/r/NintendoNX

16,392 Nintendo fans who literally cannot wait for 1 year!

As someone who grew up a Sega kid, I haven't been super excited about a new console release since Dreamcast. But I'll tell you what, I've caught some hype for Nintendo NX, whatever the hell that is. I own 98 consoles and haven't bought one at launch since Xbox (the subject of yesterday's Subreddit of the Day), but with NX that might change.

I don't really know what it is about NX that intrigues me. It's hard for me to pin down. Is it the rumor of a return to solid state media? Is it the mystery surrounding it? Is it that Breath of the Wild looks hella fun? Is it the prospect of the last remaining classic pillar of the gaming world returning to prominence?

Perhaps it's a bit of all those things. But what really draws me in is the Nintendo NX community. When it comes right down to it, I like reddit because reddit is fun. Sure, it's a platform for finding deeper meaning in things, making personal connections, sharing information, and one for change and action. But above all that it's fun. And /r/NintendoNX is a fun community.

Sure, some have said that all of the people at /r/NintendoNX are sad. Everyone's chasing something that seems like it'll never come. You know, like a coherent announcement from Nintendo about what NX is, how much it'll cost, and basic stuff like that. I can see how that could bum some people out. But really they revel in it. These posts are fun. They're hilarious. It's fun to speculate. It's fun to analyse the whole thing from your computer chair. And it's fun to read the latest rumors and leaks.

/r/NintendoNX is anything but sad. (Trust me, I know. Having only a Saturn in the late 90s and watching everyone else get great games on PlayStation and N64 is what sad is.) In reality, everyone there is having a good timing doing all the things I just mentioned while poking a little fun at themselves.

For more about the community I spoke with moderator /u/Andis1. Here's what he had to say.

What do we actually know about the Nintendo NX so far?

We honestly don't know much. We know it is some type of hardware by Nintendo. We know it will be released in March with Zelda: Breath of the Wild as a launch title.

And now for a more fun question. What are the most popular rumors, and what do you think the likelihood of them being accurate is?

Pretty much every rumor points to it being some type of “hybrid” system that functions as a console and a portable unit. A lot of rumors have stated that the system uses cartridges rather than disks, which makes a lot of sense if the unit is a hybrid. A recent leak that we were able to verify the source on stated a few interesting things including that the unit will have a base price of $299 and a Bundle price of $399. The same leak also introduced the marketing term “Interact with your game on the go.” which collaborates the rumors of the device being a hybrid and again collaborated the use of cartridge based games.

What are some of your favorite posts on the sub?

We get a lot of shitposts and memes, and while many of them are pretty bad, some of them are really good. Personally my favorite post is the guy who said he would take a video of himself eating a wiimote if the NX isn't a hybrid. We're taking that one very seriously and will be touching back with him if necessary once the NX is revealed.

"NX" is currently still the codename of the next Nintendo console. Sometimes code names end up being the final name of the console, as it was with Sega Saturn and Xbox. Other time the code name changes when the console is released. Sega's Project Mercury became Game Gear, and Nintendo Ultra 64 project became Nintendo 64. What will happen to the sub if the console is announced and the name is totally different? Also, what do you think will happen, will the console actually be named NX, or will it get a different name when it's announced?

I think we are all expecting that it's going to be named something other than the NX. If it is named NX that will be awesome, but after “Wii U” and “New 3DS XL,” I expect nothing less than a catastrophe out of whatever they name it. But then again, they really do seem to like using letters in their names lately so maybe the NX could be it. With that being said, if the unit gets named something other than NX, then we will likely migrate to an appropriately named subreddit. I'm not really sure what the fate of /r/NintendoNX will be if that happens.

I fully expect the announcement to come post-Christmas. When do you think it'll happen?

I’m really torn on this, but at this point I think the reveal will come very close to the end of the year.

The release date is currently set for March. Do you think we'll see it on time?

At this point, yes. If December comes and we don’t have a reveal yet, then I will be worried, but I won’t expect a delay unless it’s 2017 and we still don't have a reveal. We’re supposedly getting a reveal in 2016, but I wouldn't put it past Nintendo to announce it at 11:59 PM on New Year's Eve.

A lot of people like to ask if Nintendo is doing the right thing by releasing the NX in March and keeping the announcement close to the chest.

To answer that question, I think they are doing a good thing. When I think of any release that is close to the chest and filled with rumors, I think of Apple with their iPhones. Obviously a game console is different than a cellphone, but when I really start to look at it I think a lot of their success comes from the speculation and hype leading up to the release. Apple loves to announce a new device and send it to store shelves a few weeks later. There are definite advantages to this strategy, and if that is what Nintendo is going for, I think it’s a smart idea.

As far as the March release period is concerned, I’m fine with that. The only real criticism they get for this is that they will miss out on Holiday sales, but they have the NES Classic coming out to fill that gap. Also, if they launch the system in March, it will give them nearly a year to put out a great library of titles, which should make Holiday 2017 even better for them.

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What do you think the NX will be?