The Nintendo NX rumors and leaks continue with today bringing us one of the most solid sources yet. Over on Reddit, user untypedhero has laid out a list of technical elements for the upcoming console. These are, of course, just to be taken as rumors, however his status has been verified by the subreddit mods s having “connections to Wii U developer(s) and/or development hardware and very likely has knowledge about the NX via those same connections.”
He says that the Nintendo NX will have “x86 architecture. Backup data to Nintendo server (most likely My Nintendo). Support for additional screen. Can handle ports of current-gen games. Will be able to interact with smartdevice apps. Using NX software will unlock My Nintendo reward points.”
Truthfully, not a lot of this is new material, and has been speculated on for some time. However, it’s nice to have some confirmation on many of them, even if it is still to be taken lightly. The biggest revelation, if this turns out to be true, would be the x86 hardware. This is a big shift for Nintendo, who has always maintained a non-x86 hardware architecture in their consoles.
This switch would have a couple of effects. It would put the Nintendo NX right in line with the PS4, Xbox One, and PC, making ports from those platforms a whole lot easier. It would also make backwards compatibility a lot harder for Nintendo. Backwards Compatibility has been a focus for Nintendo, going back to the Game Boy line, and the Wii. Some sort of emulation would be required if they hoped to continue the tradition on the Nintendo NX though.
Would losing easy to use backwards compatibility be a detriment to the Nintendo NX, or would better and more robust ports of other platform’s games be worth it? Let us know in the comments what you think.
Published: Apr 5, 2016 08:17 am