Nintendo NX Rumored To Drop Discs For Cartridges

Macronix, the Chinese memory manufacturer that provides Nintendo's ROM chips - used in both consoles and for 3DS game cartridges - have sparked speculation as to whether the upcoming Nintendo NX will drop the use of optical disc drives in favor of cartridges

Screen Critics pointed the companies financial statements which reportedly shows that it's expecting an increased order of ROM chips from Nintendo, and the company chairman Wu Miin made specific reference to the NX in his financial briefing (reported by Money-Link and translated by NeoGAF user Jim Cacher):

"Macronix's ROM chips are usually supplied to videogame console maker, Nintendo. Although the sales is in off season during the first quarter, the revenue is similar compared with the same period last year. Wu Miin suggested that as Nintendo had just announced it will release a new generation console in March next year, and the console will be launched at the same time in Japan, America and Europe, so ROM's sales is expected to increase in the latter half of this year, and it will have a large growth potential."

An increased need for ROM chips beyond the usual required for 3DS game production has been seen by some as possible evidence of Nintendo's return to cartrdige-based game.

There's a rumor that the NX would be a handheld/home console hybrid, and if that's true, the lack of disc drive would make the console far more portable.

According to Screen Critics, Macronix also recently began testing chips with a capacity of 32GB, which could be what Nintendo is planning to purchase. While the Playstation 4 and Xbox One both use 50GB capacity Blu-Ray discs, there's question as to whether Nintendo would use a format that reduced the need for installs, but still needed for many modern games.

It looks like Nintendo is planning to launch something revolutionary here. The Legend of Zelda'sdelay may have weakened the line-up this year, but at least the company is presenting it on this year's E3, and who knows? Maybe the company will surprise the world at the convention with unannounced details about their upcoming new system.