After nearly 4 years with the Wii U, many had been hoping for a new console from Nintendo. Unlike the Wii, the Wii U has not aged well, leading to hopes of a replacement. These hopes were pinned on the Nintendo NX which was rumoured to be the new console. After confirming the Nintendo NX will arrive in March 2017, it looks like we won’t have a true Wii U replacement on our hands.
According to Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima, the NX will supplement the Wii U and 3DS and coexist with those devices. This is partially due to the “brand new concept” Nintendo is trying out with the NX. If the rumours of a portable console holds true, the NX may be something that slots between the current two offers or something that is entirely different. The Wii U is already aged compared to the PS4 and Xbox One and a delayed replacement won;t be helping things.
One possibility is that Nintendo is trying to play down the NX since it won’t arrive for another year. If the NX is billed as being a replacement for the Wii U, sales for the console might tank early as fans start holding off on their purchases. The Wii U is already doing poorly enough compared to the competition. On the other hand, everyone who ahs wanted a Wii U has had 4 years to get one.
Without an E3 showcase this year, we may have to keep guessing at what the NX will be like until later this year and maybe even till CES 2017. For now, Nintendo has noted that they want to focus on their games portfolio and smartphone releases.
The reports that Zelda’s Wii U version will also get a NX release at the same time do suggests something thats not a direct replacement (3rd party games span generations, 1st party games not so much.)