A flurry of rumors has prompted a response from the company.
Nintendo has confirmed that no new hardware announcement is planned for E3 this year. The company has reiterated this position to multiple news sites who had reported on rumors that the unveiling of a new console or console iteration would happen at this year’s event.
A combination of factors led to these rumors gaining traction across the internet over the past several days.
First, news began sprouting up that references to a “new Nintendo system” could be found in the metadata for the company’s E3 website. The references were quickly removed from the site’s source code. It was later discovered that the metadata in question had been in the site’s source code last year as well, suggesting it was simply a leftover that hadn’t been cleaned up. However, the rumor mill had already begun churning.
Soon after the story started spreading, an episode of the IGN podcast Nintendo Voice Chat was released containing a short conversation regarding the possibility of new hardware. Comments by IGN co-founder and industry veteran Peer Schneider were widely reported, including his assertion that “they are absolutely going to show new hardware this year.”
While Schneider did note that he has heard rumblings to that effect from at least a former Nintendo employee and “somebody on the third-party front,” the conversation in its full context is highly speculative and wide-ranging as to the possibilities at play, from a new iteration of a current system to some sort of relatively minor peripheral.
Not long after that podcast was posted, a VideoGamer article cited a “third-party publishing source” in its claim that Nintendo would show new hardware and accompanying games at E3. It further asserted that the new hardware was believed to be based upon specs that circulated early in the year for a system called Fusion. The platform would basically be a home and portable console hybrid, with a DS-like portable component and docking station to connect the device to a TV for home play.
Nintendo initially offered its typical refusal to comment on rumors and speculation. Soon, though, they responded with a clear answer regarding the issue, with a company representative telling VideoGamer, “I can confirm Nintendo is not revealing any hardware at this year's E3.” Many other sites’ inquiries were also answered in a similar manner.
As for what Nintendo will actually reveal at E3 2014, fans will find out on June 10 when the company’s Digital Event is broadcast across the internet.