Nintendo NX: What Is It and Why Should I Care?

I thought I'd take a little break from making lists and write an actual article for once. As you've probably heard, Nintendo has announced the development of what is most likely their next home console, currently code named the "Nintendo NX". If you haven't heard anything about it yet, then here are a few articles to catch you up to speed:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/25/nintendos-nx-will-surprise-players-and-change-video-gaming-life-iwaya-says

http://kotaku.com/what-to-expect-nintendos-new-hardware-a-surprise-prob-1693052456

http://metro.co.uk/2015/03/25/nintendo-nx-expanding-on-existing-hardware-is-dull-5119620/

So, what exactly is the Nintendo NX?

No one knows, honestly. Well, Nintendo knows, but no regular civilian knows unless they have some super secret connection to Nintendo. So really, to 99.9% of the population, Nintendo NX is a mystery. It could be the next Nintendo home game console, the next Nintendo portable gaming system, a bybrid of the two, or even something completely different. My guess is as good as anyone else's. All we know at this point is that the NX will offer "new experiences", as quoted by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. 

What could the Nintendo NX be?

Like I said, it could be almost anything at this point, but I've ventured into a few guesses, ones that I think are pretty likely.

Possibility 1:

Nintendo NX is simply Wii U's successor. 

Easily the most obvious choice and perhaps the least exciting, but makes the most sense. NX will likely only be used as a tentative name (much like Project Reality for N64, Dolphin for GCN, Revolution for Wii, and Project Cafe for Wii U) but there's also the chance that the Nintendo NX will be official title too. Remember how so many thought the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii U were only going to be code names? So if Nintendo NX is, in fact, the next home console that succeeds Wii U, what new experiences will it offer? We already have motion controls and touch screens, so what's next? Virtual reality? Mind control technology? I really have no idea. Let's just hope the new idea isn't so out there that it alienates the masses.

Iwata did mention how they're working on a new rewards program and how data would be shared between platforms, so perhaps their new idea is just to have cross platform saves in the way that the PS3, PS4, and PS Vita have. It's unlikely that that would be the big feature to sell the system since that technology is already out there and is being done right now by the aforementioned Sony platformers, however this is something that would be new to Nintendo, so there's that also.

One more possibility of a new feature is the introduction of streaming games, which is also technology that has already been introduced with PlayStation Now, but it would be new for Nintendo consoles. Whatever the new idea is to sell the NX has to be enough to distinguish itself between PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Wii U, or whatever other consoles exist by then. One thing's for sure, Nintendo is sticking to their guns by continuing to separate themselves from the PS4/XboxOne crowd, which I applaud them for, but I just wish they'd go back to making a more traditional console like the Gamecube and prior consoles. One thing that we do know, however, is that the NX will continue the trend of being a dedicated gaming platform, rather than an all-in-one device like an iPad or SmartPhone.

Possibility 2:

Nintendo NX is the 3DS's successor.

This is the other obvious choice. It's no secret that the 3DS is now 4 years old, which is a little more than middle aged for a gaming console or handheld, so history has shown us that 5 or 6 years is the average lifespan of a console or handheld, so it's to be expected that a new one will be announced at some point in the last year or two of any given console or handheld's life. I personally feel the NX being the next gaming handheld makes more sense since the 3DS is older than the Wii U by nearly two years and will most likely be replaced sooner than the Wii U.

I think the same ideas about what the NX might offer would remain the same here as if it were a console. We currently have no concrete idea what the NX's features will be, so whether it's a home console or a handheld (or something entirely different) we do know that it will give us something that will separate it from the crowd.

Possibility 3:

Nintendo NX will be a console/handheld hybrid.

