Iwata reiterates plan for a common OS for programming next console & handheld

[handygrafx]

First, here is what Satoru Iwata said in January of 2013:
 
Corporate Management Policy Briefing/ Third Quarter Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ending March 2013   

Jan. 31, 2013

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/130131/05.html

As you might already know from some newspaper reports, we will reorganize our development divisions next month for the first time in nine years. Two divisions which have independently developed handheld devices and home consoles will be united to form the Integrated Research & Development Division, which will be headed by Genyo Takeda, Senior Managing Director.

Last year we also started a project to integrate the architecture for our future platforms. What we mean by integrating platforms is not integrating handhelds devices and home consoles to make only one machine. What we are aiming at is to integrate the architecture to form a common basis for software development so that we can make software assets more transferrable, and operating systems and their build-in applications more portable, regardless of form factor or performance of each platform. They will also work to avoid software lineup shortages or software development delays which tend to happen just after the launch of new hardware.

Some time ago it was technologically impossible to have the same architecture for handheld devices and home consoles and what we did was therefore reasonable. Although it has not been long since we began to integrate the architecture and this will have no short-term result, we believe that it will provide a great benefit to our platform business in the long run. I am covering this topic as today is our Corporate Management Policy Briefing.

Now in 2014, Iwata elaborates on what he said a year ago:


Corporate Management Policy Briefing / Third Quarter Financial Results Briefing
for the 74th Fiscal Term Ending March 2014


http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/140130qa/02.html

You have explained your concern about users being divided by hardware. Currently, you have both a handheld device business and a home console business. I would like to know whether the organizational changes that took place last year are going to lead to, for example, the integration of handheld devices and home consoles into one system over the medium term, or a focus on cost saving and the improvement of resource efficiency in the medium run. Please also explain if you still have room to reduce research and development expenses.
   
Iwata:

Last year Nintendo reorganized its R&D divisions and integrated the handheld device and home console development teams into one division under Mr. Takeda. Previously, our handheld video game devices and home video game consoles had to be developed separately as the technological requirements of each system, whether it was battery-powered or connected to a power supply, differed greatly, leading to completely different architectures and, hence, divergent methods of software development. However, because of vast technological advances, it became possible to achieve a fair degree of architectural integration. We discussed this point, and we ultimately concluded that it was the right time to integrate the two teams.

For example, currently it requires a huge amount of effort to port Wii software to Nintendo 3DS because not only their resolutions but also the methods of software development are entirely different. The same thing happens when we try to port Nintendo 3DS software to Wii U. If the transition of software from platform to platform can be made simpler, this will help solve the problem of game shortages in the launch periods of new platforms. Also, as technological advances took place at such a dramatic rate, and we were forced to choose the best technologies for video games under cost restrictions, each time we developed a new platform, we always ended up developing a system that was completely different from its predecessor. The only exception was when we went from Nintendo GameCube to Wii. Though the controller changed completely, the actual computer and graphics chips were developed very smoothly as they were very similar to those of Nintendo GameCube, but all the other systems required ground-up effort. However, I think that we no longer need this kind of effort under the current circumstances. In this perspective, while we are only going to be able to start this with the next system, it will become important for us to accurately take advantage of what we have done with the Wii U architecture. It of course does not mean that we are going to use exactly the same architecture as Wii U, but we are going to create a system that can absorb the Wii U architecture adequately. When this happens, home consoles and handheld devices will no longer be completely different, and they will become like brothers in a family of systems.

Still, I am not sure if the form factor (the size and configuration of the hardware) will be integrated. In contrast, the number of form factors might increase. Currently, we can only provide two form factors because if we had three or four different architectures, we would face serious shortages of software on every platform. To cite a specific case, Apple is able to release smart devices with various form factors one after another because there is one way of programming adopted by all platforms. Apple has a common platform called iOS. Another example is Android. Though there are various models, Android does not face software shortages because there is one common way of programming on the Android platform that works with various models. The point is, Nintendo platforms should be like those two examples. Whether we will ultimately need just one device will be determined by what consumers demand in the future, and that is not something we know at the moment. However, we are hoping to change and correct the situation in which we develop games for different platforms individually and sometimes disappoint consumers with game shortages as we attempt to move from one platform to another, and we believe that we will be able to deliver tangible results in the future.

So if we carefully read what Iwata has said twice now, this does not mean Nintendo is developing some hybrid console-handheld device. 

It means they're working on a common OS and architecture for their next generation platforms, each with a different level of performance / speed -- Like iPhone and iPad, various Android devices, or think of it like PCs, highend & lowend. They can run the same games but at different resolutions & framerates. 

