Nintendo NX Release Date: Another Analyst Says Console Will Release This Year
Another analyst has recently stated that the upcoming Nintendo NX release date will be this year. The latest prediction agrees with previous forecasts from other analysts.
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that an analyst of the American research firm IHS Inc. believes the Nintendo NX will be unveiled in the summer and released within the year.
"We expect a small recovery in shipments of flat-panel displays for game devices because of Nintendo's new game hardware expected to be released in 2016," said Hiroshi Hayase, a senior principal analyst at IHS Technology, part of IHS, at the firm's display forum held in Tokyo.
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Hayase is referring to IHS' data showing shipments of displays sized between 3.1 inches and 5 inches will increase from 14.1 million units in 2015 to 16.5 million units in 2016, while OLED displays will still not be used. However, he failed to mention what display size the Nintendo NX will have.
In addition to the device's release date, he said that the Nintendo NX will be a stand-alone portable gaming machine like the 3DS. A Nintendo spokesperson has declined to comment on any of this but said the company will announce details about the device this year. There's no information yet on when this announcement will be made.
Hayase's statement echoes the previous forecast made by Macquarie Capital Securities analyst David Gibson. Gibson recently said that he expects "a portable NX" to release in November for $200 to $300, while a partner console, which will have augmented reality functions, will launch in 2017. In addition, Gibson also said some of the five smartphone games Nintendo and partner DeNA plan to launch next year will "work with" the NX.
Still another analyst, Nomura Securities' Junko Yamamura, said earlier this month that the Nintendo NX will be announced between March and May, unveiled in June, and ultimately released between October and November in time for this year's holiday shopping season.
The Nintendo NX's release date was also recently rumored to have been leaked by a GameStop survey, which asked respondents how likely they were to purchase the device "in the next 12 months." Nintendo has yet to announce a release date or window for the device, though.
