The much-awaited Nintendo NX release date could happen anytime this 2016 as a key component of the rumored hybrid gaming device leaked out this week. A set of images that showcased an oval-shaped and all-screen game controller hit the web claiming to be part of Nintendo's upcoming game console.
The pictures, according to gaming blog site Dual Pixels, came from an anonymous source and supported by a patent that Nintendo has published in late 2015. The purported gaming controller was shown with a connector with two noticeable buttons, likely serving as mini joysticks, located on the left and right side of the panel.
Right at the bottom of the all-screen device, a number of what appear as capacitive keys are seated that likely will be users' access to the combo of still unknown features of the gaming machine. The same report indicated that the leaked controller is supported by a recently published Nintendo patent that was described as a touchscreen game controller with similar features to that of the Wii U gamepad.
While the cited patent did not explicitly named the gaming device as that of the Nintendo NX, it was assumed that the features revealed were all designed for the rumored successor to the aging Wii U.
According to BGR, the leaked pictures have been examined by Nintendo watchers and are thought to be authentic or at least not manipulated.
However, Geek.com said a report that the leaked images, assumed as the direct descendant to the 3DS, are hopefully fakes. "It looks quite large and the display is going to require a lot of juice to keep running. So we'll either have a controller that needs charging every few hours, or a very heavy controller thanks to a large battery contained inside it," the report said.
The site also observed that from the gathered information so far, the futuristic Nintendo NX controller "is clearly going to be limiting for developers."
For its part, Nintendo is mostly quiet on the subject but has previously hinted that its next gaming device codenamed NX is a fresh concept that is remotely different from the Wii U and 3DS. The Japanese gaming giant also refused to comment on rumors that the NX when launched will be more powerful than any of the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One. The company only allowed that solid details of the device will be provided months before its rollout.
Rumors are rife that mass production of the Nintendo NX will commence in the second quarter of 2016 with the official unveiling likely scheduled June or July and paving the way for the device's release date that analysts said will happen around Christmas season of the year.