When Nintendo said they would talk more about their new console in 2016 we assumed that they meant E3. I mean that is where console launches happen. You get on a big stage with flashing lights then you show off a bunch of cool games that are ‘only possible’ on your new shiny toy. That is just how it is done. Well Nintendo went another way. They got in front of their board members and said it is launching globally March 2017. Oh and that it will get a port of the Wii U version of Zelda.
That was it. No fan fair, no lights, no nothing. Way to get the crowds excited! Worse yet they said that the console would be skipping E3 completely. The focus of their 2016 E3 would be the Wii U version of the Zelda game that no one is going to want because they are going to want the Nintendo NX version. Not to mention the date. Who in their right mind launches a console in March? Get it out there just in time for Summer when kids go outside to play? Are they worried the new Xbox will be out next Christmas so they are trying to get jump on the competition? Who knows.
Nintendo has kind of always done its own thing, and that is great, but this feels like a mistake. They should have had an E3 where they focused on Zelda like they were planning, and then just have “One more thing”ed it like Apple always does. Fans would have gone crazy. Instead now we are just wondering when we are going to get our first look at this new machine. PAX West? Probably not since they will try and push the Wii U for one last Christmas. CES? I guess that would make sense. They would pretty much get the whole show to themselves. Though my bet is they release one of those puppet YouTube videos. I do love puppets.
Regardless of what their plans are, congratulations Nintendo on the most boring and confusing console announcement in recent history!