Nintendo has filed a patent for a new handheld device that doubles as a controller. A rough draft design of it can be seen below.


What their new device might look like

The surprising thing here is the shoulder buttons, or should I say, shoulder wheels?

Yes, the new device has two scrolling wheels not unlike the wheel on your average computer mouse. These wheels sit atop the shoulders of the device just like L and R buttons, though whether they are also clickable like a mouse wheel isn't stated.

The real question is, menu scrolling aside, how useful will they be?

However the device in the illustration also looks like a Wii U gamepad but with only two face buttons and a few other minor changes. The limiting of buttons in a day when games are calling for more and more input options seems like an odd move as well, and would make one assume that motion controls would be more prominent once again.

Another point of interest is the fact that it's referred to as a handheld device and a controller. Now this could imply the handheld/console hybrid people have been speculating about, or it could also be a reference to remote play functionality much like PlayStation's Vita. The latter would indeed be in keeping with the Wii U's idea of playing even without a TV, and if executed as Sony did with the Vita's remote play, would be a potentially good idea.

And while one could see Nintendo producing a handheld/console hybrid, it seems such a move would be a bad idea, as it once again would limit the system's power and chase away any thoughts of third party development in a day when developers are shying away from single system exclusivity, meaning all we would get would be first party Nintendo titles and indies for the most part. This is precisely what caused the Wii U to struggle, and according to the late Satoru Iwata, Nintendo had learned from their experience with the Wii U. A Wii U + 3DS combo would disprove that comment, so it seems somewhat less likely, but it's still up in the air.


So all we can do for now is speculate:
Is this a gamepad for the NX?
Is this a Handheld system/console hybrid?
Is this a new Nintendo handheld with remote play functionality?

I for one am expecting it to be a new gamepad like the Wii U uses, but I wouldn't be surprised for it to be a hybrid. Personally I'm strongly hoping for it to be a handheld with remote play functionality, but I doubt modern day Nintendo would try something that's been done before.



EDIT: I have just found some new and interesting updates on this device.

•The wheels are indeed clickable. Here's a quote: "In another configuration example, the rotation operation section may be configured to have a pressing mechanism capable of pressing the rotation operation section in a direction toward an interior of the housing."
So in plain English, the rotation wheels can be pressed in to function as a button.

•The wheels will be able to auto rotate to alert the player of something important in-game. For example, much like a rumble feature, the wheels could auto rotate a small degree left then right then left etc. to give an alert of damage, a warning, a nearby secret, etc.

•The device stores games in itself, like a handheld system or tablet.

•The device appears to be able to communicate with another device remotely. For example, like a wireless controller or a remote play device.

•Finally, Nintendo also recently patented a design for a console with no disk drive. This would either be a micro console (which aren't terribly popular) and might imply that ALL NX games would be digital, or it could mean that the handheld device in this article would store the games in it, and relay them to the console. In other words, quite probably a handheld/console hybrid. Otherwise putting games in a controller would make no sense.

Also note that only the wheels, screen, and directional sticks/pads and cross button (d pad) are mentioned explicitly in the patent for what I've found. The rest of the design shown (namely the two face buttons) may not mean anything. Also the design shown isn't limiting, it's merely an example. The actual device may look and act quite differently.

That's it for now. If you wish to be summoned if more info pops up, please let me know.

This has to be some sort of controller for a console, not a handheld. I mean with only 2 face buttons and 2 shoulder buttons, it has less buttons than a 3DS, unless they want to go the route of the old DS where they had all those gimmicky stylus controls or maybe a tablet/hybrid like the WiiU controller.

Nintendo has never been about 3rd party support and honestly that's not what Nintendo fans want. The reason why the Wii U wasn't that successful early on, is because there were no games that people really wanted to play, and Parents were confused on how this system differed from the Wii their kids already had. The console doesn't sell units, the GAMES do.

Look at the 3DS for example and many Nintendo systems as of late. Consoles are released with minimal interesting software titles, and people hold off buying it until the latest Pokemon/Mario/Zelda game comes out. Also, people know that Nintendo is going to come out with a several different rebuilds of the system, so all but the biggest Nintendo fans with the deepest pockets will wait until a different model comes out. That's what I did for the 3DS. I waited till the XL came out, then upgraded again when the New XL came out.

