So...the Nintendo NX. Is it 8th or 9th gen in 2016?

Since it's all but generally understood to be guaranteed Nintendo's next console is coming out in 2016, only 4 years after 8th gen started, do we call it 9th gen? Does it count as 8th or 9th gen in 2016?

Or will the be a special case, a do-over if you will, where we still count it as 8th gen on account of them essentially Dreamcast-ing the Wii U??

How long after the "Codename NX" releases, does Microsoft and Sony have to release PS5/XBtwo? I cant imagine they will be here before holiday 2018/2019, possibly even 2020. What will we classify THEM as? Will this phenomenon upset the current characterization of console gens by being an un-even gen where the other parties "skip" a gen according to the "official" ruling?

Discuss.

Ninth gen of consoles, possibly eighth gen of hardware, who knows.

8th gen do over sounds about right to me.

I think Nintendo is still stuck in gen 6. Still I will welcome any innovations that they might bring....................LOL.

Good lord, somebody please make a sticky thread about this NX shit already.

True dat.

Nintendo still uses the same CPU they used since the Gamecube, and a GPU weaker than the Xbox 360 in 2012. It's like they literally TRIED to make their console as weak as possible. Like they financially went out of their way to make it weaker than was possible.

1. Who the hell said it would come out 2016?

2. It's more likely they will reveal it in 2016 with a 2017 release date.

3. Who the hell said it would come out 2016?

It doesn't really matter what you call it, because it's all just a made up distinction anyway. Nintendo could care less if their hardware aligns with the generational concept.

GPU's stronger than the xbox 360 according to digital foundry(About 1.5X stronger if I recall).The console also has more EDRAM and ram than the 360.

They're gonna tear a fabric in space-time continuum of console generations. I mean, if it's out in approx. 2017, then for goodness sake, it either means a ridiculously short life span for Wii U or the necessity of having next Sony and Microsoft consoles a lot earlier than anticipated.

it would be the ninth generation nintendo console

All we know is that we'll get details on the NX in 2016. It probably won't launch until 2017. Hell, we don't even know if it's a home console or a handheld.

They better be

It is ridiculus how weak consoles are

Aint that the truth. I doubt I'll buy any more of their hardware.,

Everything was going smoothly, why the **** did nintendo have to go and **** up the generations?

That was mostly a guess more than anything. We still don't know how powerful the GPU is, really. But at the very least the gpu is on par and the extra memory pushes it slightly beyond in the graphics department. It's the CPU where the 360 has a big advantage, though the Wii U cpu is not without advantages either..

8th gen.

This isn't the first time a company released two consoles in the same generation...

In the 2nd gen, Atari released the 2600 and then the 5200.

In the 3rd gen, Sega released the SG-1000 and then the Master System, while Atari released the 7800 and then the XEGS.

In the 4th gen, NEC released the PCE/TG16 and then the SuperGrafx.

...But the NX might be the first time something like this has happened in over 25 years.

From what I seen a bunch of ninty's first party games seem to be pulling off effects or techniques you won't see on the xbox 360 or ps3 at 60fps usually(like deferred rendering) or actually look better than xbox 360 games that run at 60fps. I think it's the combination of the gpu and the console's memory helping with this

BTW the Wii U is only two years and change old. We won't get a new system for at least another 3-4 years.

I think it's probably a handheld slated to release in 2017. It might be a handheld/console hybrid.

@SolidGame_basic: You nailed it.

... Never thought I would say that.

It's being hinted at as an secondary optional device, so it's probably just extending their 8th gen ecosystem.

Timing wise it's perfect for a new hand held to be introduced. Anyone expecting a new console is going to be disappointed.

Is this thing really gonna release in 2016?

Isn't the WiiU only like 2 years old?

@Bread_or_Decide: Actually, the precedent has already been set for the Wii U to have a 5 year lifecycle. Both of Nintendo's two other poor selling consoles, the GameCube and the N64, only lasted 5 years. The biggest question is whether the NX launches in 2016 or 2017, and we really have no way of knowing at this point,

Two and change. No way is the next console coming out in 2016. There's just no way. That's not even five years.

