What does Nintendo’s move to mobile mean for its current systems?
What’s the NX?
We attempt to answer some of the deal’s burning questions…
This, clearly, is an awful lot of news to take in.
So what does it all mean, and what can we expect from Nintendo as a result?
Founded in 1999, DeNA is one of the biggest mobile companies in Japan.
So far, that is.
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Whats this replacement for Club Nintendo all about?
As of the 20th April, Club Nintendo will be a thing of the past.
We now know itll be replaced by an entirely new, currently unnamed service developed in conjunction with DeNA.
Wed be extremely surprised if the Nintendo-DeNA alliance didnt offer a similar range of services.
What games are we likely to see?
Mario Kart on the iPhone?
The deal means that all Nintendo IP will be eligible for development and exploration by the alliance.
In other words, were likely to see touchscreen-friendly titles featuring characters like Mario and Link.
The games wont be free-to-play, will they?
At the moment, it seems likely that Nintendo will experiment with both free-to-play titles.
What about the NX?
Whats that, exactly?
At the moment, its too early to say.
Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata describes it as a dedicated game platform featuring new hardware and a brand new concept.
Nintendo will surely be at pains to avoid making the same mistake a third time.
This membership will form one of the core elements of the new Nintendo platform that I just mentioned.
A clue to the nature of Nintendos new console could lie in its codename.
Could it be short for Nintendo Cross-Platform?
Well just have to wait and see.
Isnt it a bit soon to announce a new console?
Announcing the NX now also heads off any conjecture that Nintendos about to give up on making hardware altogether.
What does this mean for the Wii U and 3DS?
For now, not a lot.
When will all of this happen?
That time scale certainly fits with Nintendos previous form.
Nintendo and DeNAs membership service, meanwhile, is coming much sooner.
