Nintendo will soon begin full production of their mysterious NX device which is currently slated for release early next year, Director and General Manager of Manufacturing Hirozaku Shinshi has said. Speaking during the company’s annual meeting of shareholders, Shinshi stated the following:
We are in close communication with our partners who manufacture our products. We are now preparing to manufacture NX and hashing out details like the extent of automation. We hope to create the optimal production environment.
No mention is made of a specific release date, with Shinshi seemingly sticking to the general March 2017 window, but if production is already on the cards, it looks like the Big N is on track to meet the deadline. Interestingly, Mario and Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto admitted that the company has faced hardship as far as the Wii U is concerned, but is hopeful that the NX will be better equipped to tackle the issues the former struggled with.
It is true that we are having a hard time with Wii U sales, due to its price and the added fact that tablets are distributed free of charge in the market. I do think Wii U continues to be attractive as a media device that changes life in the living room. A similar challenge continues with NX.
As we had announced that the launch will be March of next year, we made no announcements about NX at E3, the world’s largest game expo held in Los Angeles. Our exhibit at E3 focused on the Wii U version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game, for which the same experience will also be available on NX.
Could we potentially be looking at another console on the way that replicates the success of the original Wii? We know from previous comments made by Nintendo that they are doing something unique with the NX, and with rumors flying around suggesting that it’s to be a console/handheld hybrid that plays cartridges – well, it could very well do that.
Expect more news regarding the NX in the coming months.