I've been waiting for Nintendo to release a Zelda game for wii u to buy that system. I just wish Nintendo would realize that and go back to what they used to do. Don't release a console unless they have a big hitting franchise title to match up with the release (or at least within the first month or two)

I really do feel though that the 3DS is probably Nintendos last real handheld system. With the way computing and mobile is these days, I'm sure they will realize that the market forces them to go that route. Because not only is it cheaper for them not to have to develop the hardware, people will buy their franchises no matter what mobile piece of hardware it sells on and most companies will tell you that Consoles these days (especially in the first few years) lose companies money. It's the software licenses and DLC that bring in the bucks.

Eirinn : Whatever it is I doubt it's a handheld. I mean one of the most marketed features about the new 3ds was how it had more buttons, seems unlikely they'd want to make a complete 360 move from that and dumb it down. And like has been previously said unless it is some sort of hybrid I doubt Nintendo would make another handheld console, they've probably realized by now that developing games for mobile would be much more profitable as it'd cost less for them and more people would buy their games.

Jordanv78 : Having next to no third party support is the reason I didn't buy the Wii U instead of the PS4 and I'd suspect it's the same for others.. While nintendo first party games are nice and would be the primary reason I'd buy the console, they aren't enough on their own to last me until the next console generation especially with so many great third party games being made. The PS4 and even the XB1 beats it by far in the sheer variety of games available. I'm pretty sure the Wii U not having 3rd party support (besides of course how terribly they marketed it as first with most people thinking it was a Wii add on) is the main reason it didn't sell.

Zlinqx : I disagree to a certain extent. Although I do admit that it probably doesn't help it's sales, my original point was this: Fans of XB or PS aren't really going to buy a Nintendo console whether it has 3rd party support or not. You really think that the average FPS fanboy of either system is going to buy a Wii U if some sort of COD game became available on the system?? So speaking realistically, if all of a sudden Wii U had 3rd party support, you would have chosen the wii u over the ps4 (Keeping the Console specs the way they are??)... I thought not.

The people they market to are families and Nintendo fans. Not having this 3rd party support and keeping their units mean and lean is how they are able to sell the console for a lot cheaper than a PS or XB. Then their software titles are what keeps their old fans coming back.

Nintendo has shown that their brand of gaming can be very successful with minimal 3rd party support. That's why even as recently as the Wii generation, they have had some of the best selling consoles of all time. The issue here being, what software titles are available when the system launches?

What is this is the NX?  Nintendo made a deal with some phone company recently, and this might be the product they produced together: A phone that can double as a game console and a controller for say, the Wii U.  

Maybe its something that's like a handheld only version of the Wii u?

What if Nintendo is making a mobile device branch, and this new thing is Nintendo's version of a Tablet? A Tablet solely made for gamers and Nintendo-made apps.

Jordanv78 : Of course there's fans of  First person shooters like Halo, CoD etc that don't really care for nintendo games and is probably going to ignore it either way but that group isn't as big as you're making it out to be. Basically having no 3rd party support at all damaged sale significantly for the "non fanboy" buyers which I'd expect is most really. I know if it did have more 3rd party including some of the games that I was looking forward to at the time I would've gotten the wii u instead.

While it's specs are inferior, I don't think that's really something that matters as we've seen consoles like the original wii sell like hotcakes despite being inferior graphically and history has shown all the way back in the 16 bit days that it's all about the library and being able to take advantage of the console a game is on. Besides I think most people that really care about graphics and the FPS to the point where it's a deal breaker (which make up a small crowd anyways) would just buy a low end gaming pc instead.

Not having 3rd party support is what's making it hard for nintendo to compete with Sony and Microsoft. While there's definietly the hardcore nintendo exclusive fans who will buy their consoles no matter what those make up a small portion of gamers and the XB1 and the PS4 are increasingly becoming both systems for hardcore gamers as well as families being able to appeal to both groups at the same time.

While I definietly wont argue that Nintendo does have the strongest line up of 1st party games with the most recognizable characters, and is probably the only of the 3 that can actually pull of making a console with just 1st party games and still sell a decent amount of units just having those it still isn't enough to sustain them in the long run. A small but solid lineup of 1st party titles wont be enough for those who rely on one home console (in other words most buyers including myself) for all of their gaming needs when they can get a bit more expensive console with much much more to choose from in terms of games.

