The Nintendo NX could be upgradable and cloud based, according to a new patent.
A new patent filed with the American patent office might have just given away some details about Nintendo’s next console.
The patent seems to suggest that a new system – most likely the NX – will be able to draw additional processing power from other computing devices.
In the application (numbered 20150343306, as spotted by MCV), a unit described as the “game console” can connect to what are described as “supplemental computing devices” to “increase the speed or quality of a user’s gaming experience” via wires, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
Sadly, the patent doesn’t go into detail about what these supplemental devices will be though, as they could be N64-style Expansion Pak upgrades or full PC-type units.
Related: Everything we know about the Nintendo NX
The patent also goes into detail about the fact you could connect multiple supplementary devices via wires, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, implying that users could also set up their devices to be available over the internet.
Does this mean that there might be a cloud-based system for the NX? Well, it seems so.
The idea is that a user’s system will connect with all available resources, then you’ll be able to assign suitable processing tasks to each one, freeing up resources and increasing power.
This could potentially allow Nintendo to ship low cost, lower power consoles to gamers initially and offer additional power from the total user base’s overall pool of consoles.
We won’t find out more until Nintendo gives us the official details sometime in 2016.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
