• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechThe Mobile Executive

Nintendo NX Could Be a Portable Console

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 26, 2016, 12:10 PM ET
The Legends Of Gaming Live Festival
A visitor reacts as he plays Super Mario Maker, developed and published by Nintendo Co. for the Wii U, at the Legends of Gaming Live event in London, on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015. Photograph by Bloomberg via Getty Images

Nintendo’s ultra-secretive NX console could be quite different from the tethered devices you might have sitting under your television right now, according to a new report.

Nintendo’s (NTDOY) next console will be a portable device featuring a docking station for users to continue playing games while home, video game site Eurogamer is reporting, citing sources. The console, which the site’s sources say will be a handheld, will also come with its own display and button-based controller units on the side. Those button-based controller units will be detachable from the left and right sides of the device, according to the report.

While Nintendo hasn’t shared much about its plans for the NX, the company did say that it would unveil a new concept to the traditional gaming market. It also said the device will launch in March.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Given the state of the console market, one would be forgiven for thinking the NX won’t come with any of the features touted by Eurogamer’s sources. After all, the console market’s most successful devices—Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One—are traditional consoles that need to be plugged into a wall outlet for power and connect to televisions with an HDMI cable. Even Nintendo’s Wii U, which has been overshadowed by its competitors, has the same tether.

Nintendo, however, has in the past changed home gaming in major ways. The Wii, for instance, presented gamers with movement and balance boards that caught fire. Nintendo also tried out virtual-reality gaming long before it became a popular technology. The company trying something entirely different with the NX isn’t necessarily so far-fetched.

Still, there are several questions. Both Sony (SNE) and Microsoft (MSFT) next year are planning new, high-end consoles that are likely to deliver better graphical capabilities than anything a portable console could deliver. Whether the NX touted by Eurogamer could keep pace is unknown. It’s also unknown whether gamers who are already playing games on their smartphones and tablets really want to buy a new console that effectively allows them to do the same thing as their smartphone counterparts with one added benefit: The ability to dock it and continue playing titles on a television.

But the sources’ claims become yet more vexing. According to Eurogamer’s sources, the NX will go back in time and nix the now-ubiquitous disc-based game media for cartridges. The device will also run on mobile processors, which means it likely won’t be able to match the power in upcoming consoles from Microsoft and Sony, and will not be backward compatible with Wii U games consumers have already purchased.

For more about Nintendo NX, watch:

The NX, in other words, will be a complete departure from traditional game consoles and from Nintendo’s own strategies of the past, according to Eurogamer’s sources. The whole idea, the sources say, is for gamers to be able to take their games wherever they go.

But the question remains: Will they want to?

Nintendo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company plans to announce NX details sometime later this year.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

AIOpenAI
OpenAI plans to almost double its headcount this year, FT says
By Liza Tetley and BloombergMarch 21, 2026
5 hours ago
Politicsarms, weapons, and defense
The U.S. has the world’s most advanced military, but the unforgiving economics of wars in Iran and Ukraine show quantity has a quality all its own 
By Jason MaMarch 21, 2026
6 hours ago
AIAI agents
OpenAI cofounder says he hasn’t written a line of code in months and is in a ‘state of psychosis’ trying to figure out what’s possible
By Jason MaMarch 21, 2026
10 hours ago
david
CommentaryScience
The one skill that separates people who get smarter with AI from everyone else
By David Rock and Chris WellerMarch 21, 2026
15 hours ago
Geoffrey Hinton standing in front of a white and grey background.
AITech
‘Godfather of AI’ says tech companies aren’t concerned with the AI endgame. They’re focused on short-term profits instead
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 21, 2026
16 hours ago
MagazineCoding
Cursor’s crossroads: The rapid rise, and very uncertain future, of a $30 billion AI startup
By Allie GarfinkleMarch 21, 2026
16 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.