Nintendo just announced that the Nintendo NX will be out in March 2017. That release window is global.
Via a financial release, Nintendo states, “For our dedicated video game platform business, Nintendo is currently developing a gaming platform codenamed ‘NX’ with a brand-new concept. NX will be launched in March 2017 globally.”
In a tweet, the company pointed out that “NX” is still only the console’s codename.
Respected Japanese paper Nikkei asked Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima what kind of game machine the NX was. “At this current stage, I’m not able to say,” Kimishima replied. “However, it’s not merely the successor to the handheld 3DS or stationary console Wii U. This will be hardware that’s been made with a new way of thinking. I’d like to announce more particulars regarding its specs and how it works another time this year.”
When asked why Nintendo wasn’t launching the NX in time for this year’s big holiday season, Kimishima explained that Nintendo wanted to make sure there were games to go along with the NX.
When the Nikkei asked Kimishima what the likelihood that Wii U production would end, the Nintendo president replied, “Since we are making a big shift to the NX, there is that possibility (in the future).” Note that the original Japanese text in the Nikkei article are in parenthesis.
Oddly, Nintendo apparently will not be showing the still unrevealed NX platform at this year’s E3, according to Wall Street Journal reporter Takashi Mochizuki, who was at today’s Nintendo financial briefing in Osaka.
The new Zelda game, originally announced for 2015, is now also scheduled for 2017. The title is slated for both the Wii U and the NX.