It appears that Nintendo is moving forward with their next console, and quicker than we thought. A new report from Nomura Securities (via Barron’s Asia) analyst Junko Yamamura suggests that we will at least see a “concept” of the upcoming NX as early as March, with a full reveal coming in June. He’s also expecting a 2016 holiday launch for the Big N’s next home console. Here’s Junko’s official statement:
âWe still expect the NX to launch in 17/3. We have lowered our estimates for current consoles to reflect the present situation, fiercer competition, and what has happened in the past when new hardware is announced.â
Despite the Wii U housing some of my favorite games of this console generation (ie. Bayonetta 2), I have to admit that the machine has been a complete disaster for Nintendo. The company needs to cut bait and move forward, hopefully with much more powerful hardware that can at least keep up with the PS4 and Xbox One when it comes to horsepower. Making it easier for developers to port their games onto Nintendo’s next showing will be key.
There have even been rumors that the NX is being shown off this week at CES behind closed doors, which makes sense if the target launch date is indeed the end of this year. This also brings up the question that’s surely on all of our minds: what is going to become of titles like The Legend of Zelda Wii U? I have predicted before that it will take the Twilight Princess approach and appear on two consoles, but only time will tell.
Do you think the NX will be revealed in June? Is that too soon? Is a holiday 2016 launch date reasonable? Let us know in the comments below.
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HT: VG24/7