Pachter: Nintendo NX is ‘doomed’ without third-party backing

Games industry analyst Michael Pachter has said that third-party support is vital to the success of Nintendo’s next home console.

Writing in a column published by SIFTD (and then reported by Nintendo Insider), the Wedbush analyst said that the NX would be ‘doomed’ from the off if it fails to get other publishers on board.

"If Nintendo gets the same level of support for NX that it got for the Wii U, it’s doomed before it launches," he predicted.

"That’s much, much more important than the price. If they get third-party support, if they make it in such a way that everyone can port every game over and the incremental cost to make it for Xbox One, PS4 and NX is $1 to $2 million, every game will be there.”

Pachter added that Nintendo should dial back its reliance on quirky hardware or control schemes, despite its focus on unique elements in the Wii, 3DS and Wii U, and become more conventional in its approach to the home console space.

"If it’s a whole different language, or requires a whole different programming scheme, or requires something to do with the GamePad where you’ve got the controller different the way Wii U works, it’s doomed,” he continued. No one’s going to support it.

"The more this thing looks like a PS4 or Xbox One I think the better it does, and, ultimately, the only people who are going to buy it are people that don’t have a PS4 or Xbox One – or people who have a PS4 or Xbox One, and want to play Nintendo games."

Nintendo has already stated that it will reveal more about the NX next year, leading some parties to predict a 2016 launch for the new console.