Nintendo’s Upcoming NX Console Will Reportedly Run Google’s Android OS

It's beginning to look like Nintendo's "NX" console could be quite interesting -- or not, depending on your perspective. It's being reported that the Mario maker is planning to go the Android route for its upcoming console, which would allow developers the freedom to publish their titles for it, as well as other Android-based devices.

Hearing this should invoke immediate images of the OUYA console, which has largely been deemed a failure. But, there are some major differences between a startup company and an established player like Nintendo. For starters, Nintendo makes great hardware. Not just the console itself, but also gamepads and other peripherals. Further, Nintendo has a great ecosystem and a plethora of popular IP.

Both the Wii and Wii U are underpowered consoles when compared to the competition, and if a move to Android is in the cards, then it seems the goal of avoiding the "high-end" wouldn't be changing. But that's not to discredit what today's SoCs are capable of; NVIDIA's Tegra X1 is hugely powerful, and more than capable of delivering much higher graphical fidelity than the Wii U.

Speaking of NVIDIA, Nintendo's move to Android could mean that it has the green GPU maker in its sights, which would be interesting as all three of the current consoles use AMD GPUs. What could draw Nintendo to NVIDIA over the competition is that it knows gaming through and through, and could technically help the NX deliver as compelling an experience as possible.

Admittedly, it's a bit early to speculate on such things, but it's hard not to given what the NX could become.