Nintendo to launch NX video game console next year

Nintendo confirmed Wednesday it will launch its successor to the Wii U -- code-named NX -- worldwide on March 2017.

Nintendo also revealed one of the first games appearing on the home video game console: The Legend of Zelda. The next chapter in the adventure series will launch on both Wii U and NX next year.

However, Nintendo says the NX will not be shown during June's Electronic Entertainment Expo. Instead, the company says it will turn its full attention during the video game showcase to the next Zelda game. Last year, Nintendo had said more details on NX would be revealed during E3.

Nintendo revealed the first details of NX as part of its earnings call for the fiscal year, showing a 61% plunge in earnings from the year before.

Reports suggest the NX will combine features of home console and handheld devices. According to a Wall Street Journal report from October, NX will boast a home and mobile device players can use together or take with them to use separately. The device will also reportedly use processing chips similar to rival devices PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Nintendo is pushing NX after its current device, the Wii U, failed to catch on with video game consumers. Sales of the Wii U reached 12.8 million since launching in 2012. By comparison, PlayStation 4 -- which launched a year later -- boasts lifetime sales of nearly 36 million. Microsoft has not disclosed official lifetime sales figures from Xbox One, which launched around the same time as PS4, but reports suggest shipments around 19 million.

:story: USA Today