The Nintendo Switch Thread

[Junko]

Are you ready to join the NX hivemind? If this patent is to come to fruition then you best start getting ready. 

[Junko]

Along with the Kimishima interview, TIME also had its turn with Fils-Aimé.

[Candescence]

So, if you've been following the NX news, you may have noticed news about this particular patent. Among other things, it basically implies that Nintendo are planning to use Sharp's free-form screen technology to create a handeld and/or controller that has its entire face covered by the screen, with physical controls still there, sitting in 'cut-outs' on the screen. If you're wondering what this would look like in a practical gaming device:

Now, using that mockup as a jumping-off point... While I do know some people hate virtual buttons with a passion and with good reason, that doesn't mean we can't implement them in addition to traditional regular controls. Here's a quick rough idea of optimal spots for virtual button placement:

Now, in this case, I could see virtual buttons actually working fine. The virtual buttons are clustered around the physical controls, but spaced far apart enough so that you likely won't press them by accident or press the wrong button, and the player has reference points that completely prevent thumb drifting and allows the player to know where to guide their thumbs to a specific button without even looking at the screen, if need be, and the buttons are still within the peripheral area of the screen.

At the least, it minimizes the downsides of touch screen buttons, and basically makes additional controls entirely viable for functions that can be safely relegated to touch buttons. Depending on the shape of the handheld/controller, I estimate that devs could fit roughly seven to twelve virtual buttons within the peripheral space.

Basically, aside from the 'wow' factor, this would also be a huge boon for devs, who would not longer be restricted to the physical face buttons in terms of implementing controls. While there are issues with virtual touch buttons, these can be eliminated or minimized by just applying smart design decisions.

 

 

[Salamander]

That's the same sort of thing I was imagining; there'd be a few base buttons for the ones too important to be virtual (shoulder buttons would obviously have to be physical), but then on top of the base then games could essentially implement a custom controller.  It'd be an extremely flexible system... no matter how much I despise the idea of getting thumbprints all over the screen.  Theoretically, it also means that it would be entirely viable to have both horizontal and vertically-oriented display, because to a certain extent the buttons could be wherever you want.

[Tornado]

At the least, it minimizes the downsides of touch screen buttons

Except for the "not working" part.

[Indigo Rush]

Get your detective hats on, SSMB... it's time to bump with rumors, leaks and speculation, eh?

 

 

First off, lotsa leaks goin' round after that Pokemon Direct, bolded some important bits for emphasis:

http://kotaku.com/possible-leak-that-nailed-pokemon-codename-also-lists-n-1761518611

Quote

Possible Leak That Nailed Pokémon Codename Also Lists NX For 2016 Release

A supposed leak full of sensitive Nintendo information published earlier this week on the message board NeoGAF looked a little more solid this morning thanks to some new corroboration. If it’s all true, we may be seeing Nintendo’s next console—along with both Wii U and NX versions of Zelda—later this year.

On Monday, a NeoGAF poster named Trevelyan9999 published a large list of Nintendo information that he claimed was from “an internal US marketing budget and scheduling overview for 2016.” Trevelyan, who also posts YouTube videos covering various Nintendo rumors, said the company’s mysterious new hardware, code-named NX, will be out this holiday season. He also listed 2016 marketing budgets for Wii U ($34.5 million), 3DS ($56.25 million), and the new Zelda ($10 million), which Trevelyan said will still come to Wii U as promised and will also show up on the new machine.

Purported Nintendo leaks are a dime a dozen, of course—every year someone comes up with a big fake list of games they claim are coming to Nintendo platforms. But this one has proven to be at least partially true.

In the post, Trevelyan offered a list of the first-party 3DS games scheduled for the rest of this year. Other than the games we know about, the list mostly features codenames like “Caviar F” and “Torte City,” as well as a nugget that’s proven pretty interesting as of this morning: “Pokémon 20th Anniversary game ‘Niji.’”

