The Wii U was launched in 2013 as a successor to the Wii, Nintendo’s best-selling home console to date. However, the Wii U was a massive failure. It has sold only 14 million units in its lifetime, making it Nintendo’s least sold console. Why was it such a big failure? It was due to many reasons, like bad hardware design, software issues, little to no third party support. Also, the gamepad was not utilized by most games and it became pointless to buy games on the Wii U as it was technologically weaker than its competitors and did not have a defined place in the market. After such a derailing failure, the Nintendo Switch was released in 2017.
Why Nintendo Switch is a hit?
The Nintendo Switch sold thrice the number of units in its first 2 years than what the Wii U sold in 5 years. The Switch offers users the ability to play both portably and as a home console. It benefits from extensive third-party besides the awesome first-party support. Many Wii U games have found a new home on the Nintendo Switch, including Mario kart 8 Deluxe, the current best-selling game on the Switch.
Nintendo Switch did everything right what the Wii U did wrong. Its marketing was amazing and on point; the name ‘Switch’ also fits its feature very well. This gimmick was fully utilized by all games and was easy to use. Many third-party developers returned to Nintendo consoles to utilize its mechanics and there have been many games prioritized and/or exclusive to the console. Indie games have found a permanent home in the Switch and are now called, “Nindies”. The partnership between Microsoft and Nintendo has also proved fruitful with Microsoft exclusives such as the Ori franchise being popular on the Switch. It has its well-defined place in the market as hybrid console support because the games make the best use of portable model far better than any other platform. The third-party support was an added advantage to the already hit amazing first-party games like Zelda and Mario with a huge fan following of the iconic characters.
Speaking of it being a hybrid console, the Switch’s hardware was based on one important statistic – the sales of Nintendo handhelds. While the Wii U was a failure in the home console department, the 3DS, 2DS, and 3DS Plus were instant hits with their combined sales amounting to 75.94 million units. Nintendo used this and decided to create ‘Switch’ as its first-ever hybrid portable console.
Recently, the 3DS family lineup was discontinued due to the Switch’s immense success. The increasing sales are further benefitting it with more third-party support, exclusives, and more games optimized for itself. Now, the Switch is a staple in any Nintendo/handheld game lover and has dominated the market for the past 3 years due to its massive IPs, hybrid model, and much more.
What is my experience with Switch?
I bought the Switch two years back and have always been a big fan. I loaded Nintendo classics like Zelda and Mario and enjoyed the increased third-party support and Indies. Hades was the last game I bought, and I love it. The portability is such an exciting feature, shiny hunting in Pokémon Shield just feels like something to do in bed. While I also carry my Switch over to friends’ places to play cross-platform games like rocket league, my best experience was when I carried it on my 8-hour flight to India. I not only had a good time during my journey but also shared some memorable Switch moments with my cousins.
How is Nintendo Switch going to keep up?
As of 2020, the switch is still selling like hotcakes, but with the release of the next-generation consoles, the sales are predicted to drop. However, I believe it should not have a major impact since the switch is not competing in the same market as the other two consoles. As a hybrid console, the Switch caters to people wanting a portable, flexible console. Also, the Nintendo games have a massive fanbase that is never going to go away. The switch also acts as a secondary console to a lot of people.
There are some negative factors affecting the Switch, such as scarcity of media services, absence of a good amount of multi-platform AAA games, especially newer ones, and lack of online services. These issues are getting better over time, as seen with the inclusion of SNES games to the online service, cloud version games such as Control, and new media applications being added, the most recent one being Funimation. The Switch will hopefully overcome these issues with time and will continue its strong run of success. At the end of the day, if the Switch is a console that people enjoy, issues can be overseen and that is exactly what Nintendo prioritizes.
What is the next step to success?
As extensive the Switch’s success has been, the next-gen consoles continue to widen the technological gap between these consoles. It is rumored that a ‘Super Switch’ with a 4K support and an upgraded NVIDIA Tegra chipset is in production. As for games, Breath of the Wild (BOTW) 2 is also expected to come out this year, complementing the series’ 35th anniversary. Console exclusive Monster Hunter Rise releases in a few months after the Wii U port Super Mario 3d World + Bowser’s Fury. Overall, it seems like another strong year for the console, and it will be exciting to see what surprises are in store.
What do you guys think Nintendo should do to continue and grow and maintain their success?
Maybe a whole new console? Cloud gaming?
Let us know your views:
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