Report: Nintendo’s next system is a console/portable hybrid for 2016

Based on this graphic, the NX will be invisible.

Nintendo has been largely silent about its upcoming replacement for the Wii U, codenamed NX, since it offhandedly announced its existence back in March. The only real hint of news for the system since then has been Square Enix's surprise announcement of Dragon Quest XI's development for the system.

Now, the Wall Street Journal cites unnamed insider sources in reporting that development kits for the console are currently going out in advance of a launch "as early as next year." That timeline isn't all that surprising, given the timing of Nintendo's announcement (and its declared plans to officially reveal more about the console next year). What is somewhat surprising are some vague details about the system's design, relayed to the WSJ by "people familiar with the development plans."

Those sources suggest the NX will integrate a TV-based console with "at least one mobile unit that could either be used in conjunction with the console or taken on the road for separate use." There has been plenty of speculation that Nintendo would look to consolidate its struggling console business with its successful portable efforts in this way, but this is among the more concrete suggestions that such a plan is in the works.