It’s no big shocker that Nintendo is releasing new Pokémon games this fall, as the company announced this morning. What’s way more interesting is that “Niji” codename, which hadn’t been announced or publicized anywhere before Trevelyan9999's post. As it turns out, the new Pokémon games are called “Sun” and “Moon.” But a look at the Pokémon website this morning revealed a curious file name:

Materials sent to press announcing the new Pokémon games also used “Niji” in their file-names for the Sun and Moon logos. It’s common for video game logos and press material to use a game’s codename. Sometimes, the developers who create those assets don’t actually know what the final titles will be. Curiously, Nintendo has since changed the logo’s file-name on its website from “niji-11-en” to “sun-moon-11-en.”

Also curious: Last night, Trevelyan9999 removed videos from his YouTube channel and pulled articles from his website that referred to this leak. It’s unclear whether he did this of his own volition or because Nintendo’s lawyers got involved. When I reached out, he declined to comment. We’ve also reached out to Nintendo for comment.

So what does all of this mean? Nothing is certain—and we have not been able to confirm any of this with our own sources—but the fact that Trevelyan9999 nailed the Niji codename adds some fascinating credence to a leak that might be real. It’s possible that only portions of the leak are true and that others are incorrect or outdated, as was the case with the giant Xbox leak that hit NeoGAF in early 2014. That leak correctly revealed information about unannounced games like Scalebound and Crackdown 3 but was incorrect on other, minor information, like the exact details of the Halo collection.

It’s still not clear exactly what the NX will be. Pundits have theorized, based on Nintendo’s hints, that the mysterious piece of hardware may be a hybrid portable and console.

Whether or not this leak is real, this should be a fun year for Nintendo fans. Nintendo has said they’ll unveil the NX by E3, which is in June.

 

And finally, on the release date of the "NX":

http://mynintendonews.com/2016/02/26/bbc-claims-that-the-nintendo-nx-is-expected-for-release-in-june/
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35666871

Quote

BBC Claims That The Nintendo NX Is Expected For Release In June

Well, this is certainly interesting! Respected UK broadcaster the BBC is reporting that the NX platform is expected to be released in June. Where this information stemmed from is unclear at present and may just be a mistake on their part, but a June release for the handheld NX platform would certainly be interesting. We shall have to keep an eye on the article and see if they update the information.

Quote

Next month it is launching Miitomo, its first iOS and Android app, and is expected to release its new NX gaming platform in June.

Update: Now it says: Nintendo “is expected to release its new NX gaming platform around the middle of the year.”

Source

Lots to take in. Such a strange turn of events after a single 5 minute Pokemon Nintendo Direct.

What are y'alls thoughts on this? One of these is more likely than the other, though. The "Niji" situation is the most supported "rumor" yet. 

[Marcello]

No chance Nintendo releases the NX in June or it's surrounding months.

The other rumor is most likely true, but it doesn't tell us all too much due to the codenames. I read somewhere on NeoGaf that one of the games is Style Savvy 3, though.

[Your Vest Friend]

"Respected UK broadcaster the BBC"

 

Why would the BBC of all media corps have the intel on this? 

[Silly name the animal]

Oh, this sounds fun.  Still gonna wait for the NX to be announced before I get excited about it.

[Salamander]

The rumours are increasingly coalescing around a 2016 release.  It's a trifle concerning, as I know I'm not the only one who thinks that that's rather too early - and indeed that Nintendo has had a nasty habit recently of releasing its new consoles some months before there's actually anything worth doing with them.  If Zelda U ended up skipping the console it was actually designed for, that would be beyond embarrassing; even Twilight Princess managed to follow on from an actual GameCube Zelda.  Nintendo has a major problem getting console Zelda games out the door.

[azoo]

I'm sure they're pulling a Twilight Princess and not skipping U users who waited this long.

