Report: Nintendo NX is Portable With Detachable Controllers

[deadish]

Nintendo's gimmicks do well in the same way fads do well.

Remember the macarena? Looking back, it was pretty ridiculous.

Wrong once more. Nintendo's 'gimmicks' do well enough to a point where people eventually stop thinking of them as gimmicks. The majority of features even get carried through generations to future consoles. Even motion controls.

For example, the dual screens of the DS were initially seen as a gimmick, but then were well received enough that the features were passed to the 3DS, the Wii U, and seemingly the NX as well.

There are examples where features were scrapped, such as the 3D on the 3DS, but that's only a in a few cases, where you're arguing that it's all cases.

Again, Nintendo has always sold really well whenever the consoles have a good unique selling point. You're not able to say "they don't count because boohoo". No idea why you're so distraught about the fact that Nintendo do quite well whenever something new is done with a console, but whatever.

LOL. The dual screens were only pass down to later Nintendo handhelds. No one else has bothered - personally I think the whole idea is pretty dumb; you can only look at one screen at a time, 50% of the screens are wasted. (I won't be surprised if Nintendo only went with 2 screens to save money as 1 large screen is probably more expensive 2 smaller ones at the time.)

Motion controls are dead. They are only seeing a limited (at the moment) revival thanks to VR. As a bread and butter control scheme for games, looks schoole dualshock type controllers are still the standard.

One thing I will give Nintendo credit for those is shoulder buttons introduced in the SNES ... but since then ...

 

[deadish]

LOL. The dual screens were only pass down to later Nintendo handhelds. No one else has bothered - personally I think the whole idea is pretty dumb; you can only look at one screen at a time, 50% of the screens are wasted. (I won't be surprised if Nintendo only went with 2 screens to save money as 1 large screen is probably more expensive 2 smaller ones at the time.)

Well fuck. This is useless. I can only look at one screen at a time, 50% of the screens are wasted. Fucking gimmick.

I feel that I need to repeat... The dual screen feature has been used on the DS, 3DS, Wii U, and from this report, the NX as well. The Wii U isn't a handheld, and it seems the NX will be a hybrid.

Motion controls aren't as invasive now, but games still use them (just not games that you play). It's also remained in conventional controllers in the form as gyro controls.

I'm still curious what Nintendo did to offend you, for you to be so vehemently negative about their success. All facts indicate that your arguments are wrong. Just because you dislike something does not mean it's bad. Your opinion doesn't hold THAT much weight. The second screen feature was largely accepted. Regardless of whether or not you personally like it.

Frankly, it's better to have 1 large screen rather than 2 smaller ones. There is nothing you can do with 2 smaller screens that you can't do with one larger one.

People have dual monitors because they want more screen real estate as they run multiple programs at a time. Existing monitors already take up most of your visual range hence a 2nd monitor at an angle to the first is really the only way to go about it.

This doesn't apply to handheld consoles. The DS screen is so tiny, it definitely doesn't take up your entire visual range. Secondly, you don't run multiple programs on a handheld console. You run one program, the game - and it should be having your full attention.

Apple and oranges.

Would you want to watch a movie on a single wide screen TV or 2 4:3 TVs stack on top of each other - with the lower screen being nigh useless 90% of the time displaying trivial stuff like the credits.

Face it. Most games don't use the lower screen / don't have a good use for the lower screen. Most of the time it's used as an always open menu. It's better to have one large screen so I can have a wider view of the game world while I'm playing and do menus the old way via to pop up dialogs.

 

[deadish]

Face it. Most games don't use the lower screen / don't have a good use for the lower screen.

Yes they do.

The reason people use dual monitor setups on PCs is so they can run multiple functions at the same time. E.g. Using Photoshop while having imagery open, playing games with some kind of strategy guide, or doing anything while having Podcasts, videos or streams open.

The reason the second screen on the DS/3DS/Wii U is used is so they can run multiple functions at the same time. E.g. Having maps open, easy access to menus, touch screen controls, alternate camera view, or splitscreen multiplayer.

Apples and apples.

Again, just because YOU PERSONALLY don't like a feature doesn't mean that NO ONE liked it. Your opinion really doesn't matter that much. All evidence from sales to the inclusiveness into future consoles points to the fact that the feature was well received. Your opinion doesn't change that fact.

Again. A larger screen would have been better. Unlike on desktop where a single screen pretty much fills your field of view, the DS/3DS screens are relatively small and do not.

There is nothing you can do with 2 screens on a handheld that you can't do with 1 large one - you can even multitask just by sacrificing part of the larger screen.

Back when the DS first came out, LCD screen were probably hella expensive. But thanks to the iPhone kick starting the "smartphone revolution", small form LCD screens are now hella cheap due to economies of scale.

As such, having 2 screens now is actually more expensive than having one large one due to the need for extra control circuitry for the 2nd screen.

I take it you have heard of the 2DS. Did you know it really only has one screen? Yupe, it's one screen split in 2, the middle and bottom corners are wasted.

In summary, 1 large screen > 2 smaller ones and no desktops aren't a good comparison due to difference in screen size.

 

[deadish]

You've gone off on a tangent. Screen size is completely irrelevant. I listed the uses of a second screen, and your point did nothing to refute that.

No. You are missing the point.

What is important is screen real estate - not the number of screens.

On PC, the only practical way to have more screen real estate is to have a second monitor as monitors are already as big as they can get.

On handhelds, a single bigger screen would have been a far better way to increase screen real estate than multiple screens - it advantageous that screen space isn't wasted on a freaking menu or map 24/7; i.e. on a singular large screen, if the map/menu isn't needed, it can be hidden and the screen space can be use to display the game world, something you can't do on the DS/3DS.

 

[kris40k]

Sounds like Nintendo is just going to say, "fuck it!" and capitalize on their domination of the handheld market. Release a beefy 3DS NX with a docking station and direct most game development for it. Not a bad idea, but I would recommend making it wireless/BT gamepads instead of wired, otherwise its not really going to work well as a console for most living rooms without hauling 12ft (6ft x2) of cable around.

 

[Callate]

Cartridges, eh...?

Well, "cartridges" have come a long way since the N64. They're still more expensive than optical media, but not prohibitively so, especially with mass-manufacturing capabilities. A quick glance online suggests an 8 GB SD card can be yours these days for around $4-5, a 16GB one for about $6. As long as you aren't dependent on a ton of HD video or the like, that's a decent amount of space for many a game.

And, heaven knows it would be nice to have shorter load times.

I think the bigger question is whether they'll use the (presumably) somewhat smaller sizes of cartridge-sized games to bolster their online and independent developer support, one of the biggest areas where big N has fallen behind. If they could take the "connect on the road" features enjoyed by the 3DS and extend them to welcoming your new friends to play with you at home, they might just be on to something. If could keep playing games with people you met in the style of "Pokemon GO", for example... That could be a significant market base.

But, as always, the devil is in the details, and the developers. First they would need to create a network as open, understandable, and welcoming as games like Mario and Kirby have been, and agreements that would make developers want to take advantage of them.