If there's one area in which you can't dispute that Nintendo know exactly what they're doing, it's in the handheld business, which they've dominated since the dawn of time. Yet the Wii U completely failed to take advantage of the 3DS' success in the handheld market, featuring pretty much no crossover functionality with its successful little sibling. Against the flow of the handheld market towards mobile gaming, the 3DS has managed to stand firm and continue to sell well. But the 3DS has been around for five years now, and by the time the NX is expected to launch it'll be high time for a successor, so why not put the two together? This could mean something along the lines of a gamepad with a screen, but one that's a handheld size like the 3DS rather than something you'd need to lug over your shoulder when you go out a la the Wii U gamepad. Alternatively (and this is what the rumours are suggesting will happen), the two devices could be sold separately - which would make the NX cheaper, and not force people to buy both a handheld and home console. This would mean they'd work in a way similar to the PS4 and PS Vita - with cross-play games, cloud saves, and in-home streaming. It's time for Nintendo to leverage all that handheld market power towards helping out its living room console. Can Nintendo come back from such a commercial failure with the Wii U? Let us know in the comments!
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
