Nintendo NX Will "Avoid" Issues That Plagued 3DS and Wii U
Launching a video game console or handheld is not as easy as just putting it out there to sell. You need to test the console and its features, you need to ensure the games work for it, you need to make sure you advertise, and that gamers have a reason to buy your product. For Nintendo, they have had some ups and downs when it comes to launching consoles. Sometimes they knock it out of the ballpark, other times they start off weak and then come back strong. Then, like with the Wii U, they struggle. At an investors meeting, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata noted how the NX will avoid the issues that made the 3DS and Wii U slow sellers out of the gate. He stated:
“I will not share details on NX today but with regard to the launch of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U not necessarily having progressed well and not acquiring sufficient support from software publishers, we intend to offer NX through a Nintendo-like solution. Thank you for understanding that we are making various considerations and preparations in order to avoid what happened with the previous generations.”
He also noted that though the NX is a priority in some ways at Nintendo, the Wii U and 3DS are still the top priorities for the company:
“Regarding your concern about what will happen to Wii U or what will happen to Nintendo 3DS, NX is a new platform, so the installed base will have to be built up from zero. When NX is launched, there already will be a certain volume of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U hardware widely existing in the market, so from a software business perspective, it would be highly inefficient to stop releasing titles for Nintendo 3DS or Wii U right after the launch of NX. Therefore, while we are preparing NX for the future, we are discussing within our internal development teams as well as with the second-party developers we co-develop software with and also with third-party software publishers about how to continue creating software for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. So, I believe that your point of concern should not happen immediately. As for Wii U, we will continue to make efforts, as it is a priority within the company to think about how we can satisfy the consumers who purchased this system to the maximum extent possible.”
Nintendo has not yet officially unveiled the details or release date for Nintendo NX console, which will be coming later on.