Though a bit less likely than the other two choices, this might be the smartest move so far. And for those who have followed Nintendo closely throughout the last few years might even remember something called the "Nintendo Fusion" pop up at some point. For the unaware, here are a few articles that make for an interesting read:

http://nintendonews.com/2014/01/nintendo-fusion-could-be-nintendos-next-gen-hardware-name/

http://www.techradar.com/us/news/gaming/consoles/nintendo-fusion-domain-rocks-the-internet-with-new-console-rumors-1217821

If you'd rather not read the articles and simply have no idea about the Fusion, basically it comes down to this: There was a rumor about 1 and a half to 2 years ago that Nintendo was working on their next console which people have code named the "Fusion" (I have no idea if that was Nintendo's code name or the name fans gave it.). The rumored "Fusion" was a console/handheld hybrid. Basically a portable Wii U gamepad (or a 3DS that hooks up to a TV, if you prefer). I think this would be both an interesting and smart move if this turns out to be what the NX really is. Also, we would know exactly what the new feature would be - a console that can be played on the go as well as on an HDTV. In sense, we're kind of halfway there already with the Wii U, a console with games that can be played on the separate screen of the gamepad, which is a neat feature, and even useful at times, but unfortunately the gamepad doesn't turn into a true portable since you can't take it with you. In fact it doesn't even work if you go into another room separate from the Wii U itself. But it does give you the option of playing a console game on a smaller, but separate screen while your wife/husband/kids watch TV or play s different game console. If the NX follows this trend, we could be seeing an evolution of the Wii U, where the gamepad is actually portable and can be taken with you on the go.

Possibility 4:

Nintendo NX is something completely different.

There's always the possibility that the NX will introduce something so completely different and new that it can't be compared to any existing console, handheld, or even any idea that we have in our minds, though it is highly unlikely. If the NX is unlike anything we've seen before, what could it possibly be? I can't even conjure up any ideas for this possibility, but let's take a look at one very ill-fated "completely new idea", the Virtual Boy. When the Virtual Boy was introduced in 1995, it was unlike anything we've seen before. It wasn't quite a handheld and not quite a console, though it was still a dedicated gaming platform and did offer something that was new to the gaming scene - 3D images. Now, Nintendo has already re-introduced 3D with the 3DS, so clearly that technology isn't going to be the big feature, but it could be something similar to that. Something that isn't defined simply by the "next handheld", the "next console", or even as a "hybrid of handheld and console". The NX could be something totally new, that we've either never seen before or at least something we haven't seen to any significant extent.

As I've said, this is the least likely scenario, but possibly the most exciting, if they do go this direction. A brand new concept for a gaming platform could go either way: it could completely flop like the poor Virtual Boy, or it could become the best thing since sliced bread like the Nintendo DS, which was also considered a brand new concept at the time of its unveiling. It's all really up in the air right now and we can't do anything about it until Nintendo announces more concrete information.

Why should I care about the Nintendo NX?

Truth be told, I'm not all that excited about the announcement of the NX but I am curious. I think the days where I would obsessively gather information about the next Nintendo gaming system are over, since I am getting older, have less time for new games, and barely play the new games that I have now. So, chances are pretty high that I won't even be getting the Nintendo NX at all. But that doesn't mean I won't pay attention to it (or any other future Nintendo product for that matter). I'm still a huge Nintendo fan, even if I don't play a lot of their new games, and I'll likely continue to be a Nintendo fan until the day I die. My heart will always belong to the Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and GameCube, so no matter what new console or handheld Nintendo puts out, it won't match up to those three in my eyes. But like I said, while I really don't know if I'll invest in the NX when it comes out, regardless of what the final product is, I do plan on keeping myself up to date on the progress. I am certainly curious, if nothing else, about what the NX might be. I think it's the mystery of it that draw me in more than anything. I know that the mystery of the GameCube, Wii, and Wii U prior to their official unveilings kept me interested at the very least. The same could be said about the NX, though I did get each of Nintendo's last 3 consoles within a month of its launch date, something that's close to a 0% chance of happening with the NX. So my current attitude remains curiously optimistic but not obsessed or overly excited.