That said, yet another thing I calleeeeddd yet most of everyone in the statuses a few months back were like "nah man that'd be dumb". Zelda NX is definitely happening. No way would they blow their work on a console that's been such a huge failure for them, especially right around the same time they're needing a killer app to launch off the new console.

Pretty sure NX isn't coming out until later in the year, though. No way would it launch in June, that's nuts!

[Indigo Rush]

Who's ready for more distractions from the drought of Sonic news rumors on the Nintendo NX!?

Today's point of interest; GoNintendo is hearing info from a source with a proven track-record of getting things right. Could just be lucky guesses, but speculation is always fun either way. Have at it, peeps:

http://gonintendo.com/stories/253000-rumor-the-motherload-of-nx-rumors-surface-hardware-ability-s

Quote

Let's give some backstory on the source of this leak, shall we? The info comes from Geno, who has quite a history with rumors. More importantly, he has a history of being correct on his rumored information. Here's the rumors that Geno has nailed in the past.

- Nintendo would release a Pokémon game that utilized a full 3D engine 
- would be a new type of Pokémon in new said Pokémon game (Fairy) 
- older Pokémon would get new abilities and forms (Mewtwo) 
- PS4 would be capable of producing modern day graphics on a DX11 level “like Unreal Engine 4 and Frostbite 2 
- Microsoft would introduce an omni projection unit that would let game environments to be projected in a near 360-degree fashion around the user (Ilumiroom)

His pedigree speaks for itself, and today he's let loose with a bunch of rumored info on the NX. You can decide how to take the details, but they are certainly interesting nonetheless.

- has a wireless HDMI dongle that attaches flush to the back of the device 
- you can pull it out and insert it into any display with a normal sized HDMI output 
- device uses an evolved version of the Wii U’s streaming tech to display in HD on the TV screen 
- analog controls for movement have small motors in them for full haptic feedback 
- haptic example: if you control a character and hit a wall, the sticks move away from the wall to simulate hitting it 
- Bluetooth synch with tons of devices, including smartphones and tablets 
- you can answer phone calls and display text messages from your phone onto NX screen(s) 
- closest in terms of “power” to the Xbox One 
- all tech uses the exact same hardware layout as the PS4 and Xbox One 
- any game that can run on Playstation 4 or Xbox One can easily run on the NX with near-zero modifications 
- this is even more true if the game runs on Android OS or Unreal Engine 4 
- one 3rd Party dev says “It’s the easiest device we’ve ever developed for. You just take your code, compile it and it works.” 
- look to Pokemon GO to get an idea of the type of social features that will be in NX 
- this will take multiplayer, AR and the StreetPass concept to a whole new level 
- strengths of the device are its usability and ease of use 
- devs describe it visually and functionally as if “Samsung and the Nintendo 2DS” had a baby 
- it looks friendly, but unlike what most people believe a Nintendo device to typically look like 
- operating system, named NintendOS, is very powerful and has so many modern features of mobile operating systems 
- Nintendo is trying to be very careful in showing it off for fear that it would be mistaken as running Android 
- very strong networking functions, as it ties into multiple devices and services 
- this allows for a very competent and pervasive eco-system designed to constantly involve the consumer’s life

 

[Blacklightning]

I remember trying out a flight stick that had that kind of feedback once, and it felt like I was gonna fuckin' break it at the stem trying to work around it. Hopefully nobody makes a game where you actively have to fight against it, otherwise they'll have to break out the ol' Nintendium again.

So wait, if this holds true:

Quote

devs describe it visually and functionally as if “Samsung and the Nintendo 2DS” had a baby 

Does that mean it still has touchscreens and gyroscopes too? Neat.

[Patticus]

Frankly, I would err on the side of ignoring anything short of a rumour mill with an established track record of truth telling, or photos that come straight from the manufacturer, as we saw with the DS Lite leak.

