We’ve known Nintendo’s next console, codenamed “NX,” will finally be revealed at some point in 2016, likely during the annual Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) in June, and it looks like Nintendo is beginning to ramp up third-party software development to meet that time frame.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, software development kits for Nintendo’s new system, which is rumoured to be a traditional console/handheld hybrid, allowing the player to easily take the device on-the-go, as well as use it at home connected to a television, have already been sent out. The historic Japanese video game company likely wants to be able to show off in-development third-party games at E3 2016, so Nintendo is giving its stable of developers a head start.
The same report is also suggesting the company is on track to introduce its next console as early as next year, a date analysts say Nintendo needs to hit because of low 3DS sales and nearly non-existent Wii U sales.
Nintendo’s next console is expected to operate as a handheld device as well as a traditional home console, allowing users to use the system on a mobile basis, but also hook it up to a television. Nintendo is reportedly working on a new membership system to unify the company’s various platforms, which will soon include smartphones and tablets once the company’s smartphone titles, developed in partnership with DeNA, are released.
In other NX related news, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that unlike the Wii and Wii U, Nintendo’s next console is expected to include “industry- leading chips,” which is likely a direct response to the criticism the Wii U received in relation to being underpowered.
[source]The Wall Street Journal[/source]
