Today Nintendo finally made a proper announcement on the project previously known as Nintendo NX – It’s now known as Nintendo Switch. Not the best name, but not as bad as Wii and WiiU. Seriously Nintendo, hire a new naming person. Anyway, this comes after over a year of rumors, reported into leaks, and more.
(NOTE: This article is quite a rant, and I have summarized my point here. Do read on to see why I think, in detail, what I do)
It was right around E3 of 2015 that Nintendo announced they were going to be working with mobile developers, and at the same time, announced the NX project. I said this before in a previous article that obviously the NX was going to be a mobile gaming system of some kind. My initial ideas were that Nintendo may even be working on a cell phone, because of how popular mobile gaming is.
Early reports continued to hint at a mobile device, with Nintendo saying the console wasn’t to replace the DS and Wii hardware but to live along side it (yeah, sure: WiiU and 3DS will be dead in a few years likely, just like every other console once it’s replaced.) but at the same rate, this will be its own experience.
My early thought was basically this: “The NX is going to be some kind of gaming tablet styled device, with standard controls, that will connect to both your TV and be portable. You will play the same game at home as well as when out and about, and Nintendo will no longer have to focus on “either mobile or home gaming” with their hardware.”
My first thoughts the day it was announced were exactly what the NX was going to be! Hell, we all knew what it would be the day it was announced. The difference is, some people let their speculation run wild, as did many game journalism groups
Nintendo hasn’t had the best few years since the fad of the Wii faded. The DS hardware series has sold strong (especially in Japan where handheld gaming is dominant) console sales have somewhat lacked. In Japan this is because people don’t spend as much time at home as we do here in the US, and in the US, the Xbox and Playstation consoles dominate home gaming. Nintendo is seen as “kiddy” and tends not to be picked up by the average gamer. While the PSP was popular, the PS Vita wasn’t. This left the DS as the only viable, non-cell phone / non-tablet option for gaming, so really, the only option for standard gaming that was portable, and DS hardware of all types has sold heavily for over a decade now.
So, Nintendo hasn’t been making as much as they would hope to, and certainly losing money on the home console side. A console like this would solve the issue of splitting up their consumer base – you buy the console, you play the game, problem solved. No need for different versions, or what have you. Something they should have done over a decade ago, and did in some ways (in this case, playing Game Boy games on home consoles – Super Game Boy did that nicely, as did the GBA reader for the GameCube)
It was a fun run WiiU, but your time may be coming to an end.
Anyway, much of what Nintendo said during the very first days of the NX, where they said it would blend the home and portable markets, made it obvious what was going on. I don’t like paying attention to the normal rumor mills, but some of the things I heard were just insane, and made no sense. However, by the end of it all, slowly, people started to come to the same realization I had on day one. While details were fleshed out, details I could have never, and wanted to never speculate on, those details still reaffirmed my belief on just what the NX would be. Sure enough, as I said, I was spot on with my basic summary.
Of course, now people are wondering if it will support their old Wii – WiiU games. Highly doubt it. For one, where would a disc drive go on this thing? For two, would it still use the same hardware? Doubtful. Nintendo needs to drop the GameCube legacy hardware and step up to something more powerful, which it looks like the NX is going to do. Odds are special versions of the games (that you will need to buy again) or just straight up sequels to games like Splatoon, Mario Kart, etc, will be made, just like how when the Super Nintendo was released they made new Metroid, Mario, and Zelda games for it.
Remember when Nintendo knew how to name a console?
I mean, come on, that’s how it always has been, until recently: Backwards Compatibility is a rather demanding feature to implement, and with major hardware changes like this (seriously, a disc drive on the NX would kill the battery life, and it would need added hardware to manage all these parts and run the games natively) are just not worth it. You already have a Wii / WiiU, just do like I do and keep the hardware around if it means that much to you.
I’m sorry but not sorry if this article comes off as a little rough, but I can’t help but laugh that what Nintendo showed is EXACTLY what I expected it to be, nothing more, nothing less, and I can’t help but laugh at all the rumors upon rumors that, as with every console, are unnecessary. Wait until the actual announcement guys. Stuff will come when it comes, have some damn patience and relax. You would be surprised how much more fun you can have watching others argue over who’s rumor is less stupid.
The device is one little machine, that does all it needs to. So many people had tons of varying ideas, and if you look at the rumors of the time, you will see what I mean. The simplest answer proved to be the most accurate, in this case, as well.
It’s funny how people overthink things. It really is.