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Why the NX Cartridge Rumors Don’t Have Us Worried

Why the NX Cartridge Rumors Don’t Have Us Worried

A recent trademark filing for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild seems to suggest that the NX may use cartridge-based media. It’s only still a rumor, of course, but the evidence is pretty suggestive. Now we’re not here to debate whether or not cartridges would be more or less cost-effective, or whether or not they would provide ample storage. That’s another discussion for a different day. For the record, I do think that cartridges would be a lot of fun and make a lot of sense. Nintendo could keep them small, well-decorated, and load times would be snappy.

But to me, that’s not the most exciting thing that the possibility of cartridges suggests. When I consider Nintendo opting to use cartridges for its games this generation, a seamless gaming ecosystem composed of a home console and a handheld device seems absolutely plausible. The time is right, the technology exists, and there has been so much talk of some kind of hybrid / split system. Kimishima stated that the NX isn’t a replacement for the Wii U or the 3DS, but will instead be a new way to play. By saying it’s not a replacement for either system, he could be implying that it’s a replacement for both . In other words, it’s not strictly the next home console, and it’s not strictly a handheld. What else could that mean?

If we assume, then, that the NX will indeed be composed of a stationary console that you hook up to your TV and a powerful handheld companion, then I think it’s very possible that we could be looking at what I’ve been calling an “omni-compatible” device (being able to play games from all of Nintendo’s past platforms). Indeed, the NX could represent something much more ambitious than we ever imagined. With the Wii, 3DS, Wii U, and New 3DS, Nintendo has been edging closer and closer to a platform that can play pretty much all of the best Nintendo games past and present. It’s come so close, but we’re not quite there yet. So what does that have to do with the NX, and what do cartridges have to do with omni-compatibility?

If we’re to have a handheld Nintendo device that uses cartridges, don’t you think it would make perfect sense for Nintendo to make that device compatible with 3DS games? The Nintendo 3DS has been been an incredible success for Nintendo, and has basically carried this generation while the Wii U struggled. 3DS owners have amassed sizable collections of incredible games that they won’t want to abandon once a new system arrives. And do you really think Nintendo will keep the 3DS around as its dedicated handheld? It’s already been around for five years. No, I have a good feeling that in the same way you can play DS games on your 3DS, 3DS games will be playable on the NX.

Why the NX Cartridge Rumors Don’t Have Us Worried

In the meantime, the Virtual Console library continues to grow. So many of the most popular NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy-family games have already been made available on the Wii U, 3DS, and New 3DS Virtual Consoles. Once a unified platform is established, we’ll have one incredibly expansive collection. I’ll bet we even see GameCube games added to the Virtual Console. We can already download Wii games, and I’d wager that any digital Wii U games tied to your Nintendo account will be available to download to the NX as well.

It’s omni-compatible, baby! Who needs the power of Project Scorpio when you have a device that can play all Nintendo games, past and present? And don’t forget, developers and industry leaders seem to be vocally excited about the NX. I bet it’ll be at least as powerful as an Xbox One, especially taking into account the power and efficiency of AMD’s Polaris GPUs, which means any third-party multi-plat games coming out for Microsoft and Sony’s consoles should make their way to the NX as well. In addition to those, we’ll have Nintendo’s incredible first-party offerings and exclusives. I can see it now: arriving in a hotel room across the country, breaking out my NX handheld, connecting to the internet, and deciding whether I want to pick up where I left off in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , or play a little Rhythm Heaven: Megamix . Yes, I think that will do.

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