Nintendo to Unveil NX ‘Concept’ Before E3, Says Analyst

Details are extremely scarce surrounding the new console which will take up the reins following the underwhelming Wii U as Nintendo seek a return to the sort of form that saw an entire generation captivated by the Nintendo 64 and to a lesser extent, the criminally underrated GameCube. The ultra-popular Wii console featured motion-controlled games that used remotes, while the Wii’s more niche predecessor, the Wii U, boasts a controller that doubles as a tablet.

If the NX comes out later this year, support for the Wii U would fall dramatically. Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima is calling the console a new experience.

The bigger news is that the official announcement of the “concept” console will be done any time between March and May, and that the unveiling of the device itself is expected by June during the E3 2016. The Wii U’s controller already allows players to continue a game on a television screen on its tablet-like screen.

Nomura Securities stated in an interview that the new Nintendo console may actually be a hybrid between a console and a handheld device.

The guessing also applied to NX’s early performance, with Yamamura and Nomura stating that they believe the console will “start to boost operating profits” in Nintendo’s next fiscal year (April 2017-March 2018), after it has been out on the market for a full year and gotten a decent lineup of games with “high operating margins”.

However, the outlook has changed thanks to weakening 3DS sales as of late. Analysts have declared that the Nintendo NX might even be out on retailers by the end of 2016, most likely sometime after E3 2016.

Sony and Microsoft might just receive a huge challenge to overcome next winter holiday.

What do you think about Nintendo’s next console?