There has been no shortage of rumors lately regarding the NX, Nintendo’s next gen console that is slated for a March 2017 release. As it stands, gamers have heard rumors that state everything from the NX being powerful enough to compete with Sony’s Playstation 4 Neo console to it having an edgeless screen controller with touch screen buttons.
Nintendo has been tight-lipped regarding the Nintendo NX, leaving gamers to speculate on the console’s power, video output capabilities, and whether it will be backward compatible with the Nintendo Wii U or not. Nintendo’s decision to keep gamers ‘out of the loop’ has only deepened the animosity some Nintendo fans are feeling towards Nintendo and its next gen console.
Instead of presenting gamers with more rumors, we have decided to publish a checklist of features that we feel the Nintendo NX needs to have on launch to be a success. We encourage you, our readers, to respond at the bottom of this article with your expectations and opinions of the Nintendo NX. With that said, let’s begin our Nintendo NX checklist of what it needs to succeed.
Advertising the Nintendo NX and disassociating it from the ‘Wii’ Brand-Name:
This may seem like common sense to most people, but let’s not forget what happened to the Wii U. Nintendo’s advertising campaign for the Wii U failed to convince casual gamers and parents alike that the Wii U was a standalone console and not an ‘upgrade’ to the existing Wii hardware. Even hardcore Nintendo fans felt abandoned due to the mishandling of the Wii U’s hardware. The gampad controller – while bulky and hindered by a weak battery – was (and still is) an innovative piece of hardware due to its touch screen technology. Nintendo saw the importance of touch screen technology and it’s inevitable importance in modern day video gaming – but the Wii U missed its window of opportunity by launching long after smartphones and tablets conquered the mobile gaming market.
Nintendo must capitalize on what they’re best at doing — video games. This means that Nintendo not only needs to advertise the NX to its core fanbase, but to gamers that would otherwise not purchase a Nintendo console. They need to also convince these gamer’s of the NX’s capabilities.
Next Gen Hardware:
The Nintendo NX needs to have powerful hardware to compete against the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. While 4k 60fps video output isn’t an industry standard as of right now, this will all change when Sony finally releases the Playstation 4 Neo this Holiday season. The NX needs to be capable of outputting 1080p 60fps video at the very minimum. Anything less would be a game breaker (no pun intended). Even if the NX isn’t capable of 4K video out of the box, Nintendo needs to focus on firmware updates that will make the NX capable of outputting 4k video after launch.
Internal hardware storage is another issue. The Wii U Deluxe System only included 32gigs of internal storage for digital downloads, and this was barely enough depending on the size of the games downloaded via the Nintendo eShop. It was possible to attach external USB HDD storage to the Wii U, but that method – while also an option for PS4 and Xbox One gamers – shouldn’t be something a consumer should have to worry about on day one. The NX needs to ship with at least 500gigs of internal storage; anything less is unacceptable in today’s competitive, console system market.
A More Robust Online Community:
Nintendo’s Miiverse was a step in the right direction for connecting Nintendo fans online. The online message board community allowed gamers to discuss game releases, share screenshots, and boast about in-game achievements, but it felt sparse in comparison to PSN and XBL.
Game Trophies (i.e. Achievements): Nintendo’s online strategy for the NX needs to incorporate in-game trophy support for all releases, including first-party titles. In recent years, we have seen Wii U games that have used achievement systems, but only on a limited basis. Nintendo needs to make this feature a standard on both the NX and its My Nintendo network service.
Better Interaction With Friends:
The online community for NX needs to provide an ‘open’ community where gamers can send friend requests, play together in parties, and communicate via headsets without any restrictions. The success of the NX depends in it. We’re at a time in gaming where online communication plays an important role in our everyday gaming habits, and ignoring these features will only isolate gamers that would otherwise consider purchasing a NX console.
3rd Party Support and Indie Game development:
Nintendo has been using ‘gimmicks’ to sell its console systems ever since it launched the Wii. The Wii’s wireless motion controllers were not only popular, but 3rd party game developers released games that took advantage of the technology. The Wii U and its Gamepad/touch screen controller were not as fortunate.
According to Nintendo, the NX will also have a ‘unique’ feature similar to its predecessors, but no further details have been given. Regardless of what this ‘feature’ may be, Nintendo needs to make sure that unlike the Wii U’s gamepad, this new feature serves a clear-cut purpose that not only benefits the NX console, but truly enhances the gaming experience of the user. While the Wii U gamepad was a great idea, most people (including some Nintendo fans) will agree that not even Nintendo knew what to really do with it. If this were to happen again (but with the NX), we can see the NX becoming an absolute disaster for Nintendo. As fans of both Nintendo and their consoles, we hope this doesn’t happen. Only time will tell whether Nintendo has listened to the concerns of its fanbase or not.
Our checklist of features outlined in this article barely scratch the surface regarding the Nintendo NX. We are positive that you, the reader, will have plenty to say on this matter. We not only welcome your responses and opinions at the bottom of this article, but we look forward to reading them.
Until we discuss this topic again.
Mike Pittaro