Zlinqx : First I whole heartedly disagree and I think you skipped over a lot of my previous posts. Most users of Xbox (especially) would never be interested in Wii U. Ask your friends that own PS4's and Xb1's, If they had a choice (Figuring they all had third party support) if they would purchase a Wii U a PS4 or a XB1. Fan boys of each system would fight whole hardheartedly that their system was the only one to own. blah blah blah. Kids already have their minds made up before the system even comes out.

Although I admit that it does hurt it some. Wii was able to be successful on it's own without much 3rd party support. It's among the best selling consoles of all time. The way they were able to be successful is by having tons of unique titles that appeal to all sorts of different types of gamers, and were able to keep it affordable. These are the main selling points of the system. 100 or so dollars cheaper and titles that appeal to all types of gamers. Especially families with younger kids.

The specs make a huge difference of why 3rd party developers do not develop for the system. Plain and simple. Having worked many years in a Software development atmosphere (although admittedly for PC applications) this is the main reason why people don't develop for it, that and the fact that 3rd party titles DO NOT traditionally sell well on Nintendo consoles.... Not because Nintendo doesn't want them to.

Nintendo is able to sell to their core fans just fine. They just need to figure out that these titles (Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Pokemon) need to be available near launch. Not years and years after the system has been released. Know how many consoles Zelda games sell? A TON. Wii U has been out for a few years now...and still no main franchise Zelda title. Took them till just recently to come out with a blockbuster Mario game and the 3DS suffered the same fate. Heck, look at the DS. Took a few years for that platform to catch on too. Wonder why???....because none of the main software titles were released when the system was released.

Nintendo's marketing strategy is clear. Keep their consoles more affordable for the average family, but the only way this works is if their core titles are actually available for the system.

I've been a gamer for 30 years now and I've seen the cycles. I understand them. I still feel that Nintendo is it's own enemy in this regard not understanding that their fans want these titles before they will shell out the big bucks for it. Not that they want to play COD or Madden on the system.

I also feel that part of what hurts them these days, is that they constantly update their hardware. To the point where any long time Nintendo fan understand that most times there are going to be several different releases of the hardware, so they wait because of that as well.

UPDATE: I am about to edit in some new found information on the device. See the end of the opening post for the edits. There are some interesting features entailed.



Jordanv78 : I'm inclined to agree with Zlinqx (as stated in the actual article). I know I was a diehard Nintendo gamer until the N64/PSX days when I switched to PlayStation because that's when Nintendo stopped getting much third party support. The NES and SNES (to my knowledge) had the most third party titles of any system from their generation, but when Nintendo was unable to produce a disc based system (after the deals with Sony and Phillips fell through), their cartridges limited their file size considerably (which as you stated, does chase away third party developers), which lead to third parties mostly favoring the PSX. That's why I switched: more game choices. As you said, the console doesn't sell itself, the games do. And Nintendo's lack of third party titles turned a lot of Nintendo (and after Sega died in consoles) Sega fans to PlayStation as it was the only other big name system manufacturer.

I don't think Nintendo can afford to keep trying to support their consoles with ONLY first party games. The Wii was successful because a game system focused on motion control was a new concept (though motion was used in a handful of PS2 games, it was never a major part of gaming prior to the Wii). However, few games sold in comparison to consoles sold.

The Wii U has helped keep Nintendo afloat, but they've had to make cutbacks (Iwata actually cut his own salary to my understanding) and the Wii U was the first generation ever that Nintendo as a video game company actually reported a financial loss in a fiscal report, and it was their worst selling system (excluding Virtual boy). That said, you are 100% correct that there are many people out there who will buy just because they are Nintendo fans, but this last generation saw them losing 90% of their previous generation customers. And with PlayStation intentionally targeting Nintendo's customers with many of their laid back casual games and family friendly entries, Nintendo is losing that foothold.

