New Nintendo Switch shows promise for Nintendo

After months of speculations, nonstop rumors and a couple of press conferences on the launch with barely any information, Nintendo has finally revealed its brand new console:

The Nintendo Switch.

Set to release in March 2017, the home-and-mobile console is Nintendo’s successor to its previous console, the Wii U. The Switch will allow players to take their console-gaming experience outside of their own house like a portable gaming system, but one that also has a dock that connects to the television to serve as a home console.

The main device has the appearance of a tablet with two mini controllers on each side called “Joy Cons.” These are two parts to the system that allow users to play games at home and away from home. At home, the Joy-Con Grip is the home system controller that connects to the television and mimics a standard controller design. The two Joy Cons can be connected to the grip, but can also be separated from it.

The main device can then be taken off of the “Switch Dock” and, from there, players can play home console games on-the-go. The two Joy Con controllers are detachable once the device is portable, and two people can play on the console anywhere with each controller.

Originally titled the Nintendo NX, this console-handheld hybrid shows massive potential for Nintendo to broaden its audience with more third party games — those made by companies other than Nintendo — and reinvent Nintendo’s brand after the Wii U’s shaky run. The main draw of the Switch is its portability for home console games and its detachable controllers for multiplayer use.

Nintendo has a history of successful handheld devices such as the Gameboy, Nintendo DS and 3DS, so the Switch seems to be the next step for that concept and demonstrates that the company is taking advantage of their handheld console market. Sony and Microsoft, despite their efforts, can’t seem to replicate Nintendo’s handheld systems with the same level of success.

But that success wasn’t apparent in Nintendo’s last major release, the Wii U. By April 2016, the Wii U’s market share was about 18 percent, while the Xbox One was about 28 percent and the Playstation 4 was about 54 percent. After a poor performance with the Wii U, Nintendo is seeking to fix the faults of the system while reinventing the concept where it has succeeded in the past. Though the new system isn’t out yet, here are some things Nintendo needs to do to ensure that this new product is a success.

Garner third-party support

For starters, Nintendo needs to solve one of its main issues with its predecessor to the Nintendo Switch: lack of third-party support. Third-party support refers to companies other than Nintendo making games that can be played on the Switch. The Wii U only had a handful of third-party games available on the system, some of which were pre-existing games on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, such as Mass Effect 3 and Batman Arkham City.

After the Wii U launch, there were only a few more third-party titles released for the system, such as Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, Call of Duty Ghosts and Watch Dogs, none of which were enough to bring in a large crowd of gamers. In my view, it was caused by the Wii U itself, as the hardware and controller were both so different from standard controllers that the hurdles third-party developers had to overcome didn’t seem worth it.

Additionally, the Nintendo Wii U’s sales figures paled in comparison to Microsoft and Sony, leading to third-party companies abandoning Nintendo since they weren’t likely to return much on the investment. Thus, they made third-party titles for Sony and Microsoft instead.

For the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo has revealed a line-up of the third-party companies such as Sega, Capcom, Platinum Games, Activision, Ubisoft and more who have pledged to support the console, although Nintendo stated that not all of these companies have specific plans for the console yet.

This has exciting prospects for the possibility of more third-party titles coming to the Switch, some of which were shown in the trailer including popular titles Skyrim and NBA 2K.

If the Nintendo Switch can stick to having more third-party support, an impressive lineup of first-party titles and easy portability, then Nintendo will have no trouble bouncing back from the Wii U.

Sustainable battery life

Among concerns for the Switch, though, are those that plague any portable device: battery life.  One issue with the Nintendo Switch’s predecessor was that Wii U gamepad controller had a very short battery life, running for about three to five hours, meaning it had to either remain in its charging port often or a battery pack needed to be purchased in order to increase its battery life.

Now that the Nintendo Switch is advertised as being a handheld console, how much battery life will the system have?

No backwards compatibility a drawback

Nintendo has confirmed that the system will not be backwards compatible with either the Wii U or Nintendo 3DS — meaning you can’t play games from older systems on the new generation console. For example, the Nintendo 3DS is backwards compatible, as you can play old DS games on the newer system.

As both the Wii U and 3DS were backwards compatible, not having the ability to play 3DS and or Wii U games on the Nintendo Switch is a massive disappointment. Hopefully Nintendo can change this or take a similar route that Microsoft took with the Xbox One and release a select number of fan-favorite games that are backwards compatible with the system.

Overall, despite a few minor drawbacks and concerns, this system looks to be innovative in its multiplayer capabilities, third-party support and its dynamic home-and-mobile console, adding up to a system that is engaging and pleasing for Nintendo fans. Perhaps the Nintendo Switch will be compatible with some of Nintendo’s upcoming mobile titles such as Super Mario Run, but only time will tell.

Whether or not the Nintendo Switch will be a huge success is hard to determine, but if they can deliver on providing more access to third-party games and promise an entertaining yet easy multiplayer experience, then Nintendo is likely to score a major comeback.

Write to Thomas at tmw79@pitt.edu