Its impossible to know from these leaks how far either of these plans progressed, but its interesting to see how far back Nintendos interest in the Switchs hybrid form-factor goes. Its another remarkable peek into the history of one of gamings most secretive companies.
There have actually been plenty of homebrew attempts to make a portable GameCube console. When @GingerOfMods produced a lovely Game Boy Color-style portable that was capable of playing both Wii and GameCube video games, the most trendy of these came previously this year. Or, if you prefer the Game Boy Advance SPs form-factor to the Game Boy Color, then theres this project from in 2015.
Although it was a very different console to whats revealed in this leaked presentation, the Wii did utilize hardware created by ATI (now part of AMD), whose branding appears in the pitch deck.
Before Nintendo released the Switch, the company had early strategies to create a comparable portable based on its renowned GameCube console, dripped internal documents suggest. Theres likewise a dripped discussion which recommends that Nintendo explored the idea of launching a high-definition console that would have competed more straight with the PS3 and Xbox 360. A technical diagram describes a portable console that could be connected to a TV through a dock including GameCube controller ports, memory card slots, and a port for an SD card.
Obviously, Nintendo never followed through with these plans, and rather released the Nintendo Wii in 2006. The Wii provided an unique motion-based control plan, and hardware that was restricted to standard-definition graphics. It was remarkably effective, and eventually sold over 100 million units, more than both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Before Nintendo released the Switch, the company had early strategies to create a similar handheld based upon its iconic GameCube console, dripped internal files recommend. Theres likewise a leaked presentation which suggests that Nintendo explored the idea of launching a high-definition console that would have completed more directly with the PS3 and Xbox 360. Eurogamer keeps in mind that the files appear to have originated from the very same source as Julys “gigaleak.”.
A technical diagram outlines a portable console that could be connected to a TV by means of a dock featuring GameCube controller ports, memory card slots, and a port for an SD card. Its unclear if the job ever made it past this early preparation stage. The GameCube had a little carrying handle, implying that it was technically more portable than either the PlayStation 2 or Xbox, even if you still had to utilize an external screen, controllers, and source of power.
Along with details of a portable GameCube, Eurogamer likewise indicates leaked documents that suggest Nintendo explored producing a more standard console follow-up to the GameCube. This high-definition console would have been released in late 2005 and contended straight with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with a lower cost point and a larger concentrate on games over general multimedia.
