While not knowing anything about the NX officially, we’ve actually learned quite a lot about the dev kits that Nintendo sent out thanks to some folks who couldn’t keep their yappers shut. We’ve been treated to a fairly consistent (albeit trickling) stream of rumors over the past few months, and we’re still learning more on a weekly basis. I should clarify right away that I’m using the words “learning” and “about” pretty loosely because, again, Nintendo hasn’t revealed anything for sure. Anything and everything is likely to change for the final product. As far as the dev kit goes, though, we’re sold.
It really is quite staggering when you take a step back and consider all that we’ve heard about these dev kits. Emily Rogers recently aggregated all of her reports and aggregated rumors in a series of tweets, and the picture we get of the NX is an optimistic one. She and Eurogamer report that Nvidia is involved with the NX and could be providing a powerful mobile GPU. The handheld’s screen size is around 6 inches, is multi-touch capable, and sports a 720p resolution. 720p for a screen that size is actually wonderful – keep in mind that the gorgeous PS Vita screen is 960×544. Rogers reiterated that the NX wouldn’t be competing with the Xbox One and PS4 for raw power, but it would support Unreal Engine 4 and Unity.
Here’s where things start getting exciting. The portable reportedly has 32GB of internal storage, which can be expanded further with an SD card. Rogers reports that the dock station prototype has two USB ports as well (dare I hope for external, supplemental GPU support in the future?). Perhaps the most interesting bit, which is something we hadn’t heard previously, is that the NX might be region-free. The dev kits Nintendo supplied are supposedly region free, and Rogers says that there’s a chance that retail units will be as well.
A region-free NX would be a dream come true, but it also seems too good to be true. Nintendo has recently been very resolute and steadfast in its region-locking enforcement. Nintendo fans were vocally upset that the New 3DS would remain region-locked, and Nintendo answered with some general PR evasion about cultural differences and quality.
It basically comes down to Nintendo’s hyper-vigilant protectiveness of its brand and image. If you were lucky enough to miss out on all of the debates and outrage over localization changes for Fire Emblem Fates and Tokyo Mirage Sessions , it’s enough to know that some things that make it onto Nintendo platforms in Japan won’t fly for Nintendo of America. Region-free hardware would allow eager fans in North America to play content on their Nintendo devices that haven’t passed through the NoA filter.
There is a sliver of hope, though. Last May Iwata stated that Nintendo was considering making the NX region-free. “Regarding the NX,” he said in the financial results Q&A, “we understand that many consumers hold such opinions and such suggestions exist in the market, and although we have nothing concrete at the moment, we are internally analyzing what hurdles exist to lifting region locks.”
This could be a huge shift and big win for Nintendo gamers – especially the impatient ones. A region-free NX would mean that I could import the latest Hatsune Miku or Rhythm Heaven game for my NX as soon as it’s available. More than that, it would mean that Nintendo is finally listening to gamers and taking their wishes into consideration. Listening to fans and paying attention to industry trends are not things Nintendo has done well in the past, but the abolishing of region-locking and inclusion of a share button that allows for livestreaming are huge changes that prove times are changing. If we don’t see that kind of progress in the final product, well, we’d rather have the dev kit.