The Nintendo NX has yet to be revealed officially by Nintendo but the rumors just keep on coming. Now, the hybrid console is being speculated to use cartridges again just like in the old days.
Earlier reports have already claimed that the Nintendo NX could be using cartridges for the physical media instead of today's disks. However, there are no images or specifications yet as to how the cartridges will look like or perform.
Previous Nintendo machines such as the Nintendo 64 have used cartridges to play games. They only held a tiny amount of memory compared to the HDVDs and Blu-Ray disks today that hold gigabytes of content.
NeoGAF user Atheerios found that the Nintendo NX game trademark for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild specify "video game cartridges" instead of the usual "optical discs," TechnoBuffalo has learned. The game has been announced to be released for both the Nintendo NX and the Wii U.
Since cartridges have been used several years ago, it would make sense that Nintendo would need to upgrade them in order to comply with today's standards. It would also need to hold gigabytes of data in order to store the games properly.
Skeptics still believe that the trademark simply means that the new Zelda game for the Nintendo NX will have a tie-in version for the Nintendo 3DS which uses cartridges, Express.co.uk reported. The game itself could be late to the party as it can still experience delays before the hybrid console's release date in March 2017.
The Nintendo NX will go against the PlayStation Neo from Sony and the Xbox Scorpio from Microsoft. Both of the competing consoles are expected to run 4K with smooth framerates thanks to their more powerful hardware, but Nintendo themselves already announced earlier that they do not care about the horsepower of their upcoming console.
Nintendo is still expected to unveil the Nintendo NX and reveal its official specs and features before it hits the shelves in 2017. They could also explain and confirm all of the rumors concerning the device such as the horsepower and if it will use video game cartridges instead of the usual optical discs today.