A smattering of rumors has been passing around regarding Nintendo and new hardware. We’ll run them down for you below.
OK, so the biggest rumor comes from a surprising major source: IGN. They cite multiple sources, including both a 3rd party developer, and a former employee. Having said that, they don’t know any actual details about what form the hardware could actually take.
Another site has jumped on earlier rumors of a console codenamed Fusion, but we have more believable sources we’ll go through below.
One is something we reported on earlier: the device filed with Korea RRA last month. I won’t repeat my speculation here, but the device had a product code of WIS-009, and was described as a ‘specific low power wireless device (wireless data communication system and the wireless LAN)’.
There’s also the case of the patent filed October last year. The patent outlined an ‘information processing device (sic) provided with an operation unit with one or more buttons, switches or the like for accepting operation by a user.’ In plain English, and as was seen in several illustrations, this seems to be a modular gaming console, where you can switch d-pads and buttons around. We know better than to treat this casually; Nintendo revealed earlier plans for such a device in an earlier Iwata Asks.
Finally, there was the simple fact that the words ‘new nintendo system’ was found in the code for E3’s website. It was removed quickly, and many fans point out it may have simply been there for SEO purposes. Still, it is a possible lead.
Here’s what Macquarie Capital analyst David Gibson thinks of all this:
Nintendo wants to do emerging markets, 3DS/2DS are too expensive, so we think cheap handheld more likely than "Fusion". No one really knows.
— David Gibson (@gibbogame) May 2, 2014
In the end, we don’t really know for sure if Nintendo is revealing a new console at E3 or not, but Iwata promised we will learn more about QOL this coming year. E3 would seem to be as good a time to reveal it as any, and who knows? Maybe the Korean RRA registered device and the modular console patent turns out to all be one thing. We will, of course, keep you up to date on E3 and Nintendo.
