Waiting for September

It’s been just over two and a half months since E3 closed its doors and that Sony conference fired grin-inducing bedazzlement at my face. Since then it’s been mostly quiet for gaming news, but fast approaching is the next milestone of pixel related news… September.

A whole month of gaming stuff? Don’t be silly. As of now we have two events confirmed but my excitement for the whole month is borne of whispers and hearsay… At some point within September there could just be a new Nintendo announced. My heart skips a beat.

Those confirmed events though… On the 7th at 8pm UK time I’ll be tuning in to the PlayStation Meeting. Held in New York, Sony are expected to showcase two shiny new bits of kit. Unfortunately for them the first ones already been leaked. Well actually it’s been leaked, had videos of it being turned on and some CEX stores in England and even had it for sale. Instead of one falling off a lorry it looks like a whole lorry fell off a cliff into the laps of Youtubers and trade-in opportunists.

The PS4 Slim is just like a PS4, but it’s replaced chips with quinoa and had a kale smoothie for brekkie. Personally I prefer the look of the original but then it’s not really aimed at me. I’ve already got a PS4. It’s expected to be less expensive than the current model so those folk who fancied one but didn’t have £350 spare can finally join the party. The other model  (which hasn’t leaked but we know it’s coming) is the PS4 Neo. This is the model Sony hope I will buy, trading in my old machine and upgrading to something slightly more powerful with some extra bells and whistles.

I’m intrigued to see what it’s like and how much difference there is. This will be the first time that I remember a more powerful version of an existing console coming out. Normally you buy a console and you’re pretty much set for 5 years. This time they’re trying something different with a mid-gen refresh. My PS4 will still work and still play the new releases but some of you with more pocket money than me are going to play shinier versions of the same games. I will be jealous.

The other confirmed event is the Tokyo Game Show but unless you’re a fan of Japanese RPGS and dancing simulators then it’s probably not for you. I’d say more stuff about it but I’m far too eager to talk about Nintendo again.

Now just to be clear, Nintendo never said they would announce their next baby in September. They skipped E3 and said they’d show it later in the year. They said it releases next March and surely they have to announce it at least 6 months before release. Even that feels like cutting it fine. A bunch of recent rumours all point to the same thing and my fingers are crossed that they’re right. It’s going to be September.

“But what is it?” I hear you ask. Well I don’t blooming know. The rumour mill is fairly convinced we’re getting a handheld that also connects to your TV. Many people are already saying this has no appeal to them, that they want Nintendo to bring a real PS4 competitor. I call these folks idiots. Nintendo cannot compete with the PS4 and Xbox One, at least not for that share of the market. People already own those, their friends own them and they play FIFA or Call of

Duty online to their hearts content. They ain’t going to buy another box just to play Zelda. Although, that also makes them idiots.

Nintendo wants the kids, and the parents of kids. And the overgrown kids like me who kept them alive during the dark post-Wii years. They want the a share of the audience who’s primary gaming device is an iPad and who's Mario equivalent is Minecraft. Will they get them? That answer would fill a whole other blog, as I could gladly discuss this topic for eternity. For now I’ll just stick to me, the 31 year old Nintendo fan who has a Wii U beside his PS4 and a 3DS tucked away.

Nintendo consoles do not provide enough games to only own Nintendo consoles, at least enough for my tastes. What they do provide however is Nintendo games, and those are among my favourite things in all of life. They’ve announced one game for it, the new Zelda and with that announcement alone they had a customer. I was probably a customer anyway but now I’m a giddy customer throwing notes at the cashier on release day. The idea of one console that replaces the two Nintendo’s I own is lovely, the concept of a Nintendo that I play on a train then bring home and hook up to my TV is bliss. All of Nintendo’s uber-talented developers making games for one console instead of two… fudging heaven.

But what if I want to play Batman and Witcher etc? That’s what the PS4 is for, I don’t need two consoles doing the same thing.

Of course all of this is unconfirmed. They could end up announcing a shoebox with Mario puppets and instructions on making your own fun. At which point I’ll break down and cry. My emotional state will be insecure when this is all happening. I know how I get when E3 comes round and my wife knows to generally not speak to me when it all goes wrong (Nintendo’s e3 of 2015.. the raaaage) I will be uncontrollable and emotionally unequipped to deal with this reveal rationally. Which could be fun for anyone observing. Whatever happens, there's no stopping the hype train untill that reveal. Choo-fricking-choo.