A Nintendo logo and its game characters are displayed at an electronics retail shop in Tokyo on July 29, 2015. (Photo : Getty Images/KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP)
Rumored for a likely release date in the second half of 2016, the hybrid gaming machine Nintendo NX will sell at a solid price tag, around $300, and supported by popular game titles such as The Legend of Zelda, Mario and a remake of the Final Fantasy 7. These are the key elements that will ensure the NX is a hit device, a new report said.
Or, more appropriately, will perform much better than the disappointing Wii U, game analyst Michael Pachter said. The Wii U failed to perform to expectations when game titles for the platform were pulled by developers, underscoring the importance of third party support if Nintendo wants the NX to succeed, Pachter said.
"If Nintendo gets the same level of support for NX that it got for the Wii U, it's doomed before it launches," the analyst was reported by Nintendo Insider as saying.
And as if Nintendo is taking heed already, speculations emerged that the Japanese game maker is teaming up with Square Enix for a Final Fantasy 7 remake that is intended for the NX, Tech Times said in a report, adding that the announced entry of Cloud Strife to the Super Smash Bros. brawl seem to be fanning the circulating rumor.
Aside from FF7, Nintendo fans could also see Dragon Quest XI and Final Fantasy XIV: Realm Reborn, both from Square Enix, on board the NX platform once it is out, the report added.
If the reports would prove accurate, the mentioned game titles will join in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD as among the games that the NX will present right of the box. According to iDigitalTimes, Twilight Princess HD has been confirmed by Nintendo for the Wii U in 2016 thus increasing the chance that the same title and possibly a new Mario game will be part of the Nintendo NX rollout.
The move, the report said, will surely make the NX more appealing to consumers, the reports said.
But if Pachter is to be asked how Nintendo will make the NX fly out off the shelves, there are two key things that the Japanese company must do. First, Nintendo needs to put together an NX that is equally or more powerful than any of the Sony PS4 and the Microsoft Xbox One.
And most importantly, make the Nintendo NX totally irresistible on release date, which can be done, Pachter said, by selling the product starting at $299 per unit.