In short, I admit I could be wrong about everything, but I personally feel that Nintendo needs to win third party support back AND focus on their major franchises if they want to regain their lost ground and avoid an eventual collapse. That devoted Nintendo fan base is shrinking, statistically speaking. As for fanboys, I know I would switch from PlayStation to Nintendo again easily if they could top what PlayStation has to offer me personally. In fact, I would love to have a Nintendo console if they would just make games that appeal to me (like that new Zelda they teased, though I expect it to be an "NX" launch title instead).

Again, just my two cents, and I may be dead wrong. Both arguments have merit I think.



Zlinqx : I have to disagree about the handheld market. The 3DS is selling MILLIONS. Tons better than the Wii U, and is only topped in sales by the PS4 (yes, it's outselling XBox One even). And even the Vita is selling well in certain markets, especially Japan where mobile gaming is the big thing and consoles are sluggish in sales. And with Nintendo being a Japanese company, I suspect they'll be sure to support handhelds until the bitter end, if said end ever comes. But yeah, cutting out handhelds would remove the vast majority of their profits, and what's keeping them financially stable...ish.

However I could see the thinking behind a handheld/console hybrid, as -excluding the Wii- Nintendo's consoles have been dying slowly for years. There was a trend from NES through GameCube that each Nintendo console lost roughly 10,000-20,000 sales per generation. The Wii spiked their sales upward, and the Wii U resumed the trend with a devastating drop.

Basically what I'm saying is that Nintendo knows most of their teen and adult gamers in the West prefer consoles, but they also know that most of their gamers in the East prefer handheld gaming, and so they could easily conclude that merging the two markets (handheld and console) could make them the giant of the industry again...and it likely would. While Wii U is crushed miserably by PS4 and XBox One (and even PS3 and XBox 360), as I said the 3DS is selling like mad, and is topped ONLY by PS4. Now if we combined 3DS and Wii U sales, Nintendo would probably be leading.

So perhaps in their minds, this will make them the ones with 20,000,000+ customers in under a year. And let's face it, third party devs go where the money is, and even if the system were less powerful than PS4 and XBox One (which I believe is Wii U's downfall because less power = less third party support = fewer customers), if it had ten million more players than PS4 and XBox One, devs would gladly dumb down their game's system requirements to publish for their system. It would be bad business not to.

Is a hybrid a good idea? I have no idea. Is it likely? Given what I just found out, yes. Very much so.


TheBWoods15 :
zanderlex :
supernerd117 :

In case you guys are interested in the update.

Eirinn : We will agree to disagree then. Nintendos marketing strategy could work, IE selling cheaper systems to families. Your average family can't afford a 500$ investment in new consoles all the time. What I'm getting at is a cheaper system with their main franchises being released at launch HAS proven to be successful many times over. Nintendo just needs to get back to that. In the HANDHELD market AND console markets. I mean look at the launch titles for the NDS, 3DS and Wii U and you will see EXACTLY what I mean.

Eirinn : That sketch of the controller of the new NX could just be just a drawing, and it will be a whole lot different when they start making the prototype of the NX at E3 in 2016. Look at how different the consoles and handhelds are between sketching stage to final product, you see a huge difference right there.

I have a feeling that Nintendo is going to be the gaming company of the future. When hover boards are invented, they'll have a WiiHover or something, and you will be able to play a racing game by riding a hover board and just making slight movements. Mark my words.

Eirinn : I would indeed like to be summoned to this thread in the future as new info pops up.  Thanks!

TheBWoods15 : I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo did that.  That would be cool.

Jordanv78 : Fair enough. I can appreciate the ability to disagree respectfully. And I do agree that they have been awful with launch lineups as of late. Really I feel that the Nintendo 64 was their last system with an all around solid launch title. Luigi's Mansion was a great game and really showcased what the GameCube could do (insanely sharp graphics compared to what we were used to from them, and zero loading time?), but when they have established fan favorite series, they need to include them at launch for sure. I'm hoping now that the new Zelda will indeed be a launch title for NX. Give us that AND a new Super Mario game, and you'll have the best launch lineup ever I think.


IgorBird122 : Indeed! And in fact, they don't even have to use any of these features. It wouldn't be the first time a company patented something then didn't use it. However, I do expect the wheels, screen, control sticks/pads and d pad to all remain intact in the final design, given how close it is to the NX unveiling. If this is indeed the NX, they're probably knee deep in the actual assembly of the prototypes right now. And if they do go for a handheld/console hybrid, it'll only make sense to put the games in the handheld/controller instead of the console like this says, meaning the console would actually be more of a stream box/micro console than anything. However, I do doubt the two face buttons thing. They weren't even mentioned in the patent for what I saw, so I could see them being mere filler material in the sketch.

