The logo and boot up animation for the Nintendo NX, the console eventually known as the Nintendo Switch, was found in a prototype version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Game preservationist Paul Kelly obtained a video of the animation and posted it online over the weekend.
When the console was known as the NX for nearly two years, Nintendo never showed a logo, making this the first time it’s ever been seen in public.
The NX codename first emerged in 2015, when Nintendo announced its next console would be a “brand-new concept” made in partnership with mobile developer DeNA.” Its final name wouldn’t officially be announced until October 2016, a handful of months before the console released on March 2017.
Before officially unveiling the system, Nintendo was primarily focused on repeatedly promising that it wouldn’t be a financial disappointment. The console was developed partially in response to both the WiiU’s financial disappointment and the growing competition of mobile games.
Codenames are nothing new for the game industry, and Nintendo in particular. Previously, its systems have had codenames such as the Revolution (Wii), Nitro (DS), and Project Café (WiiU).
Of Nintendo’s various bootup animations over the decades, the NX’s is the shortest yet. It also lacks the snappiness of the click that the Switch quickly became associated with, and at this point, it’s hard to imagine the console without it.