It came as no big surprise when Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced that the company was already working on their next generation console, codenamed "Nintendo NX." Speculations from multiple media outlets indicate that it could be a console-portable hybdrid.
It has only been two and a half years since Nintendo launched the Nintendo Wii-U and so far it has sailed as the worst-selling console of the company, with only 10 million units sold. Even the Gamecube managed to sell roughly 22 million units in its lifetime.
The Playstation 4 and Xbox One have brought high-definition gaming, high-end physics engines, and more complex titles that have never been seen before. Despite all of Nintendo's marketing, the Wii-U is merely an HD upgrade of the Wii with a touch-screen controller borrowed from the DS and 3DS.
Nintendo has recently taken down their Club Nintendo system and has announced that they would be partnering with Japanese mobile company DeNA to create a new membership platform as well as their first foray into mobile gaming.
This decision to work on smart phone and tablet titles and multi-platform user accounts lend credibility to the idea that the NX would be a console-portable hybrid. The Wii-U controller can work as a portable unit as long as it is close enough to the main console and the NX could be an upgrade of this concept.
The success of the NX, as pointed out by Tech Radar, depends on the unique features of the console, its launch selling price, and the quality of the launch titles. Timing is also of essence because Sony and Microsoft are well ahead of the game.
The console could be expected to hit shelves by 2016. This is based on the release pattern Nintendo follows after announcing a new console. The 3DS was announced in 2010 and came out in 2011 while the Wii-U was announced in 2011 and released in 2012.
