Nintendo has a new console arriving in March of 2017. That is seven months away and they have yet to officially unveil their console. With the hope of regaining a popular margin of the gaming population again, Nintendo aims to come out the gates swinging. However, Nintendo is going to have to make some bold moves to get there.
Nintendo wants a to re-captivate casual gamers, while also catering to the hardcore. This has always been something Nintendo has had a little trouble with. After Wii, many gamers scoffed at the motion controls and family friendly unit, but the Wii was the best selling console of the last generation (PS3, 360, Wii) thanks to the fact that so many people, who never considered themselves gamers, were amazed by it. The Wii was a video game phenomenon that made people play games again. Coupled with that the success of the Nintendo DS, Nintendo helped the casual gaming market explode leading to the popularity of mobi,le gaming on smart phones.
This has ended up really hurting Nintendo, however, as they now have to compete with the market they helped popularize. It is hard to convince people to purchase machines completely dedicated to gaming anymore. Smart phones can do more and play games. Most people don't care if Mario is jumping on their device or not, and that is what Nintendo's biggest challenge is: convincing people that they do.
The surprise success of Pokemon Go is a sign of the demand for classic Nintendo franchises. Nintendo 3DS sales have gone up since the games release, even though the game isn't playable on the system. People want Nintendo games again and what Nintendo has in store might be perfect. 'NX' is the codename for Nintendo's new console, and recent news from Eurogamer suggests that the console is a mobile/home console hybrid. This means that one could play games on their T.V. and on the go. If marketed correctly Nintendo could have a hit on their hands.
What Nintendo needs to do is have a strong lineup for the console that will make people excited for them again. Combining the mobile and home gaming market and pouring all resources into that helps them have a singular focus on making games for just one console. This gives them a chance to hit all their bases, so they can reach for the casual and hardcore market.
Rumors again have been circulating that within the first six months of the consoles release we will see Zelda, Mario and Pokemon. Three of Nintendo's biggest franchises right out would be huge and the generally very positive response to these games from critics will help as well.
Nintendo can't screw up the marketing. What sealed the deal for Wii U before it was even released was its poor marketing. A bad name and little advertising differentiating it from the Wii lead to its early demise. Nintendo has learned from this mistake though and know they have to smarter with the NX, because if they fail it will be very hard for them to get back up.
