Should the NX be compatible with other Nintendo products?

[joshposh]

There are other key issues that Nintendo needs to address with the NX in order for it to be successful. We have already talked about matching the current next gen consoles to have more third party support. We already talked about digital games and no hard copies. Those are 2 things that will make it or break it for the NX. Now the next issue I want to discuss is the ability of the NX to be compatible with it portables and other devices.

Microsoft is going full board on backward capability by emulating the XBOX 360 on the ONE. That will increase it's game library and people are excited about that. Microsoft Windows 10 will be able to link your XBOX ONE to all of your computers. I'm not sure how that would up the worth of owning a ONE but I'm sure they will include service and gimmicks to make everything cohesive. By doing this, Microsoft has increased the value of the ONE by adding compatibility with it's already existing products.

Sony on the other hand is comfortable with it's sales lead, so they have done nothing in response. In a way I agree that a clear straight path is the easiest and smartest route, but you can't sit there in idle mode thinking that road won't get bumpy. You need to always look at ways to improve. You can stay in that straight line, just do a few tweaks and you'll get there faster.

What will the NX do to compete with that? They should incorporate all their current devices and future devices into the NX. Make it into a cohesive unit where the consumer can benefit from having a collection of Nintendo products. I'm not saying make have it emulate several Deceptacons where it transforms into Devastator, but I want the NX to be the central part of the unit and every device can play off of it and benefit off of one another. This will expand it's worth and focus on having people benefit from being a loyal Nintendo consumer.

 

[Damien Lee]

Yes, I believe that the Nintendo NX should have a certain level of backward compatibility with older consoles. However, since I do I have some knowledge of microprocessor architecture, this is easier said than done. Emulation would be the most feasible option as Nintendo could very well go with an x86-based processor just like their competitors. Ideally, I'd love to see backward compatibility stretch all the way back to the GameCube.

 

[dustinb12]

at this point, i hope and think so. from a consumer standpoint, i have a lot invested in the wii u alone. digital vc games, hard copies, amiibos, etc. I'm thinking there will be some kind of wireless transfer since there may be no disc drive. id love it if it flows with the 3ds, as in lets me play the vc games i purchased on one to the other. no matter what, they won't let us down

 

[GunGunW]

If it has a disc drive, I think it should be backwards compatible with Wii U and if it doesn't, it could let you download the Wii U games you bought from the e-shop; they could do this by making it compatible with the Wii U game pad, pro controller, and wii remotes/accessories and have connectivity to 3DS or whatever handheld is coming out as its successor.

 

[aboleth_lich]

Backwards compatibility is always a major plus and personally I think that it should be strived for as much as is technically possible.

 

[joshposh]

Yes, I believe that the Nintendo NX should have a certain level of backward compatibility with older consoles. However, since I do I have some knowledge of microprocessor architecture, this is easier said than done. Emulation would be the most feasible option as Nintendo could very well go with an x86-based processor just like their competitors. Ideally, I'd love to see backward compatibility stretch all the way back to the GameCube.

If they could emulate games as war as the Nintendo 64 that would be awesome!! From a consumer stand points, if I was torn between the tree consoles out there right now and I was told that with the NX you could get access to 1000s of game right off the bat, because it was backward compatible to the last 20 years, that would be a major deciding factor. Those games are still fun to play. They aren't to top tier games anymore but they are still great party games and other gems that have yet to be discovered.

Now what most here are not talking about is future compatibility. I'm sure Nintendo has a another portable gaming device in the works. Might as well add that as a expandable device or to the point where it benefits to have Nintendo devices under the same roof playing off or expanding off of each other like how Microsoft is doing with Windows 10.

I think for the most part consumers will most likely stick to a brand more often then most are lead to believe. I have my person favorite brands that I stick to religiously because of quality and long standing reliability. Nintendo has to build that back up when they dominated 8 and 16 bit console bars. If they didn't dominate that era, then they certainly took a majority chunk of the dollar pie.

So guys lets talk more about future compatibility and expansion. I would love the hear more about that.

 

[sleepypuff]

If I'm going to be paying a few hundred dollars for something and I have the option of it being backwards compatible, I'll always go for that, but it's not mandatory.
It's only in the last few generations of gaming that backwards compatibility has become a thing.
When the NES was replaced with the Super NES, or Super NES with the N64, it was just accepted that you wouldn't be able to play your old games on your new console. Now, we want everything to be compatible with everything.
It's a nice bonus, but not a deal-breaker for me.

 

[Hyrule Chicken]

I agree with pretty much everyone here. Backwards compatibility is definitely a huge plus, if only because I'm running out of HDMI ports in my TV and I'd love to be able to retire my previous console. But that being said, it isn't a deal breaker for me if it isn't.