There will most likely be two Nintendo systems in the future, at least, possibly more than two. But they won't use totally different architectures like GBA and GameCube, DS and Wii or 3DS and Wii U.   

This effort to form a common architecture and OS started in 2012.  It had to be well under way in 2013. 

It does not mean Nintendo will release a new console this year or even in 2015.   Iwata originally stated their efforts would have no short-term effects. This would only benefit Nintendo in the long term.   So my guess is, whatever Nintendo's next gen console (and handheld) are, they're probably going to be introduced to the market sometime in 2016


Wii U will probably go out with a bang when  Zelda U drops, most likely in the 4th quarter of 2015.

[TR0N]

Nintendo is not dropping the wii u by next year.It would be suicide if they did any ways.If they were in finical trouble i could see why but they have plenty in the bank.BTW i was watching earlier what addam of revgames thinks.

[Slypty]

  Nintendo would lose too much if they dropped the Wii U.  Yes they've lost money on it already, but the investments they have in software and the networks and 3rd party developers they have working with them, are probably more valuable as allies then making a sturdy profit.  The Wii U actually did turn a profit in the 1st quarter of 260 Mill I think, but that's really just Christmas sales..

  Did anyone else notice this article:
'Sony officially buys Wii U DRAM manufacturing Plant'
http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/31/sony-officially-buys-wii-u-dram-manufacturing-plant-for-%C2%A57-51-billion/

  I find that acquisition really bizarre, why would Sony do that?  It only leads me to believe a few options:
- Sony is developing a Nintendo phone and the Chipset is being merged with the Wii U.. so that Sony developers can have a private look and development of the Wii U Chip, and how that can be further developed.
-  Or that Sony is absolutely murdering Nintendo, buying this Plant and finding all the big N's secrets.

  Any thoughts?  Of all the manufacturing plants to buy, a $73 million dollar plant is relatively small.. it's a little bit out of left field.

[Necromancer]

Sony bought the plant because they wanted to use it to make something for themselves, nothing more.  There's no secrets to be learned about the Wii U, at least not from that company; they only package the CPU and GPU (they don't make them) and DRAM is hardly unique to them.

[Slypty]

Sony bought the plant because they wanted to use it to make something for themselves, nothing more.  There's no secrets to be learned about the Wii U, at least not from that company; they only package the CPU and GPU (they don't make them) and DRAM is hardly unique to them.

  Damn I just want to see a Sony/Nintendo phone.

[handygrafx]

Nintendo won't be dropping the Wii U in 2014, or 2015.

The soonest we might possibily see the next Nintendo home console in stores would probably be November 2016.  That would be the earliest.     It might not be released until fall 2017.

Naturally Nintendo will be watching carefully to see how much Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros Wii U boost hardware sales this year.

There is also, of course, the next main Legend of Zelda game "Zelda U" as most people refer to it.  That game could easily be revealed for the first time at this years E3 in June, and be released in fall of 2015.

Nintendo no doubt has some other aces up its sleeve for Wii U, to keep it alive over the next several years.

However it's pretty damn clear, at this point in time, that Wii U will probably not be on the market for 6 years (since fall 2012)  before its replacement is on sale.

It also goes without saying, Nintendo is not Sega. 

Nintendo has no doubt carefully studied ALL of Sega's mistakes, including the comment at E3 1997 by Bernie Stolar when he said "the Saturn is not our future", 2 years after Saturn's limited initial May '97 U.S. release, and about 2 years before Dreamcast's release in the western world.

Nintendo is not going to suddenly drop Wii U hardware, or support for it. 

I would imagine, barring some incredible turnaround, Nintendo will execute a careful, phased withdrawal of Wii U.   They'll be mindful not to piss off Wii U owners, and also not to piss off the legions of Nintendo fans, or the public in general, all of whom Nintendo will be counting on to support its next console and next handheld sometime during the second half of this decade.

[jeffhlewis]

Still think it's only a matter of time until Nintendo is going to be forced to develop for other platforms. Just delaying the inevitable. I do think though that they'll stay active in the handheld market, as they've owned that space pretty soundly a long time.

This is an interesting read: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-secret-developers-wii-u-the-inside-story

[Arkhan]

Nintendo is fine.   I like watching dumbass westerners putting together all these videos about what went wrong and shit as if they really have any grasp on the matter.

Come Summer, the Wii U will be flying off the shelves probably, because a game that makes everyone's dick hard will show up.

Then, all these stupid people on the internet will quickly shut their mouths and go OMFG NINTENDUH

I LOVES YOU.

[wildfruit]

My wii u already gives me the hotd Pikmin 3 is beautiful, Mario 3d land is fun, and i can play games in bed without worrying about controller or headphone length. I love it

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