A patent application Nintendo filed back in February, presumably for their next console, was published yesterday. One of the more interesting details about the patent is that the gaming system it describes does not feature an optical disc drive. That means no game discs. Period. A substantial break from the status quo of the last three gaming generations.
On the other hand, as digital game sales continue to increase and physical sales steadily decline, the eventual disappearance of game discs seems to be more and more of an inevitability. Nearly all of the Wii U games that have been available in a disc format are also currently available on Nintendo's digital storefront. The same goes for PlayStation and Xbox. Perhaps Nintendo won't be alone with this new strategy.
The patent also describes a controller with a screen, much like Nintendo's current Wii U GamePad controller. Whether or not this is indicative of backwards compatibility with digital Wii U titles is unknown at this point. Based on past history, though, there's probably a pretty good chance of it.
Despite these intriguing new bits of information, very little is still known about Nintendo's next foray into the console business. The only other facts that Nintendo has disclosed about the device is that it is currently code-named "NX", and that more information about it won't be forthcoming until sometime next year. Until then, this will all continue to (mainly) be a speculation game.
The patent also describes a controller with a screen, much like Nintendo's current Wii U GamePad controller. Whether or not this is indicative of backwards compatibility with digital Wii U titles is unknown at this point. Based on past history, though, there's probably a pretty good chance of it.
Despite these intriguing new bits of information, very little is still known about Nintendo's next foray into the console business. The only other facts that Nintendo has disclosed about the device is that it is currently code-named "NX", and that more information about it won't be forthcoming until sometime next year. Until then, this will all continue to (mainly) be a speculation game.
[Original Image: Takimata]
[Source: NeoGAF]