Nintendo to unify console and handheld divisions in major organizational shift

Nintendo's Wii U and 3DS consoles haven't performed badly so far, but there's a real sense that they may not match their predecessors' huge success. According to a Nikkei report, however, the company plans to merge both divisions into a single unit in a month's time, and will invest 30 billion yen (about $340 million) in a new Kyoto development facility to be opened by the end of the year. The structural shift is intended to speed up development by allowing the previously separate divisions to share knowledge and technology.

It's not clear how exactly this reshuffling will aid Nintendo's operations, but the company appears to be serious about switching things up; it's the first such major organizational change in nine years. It also fits the model of the company's latest system, the Wii U, which comes with a tablet-style controller called the GamePad. With mobile-powered wildcards like Ouya and Nvidia's Project Shield shaking up the gaming landscape, it may well make sense for Nintendo to reconsider its traditional approach to both the home and handheld markets.