Nintendo rumors: a new handheld? Poke what?

Today was full of speculation and wonder for Nintendo fans as various websites posted some fairly juicy rumors. We cannot vouch for the validity nor can we tell you what they mean, but we can speculate with the best of them.

A new handheld?

Rumor has it that Nintendo has already started work on creating a new platform, and although there is all kinds of speculation as to what it could be, the best guess is that it will be a new handheld. This rumor was started by a single post on NeoGAF by a user named wsippel. He had this to say:

“Almost certainly off-topic, but I don’t quite want to make a new thread, because it would go to shit quickly. Also, I’d need to post a source, and I don’t really want to get people in trouble.

Anyway, Nintendo apparently started working on a new platform in early 2013 and has already selected a vendor for the SoC after talking to several potential candidates. The SoC might be based on an existing design, but will be changed to fit Nintendo’s requirements. I assume it’s for their next handheld, though.”

Nintendo has a pattern of releasing a new version or a new system every 2 years, so an upgrade to the 3DS (which came out in 2011) would not be out of the question. However, the 3DS is doing remarkably well right now and its games dominate the sales charts week after week. Why fix what’s not broken?

On the other hand, the Wii U seems to be a sinking ship, and when compared to the PS4 and Xbox One, looks to be in need of a major upgrade. Could Nintendo be looking to make step into the ninth generation of consoles so soon after the release of the Wii U?

Probably not, but I’m sure Nintendo will make some kind of statement about their plans soon. This next-gen console isn’t the only bit of Nintendo rumors to hit the net today though.

Poketouch

Nintendo filed for a trademark on ‘Poketouch’, or more specifically ポケタッチ, in Japan today. No word yet as to what this could mean, but rumors are speculating that it may have something to do with other trademarks recently filed. Last year Nintendo had ‘Pokken Fighters’ and ‘Pokken Tournament’ trademarked. I can only imagine that Pokken is based off of the Tekken series which means iron fist. Could Poketouch have something to do with a Pokemon fighting game?

Personally I wonder if ‘Poketouch’ might be hinting at a Pokemon game for iOS and Android devices. As someone who loves Pokemon but doesn’t have a 3DS, this sounds like a dream. Time will tell though.