Nintendo’s Next Game Console Might Be a Tablet That Connects to Your TV. That’s a Great Move

A new report says that Nintendo's new game machine is indeed a hybrid---that is, a combination portable gaming machine and a TV-based console. I hope it's true, because it's Nintendo's best possible move in an unstable world.

The report from Eurogamer, citing multiple sources, says that the machine codenamed "NX" is a "high-powered handheld" with a tablet-style screen and detachable controllers, that can "connect to your TV for gaming on the big screen." It'll be powered, Eurogamer says, by the Tegra, the powerful Nvidia chip that runs its Shield line of Android-based gaming devices. (The Nvidia partnership was initially reported some months ago by SemiAccurate.)

I couldn't tell you for a certainty that Eurogamer is right. I admit to a certain level of confirmation bias insofar as this precise scenario is what I've been predicting for a while now. With that in mind, assuming arguendo that this is the NX: This is a great move.

As much as it has been assailed by the arrival of smartphones, Nintendo is still much stronger in portable than it is at home. It's sold over 58 million units of its handheld Nintendo 3DS, compared to 12 million home Wii U machines. It expects to sell 55 million pieces of portable software this year, but only 15 million home games. Merging the two products—having a single install base for software makers to address and only one piece of hardware to buy to enjoy all Nintendo products—would be very attractive.

Would a Tegra-based handheld hooked up to a TV be able to pump out graphics competitive with PlayStation 4? Of course not. But Nintendo gave up on that battle long ago, and the idea that it would somehow want to take up arms again is frankly ludicrous. The hardcore gaming market is fully satisfied with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; there's no market opportunity in that end of the pool for a third box. Meanwhile, look at that screenshot above of Resident Evil 5 running on the Tegra-powered Shield console. Does it look as good as Xbox One? No. Does it look good enough to run Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Yeah.