News: Rumour: Nintendo to use Android for Nintendo NX Operating System Page 1

RudyC3 01.06.2015#1

They would be doing exactly what I felt they would be doing. A system that plays their proprietary games exclusively playable on the system + all the games they would be doing for smartphones + all the games already available on Android.

They said it themselves that they'd be doing something that hasn't been done before. Well Android consoles, handheld or hooked to the TV, already existed, but to my knowledge, none that plays proprietary physical games. The closest thing would be the PS Phone, but that only played legacy emulated PS1 games as far I remember. The NX would play the whole new games made by Nintendo... + very likely Virtual Console games. All of their past and present (save for the systems too complicated to emulate) + the growing library of Android games. That way, no matter how many third parties develop for it or Nintendo themselves, the system will still receive the new games made for Android anyway.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's powered by something like the latest NVidia X1, or their upcoming one, since those are tailored for Android AND for running games and certain Android games are designed specifically for those chips, pulling out the full potential thereof (The Zen Pinball games are a good example of Tegra enhanced Android games, which graphically look pretty much identical to their PC and home console counterparts).

( Edited 01.06.2015 09:24 by RudyC3 )

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Flynnie 01.06.2015#2

I just can't see Nintendo doing such a thing though...mind you I never expected the DeNA partnership either.

Would it mean that shitty iPhone/android ports to the eShop will be priced the same as the App Store/Gplay store or are they going to be still priced at £4.49 for a game that's 69p everywhere else...

Luna Eriksson 01.06.2015#3

I am mixed on this. I first need to see what this will mean for the system before I can say anything more on the subject other than that I am mixed and see how this can end up going both ways.

The difference between illusion and reality is vague to the one who suffers from the former and questionable for the one suffering form the later.

RudyC3 01.06.2015#4

Flynnie said:
I just can't see Nintendo doing such a thing though...mind you I never expected the DeNA partnership either.
Would it mean that shitty iPhone/android ports to the eShop will be priced the same as the App Store/Gplay store or are they going to be still priced at £4.49 for a game that's 69p everywhere else...

The way I foresee this, if true, would be that there would be no more need for ports of Android games to the eShop, and you'd get on the one hand the classic Google Play store, while on the other hand you'd have a dedicated app store for NX exclusive software, games made to take full advantage of the system's specifications (the way that Tegra Zone works on Tegra compatible Android hardware) and priced the normal way, the system bridging the old style, more traditional world of fully fleshed out games, with the newer world of smaller games for quick bursts that you see on mobile and tablets, into ONE system, cattering to both crowds and alleviating the need that there was until now to appreciate both aspects of gaming to own two different systems. It's a young, fresh approach to it, and totally not what you'd expect the old Nintendo to do but then again... would you have seen the oldNintendo doing mobile games? I might be just wishful thinking, but I think their current situation with the Wii U and the 3DS, though finally having become a decent system but nowhere near the level of success of the original DS, tells them that the old recipe of dedicated gaming machines just won't cut it int he future. Yet they said they wouldn't be abandoning them, so the logical step to reconcile both intentions would be to make a hybrid.

And how do you do that on a software level, on a pure platform level? Nintendo can design the system to be a good gaming platform but how would they dig into Android stuff having no previous experience? DeNA would be the answer methinks. They'll want to make sure that, at least, THEIR games wouldn't be regular Android apps, cause those are so easy to crack, so it won't be as simple a thing as it's been on say, the NVidia Shield.

( Edited 01.06.2015 13:55 by RudyC3 )

Edit this post:

[quote][b]Flynnie said:[/b]<br/>I just can't see Nintendo doing such a thing though...mind you I never expected the DeNA partnership either.

Would it mean that shitty iPhone/android ports to the eShop will be priced the same as the App Store/Gplay store or are they going to be still priced at £4.49 for a game that's 69p everywhere else...[/quote]
The way I foresee this, if true, would be that there would be no more need for ports of Android games to the eShop, and you'd get on the one hand the classic Google Play store, while on the other hand you'd have a dedicated app store for NX exclusive software, games made to take full advantage of the system's specifications (the way that Tegra Zone works on Tegra compatible Android hardware) and priced the normal way, the system bridging the old style, more traditional world of fully fleshed out games, with the newer world of smaller games for quick bursts that you see on mobile and tablets, into ONE system, cattering to both crowds and alleviating the need that there was until now to appreciate both aspects of gaming to own two different systems. It's a young, fresh approach to it, and totally not what you'd expect the old Nintendo to do but then again... would you have seen the oldNintendo doing mobile games? I might be just wishful thinking, but I think their current situation with the Wii U and the 3DS, though finally having become a decent system but nowhere near the level of success of the original DS, tells them that the old recipe of dedicated gaming machines just won't cut it int he future. Yet they said they wouldn't be abandoning them, so the logical step to reconcile both intentions would be to make a hybrid.

