New Nintendo console patents talk of optical disc-less system
Patents sometimes can be a great source of information on upcoming products, other times they can be furphies or subterfuge in order to throw people off the scent. So what to make this new patent filed by Nintendo then?
A new patent discovered this week, but filed earlier this year is for a ‘stationary’ game system. There’s not too unique about the patent or the language used in it, it’s very broad and vague but there is one part that stands out.
The example system is not provided with an optical disk drive for reading out a program and/or data from an optical disk.
Whatever this system is, it won’t have an optical disc drive in it and instead will load data via network or via card based memory (SD cards). It’s also possible this means games (or just software) could be loaded on cards much like the Nintendo 3DS is now.
It also mentions a controller with its own screen, multiple memory sources including an internal drive and a hard drive built in to hold the operation system and games. There’s also mention of an external optical drive, which could be used for backwards compatibility we suspect.
So is this new, network based, disc-drive less system the NX? There’s no one to be sure but it is going to stir up something thoughts.
What do you think? Would you go for a Nintendo system that had no optical drive?
Source: USPTO
“Would you go for a Nintendo system that had no optical drive?”
It’s an interesting question.
As a long time collector, I’m almost always drawn to physical games. I’m not playing games as much as I used to, and so my collection is inching very slowly towards the illustrious game number 1000. I have bought digital games in recent years, but digital games are never catalogued as part of my collection.
A Nintendo console without physical games will mean no more new Nintendo games will ever be added to my collection
As an avid collector and player of Nintendo games, with extensive collections of N64, Gamecube, 3DS, Wii, and Wii U games, I’ve loved having a vast physical collection of games over the years! Having said this, I’ve also rolled with the times, and have a pretty decent selection of digitally downloaded games on Wii, Wii U, and 3DS too, and I like the convenience of ready to play games already stored on my Nintendo game system! If Nintendo create a network-based successor to Wii U, with a controller with a screen, I’m pretty sure that would include a vast Nintendo network for both gaming and social networks combined to create a next-gen console with next-gen networking, and I’d be all for it!
B-brother!? I could be your evil twin.
Though I had a couple of Nintendo games already, my collection really started with the launch of the N64, and I’ve purchased every single Nintendo platform at launch since.
I’m not usually one pissing contests, but I’m curious to know how your collection has grown in the same period of time as mine.
While I have a sizeable DS collection (153) these are my stats for the platforms you specified; N64 (90), Gamecube (102), 3DS (53), Wii (99), and Wii U (18).
Throw some numbers at me!
I still like my physical CDS and DVDS and games so I would feel sad if this happened, I mean it will happen someday but with our Internet speeds and all, I don’t think we’re quite there yet.
Has battery, looks like portable not home console.
Nah that’s the controller. It’s says controller on it haha. Looks to be similar to the WiiU game pad.
Figure 1 is the console, as it has a PSU and not a battery.
It’s interesting, considering where everything is at, you’d think the handheld would be the next console announcement by Nintendo. Everyone has assumed that NX will be a home console, but looking at the patents, what if it’s both? A unified system with all your games available to play on whatever screen you plug it in to, or on the go. It’s going to be very interesting to see,