Combining the home console and handheld

[Ville]

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Edited September 12, 2021 by Ville

[Goron_3]

Is there a topic on this already? Didn't find one, so here goes.

 

So...why not combine the two into just one machine, home console + handheld? I mean the Wii U already looks and semi-functions like that, so it's really not a stretch. Currently, the 3DS is doing fine and the Wii U is not, but what if the two were combined? No-one could possibly complain about any drought if you could play the 3DS games on the Wii U as well.

 

Also, the fact that there are 2 separate eShops and Virtual Consoles just seems to create unnecessary work and duplicity of titles. Does it really make sense to release the same game in two different eshops? Why just not combine them into one service? The catalogue would be bigger, and the updates faster.

 

Now, I'm no engineer so I have no idea of how possible / hard to pull off this would actually be. What do you guys think about this in general?

 

They have already said that the next handheld and console will share the same OS and ecosystem, so developers could release games for both with minimal effort (like how games for iPhone work on iPad). They'll never get rid of either the handheld or the console though as it hugely dents their revenue streams.

[Ville]

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Edited September 12, 2021 by Ville

[Oxigen_Waste]

I am a huge fan of this line of thinking. The least devices I have to purchase, the better.

 

The Neo Geo X is a great example of how I believe this could/should work.

For reference:

 

[dazzybee]

There was a rumour about the FUSION being this ages ago. I really like the idea in theory. In practice though the handheld would have to be incredibly powerful or the console pretty weak... Or in the middle and maybe satisfy neither...

[Retro_Link]

It can't just be a case of having the Wii U/PS4 with the 3DS/Vita as the controller/dual screen though, simply because of how much that setup would cost for the consumer.

 

I don't have a 3DS and would therefor love to have a way of streaming 3DS games to the home console though, and vice-versa, as Sony are allowing with all their PS4 games being playable on the Vita right?

 

It just has to be done in a cost effective way.

[Grazza]

This is my guess about Nintendo's plan for the future, although I know a lot of people disagree with me: They've already said future machines will be based on the Wii U architecture, and implied a common operating system.

 

In my opinion, this is the real reason GBA and DS are appearing on the Wii U, not 3DS. Everything from now on is going to be based on the Wii U, at least in terms of architecture. So let's say, for example, the next handheld is based on the Wii U (but weaker, obviously - let's say it will be able to create similar-looking graphics, but for a 480p resolution). In theory, Nintendo could have its entire back catalogue of games ready to play on that handheld, as long as they've been prepped for the Wii U, rather than the 3DS. Tied in with an accounts system, gamers would finally have their Nintendo collections in one place and be confident they'd carry forward.

 

The home console, I think, is only going to be a small jump from the Wii U, similar to the move from GC to Wii. They might even want to do this sooner rather than later, but we'll see. In this plan (which is pure speculation on my part), the overall system would be more important than any individual piece of hardware. They could introduce new hardware more frequently and not worry which ones sell less than others, as long as the system itself is thriving.

 

Certain games, in my opinion - Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask - should have superior versions prepped so that they have be easily upgraded to higher resolutions. Others, like F-Zero and Mario Kart could have new, "base" versions established, so that they too would be very easy to upgrade. Nintendo is very reluctant to make F-Zero at the moment, but they might be keener if they had a continuous version (with all the tracks) they could just update every few years.

 

Games like Zelda could also have a "standard" engine established for the 3D games, which should allow for faster development times. I know modifying the previous engine is what they do at the moment, but they also change it so much each time. I'm talking about a really good, solid engine they can use across both platforms. If you think how advanced handheld technology is becoming, it's becoming odder for it not to have 3D Zeldas (outside of remakes).

 

More than anything else, I'm saying that this is a way for Nintendo to solve one of its biggest problems - resources. We quite rightly ask ourselves whether a particular console is harming a particular handheld, or vice versa, but unless I'm totally mistaken, there's a way for all Nintendo's staff to work towards the same goal.

[Retro_Link]

Is the Wii U good architecture to base the future around? Isn't at least a part of the third party problem that it differs considerably from the PC/PS4/XboxOne's much more shared architecture/parts now? Or is that purely down to the Gamepad?

[Hogge]

I am a huge fan of this line of thinking. The least devices I have to purchase, the better.

 

The Neo Geo X is a great example of how I believe this could/should work.

For reference:

 

 

This is a bit similar to what I had in mind. Only a bit, because the neo-geo "console" is just a box with wires in it to my knowledge. Meaning, it doesen't contain any hardware.

 

My idea is more along the line of the portable console having a certain level of specs, which are enough to run the game adequately.

The stationary dock would actually contain a second graphics card and some other stuff, which enable the games to run at a higher resolution, with some extra shaders etc. All games would support the extra resolution, while the shaders may be volountary.

 

This would keep the price of the portable down for those who don't want a stationary console (would be big in Japan obviously), as well as prolong the battery life and decrease weight.

 

 

That being said, a short-term fix for the Wii U software drought would be to create an emulator that enables the Wii U to run 3DS games, perhaps there should be a special WiiU-connectivity app to download to the 3DS, where the 3DS can be paired with the Wii U and send out which game's plugged in, enabling the Wii U to download it. Hopefully, the Wii U should be powerful enough to do this.

Edited February 15, 2014 by Hogge

[flameboy]

I am a huge fan of this line of thinking. The least devices I have to purchase, the better.

 

The Neo Geo X is a great example of how I believe this could/should work.

For reference:

 

 

I have it under good authority that a Nintendo console like this will never happen.

[Oxigen_Waste]

My idea is more along the line of the portable console having a certain level of specs, which are enough to run the game adequately.

The stationary dock would actually contain a second graphics card and some other stuff, which enable the games to run at a higher resolution, with some extra shaders etc. All games would support the extra resolution, while the shaders may be volountary.

 

This would keep the price of the portable down for those who don't want a stationary console (would be big in Japan obviously), as well as prolong the battery life and decrease weight.

 

That's definitely a model I'd love to see happen!

I have it under good authority that a Nintendo console like this will never happen.

 

But yeah, it'll probably never be...

Edited February 15, 2014 by Oxigen_Waste