And how do you do that on a software level, on a pure platform level? Nintendo can design the system to be a good gaming platform but how would they dig into Android stuff having no previous experience? DeNA would be the answer methinks. They'll want to make sure that, at least, THEIR games wouldn't be regular Android apps, cause those are so easy to crack, so it won't be as simple a thing as it's been on say, the NVidia Shield.

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crackedthesky 01.06.2015#5

I can see a lot of benefits to this. Region locking would probably be gone, a better account system would be all but certain, third-party support would probably rise--mostly indies use Android and Nintendo already has pretty good indie support, but if they worked out a deal similar to the one with Unity where Android devs literally click a button and publish straight to the Nintendo store, that could be interesting.

Only thing is I think I would want an Android store and an NX store separate; Android apps aren't exactly a bastion of quality gaming, and the lsat thing I need to see when I boot up my Nintendo are three thousand fart simulators.

Whatever Nintendo puts out next, it needs to run the latest Unreal Engine. They're missing out on so many good games because of lack of Unreal support; I'd argue it hurts them more than the whole EA thing.

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Azuardo 01.06.2015#6

RudyC3 said:
...

Certainly, I think given the shocking state of affairs of the dedicated game systems market in Japan (recently had its worst-selling week ever in the country), this more open approach that incorporates mobile OS sounds plausible.

With the DeNA stuff and Nintendo's chatter in general in more recent times, they sound like they really are trying to make every effort to be where the customers are going, whilst still keeping true to dedicated game systems.

RudyC3 01.06.2015#7

Just a quick example of what I was saying. Mickey's Castle of Illusion didn't come out on Nintendo systems. It came out on Android though (I played from beginning to end on my Android console with physical controls). On the NX, if it turns out anything like what i was explaining above, it could either come out as developped to take advantage of the NX hardware, specifically, or it could simply run on the NX anyway, but on the Android side of things. You could still play it on your Nintendo system even if it was not developed specifically for it, except that on the very same system you could still play fully fleshed out Pokémon, Zelda, Metroid and whatnot, and you still wouldn't find those game on any other systems.

Another thing I've been saying as well, is that I see Nintendo concentrating all of their software efforts on only ONE system, going forward. I could see the system being a hybird of portable and home system. Portable devices are more and more powerful anyway, and I doubt they'll pull a PS4 times 2 out of their hat in terms of processing power. By doing so, they don't need to split their software development efforts on two fronts and can concentrate their efforts on making quality exclusive content for the same ONE system. A handheld that could dock into a station plugged to your TV over HDMI and take controls from a traditional wireless controller, and let you continue to game wherever you want for example. Heck it could even retain compatibility for Wiimotes, using the Android normally touch based interface from the couch with Wii remote pointing doesn't sound too bad. At least I can all of that making sense commercially. Nintendo has been having trouble putting out content for the Wii U because they had to adapt to the massive personnel requirements of HD. Where is portable gaming going next? To HD as well. HD is everywhere. they can't sustain developing big beautiful games on two fronts, they already have trouble dealing low res games on 3DS and HD games on Wii U as it is right now. It would cost them too much to make two system again. And Nintendo has performed best and most consistently on handhelds, so it would make sense for their next hardware to be more handheld than home based, while bridging both worlds.

Edit this post:

Just a quick example of what I was saying. Mickey's Castle of Illusion didn't come out on Nintendo systems. It came out on Android though (I played from beginning to end on my Android console with physical controls). On the NX, if it turns out anything like what i was explaining above, it could either come out as developped to take advantage of the NX hardware, specifically, or it could simply run on the NX anyway, but on the Android side of things. You could still play it on your Nintendo system even if it was not developed specifically for it, except that on the very same system you could still play fully fleshed out Pokémon, Zelda, Metroid and whatnot, and you still wouldn't find those game on any other systems.

Another thing I've been saying as well, is that I see Nintendo concentrating all of their software efforts on only ONE system, going forward. I could see the system being a hybird of portable and home system. Portable devices are more and more powerful anyway, and I doubt they'll pull a PS4 times 2 out of their hat in terms of processing power. By doing so, they don't need to split their software development efforts on two fronts and can concentrate their efforts on making quality exclusive content for the same ONE system. A handheld that could dock into a station plugged to your TV over HDMI and take controls from a traditional wireless controller, and let you continue to game wherever you want for example. Heck it could even retain compatibility for Wiimotes, using the Android normally touch based interface from the couch with Wii remote pointing doesn't sound too bad. At least I can all of that making sense commercially. Nintendo has been having trouble putting out content for the Wii U because they had to adapt to the massive personnel requirements of HD. Where is portable gaming going next? To HD as well. HD is everywhere. they can't sustain developing big beautiful games on two fronts, they already have trouble dealing low res games on 3DS and HD games on Wii U as it is right now. It would cost them too much to make two system again. And Nintendo has performed best and most consistently on handhelds, so it would make sense for their next hardware to be more handheld than home based, while bridging both worlds.

