Nikkei: Nintendo NX to run on Android

Nintendo‘s next console, code-named NX, will run on an Android-based operating system, according to a report from Japanese newspaper Nikkei.

Nintendo hardware generally runs on its own proprietary operating system. Nintendo changing to that of an external company like Google would be a major shift for the console manufacturer.

Nikkei, citing “authorized people,” says that with Android, Nintendo is inviting all developers to create software for the platform, and software that can also be released on tablets and smartphones.

The report adds that Nintendo’s latest console, Wii U, backfired due to its high development costs, incompatibility with other consoles, and difficulty to make a profit unless a game was developed exclusively for the platform.

It continues to say that software makers have been moving away from Nintendo, using the following example that has been making the rounds on Japanese blogs this morning: “Wii U’s only epic title (Editor’s note: epic in terms of scale), Dragon Quest, will be available on PS4 starting from the next game in the series.”

Square Enix has since issued a statement saying the newspaper was referring to Dragon Quest Heroes II, not the still unannounced Dragon Quest XI. However, it does feels a bit unnatural for the paper to acknowledge Dragon Quest Heroes II as if the original Dragon Quest Heroes didn’t exist. Nevertheless, Nikkei has since updated its article to remove the “starting from” bit. Now it’s more so, “Wii U’s only epic title, Dragon Quest, the next game will be available on PS4.”

Thanks, NeoGAF.