Rumor: Nintendo's NX Uses an Android-Based OS?

There are three things we know about Nintendo’s upcoming gaming console: It’s called the NX, Nintendo might make it region free, and they won’t be talking about it at this year’s E3. That last bit might hint at the fact we won’t be seeing the NX until (at the earliest) late next year, but that’s just speculation: point remains, we know very, very little, and Nintendo seems keen on keeping it that way.

However, Nintendo does not live in a vacuum, as much as it likes to act like it does. And according to a Japanese newspaper Nikkei, an insider source approached them with information that the NX will be Android based.

Now there’s a headline for you.

The Android OS has a spotty history in the gaming world. While fine on smartphones themselves, the several times it’s been brought over to the console world (most famously with the critical failure of the Ouya, but also in other, less-well-known consoles) it has not gone over well for a number of reasons. The fact that Nintendo might indeed be planning a console to use a similar system—in conjunction with the fact that Nintendo also has some big plans in the new mobile market—is certainly pretty significant.

Now, there’s a reason I’m using the words “Based” and “Similar”—the anonymous source made a point in saying that the new OS would merely be based on the Android, not actually use it, and said that the primary purpose was merely for ease of development—it’s a familiar OS that most programmers can work with without much extra training.

But it did also say Nintendo was aware of the fact that it meant games could be moved to tablets and smartphones seamlessly, with a new Android-like OS.

So if Nintendo is, in fact, using a OS similar to an Android, does that mean gamer’s hopes of the NX being a more ‘hardcore’ system are crushed? No, but it certainly doesn’t bode well. Nintendo has been leaning further and further into the ‘casual’ sphere since the critical success of the Wii, and using an android-like OS might be Nintendo trying to rake in similar profits by emulating the success of the mobile market in a console environment. Will it work? Who can say?

It’s all just a rumor at this point. Granted, Nikkei has a pretty great track record when it comes to this kind of thing, so while we can’t call it a fact for sure, it’s definably in the “distinct possibility” list.