Nintendo surprised us all when it finally came around and announced that it intends to begin releasing mobile games for smartphones and tablets that make use of its iconic characters. It looks like Nintendo’s mobile gaming plans might only be the tip of the iceberg, however, as a new report from Japanese financial paper Nikkei claims that the company’s next home video game console will be powered by Android.
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In a move that would mark yet another huge departure for Nintendo, the company will reportedly ditch its proprietary operating system and use Google’s mobile platform to power its next-generation console. Nintendo’s wildly successful Wii and its wildly unsuccessful Wii U both use an OS developed in-house by Nintendo.
According to an unnamed insider who spoke with Nikkei, Nintendo will use Android in part to help it attract more interest from developers. Of course, this could end up being a double-edged sword for Nintendo — most developers that currently create games for the Android platform have never built anything that comes close to resembling a home console-quality game.
Nintendo’s next-generation home video game console is reportedly codenamed “Nintendo NX,” though precious little is known about it at this point. Reports claim the company is accelerating its development in light of the troubles the Wii U continues to face, but it won’t be ready in time for the annual E3 video game conference this year.
