The new Nintendo console: Will Nintendo be able to reinvent gaming again?
Nintendo’s original Wii console was one of the best performing consoles ever. It introduced a whole new audience to gaming, and it revolutionized gaming with its motion controls. After this very successful very console Nintendo had a rough few years, with its disastrous performing Wii U console. Whereas the Wii revolutionized the gaming industry, the Wii U was a step back. As mobile gaming and tablets changed the landscape of the gaming industry, Nintendo was trying to stay ahead of this by promising a optional portable console, which ended up being very lackluster as you were still limited to your living room. The fact that the Wii U performed so bad caused for a lot of operational losses, and forced Nintendo to redefine themselves.
Nintendo introduced its new on October 20th, 2016: the Nintendo Switch, and as it looks like, its trying to redefine the way everyone games again. It also looks like that Nintendo will be focusing more on their ‘portable’ products, as this seems to be Nintendo’s best performing side. The Nintendo DS has always performed well, and Nintendo’s first mobile game Pokemon go was a huge succes. The new Nintendo Switch console spans between a home console, and portability, as you have the option to ‘switch’ between a stationary living room console by attaching it to your TV, and the option to detach it from your TV and bringing it with you.
This however brings up the question: will this redefine the way we game again? or is the ability to switch between portability and stationary gaming just a gimmick where nobody is really interested in. Maybe the market is so used to play games on a mobile device or tablet, where there’s no more room for another portable system besides the Nintendo DS.
There is still a lot to be known about this console, as only a trailer has been released. The first images however have me excited, and if this console follows the trend of Nintendo’s succes regarding their mobiles games and devices, this could turn out to be a big succes as well.
Sources:
http://www.nu.nl/games/4338982/nintendo-onthult-nieuwe-spelcomputer-switch.html
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/21/nintendo-switch-new-portable-console-wii-u
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jan/30/nintendo-cuts-sales-forecast-wii-u
Hi Jorian, after reading your post I went to watch the Nintendo Switch trailer. Seems like a very promising idea for a new console to me. Being able to use it both at home and on the go makes It basically two consoles in one device. Besides that, the quality of the graphics of the portable version seem a big step forward in portable gaming, if the trailer is representable for the final product. All in all i’m looking forward to its release and i’m excited to try it out myself!
I was wondering about your opinion why Nintendo has chosen to release a new console, while Pokemon Go on smartphones has been performing so well. In my opinion one of the biggest issues with Nintendo consoles is that they impose huge entry barriers for consumers to be able to play games intended for Nintendo platforms. I can understand why Nintendo in the past made their own products such as the Gameboy and Nintendo DS, at that time there simply were hardly any portable gaming platforms that Nintendo could design games for. However, with the widespread usage of smartphones (which in general have pretty decent hardware specifications), Nintendo could just simply choose to stop designing new gaming platforms, and make use of the already existing user base of smartphone users. This would greatly reduce the barriers for people to start playing Nintendo games and, as Pokemon Go has proven, could be a great platform for successful games. So why would Nintendo choose to switch consoles again and again impose great switching costs for all gamers?
Hi Jorian,
Thank you for your blog. I’ve also followed the latest developments of Nintendo’s new game console and I’m excited too! Like you, I also think that the Nintendo Switch will be a big hit, in contrary to Nintendo’s latest game console, the Wii U. Let’s take a look at why the Nintendo Wii U did not fail and how Nintendo is trying to change that with the Switch.
A couple of reason why the Nintendo Wii U failed are probably because of
– Lack of third parties
o Because developing games for the Wii U was not easy for game developers, while developing games for both Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PCs are comparable because they all use the same hardware (x86) and architecture. Therefore the costs of developing for the Wii U besides the PS4 or Xbox were too high, which led to a lack of interest from game developers.
– The Wii U did not have specifications which were comparable to their competitors.
o This did not help to attract a very important group of users: Hardcore gamers.
These reasons meant that it was not attractive for third party developers to invest in the development of games for the Wii U. The absence of a lot of games resulted in the lack of (potential) users, resulting is low sales of the console.
The new Nintendo Switch still does not use the same architecture as the Playstation or Xbox, but it is closer now. It uses Nvidia hardware, which more game developers are familiar with. In addition, the new console allows the user to play with it whenever they want, since it is mobile in its use. By making the console attractive for more users, positive same side-effects makes that it also attracts more game developers. More games will result in more users, etc.
It seems important that Nintendo attracts more game developers, or users very fast in order to make the new console a success. I am looking forward to the developments in the gaming market!
Sources:
Digital Trends. (2016). Nintendo’s Switch is Small, But it Can slug it out with PS4 and Xbox One. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/nintendo-switch-hardware-analysis/