The Nintendo Co. logo is displayed at the Nintendo Game Front showroom in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. (Photo : Getty Images/Akio Kon/Bloomberg)
The Nintendo NX release date is reportedly confirmed to happen anytime in the second half of 2016 as the latest information from Asia indicates that the rumored gaming console is scheduled to commence large scale assembly around March next year. Production activities will accelerate and end in the second quarter, positioning the NX for a likely rollout starting July 2016.
Taiwanese publication DigiTimes said in new report that Nintendo has contracted Foxconn for the wholesale manufacture of the NX, which is being described in numerous blog reports as a hybrid gaming device that will replace both the Nintendo Wii U console and 3DS handheld.
Foxconn, which is Apple's longtime partner in the production of iPhones and iPads, has reportedly secured a contract that will see the delivery of 20 million Nintendo NX units by the end of 2016. An estimated 12 million units are expected to be cleared by the Japanese game maker by the end of the year, DigiTimes said on its report.
By comparison, Sony and Microsoft are expected to sell 18 million PS4 and 13 million Xbox One units respectively in the same period that the Nintendo NX will release. The figures, while still behind the industry giants, will represent a huge leapfrog for Nintendo relative to the generally disappointing sales performance of the Wii U, Tech Times said in a related report.
Also, issuing the NX ahead of schedule (the console was initially reported to come out on 2017) will give the Nintendo hybrid gaming machine a welcome head start against the purported PS4 and Xbox One sequels. Recent reports have suggested that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Two will unbox earlier than expected, likely on 2018, which also stated that both Sony and Microsoft are breaking the usual 7-year release cycle of their gaming consoles.
It remains unclear how Nintendo plans to upend the competition with the NX as the company is keeping its lips sealed in the matter though it hinted that device's concept points to a convergence of functions seen in the Wii U and, fueling rumors that the NX blueprint will produce a hybrid gaming.
Speculations are also widespread that the NX will be powered by an AMP APU that supports both x86 and ARM standards, which translate to backward compatibility to existing game titles.
The Nintendo NX on release date is also rumored to include popular game titles like The Legend of Zelda and will sell for no more than $400 to draw in buyers.
