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Nintendo NX release date: Launch delayed due to secret feature?

The Nintendo NX console’s mysterious nature and delayed launch has been explained by the man behind Mario and Zelda.

Many were disappointed when it emerged that Nintendo’s next big console wouldn’t be making an appearance in 2016. However, they could at least feel comforted by a firm March 2017 launch commitment.

Now Shigeru Miyamoto, the creative force behind many of Nintendo’s biggest properties, has explained why the Nintendo NX remains such a mystery – and why its official unveiling had to be pushed back.

“In terms of NX, there’s an idea that we’re working on,” Miyamoto told Associated Press (via The Express). “That’s why we can’t share anything at this point.”

“If it was just a matter of following advancements in technology, things would be coming out a lot quicker,” he continued.

In other words, Nintendo is planning to work a major new innovation into its next games console, the likes of which we haven’t yet seen from the more generically specced PS4 and Xbox One.

The implementation of this big feature could explain why, according to some analysts, the Nintendo NX may even miss its March 2017 launch window. Some feel that Nintendo would have shown off its NX hardware by now if it was still on target.

So what could this new feature be? Many have speculated that the Nintendo NX might be VR or AR-ready out of the box.

Related: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Everything we know

Back in February, Nintendo confirmed that it was looking into VR. More recently, however, Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Amie appeared to pour cold water on the VR idea, saying that the technology “needs to be mainstream” before the company will consider a second stab at it. It has been burned by VR before with 1995’s ill-fated Virtual Boy.

What do you think the Nintendo NX’s big idea could be? Let us know in the comments.

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