In fact, as stream boxes go, I wouldn't be dreadfully surprised to see all game systems go into the stream box/stick design eventually. The PlayStation TV has already proven that we can power PS4 games with far less internal hardware, via streaming. I hate the idea of all digital gaming, but it would likely reduce system production AND sales costs insanely. Again, look at the PSTV: $50 brand new! Sure enough beats $400 brand new, right? xD Plus we might never need another generation again, or at least for a very long while, as the majority of hardware updates would be done on their servers, rather than the hardware they sold us. And with digital games being cheaper usually, it'd be an all around good deal financially for developers and customers. I'd miss my discs though.


TheBWoods15 : I don't think they'll conquer the market entirely, but I believe they have the potential to dominate like the PS4 currently is, and even more so possibly. They could bring themselves back into the throne if they get the right leadership and direction.

Might Nintendo be more of a sleeping giant on the verge of awakening, than an out of touch company stuck in the past? We'll see in about ten months at E3 2016. Can't wait to see what they have planned. I haven't been this excited for a Nintendo product since the N64.

How strange...I wonder if we'll be seeing more of this at E3 next year? I wonder what else Nintendo has up their sleeve. It just seems to be just a different Wii U Gamepad. But I am not sure how useful wheels will be. Although I've never seen wheels integrated onto a controller before. I just hope Nintendo doesn't pull a Sega Dreamcast and release their next console too soon. I mean, it's bad enough to barely deliver games. Although what games they did give us were amazing! Why are they giving up and going to another? Why not just continue making good games for Wii U?

Jordanv78 : I wish people at Nintendo would release games people actually wanted (i.e Splatoon, Smash Bros, Legend of Zelda, Mario 3D World) closer to the system's release. We had to wait years and years for any of them! And we're STILL waiting on Zelda Wii U. Which was announced about 4 years ago by now so who knows what's going on. And it, along with Star Fox, have been delayed even farther. So we're probably going to get them around next year. But knowing Nintendo they'll probably delay it farther.

Eirinn :
A user of this :

Like I was saying before, I'm not saying that 3rd party titles wouldn't help Nintendo console sales. But I will point out that any time they've been released for their systems in recent memory, they haven't done that well sales wise, which is why these 3rd party developers really don't develop for their consoles in the first place.

My main point being is this. Nintendo CAN be successful with the business model that they have formed over the last couple of generations, if they just give the fans what they want near the release date of the console. We shouldn't have to wait years after launch to get a Zelda game, Pokemon, Metroid, etc. That's just crazy. Its ridiculous that Zelda for Wii U still hasn't been released and one of the main reasons why I still don't own one.

Jordanv78 : I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree then.

I know a lot of people with a similar opinions. I think you're exaggurating just how large of a portion of gamers are fanboys who will just buy one particular console no matter what. Most people aren't and will look at what each console offers before making their mind up.

I know the Wii U is harder to develop most 3rd party games for but I'm not trying to suggest that the wii u  needs every single 3rd party game or be the frontrunner in terms of 3rd party support (I think that would be ridicolous), I know that's not the main reason people buy Nintendo consoles, I'm talking mainly the bigger releases like GTA 5. While the Nintendo Wii didn't have the best selection of 3rd party games even it had games like GTA 4 available and had a much larger library overall. This would allow for a much more wide selection in games to where you could actually rely on a wii u as your primary gaming system without being limited solely to first party titles. All of the Nintendo consoles EXCEPT the Wii U allowed for this. Besides developers typically want to develop for the console that is successful.

Nintendo is not going to be able to support it self solely with 1st party games, it's not sustainable, especially when the other companies are winning over more and more of the casual gamers which was part of the reason the Wii was such a success sales wise and why they've been able to sell consoles while not having as much 3rd party support.  While they've been able to stay afloat with the Wii U it's been after a lot of problems and overall the Wii U has been a failure for Nintendo economically. I think the fact that they've already revealed plans for the NX shows that.

