The operating system for Nintendo's platform codenamed NX will allegedly be Android based, Japanese business outlet Nikkei reports.
According to the report, found and translated by NeoGAF user duckroll, claims that NX’s operating system is Android based come via an insider source. The move to an open platform like Android is an attempt by Nintendo to give “developers more flexibility in making content that can also be on smartphones and tablets.”
The "dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept” platform was revealed in March during an announcement of Nintendo's plans to create official Nintendo smartphone games. NX’s unveiling during the briefing served to prove that the move into smartphone games wasn’t a sign of lost passion or vision for dedicated game systems.While details on NX are currently scarce, Iwata previously stated that Nintendo may take a wildly different direction with the new system than with its past platforms. Nintendo expects to share more details about NX next year.
Its partnership with Japanese mobile gaming company DeNA to develop smartphone games also involves a new membership service will support various platforms such as PCs, smartphones, tablets, Nintendo’s hardware devices, and the NX. The new service will replace Nintendo's customer loyalty program Club Nintendo that the company is phasing out worldwide this year to prepare for the new program.
In the recent episode IGN's Nintendo Voice Chat, hosts Jose Otero and Peer Schneider discuss Codename NX predictions.
Jenna Pitcher is a freelance journalist writing for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter.