s extended conversation with Sean Maguire, who you can see on Once Upon A Time Sunday nights at 8PM on ABC.

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HT: VG24/7

IMAGES: Nintendo