Nintendo has had a rough few years. The Japanese video game giant’s last console, the Wii U, absolutely tanked. As such, the company is skyrocketing away from it on the way towards its next console. However, even though Nintendo has seen better days, they still remain one of the most beloved (if not the most) video game companies in history. Millions of fans are awaiting Nintendo’s next console, dubbed the NX, and we’ve got good news: it’s almost here.
Rumors and speculation regarding the Japanese game console have been swirling around the internet like crazy the past few weeks, and now there is a brand-new rumor that could potentially be a game-changer for the Nintendo NX: it could be region-free.
The Nintendo NX could be region-free
According to new reports, the Nintendo NX could ship without region-locking, a system of locking games from certain regions so they function only in their respective region. If the console indeed lacks region-locking, then it would allow owners to buy and play video games from any country in the world.
Video game blog Let’s Play Video Games has cited “reliable” sources with insider knowledge of the Nintendo NX who have said that early development kits of the console have been able to run software from any region on the planet.
This would be an incredibly major change from Nintendo’s previous consoles of the past couple decades. The Wii U, Wii, and GameCube, and more were only able to run games that came from their region of origin. This means that American Nintendo console owners, for example, had to miss out on great Japanese titles such as Disaster: Day of Crisis, Doshin the Giant, and Captain Rainbow.
These titles, as well as many other Nintendo-published titles had Japanese and European launches, but due to the region-locking of Nintendo’s consoles, they never saw a state-side release. If the NX is indeed region-free, then it would allow gamers to import games that would otherwise not see a release in their home countries and play them without any worry of them not functioning.
The NX could be the next region-free handheld
Up until the release of the Nintendo 3DS, the company’s handhelds had traditionally been region-free as well. Obviously, this means that handheld owners had the ability to play any game released anywhere in the world.
The Nintendo NX is rumored to be a portable system, and new reports state that the dockable hardware (with its expected detachable controllers attached) could be slightly thicker than a Nintendo 3DS XL. Still, Nintendo has not yet announced any sort of successor for the 3DS or the Wii U.
Still total speculation on what the NX really is
This might be because there is still little to no information on what the Nintendo NX will actually be. Despite rumors stating that the console is a handheld/home console hybrid, or that it has detachable controllers, and so forth, Nintendo has been entirely mum about its next gaming system. Everything that has emerged regarding the Nintendo NX, beyond the existence of the project itself, March 2017 launch window, and a handful of titles, is completely speculative and unconfirmed.
Nintendo has yet to announce any sort of event in which they will speak upon the NX, but be sure that we will cover any detail that emerges regarding the so-far elusive video game console.
