Nintendo NX might use both cartridges and discs

A new trademark for Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild adds even more credence that the Nintendo NX's games are on cartridges instead of discs.

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Some time ago we reported that the Nintendo NX might use game cartridges instead of discs, almost akin to a 3DS handheld. This info was gleaned from a patent, but patents don't always reflect final products. Thanks to the clever sleuthing of NeoGAF user Aetheerios, Nintendo might have inadvertently confirmed the patent information.

A new trademark for Zelda Breath of the Wild, which is releasing simultaneously on the NX and the Wii U, clearly lists "video game cartridges" as a game distribution medium. Now this is actually pretty interesting, given how Nintendo's classified its games thus far. For reference, Nintendo only marks its 3DS games as cartridges games, whereas Wii U-only games are only listed as disc-based. Since Zelda Breath of the Wild is launching on both the NX and Wii U, it lists both cartridges and discs: disc for Wii U, leaving cartridges for the NX.

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If the Nintendo NX does use cartridges for its games, they'll have to be SD cards in the 32GB - 64GB range. Nixing an optical drive in the console does add in some extra space, and it'll be interesting to see how Nintendo utilizes this free space--assuming, of course, discs are out.

This leads me to the other possibility: the NX could play both discs and cartridges. The carts could be slotted into the NX's portable Wii U/3DS hybrid gamepad much like the traditional handhelds of today, whereas the traditional Blu-ray game disc could spin within the hub-based console. The only problem with that theory is that it's not exactly cost-effective.

Nintendo is expected to unveil the NX later this year, possibly in August at Gamescom or September at Tokyo Game Show 2016. "We decided to focus on Zelda [at E3 2016]. We'll talk about the NX by the end of the year. At that time, it will be 100% NX. There, it is 100% Zelda," says the CEO of Nintendo Canada, Pierre-Paul Trepanier, in a recent interview with La Presse.

Check below for a list of everything we know about the NX so far.

Everything we know about the Nintendo NX so far:

• Nintendo NX will launch with a 'full software lineup'
• Nintendo says Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be an 'immediate reason' to buy an NX console
• Nintendo NX will powered by an NVIDIA Tegra processor, not an AMD chip
• The NX is rumored to feature gaming at 900p 60FPS with 4K video support
• The NX is rumored to use AMD's new 14nm Polaris GPU
• Devs claim the NX is incredibly easy to develop games for
• The NX won't have a disc drive, games will be on cartridges
• The console will also have a portable Wii U-like controller that allows gaming on-the-go somewhat like a 3DS
• The NX will support Frostbite, Unreal Engine 4 and Unity
• Nintendo's new console will also interact with smartphones and PCs as well as existing Nintendo hardware like the Wii U and 3DS handheld