The grand week-long saga surrounding a number of photographs that claimed to show an unfinished version of the controller for Nintendo’s upcoming console, currently known as the NX, is now reaching its apex.

A link to a Youtube video appeared on Reddit Thursday evening from Idriss2Dev, the original poster who started this whole journalistic journey into Nintendo-related mayhem, revealing that the entire story is indeed a well-crafted hoax.

The video shows the computer modeling process by which Idress2Dev created the fraudulent images which set parts of the internet on fire late last week.

The hoaxer also noted that the second set of supposed Nintendo NX controller images, which we reported on in a story published Thursday, are also likely fake.

“]Idriss2Dev[S] 1 Punkt vor 3 Minuten
lol sorry …
no I did not black controller, he resumed my model (Bravú) and made it a better fake ^” was the post left on NeoGaf by the original fraudster.

This ends a week of twists, turns, and more than a little meltdown by some commentators on a variety of message boards, most of whom prognosticated the end of Nintendo because of their apparent decision to forgo traditional buttons as part of the design of the Nintendo NX controller.

As we reported on March 18th, the original Idriss2Dev story was dubious at best. The story began with the original posts on Reddit, was then picked up by an obscure and shady “news” outlet, who in an attempt to gain notoriety by having their name attached to subsequent reporting on the images leaked on Reddit, claimed that the Reddit poster was an “exclusive source”. (Hence my refusal to name the website in question, lest I drive any more traffic to them.) The chain of custody then took the story to Destructoid, who gave credibility to the images when they asserted that there was no evidence of those images having been Photoshopped, as they had run it through whatever tool they reportedly have in order to determine if a photo has undergone any sort of tampering. Once published there, it was only a matter of minutes before the emotional equivalent of the Fukishima meltdown commenced on NeoGaf.

Then on Wednesday, a second series of photos showing a very similar version of the purported Nintendo NX controller appeared on Reddit via a different user.

These images looked more credible than the first set and they quickly made their rounds through a wider variety of news sites; even garnering an intriguing comment from Game Informer’s Editor in Chief, who said that the images presented in the two posts matched what he had heard from developers regarding the Nintendo NX controller not featuring any traditional face buttons.

I had heard that the NX wouldn't have face buttons, so the leaked pictures match what I was told but was unable to confirm.

— Andy McNamara (@TheRealAndyMc) March 23, 2016

And now here we stand, one week later. The players have come clean about their amazingly stupendous abilities to troll the entire gaming world.

Hopefully the firestorm of controversy and downright anger levied at Nintendo in the wake of this hoax, has not deterred them from trying something new and innovative with the Nintendo NX.

What do you think of this whole Nintendo NX controller saga. Do you think it was a brilliant stroke of genius on the part of the hoaxers? Or do you consider them to be nothing more than losers who have to get off by manipulating others? But most importantly, what effect do you think this will have on Nintendo’s plans for the NX? The comments section is down below, so go ahead and comment.