Nintendo NX console global release confirmed for March 2017

Nintendo has revealed via a financial report that the company's next home console, codenamed the Nintendo NX, will launch globally in March 2017.

The Kyoto-based publisher clarified the low-key reveal in a news post, where it stated that the NX will not be shown at the E3 2016 event in Los Angeles and instead will be unveiled to the public "later this year."

The NX is described in the original report as a "smart device" and a "brand-new concept" although with fake leaks and quashed rumours abound, there is very little detail on what these terms could mean for the eventual design and function of the console.

Interestingly, the report notes that the NX has been designed to create a "synergetic effect between the smart device business and Nintendo's dedicated game system business." This coincides with news that the Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem franchises will come to smartphones following the successful worldwide launch of the Miitomo social media app on 31 March.

The financial briefing also revealed that the next title in the The Legend of Zelda series will arrive on both the NX and Wii U. The decision has resulted in a further delay for the eagerly awaited next installment which was originally scheduled for release this year.

Takashi Mochizuki from Wall Street Journal is reporting that the NX is not intended as a replacement for the Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS handheld - a statement he attributes to the Nintendo CEO in the below tweet.