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Darkflame 01.06.2015#8

Anything that partners Nintendo and Google stronger I thinks a good thing for both companies.
They have strengths that matches the others weakness.

I would hope it extends to more then just apps, however, as Google has plenty of nifty hardware projects that have gaming potential.
MagicLeap? Tango? That radar-on-a-chip thing just announced?

Also, while not as strongly as Microsoft has, Google has made efforts towards the "one platform" idea. That is, the same code running on both desktops and mobile systems.

This same idea would be very usefull for Nintendo, as at the very least it makes porting games vastly easier, or even making them run on both home and portables.

That SAID I dont expect full merging of home and portables yet - because its not all about code and processing power.
Theres simply capabilities you can do on home due to other factors. For example, look at any VR system. Or a AR system like Hololens. Perfectly fine to use at home, but not practical to use out and about.

Wii U because they had to adapt to the massive personnel requirements of HD. Where is portable gaming going next? To HD as well. HD is everywhere. they can't sustain developing big beautiful games on two fronts

Dont read too much into statements about HD costing more. Detail costs more, but it isn't directly tied to resolution. PC games have had essentially any variable resolution for decades without issues. In many ways the 3DS is already "HD" in the (wrong) termology of the day when people use it to mean detail. At least, power wise its way more powerful then the first PCs able to push out HD resolutions. (certainly much better shaders).

Also worth remembering that a lot of Nintendo games don't even need detail much - Mario gains nothing from high-res normal maps, or ultra-realistic landscapes. Instead to make sure it looks good at high resolutions you just ensure curves are smoother really. Adding a meshsmooth here and there is comparitively easy Smilie
Other HD improvements - basically smoothness of lines or better lighting - comes completely free once its in the engine.

( Edited 01.06.2015 19:21 by Darkflame )

Edit this post:

Anything that partners Nintendo and Google stronger I thinks a good thing for both companies.
They have strengths that matches the others weakness.

I would hope it extends to more then just apps, however, as Google has plenty of nifty hardware projects that have gaming potential.
MagicLeap? Tango? That radar-on-a-chip thing just announced?

Also, while not as strongly as Microsoft has, Google has made efforts towards the "one platform" idea. That is, the same code running on both desktops and mobile systems.

This same idea would be very usefull for Nintendo, as at the very least it makes porting games vastly easier, or even making them run on both home and portables.

That SAID I dont expect full merging of home and portables yet - because its not all about code and processing power.
Theres simply capabilities you can do on home due to other factors. For example, look at any VR system. Or a AR system like Hololens.   Perfectly fine to use at home, but not practical to use out and about.
[quote][color=#000000]Wii U because they had to adapt to the massive personnel requirements of HD. Where is portable gaming going next? To HD as well. HD is everywhere. they can't sustain developing big beautiful games on two fronts[/color][/quote]

Dont read too much into statements about HD costing more. Detail costs more, but it isn't directly tied to resolution. PC games have had essentially any variable resolution for decades without issues. In many ways the 3DS is already "HD" in the (wrong) termology of the day when people use it to mean detail. At least, power wise its way more powerful then the first PCs able to push out HD resolutions. (certainly much better shaders).

Also worth remembering that a lot of Nintendo games don't even need detail much - Mario gains nothing from high-res normal maps, or ultra-realistic landscapes. Instead to make sure it looks good at high resolutions you just ensure curves are smoother really. Adding a meshsmooth here and there is comparitively easy ;)
Other HD improvements - basically smoothness of lines or better lighting - comes completely free once its in the engine.

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RudyC3 01.06.2015#9

Darkflame said:

Dont read too much into statements about HD costing more. Detail costs more, but it isn't directly tied to resolution.

This is also how I meant it. I meant HD level of detail, as in the level of detail that we started to have with the PS360 generation of consoles. I didn't mean it in terms of resolution, since HD games on PC go back many more years than on consoles, if we were talking about resolution alone. No I meant the level of detail that requires tremendous amount of work to craft. I know that resolution is independent of that. I don't consider the 3DS to be really HD level of detail though. Sure it has shaders, as seen in Re:Revelations but that game was more the exception than the norm and all in all, see how Dragon Quest VIII on 3DS doesn't even equal the level of detail of the PS2 version. That hardware is cheap to develop for in comparison to PS360 or Wii U games, but their next handheld, with the logical evolution of hardware and growing expectations of the public in terms of visuals, means that their next handheld will have increased development cost as well... as much for themselves as for potential third parties, hence why I believe they'll want to restructure things into a one platform approach, that can be played as much in the home on big screen as on a portable device on the go, which has remained their forte for the past 25 years.

( Edited 01.06.2015 23:58 by RudyC3 )

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Rumour: Nintendo to use Android for Nintendo NX Operating System

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