Nintendo NX will launch in March 2017
The console will be a "brand-new concept," and it won't make its debut at E3 - but new Zelda will
Nintendo has ended a full year of speculation by confirming that its next console, currently known as "NX," will be launched worldwide in March 2017.
The company made the announcement as part of its full-year earnings report, which was released this morning. No hard details about the new system were provided, save for the fact that it will be a, "brand-new concept."
"For our dedicated video game platform business, Nintendo is currently developing a gaming platform codenamed "NX" with a brand-new concept," the company said. "NX will be launched in March 2017 globally."
The NX could prove to be pivotal for Nintendo, arriving at a time when it was ceded virtually all of the ground it gained with the wildly successful Wii. That console's successor, the Wii U, has been a commercial disappointment, selling just 12.6 million units in three years on the market. To put that in context, the PlayStation 4 reached that figure after a year on sale.
The need for new hardware was also apparent in the company's balance sheet, which showed a steep decline in profits for the fiscal year ended March 31 2016.
Update: Nintendo will not show the NX at E3 this year, the company has said, choosing instead to focus on the new game in the Zelda franchise.
According to the Wall Street Journal's Takashi Mochizuki, who was present during Nintendo's investor briefing today, the NX will not make its debut at E3. However, a new Zelda game, in development for both Wii U and NX, will make an appearance. Mochizuki also confirmed that the new Zelda game will be released for both platforms next year.