22nd April 2016, 7:29 PM
So, since E3 is coming up fast yet again, already, the rumors are all over and might be fun to discuss.
For the NX, supposedly it'll be more powerful than the PS4 or X1, but since Sony and MS are both talking about releasing upgraded versions of their systems maybe as soon as this year, that may not mean much. Will Nintendo yet again release a new system quite a bit less powerful than the others' are, or will it be close? That'll be very interesting to see. On the positive side, if Sony and MS release only updated systems, it does make a Wii U-like situation where far more powerful systems release a year later much less likely... unless MS does exactly that instead of releasing a half-upgrade this year, but who knows; we'll have to wait until E3 to learn what all three are going to be doing. Even though a lot of third parties have pulled out of E3, for the big three hardware manufacturers this is shaping up to be a huge Ee!
Of course, whether Nintendo can do anything to start winning back third parties is the other huge question, though that will be very difficult, considering how bad things have gotten now. Or will they just give up on that, and focus on first-party-published games only, again? One rumor is that Nintendo is trying to get more games finished faster than they have recently, and that would help of course if it's true and actually happens. You still need third parties at some point, though, but due to Nintendo's choices in the past they have lost almost all of them. More first party output would help a lot though, with how slow it's been in recent years. I still say that Nintendo never got over their terrible decision to sell off Rare... too bad.
Beyond that, the big NX question is about how it'll integrate a screen-on-controller portion and a traditional console portion. I think there are conflicting rumors here though, so who knows. Nintendo has talked about trying to make their handheld and TV systems more similar in order to make development easier, so some kind of new system or set of systems that all run on similar (maybe ARM?) hardware seems likely... though ARM isn't the best choice for a TV console, I'd think, so we'll see. As for my opinion on this one, I can understand why they would want unified system architecture, but the differences between handhelds and consoles are as significant as ever, and you can't make one system that does both equally well. I know some people like to dream about it, but so far at least you can't make a handheld that is also a great TV console, it would not be powerful enough... but different but more similar platforms could work. It will be interesting to see what Nintendo's come up with though, and if it'll go over better than the Wii U did. Here's hoping, they need it!
As for Zelda, the top rumors are that the game will launch on both NX and Wii U, as with TP and the GC and Wii versions, and that there might be a female playable character as well as the regular male one. The former of those seems very likely, but for the latter, while it'd be great, I'll believe it when I see it. Oh, and third rumor, voice acting for everyone except Link. Sure, why not. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1205846
As for Sony... that's another subject, but if they seriously are going to release a "PS 4.5" or PS4 Neo or whatever this year, that's only three years after the PS4! Yes, all games apparently will have to work on the older system, but still, you're asking a lot from your customers to get them to buy another expensive system AND games... oh and a VR headset too. MS is also talking about upgraded systems and a short life cycle, but not quite as much as Sony has been. I know people buy new phones all the time, and they need more power particularly for VR, but still, this could backfire... and the idea defnitely has gotten a lot of criticism online too. PS4 Neo potential info: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1209238
For the NX, supposedly it'll be more powerful than the PS4 or X1, but since Sony and MS are both talking about releasing upgraded versions of their systems maybe as soon as this year, that may not mean much. Will Nintendo yet again release a new system quite a bit less powerful than the others' are, or will it be close? That'll be very interesting to see. On the positive side, if Sony and MS release only updated systems, it does make a Wii U-like situation where far more powerful systems release a year later much less likely... unless MS does exactly that instead of releasing a half-upgrade this year, but who knows; we'll have to wait until E3 to learn what all three are going to be doing. Even though a lot of third parties have pulled out of E3, for the big three hardware manufacturers this is shaping up to be a huge Ee!
Of course, whether Nintendo can do anything to start winning back third parties is the other huge question, though that will be very difficult, considering how bad things have gotten now. Or will they just give up on that, and focus on first-party-published games only, again? One rumor is that Nintendo is trying to get more games finished faster than they have recently, and that would help of course if it's true and actually happens. You still need third parties at some point, though, but due to Nintendo's choices in the past they have lost almost all of them. More first party output would help a lot though, with how slow it's been in recent years. I still say that Nintendo never got over their terrible decision to sell off Rare... too bad.
Beyond that, the big NX question is about how it'll integrate a screen-on-controller portion and a traditional console portion. I think there are conflicting rumors here though, so who knows. Nintendo has talked about trying to make their handheld and TV systems more similar in order to make development easier, so some kind of new system or set of systems that all run on similar (maybe ARM?) hardware seems likely... though ARM isn't the best choice for a TV console, I'd think, so we'll see. As for my opinion on this one, I can understand why they would want unified system architecture, but the differences between handhelds and consoles are as significant as ever, and you can't make one system that does both equally well. I know some people like to dream about it, but so far at least you can't make a handheld that is also a great TV console, it would not be powerful enough... but different but more similar platforms could work. It will be interesting to see what Nintendo's come up with though, and if it'll go over better than the Wii U did. Here's hoping, they need it!
As for Zelda, the top rumors are that the game will launch on both NX and Wii U, as with TP and the GC and Wii versions, and that there might be a female playable character as well as the regular male one. The former of those seems very likely, but for the latter, while it'd be great, I'll believe it when I see it. Oh, and third rumor, voice acting for everyone except Link. Sure, why not. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1205846
As for Sony... that's another subject, but if they seriously are going to release a "PS 4.5" or PS4 Neo or whatever this year, that's only three years after the PS4! Yes, all games apparently will have to work on the older system, but still, you're asking a lot from your customers to get them to buy another expensive system AND games... oh and a VR headset too. MS is also talking about upgraded systems and a short life cycle, but not quite as much as Sony has been. I know people buy new phones all the time, and they need more power particularly for VR, but still, this could backfire... and the idea defnitely has gotten a lot of criticism online too. PS4 Neo potential info: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1209238