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Is Nintendo Secretly Planning A New Console?

Is Nintendo Secretly Planning A New Console?

OK Nintendo. If this is real…you just pulled one hell of a rabbit out of your hat.

We’ve been bringing you the latest on the apparent nose dive that Nintendo seemingly finds themselves in these days. It started with the apology that President Satoru Iwata had to provide to investors recently, with the company slashing sales predictions for the early part of the year due to their failing Wii U console (thus causing a significant drop in stocks as a result). Fueled by cryptic comments by Iwata himself regarding “new business structures,” many have been led to believe as of late (myself included) that Nintendo could be re-evaluating their position in the home console market. Was this a sign they would just embrace the strangle-hold they currently hold over the mobile gaming market and just plow a row in the new direction from now on? Frankly, it seemed inevitable. That is, until this latest rumor leaked. A rumor that is almost too unimaginable to believe, yet it’s out there.

The rumor is that Nintendo may already have their next console underway.

I’ll give you a moment to soak in that little tidbit. I mean, the idea that Nintendo (with the proverbial albatross around its neck that is the Wii U) could be spreading its already thin resource even thinner on yet ANOTHER new game system simply boggles the mind. Yet, according to a recent story on Gamin Realm, this may be a very real possibility. The author is quick to point out that this info comes from a “friend of a friend” type situation, and by no way should be considered anything more than a rumor at this point.  The “source” actually refers to two systems currently in the works; both a new home console and handheld system. “The codename is now “FUSION” and many in R&D want to keep that name for the main console release. The Handheld unit is called the “FUSION DS” while the home unit is called “FUSION TERMINAL.” the source says. He also goes on to state that Nintendo is already trying to get their arms around the software side of things, as this was a problem for them early on in the lifecycle of the Wii U.

Strangely enough, the rumored specs for the systems are what I find most interesting. While we won’t touch on the handheld device in this particular article (if real, that will be a story for another day), but rather what Nintendo has planned for the main system. Without getting into specifics (you can get the full details here , if you like) I can tell you that in areas like processor power, RAM and video, the console is pretty much in the ball park of the current-gen of the Xbox One and PS4. The rumored console is far from a marvel of next-gen tech, especially with no mass storage onboard and the usual low-level flash memory that is typical for Nintendo. It really seems like another attempt at just “pumping up its sneakers” so it can stand tall with the other mainstay systems (without really competing on their level).

So what does this truly mean for the future of Nintendo?

My biggest gripe with the Wii U has always been that is wasn’t the two steps forward that a next-gen system should be over its predecessor. At best, it was a half-step sideways. If you buy into that analogy, then you must also be asking yourself the question, “Does Nintendo really expect me to buy ANOTHER console?” I mean, how many times does this company think they can crank out a subpar system (scraping the bottom of current industry standards) and think that people will just keep running to the store to pick it up? Do they not think we’ll eventually get fatigued by Nintendo’s’ next flavor of the week? We just heard the unconvincing pitches as to why we need to forget all about the Wii and change over to the Wii U. Are we about to hear the same sales pitch again soon?

Is Nintendo Secretly Planning A New Console?

Granted, there is another explanation.

It is entirely possible we’re saying the left over plans of a company currently in flux. It is very likely that Nintendo’s R&D would have been well underway in planning to bring their next console to market by this point. However, as the current climate changed, they have now been forced to reevaluate their position moving forward. As a result, this console may never see the light of day and will be subsequently scrapped.

On the other hand, if they ARE moving forward with this, I simply have to ask: did you slip on a Donkey Kong banana peel? What are you f*cking thinking? Are you reading from the Sega 32x play book?

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