I wont argue that the Wii U barely having anything of note to play when it was first released is part of problem, it definietly was but I don't think it's the sole reason.

Not sure what it was I skipped over in regards to your previous post.

Eirinn : This is purely what I think but as long as they keep the high quality in games, I think it would still earn them more money, as it would draw in a lot more of casual gamers who probably wouldn't go out of their way to pick up a 3ds not to mention since nearly everyone owns a smartphone they would likely still be able to keep most of their old fans.

I'm not saying the 3ds isn't doing well it definietly is but I think as mobile gaming evolves, handheld gaming is becoming a shrinking market especially in the western world and investing in mobile gaming could lead to them being more successful and would also be cheaper on their part. Not saying this is what I would like to see them do neccesairly but it does seem like the better move for them financially (and given the announcement of Pokemon GO they do seem to be realizing this themselves as well) Alternatively like you said developing some kind of hybrid while investing more into the mobile market could work.

Zlinqx : I think if you do your research and look around the internet you will see that the reason most 3rd party developers don't develop for Nintendo systems because they don't sell. What was the last 3rd party release that did well on a Nintendo system?

The original wii is among the top 3 best selling consoles of all time. How many 3rd party releases did well on that console? I think if you looked into it, you would know what I'm talking about.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_Wii_video_games

Also, most console fans ARE fanboys. That's just the way it is. I would say that 75% of each consoles fans purchase the console because that's what they like. No matter what the situation is. Sales numbers and comments online would suggest this is the case. Most younger gamers that call themselves "hardcore" would never even consider buying a Nintendo console most of which are misguided opinions based on what their friends say.

If Nintendo was in fact going to release games like GTA on their console, they would have to have beefed up hardware, which would ultimately cost more not only for them, but for the consumer, which would then take away one of their biggest selling points. If they were just like everyone else, they would already be out of business. Part of what has kept them in business all these years is the fact that they try to do things different than the rest.

A user of this : It does look like another gamepad. However, if the dimensions are indeed similar to the drawing, then it isn't long enough to be a tablet (it is wide enough though). It really looks like the dimensions of a handheld that is roughly the size and shape of the 3DS.

Again though, the sketch doesn't necessarily mean anything. And wouldn't it be funny if this were all a prank by Nintendo in response to all of the rumors of a handheld/console hybrid? I never agreed with those rumors as I never saw where any proof was until now. Before now it's all seemed like blatant twisting of words, but this makes me wonder. Especially since it's referred to as a controller at one point, and it stores games in itself, plus them having patented a console with no disc drive. It all seems to fit...but it's all speculation for now.

One comforting thing about it being a hybrid (if it is) is that a handheld and motion controls wouldn't work well together, at least not unless the motions were simple like a smart phone's tilting feature. That's the main thing I've disliked about their last two consoles, and I would love to see them move on from it personally.

And though I hated the hybrid idea initially, I kind of find it intriguing now. Who knows what'll happen?


Jordanv78 : I'm not saying third party support would make the "NX" fly off of the shelves by any means. I just feel that if Nintendo gained that support it would slowly increase their sales. I mean kid can play Mario during the day, and parent can play GTA or CoD after son is in bed. It makes it a perfectly rounded console and makes it more viable in a single system home. Basically I feel it would help sales, not make the system the next big thing. On that part we seem to agree. But you're right, devs are going to make games for any system with a large enough fan base, so making a powerful system won't draw everyone to it all at once (or ever), but it would get more consumer's attention I think.

Regardless, they are losing ten to twenty million customers with every single generation, barring the Wii. They need to find a way to stop the bleeding, and this system just might do that. It has the potential for sure.

Regardless of what the solution is, we both agree that something has to be done differently, whether it's a new concept, more power, or a better first party lineup.



Zlinqx : Ahh I see. Well I'm trying to be optimistic and say mobile gaming stands no chance of taking over handheld gaming, at least not until after major revisions. Or maybe I'm in denial. xD I feel that the handheld market is too gamer centered for mobile's current offering to pull it's fans away entirely. Now once mobile embraces serious gaming and abandons micro transactions and casual "fling the bird" type games as their main market, we could see that happen. Still, it would limit the market and drive most serious gamers away. But yes, you could very well be correct.