Nintendo's next game console might have one incredibly unique feature

The next video game console from Nintendo may actually be two consoles in one.

The latest rumor about the "Nintendo NX," the project name for Nintendo's next game console, is that it's not just a game console, but a game console plus a handheld device of some form. 

"Gameplay flows between Nintendo NX console and Nintendo NX handheld device," a survey from market research firm GfK reads, which was sent to YouTuber Liam Robertson.

Sounds like the Wii U, right?

The Wii U has a wireless handheld that streams gameplay directly from the Wii U console:

Indeed it does, but surely Nintendo wouldn't double down on its biggest hardware flop since the Virtual Boy. Wii U console sales are in the garbage.

Here's a chart - from Nintendo! - demonstrating just how serious the situation is:

What's more likely is that Nintendo's next console is both a home console and something you can take with you. The Wii U has a wireless controller that can beam gameplay directly from the console to your lap, but it's limited by distance: it can only go so far from the console before it loses the signal. 

But imagine if you could take that with you - anywhere! - instead.

This isn't the first we've heard of such a possibility for Nintendo's next console. The Wall Street Journal reported in October 2015 that the NX would do just such a thing:

People familiar with the development plans said Nintendo would likely include both a console and at least one mobile unit that could either be used in conjunction with the console or taken on the road for separate use.

That WSJ report came alongside news of software development kits (SDKs) being distributed to game developers - software that enables game developers to create games for Nintendo's mysterious next console. That's an important piece of news: it means that Nintendo's gearing up for a game console release in the not-so-distant future.

Nintendo's said repeatedly that it will offer more information on the Nintendo NX project in 2016, though it's unclear if the console will be released this year. 

One other detail of GfK's questionnaire caught the ire of some gaming fans online: a line depicting the console's graphics capability of "900p." Standard high-definition resolution is 1080p, making Nintendo's next console potentially less graphically capable than the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Like all the details offered on this survey - which game publication Eurogamer confirmed as a legitimate survey - details are subject to change between what's listed here and what Nintendo's NX actually is. We're willing to bet that the 900p bit is not an accurate representation of the console's ability.

Here's the full list, posted by Robertson to his Twitter account on Wednesday morning: