Nintendo's next-generation game console is officially arriving next year - and it promises a 'brand new concept'

Nintendo has officially announced that their next-generation game console, codenamed the "NX," will be released globally in March 2017, and that it will launch with a "brand new concept."

Nintendo revealed the launch window in its earnings report.

Although we don't know what that "new concept" will be, Nintendo has patented a couple of different controllers, the most recent of which was granted yesterday. 

A Spring 2017 release date makes the rumors that Nintendo would stop manufacturing its Wii U console this year a lot more plausible, although the company has officially denied that claim.

Nintendo also announced the first official NX launch title: "The Legend of Zelda," via Twitter.

Announced at the 2014 E3 conference, the game was originally pitched as a Wii U exclusive. Instead, it will be released on both consoles. This isn't the first time Nintendo has delayed a Zelda game and launched it on two consoles simultaneously. The company deployed the same tactic in 2006 with "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess," which was released on both the GameCube and Wii.

You can watch the trailer for the Wii U version of "The Legend of Zelda" below.