Nintendo NX Graphics Performance To Reportedly Land Somewhere Between PS3 And PS4

Nintendo needs another hardware success like the original Wii console and it's hoping its forthcoming NX console will fit the bill. Until it releases in March of next year, all we can do is speculate based on what little information Nintendo is willing to share at this point and the many rumors and supposedly leaked tidbits that find their way to the web. One of the rumors is that the NX's graphics performance will fall somewhere in between Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 consoles.

That's according to what "sources close to Nintendo" have told MCV about the NX. Apparently Nintendo is going after an audience that sits somewhere between smartphone gamers and gaming enthusiasts who currently get their fix on the PS4 or Microsoft's Xbox One console.

Reggies Fils-Aime

"It’s a nice bit of kit, a bit of a novelty, but a good one," an unnamed exec told MCV after spending some hands on time with the NX. "It won’t appeal to PS4 fans. Nintendo seems set on trying to upgrade smartphone gamers. That’s going to be a big job for the marketing department."

The exec's observation seems to align with what Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot recently had to say about the console. During a quarterly earnings call in July, Guillemot said that what he and his team have seen is "really great," noting that "having a new machine coming is going to help the industry to grow, and to take lots more casual players back to the industry."

Nintendo doesn't necessarily need the most hardcore gamers who crave the fastest hardware and highest end specs. It never has, not with an extensive IP of iconic characters like Mario and Donkey Kong. Unfortunately for Nintendo, its Wii U didn't capture the level of success of its previous consoles, so now attention is turning to the NX.

Early reports are that the NX will be a type of hybrid console, one that you take with you for mobile gaming and plop in a dock for playing titles on your big screen TV in your living room. It's also been said the NX will be powered by NVIDIA's Tegra X1 processor, the same SoC that's found in the NVIDIA Shield and SHIELD Pro Android TV consoles.
Tags:  Gaming, Nintendo, consoles, nx