This week in NX Rumours (Week 34) To Wii or not to Wii

We try to avoid posting rumours as much as possible on Vooks, it’s part of our news policy and has been for years. You all seem to love it. Now we’re reaching a critical stage with the Nintendo NX where rumours, speculation and leaks are at a fever pitch. So instead of ignoring it, we’re going to collect them and analyse them

After the explosion of information from Eurogamer the NX rumour scene has been a little quiet, probably a good thing for everyone’s sanity.. However, because some sites like attention there were a couple more rumours this week, including one who goes ‘yeah Eurogamer is right, so believe my stuff too’.

So here we are, with a double dose of NX rumours, at least these ones don’t contradict each other.

Rumour 1

NX’s detachable controls will have Wii Remote like motion control and an advanced force feedback system. 

This rumour plays off the back of Eurogamer’s report that the NX will have some sort of detachable controllers on each side of the console. However this rumour takes it one step further to say that the detachable controllers will in fact offer some sort of motion control and some sort of advanced force feedback. These new detachable controllers are said to phase out the existing Wii Remote but you can still use the old Wii Remote for some games.

Graphic: Eurogamer

Here’s what the source, Let’s Play Video Games has to say;

…very similar to the Vive controller, in that it alters intensity, pulsing patterns and duration of vibration to mimic the sensation of a range of different movement types. It’s not just one vibration for all situations, there’s a notable difference between the hard abrupt feedback of a sword clash or the softer, longer thud of something like hitting a tennis ball.

The Verdict: Well obviously the NX, somewhere is going to have support for motion controls. It’s not hard or expensive to have a gyro and accelerometer in anything these days and we’ve seen it used in games with great effect both on the Wii and Wii U – So alright that’s fine.

Advanced Force Feedback though, similar to the Vive. You know what else features advanced force feedback? The Xbox One controller, it’s not crazy to think that a new console in 2017 would feature this, ‘rumble’ has evolved past just a spinning odd shaped disk which vibrates at the same speed. Frankly I couldn’t give a shit. 

This is very low hanging fruit stuff, if the NX didn’t have some sort of motion it would be more surprising and the advanced force feedback – nothing bores me more but hey its another tick on the box.

The real question is, with all the rumours around now, the NX is sounding like some dock-able tablet, with detachable controllers and a kickstand, that can also play motion games but only if you remove the Wii Remote like controllers.

Whats’ next, the NX will support 3D and stream 4K as well? How much more can people expect this thing to do without costing a grand?

This also begs the question, is Nintendo doubling down on motion control again or is just ‘there’.

Rumour 2

Emily Rogers returns to the rumour mill 

So this really isn’t a single rumour, but known rumourmonger Emily Rogers (we mean that in the nicest way Emily) has weighed in on some of the latest rumours going around and splashed in some of her own in a new post on her Twitter account. Since her Tweets are protected we can’t include them here, however since every other forum and news site is using them – we’re going to as well.

Emily’s track record in recent years has been fairly strong with rumours, and this article is solely for that so we’re rolling with it. (she’s also just published this on her blog)

Roger focuses on four things in her series of Tweets, the first being the aforementioned detachable controllers + force feedback rumour you just read above, she says this rumour has ‘truth’ to it. Hooray.

Next onto the NX prototype, which was said to have a 6.2 inch 720p multi-touch display, however Emily does concede the final product may change. Not only that the prototype dock for the NX has two USB ports, however that’s hardly the most exciting rumour ever.

Finally, MCV posted a batch of NX rumours a while back, one of which was that Game Freak (you know the people who make Pokémon) would be involved in the NX, Emily also says here that theres ‘some truth to it’.

So there’s a bit there to digest, let’s go to the verdict.

The Verdict: There’s no reason not to disbelieve Emily here, her first rumour relies on you having to trust the one from Let’s Play Games and its entirely not exciting at all anyway. Same with the third rumour of the USB ports, who really cares? Of course a dock is going to have USB ports. My vacuum has a USB port.

The Game Freak rumour could be exciting, but for all we know they could be porting Tembo the Badass Elephant and not anything Pokémon related, especially since the team is knee-deep in Pokemon Sun and Moon. Could they turn around and have something within three months though?

So finally, the 6.2 inch, 720p multi-touch display. Great! Finally Nintendo might embrace multitouch, this will make games not only more complex on the screen but could open the NX to more mobile ports which just hasn’t been possible before.

The size? Yeah 6.2 inch is nice its the same size as the Wii U GamePad, but the resolution is better. The Wii U Game Pad currently has only 480p screen, just remember the more pixels it has to push the faster the battery will drain and the more powerful the system itself will have to be. Surely Nintendo’s going to include a bigger battery this time around though?