14 DAY TRIAL // One of the big announcements made during E3 2015 by Microsoft is that it is introducing a new Early Access-like program on the Xbox One, allowing gamers to pay for games early as long as they can deliver a free demo of all their core mechanics.
It seems that Nintendo might also try something similar in the future, although the specific details might be somewhat different.
Damon Baker, a senior manager for licensing marketing at Nintendo of America, is quoted by Polygon as saying that his team is exploring the idea, but no announcement is planned at the moment.
He adds that there are many concepts that could work on the Wii U in the future, but the company does not have the resources to implement all of them.
The executive adds that an Early Access service would allow Nintendo to get help with "working out some of the kinks, the server loads or what matching those expectations so that it's a prime experience when the full version actually launches. So there could be some benefits there, but I think it's a very sensitive topic because you wouldn't ever want to ask for money for something that doesn't become fully-realized."
Sony has said that it has no plans to introduce an early access system for the PlayStation 4.
Nintendo is shifting its focus to the NX platform
It's unlikely that the company will use more time and money to introduce new ideas for the Wii U because the console has failed to generate the expected sales, and its situation is not improving month over month.
The NX is the future of Nintendo, a new hardware architecture that is designed to mix both mobile and home console devices.
The company says that an official announcement about it will be offered in 2016, which probably means that an official launch will take place in 2017.
No details about the NX have been offered so far, but it seems that there are plans to add a lot of features that other home consoles have perfected in the past few years.
Nintendo has already said that it sees virtual reality as a limited technology which is not social enough at the moment, but it seems that Early Access is a possibility for the coming hardware.