Digi-Capital: Nintendo NX may be a virtual reality social platform

Nintendo is not embarrassed about downplaying virtual reality social networking. On the contrary, this may be one of the reasons why Nintendo's new console NX will be a virtual reality game console.

The above is the conclusion made by Digi-Capital, a financial information analysis company. Digi-Capital also speculates that virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) will become the next "blue ocean", and Nintendo has already regarded this free market as its own.

"We firmly believe that in order for this technology to move forward, you have to make it fun and social," Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said in June of virtual reality. "I haven't been to the show yet, so I can't say anything about the products on display today, but from what I've seen, these things aren't fun, these things aren't social. It's just technology."

Shigeru Miyamoto expressed similar sentiments later that month: "The types of VR products that are available now don't quite fit in with Nintendo's philosophy, which is to create entertainment products that people can play together in the living room. We're always looking at different technologies and experimenting with different elements of those technologies, but we feel that VR is not ready yet - it's not a product that fits our philosophy and is suitable for use in the living room."

So what are Nintendo's options for developing a non-VR console? Many people believe that Android has been ruled out (yes, the fate of Ouya is enough to make people give up the idea), and the poor sales of the Wii U console have also ruled out the idea of ​​developing "another low-end traditional console." In addition, why would Nintendo try so hard to compete with the powerful PS4 and Xbox One?

Of course, there are many different opinions on the future direction of the virtual reality market, as important players such as Facebook, Steam and Sony are already ready to make a big move in this field.

Digi-Capital's view is different from others in that it has made a different interpretation of Nintendo's previous comments on virtual reality. It believes that Nintendo's previous remarks were not a denial of virtual reality as a whole, but a criticism of the current state of technology application in the field of virtual reality.

Digi-Capital's conclusion from this is that the NX console will focus on providing social virtual reality or augmented reality gaming experiences.

Digi-Capital speculates that Nintendo's product will be a low-cost dedicated game console with hardware specifications lower than PS4 and Xbox One, but most suitable for virtual reality or augmented reality. This console will be equipped with a low-cost head-mounted display, perhaps in appearance, very similar to Samsung's Gear VR, and of course, it will be linked to Nintendo's smartphone business plan.

Digi-Capital also believes that Nintendo will also include a controller designed specifically for virtual reality, which will function like the Wii Remote in console games.

"It looks a bit like applying the Wii strategy to the VR and AR markets in light of the rise of smartphones, while allowing Nintendo to use its own products to 'tune the balance of the industry in a good way'."