There still is no word that NX is even a physical console. They said platform. Its more likely a unified OS that will be scalable between all their hardware. Everything in the ecosystem gets a game and developers are developing for multiple devices in a fraction of time. In this sense it will no longer be tied to hardware generations.

From what I understood they announced that they would officially announce the NX next year...if that makes sense.

I think this is going to be 8th gen.

Nintendo third party

BELIEVE

The consoles aren't connected like that. Microsoft could release 5 consoles in the span of one console from Ninty/Sony and it would only mean they are on their 5th gen console and the others would be on their first gen still. So it would be Ninty's 9th gen console, regardless if the other companies release theirs or not.

it will be the gen after this one....not sure what number were on.

remember nintendo releases two pieces of hardware every gen....a handheld and a console.....this new system might be 1 that incorporates both. the 3ds is 4 years old i think...a 2016 or 2017 launch seems plausable.

im surprised shitlow agrees it will be next gen.

8.5 gen FTW!!!!!!!!!

They would if they are cutting the Wii U loose and running. Of course, I'd hope every gamer (myself included) who purchased that console for the games its -supposed' to have will never ever EVER purchase another Nintendo product for as long as we live. Game companies that do that deserve to die - and as consumers who 'fell for it', we need to HELP them die out.

No, that means that it has a typical console life span of 5 years. Don't look at last generation's ridiculous, recession-extended length as a measure of typical generation length.

"I think there's reasons to believe that the next cycle might be shorter in markets such as the UK. It's probably a sign of the times and how much has changed in seven years, but I think the willingness and the appetite to pick up new technology fast has probably changed quite a bit." -Fergal Gara, Head of Sony Computer Entertainment UK

I don't think gens will really apply to Nintendo any more.

For the question though I'll go with 9th gen. Not sure if it will release as early as you think it will though.

Isn't it safer to assume it's the next gen 3DS?

Maybe with an account System like Sony/MS and with Trophies/Achievements.. encompasses several platforms like a single PSN account being an umbrella to a PSP, PSV, PS3 and PS4 except with Nintendo; 3DS, Wii U and Next Gen 3DS?

Does that mean XB1 and PS4 are last gen after this new console is out?

@scoots9: Well, the PS2 also had a lifespan of 6.5 years before its successor released, plus an extremely long tail afterwards. It's fair to say Sony home consoles have a track record of staying relevant for a much longer period of time than Nintendo home consoles. 5 years is the typical length of a Nintendo home console, though.

Given the PS4's enormous popularity, I don't think anyone is predicting a 5 year lifecycle for it, though it will likely be less than 7.

Yeah, but that last year on GC and Wii was so barren it wasn't even worth mentioning.

It will have to be a new handheld system, 3ds is 4 years old now, in Christmas 2015 Japan and America will see a new Handheld, while the rest of the world waits until Feb 2016.

And they came up with Xeno X and MK8 on that PoS?

Wow.

I would be pretty insulted if it was a new handheld. I bought a DS, 3ds, 3ds xl, the New 3ds xl.... now something else? I hope it's a generation 8.5 do-over home console. Actually, I don't care what it is. My consumer confidence in Nintendo is pretty low right now.

running on 33 watts of power. :P

If it came out in 2016, and assuming that PS4 and Xbox One had a 8-ish year life cycle, then both Wii U and NX are the same generation as PS4 and Xbox One.

Nah it'd be Nintendo's Gen 9..why are generation being dictated by MS/Sony? :P

It's dictated by majority and competition. Wii U is in competition with PS4 and Xbox One. NX will also be competing in the same competition with those consoles. That's why Wii U and NX are in the same gen as those consoles. The only thing that would change that is if the competition also released their next iteration of hardware shortly after, but I don't see that happening (hence why I said if they had a 8-ish year life cycle).

Release for 2016? Probably not. It certainly won't be announced this year at E3, especially with the line up of games they have in development for the Wii U. Announcing a new console will decentivise almost everyone who doesn't have a Wii U to pick one up for Zelda and Xenoblade, games Nintendo has put a lot of stock in. They probably won't get a lot of new customers for those games, but it makes no sense to not try to go out on a last holiday bang. Once we don't have any key Nintendo developed games in the work, they'll announce the successor, probably E3 2016, maybe for that holiday season?