Gamers have known about the Nintendo NX for quite some time now.

First announced during an earnings call, the Big N's next console didn't have the flashiest of debuts — in fact, the console's never officially been announced. So far, Nintendo has only acknowledged that new hardware is currently in development — everything else about the publisher's new machine has yet to be revealed.

Fans are understandably curious, though not for the same reasons as for other hardware launches. When Sony and Microsoft debuted their current-gen hardware, they continued to support their older machines for quite some time — Nintendo, on the other hand, has seemingly left the Wii U to die. Simply put, Nintendo fans aren't just interested in the new hardware, but the future of the brand as well.

It begs the question: why all the secrecy? According to the grandfather of modern video games, it's because Nintendo is still working on finalizing the NX's design. In an interview with the Associated Press, The Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto stated:

"In terms of NX, there's an idea that we're working on. That's why we can't share anything at this point, and I don't want to comment on the other companies. If it was just a matter of following advancements in technology, things would be coming out a lot quicker."

Nintendo is no stranger to innovation — the company has, on numerous occasions, influenced the direction of the entire gaming industry. If Miyamoto is claiming that the NX is going to feature something more than a simple hardware upgrade, fans would do well to take notice.

What's strange about the quote is that, according to Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima, the NX could have launched ahead of its current March 2017 release, but it was held back in order to assure that the system had a decent enough launch lineup. To be fair, the idea of developing new concepts and ensuring launch-day quality aren't mutually exclusive, it's just strange that two separate reasons for the push were given.

Whatever the reason, it's clear that Nintendo is looking to the future. Despite the company's reassurances about supporting its current hardware, new titles for the Wii U are few and far between — and the only major title shown at E3 2016, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, will also be released on the NX when it launches next year. As it stands, Nintendo fans don't have much to be excited about ... save for the console itself.

Here's hoping that Nintendo's console is better than the last one: the NX is scheduled to be released sometime in March 2017.