Nintendo’s next generation console, codenamed NX, will be a portable device that can also be hooked up to a TV via a docking station for big-screen gaming, according to a report from Eurogamer.
NX will also have two detachable controller ports on either side of the console. When gamers are on the move, the controllers are plugged into the screen, but when its time to play at home, controllers can be removed for multi-player gaming while the system is on the TV dock. It will be powered by Nvidia’s Tegra mobile processor.
All this adds up to a system that may not be as powerful as top home-based consoles like the Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4, but it will have capabilities that will likely far surpass other handheld devices. The console will use game cartridges for physical media in addition to likely digital downloading capabilities.
According to Nintendo’s annual report released last week, the company plans to release the NX next March. Eurogamer reports Nintendo will unveil the console in September, and Nintendo is ramping up planning to get ready for that event.
A source told Eurogamer that NX will run on its own operating system. Some speculated the console could run on Android OS.
Nintendo is also working on a device designed to improve users’ quality of life “in a fun manner by making sleep and fatigue status visible and offering various services based on this information,” according to the annual report.
Nintendo, which is based in Japan with its U.S. headquarters in Redmond, Washington, has been in the headlines a lot lately due to the smash hit augmented reality game Pokémon Go. The Japanese company’s stock soared following the game’s release and then dropped precipitously after Nintendo said Pokémon Go wouldn’t have a big effect on its bottom line.
