Japanese finance site Money-Link (translation by NeoGaf user Jim_Cacher), might have inadvertently let loose some information about the Nintendo NX, which has recently been announced for release in March 2017.
The site reported that Macronix, a manufacturer who worked with Nintendo on the creation of DS games, will be expecting a boost in revenue around the time that the NX is due to launch. Chairman of Macronix, Wu Miin said that the ‘worst situation has passed’, and that the orders of an important customer, Nintendo, will have a ‘critical impact’.
Macronix’s 3DS cartridges can store up to 8GB of data, and the new carts currently in manufacture are rumored to hold up to 32GB. This is all speculation however, as these surges in sales could allude to a BIOS or system memory chip in development for the Wii U, as opposed to actual game cartridges.
Nintendo’s history has been in favor of cartridges over the years, continuing to use them in their consoles until 2001’s Gamecube, which provided their first use of optical media and was released 8 years after the PlayStation. Their current console, the Wii U also does not offer any Blu Ray/DVD compatibility, though it does use a proprietary disc format. Cartridges are still an important part of Nintendo culture, with their successful handheld the 3DS using carts as well as downloads from the eShop.
Rumors of the NX continue to swirl around the gaming community, including the possibility of it being a handheld/home console hybrid. However, no more information on the NX is due to release until after E3, in which focus is set to be on the newest installment in the Legend of Zelda series.
Would you like to see the return of cartridges in modern day gaming? Let us know in the comments!
