When it comes to the world of gaming, it’s no secret that Nintendo has fallen from grace somewhat. In the face of the Xbox One and the PS4, the Wii U has failed to capture mainstream appeal and while products like Amiibo have put Nintendo back in the spotlight, it’s clear that Nintendo is struggling. The 3DS line of products is dominating the handheld console market, but as that market shrinks in the face of the smartphone and tablet, Nintendo is having to change, and fast. One of the ways that Nintendo hopes to make its way back to the top is to create a next-generation console to recapture the hardcore gamer and bring them back to the Nintendo way of thinking. Could this new console, currently dubbed Nintendo NX, run Android?
According to a recent Nikkei article out of Japan, the Nintendo NX is running Android in some way. Of course, this is unlikely to be Google Android, but more a version of Android with Nintendo services and games on top of it. This could be beneficial for Nintendo, as it would allow them to court developers that have experience with Android to easily port smaller, more appealing titles to the platform, while also helping the NX to better connect with devices found in the home. However, running Android would presumably wipe out backwards-compatibility, something that the PS4 and Xbox One lack, much to the ire of hardcore gamers. Tradition and history are why Nintendo fans stick with the company, and backwards compatibility is a key feature of the Wii U for many players. Others have tried to produce an Android games console, like the famous OUYA and the more recent NVIDIA SHIELD.
Shortly, E3 is going to open doors to thousands of gamers and members of the gaming press to see the latest games, possibly new hardware like accessories and peripherals and more. However, Nintendo have already said that the Nintendo NX won’t be in attendance, so there’s a good chance that Nintendo is still exploring options of just which operating system to use on the NX. Either way, the future does seem bright for Nintendo, as the Amiibo product line has helped bring them back to profit and new 3DS hardware is keeping their strong hold on the handheld market alive. One thing’s for sure though, for Nintendo to climb back to the very top of gaming, they need a new flagship console, and one that connects with other devices in a gamer’s arsenal, rather than being more trouble than it’s worth like the Wii U can often be.