Nintendo NX specs, release date & update: CEO Tatsumi Kimishima says latest console will be a 'new experience'

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Contrary to popular belief, the Nintendo NX will be a unique addition on its own and will not replace the Wii or Wii U, according to Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima.

In an interview to Time, Kimishima revealed that the NX is a new console that is in a league of its own.

"As far as NX goes, I've said it's different and obviously a new experience," Kimishima said. "If you look back to the beginning of our conversation today, we talked about the transition from Wii hardware to the Wii U hardware and how difficult it is to explain to the consumer base what is different and new about the new hardware. It's difficult to convince them to switch from their current platform to the next platform."

He added that the Nintendo NX is not a new version of the Wii or Wii U and it is something that company has been building to appeal better to gamers today.

When asked what the "NX" means, the CEO did not know where it comes from.

"Or perhaps Mr. Iwata had meant to tell me and then never got the chance," he said.

Satoru Iwata was the longtime president and CEO of the company. He passed away on July this year due to a bile duct growth. Kimishima replaced Iwata on September.

Details of the new gaming console are tightly under wraps. Game Rant states that they will reveal the NX next year but before that time, Kimishima says that they have a duty for their Wii U customers.

"Of course we are working on NX and looking at the experiences we can bring to that platform," he said. "but first our job at this point is to support the consumers who have purchased Wii U and make sure that they have software experiences available to them."

Softpedia notes that the NX may be beefed up with hardware similar to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Additionally, the console will be disc-less and players will soon have to get their content from clouds. There are also speculations that the NX might have a virtual reality capability that is already integrated in the console. The process and graphics card might reportedly come from AMD. It is also unclear if the NX will have health-related concepts as the company has mentioned in the past.

According to rumors, the NX might be launched in stores during summer as the production might increase over next year's spring due to the plan of the company shipping 12 million units.