I will, however, comment thusly:

The Wii U is a terrible sales disaster, just awful (though it does have a pretty good lineup of games at this moment in time). However, despite that gloom, from a technical standpoint it is an absolute marvel of streaming and compression technology - even Sony hasn't been able to match it yet. On that note, I dearly hope that, wherever the future takes Nintendo's systems, there remains a place for new and refined versions of the Gamepad - perhaps providing a physical point of connection between the home console and handheld sectors, in addition to perhaps delving into straight-up tablet territory.

[Salamander]

On a not dissimilar note, I am hoping beyond hope that the new handheld doesn't drop the dual-screen concept of the DS line, which I regard as a marvellously elegant innovation that I would have a very hard time letting go of, even at its most underutilised.  Granted, I don't think it's very likely that we'll lose dual-screens (or some form of dual-screen capacity, like how the 2DS is technically just one big screen with a bar over the middle), but just now and then I get a kind of cold shiver down my back at the thought.

[Graystripe2000]

So, as NintendoLife found out, the recent NX rumors are old news posted on 4Chan in 2015. http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/02/rumour_buster_lets_clarify_some_issues_with_those_recent_nintendo_nx_predictions

[Dejimon11]

So now there is a rumor going around that Nintendo is help funding Beyond Good and Evil 2

 

 

[Tornado]

June of what? Nintendo has done some stupid ass shit in the past decade, but I can't believe they would pull a Sega Saturn launch with NX.

[Graystripe2000]

All aboard the patent train! A patent was found for a controller/handheld that has infrared and gesture recognition technology. 

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/03/nintendo_handheld_patent_focuses_on_infrared_and_gesture_recognition_technology

[Blacklightning]

I don't feel like people are even comfortable making gestures to a console in their own home, let alone on the back of a bus. It'd be Kinect all over again.

[Salamander]

On the other hand, it'd hardly be the first Nintendo console to be loaded with gimmicks of which about half barely ever get used, like the 3DS gyro sensor.  Just pile 'em in, we'll figure out what to do with them later!

[Marcello]

So, some of you may know this picture of the possible NX controller or handheld leaked a few days ago:

https://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1198233

People were calling fake, since it looked pretty much exactly like some patents, but quite a few assumed it was real. In the end whether it was fake or not wasn't proven.

So now, more pictures have leaked and they look a heck of a lot more real:

Quote

Quote

- Only the upper 'nubs' of the sticks move. The bottom part is static (kind of like the circle pad, but it moves along the bottom 'sphere'.
- The rollers on the top feel and look pretty much identical to a mouse scroll-wheel. Though I do don't believe this will be the final design.
- Haptic feedback is feels like Apples 'taptic' engine. Not like regular rumble.
- 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom

https://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1199996

Now that this thing seems to be legit, I gotta say it fucking blows. What a terrible idea. After the Wii U's Gamepad drove up the cost of the console, it seems they're doing that again, assuming this is the controller, of course. They've gotten rid of physical buttons potentially in favor of haptic buttons, which seems like it's a simply inferior but more expensive solution. To top it all off they've for some bizarre reason made the screen oval, which improves just about nothing. Whatever it is, it doesn't look particularly comfortable to hold. I like the scroll wheel shoulder buttons, though.

Assuming this is real, I hope Nintendo can convince me that this is good, because right now, I have little hope.

[Graystripe2000]

Considering this looks just like the patent, I'm going to assume this is fake, since whenever something is patented, the device looks really different than the patent. 

[Marcello]

Andy McNamara from Game Informer gave his two cents on these pics:

Seems real to me.

[Indigo Rush]

Cross-post from GAF

---

Patiently waiting to see Nintendo demonstrate it's use properly. There's always something lost in translation. I'm not sure how this controller is going to pull something amazing off, but we'll just have to wait and see. 

Until then, I'm not passing any condemnation on this thing. It's also likely a prototype, so some aspects of it might not be fully realized. Bear that in mind, I guess.