To not overcomplicate the discussion I'll only refer to the main 3 console manufacturers Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft.
7th gen consisted of Wii, PS3, and Xbox360, this was the first gen in which Nintendo decided to not be in the power race and rather tap into a different market that never plays video games let alone not know what Nintendo is. This was arguably the biggest difference between power from each other and as a result 3rd party started to sway away.
8th generation consists of Wii U, PS4, Xbox One. Nintendo finally catches up from previous gen console specs, however due to their marketing or lack of they failed to get a proper install base and as a result 3rd party once again suffered for it. No one wants to develop for a system that's in 3rd place, has an architecture that's radically different from the other two and despite playing catch up are behind drastically in specs to the PS4 and Xbox One so even if someone was willing to go through the hoops of porting a game they would likely have to make drastic cuts for it to function properly. I'll give Nintendo credit for not following trends and making a Wii U Pro or Wii U S.
Here we are at 9th generation where once again Nintendo gets a head start with their Switch before the PS5 and Xbox Scorpio make it to the market. Because the Switch is intended to be both a console and a handheld you can imagine it's specs won't be up to par with 8th generation consoles in order to keep it affordable and for the battery lifespan to not die out in less than an hour. I see a new generation as an opportunity for console manufacturers to reflect on what they did wrong and improve on themselves cause after all whatever is decided we are in it for the long haul of 5-6 years.
We often hear from Nintendo themselves that specs don't matter and it's about creating unique experiences. However I firmly believe the majority of sales on the Wii were from those that got sucked into the motion control fad primarily with Wii Sports and never bought anything else, let alone touched their system after the first 1-2 years. Keep in mind smart phones barely existed for its time so that really helped with not having competition with that too.
With the Wii U Nintendo was chasing a ghost that just wasn't there. It's clear they thought naming the system after its predecessor would help consumers remember that unique experience from the Wii but that only did the opposite. With the lack of marketing or emphasis on its features it just felt like they were hoping it would sell itself like the Wii did with a large majority thinking it's an add on to the original system similar to how people initially thought the 3DS was a DS but played games in 3D.
The main point I'm hoping to get across is if Nintendo is hoping to coast by on another (for a lack of better term) gimmick and really praying that it will catch on to both consumers and 3rd party alike? Will we go through another 5-6 years of a drought because Nintendo wasn't mindful of the specs and cause conflict with developers to jump through hoops? I'll give credit where credit is due and commend them for finally ditching PowerPC with something more familiar and friendly to work with but what good is that if performance has to take a hit? At the time of writing it's already confirmed that Square Enix's Final Fantasy 15 will not be coming to the Switch nor will Slightly Mad Studio's Project Cars 2, despite all the wonderful things they had to say about the Switch and the broken promise of their first game going to Wii U.
I don't know anything about Sony and Microsoft's newest systems that are likely due this year too outside of their names but if the Switch can't even reach 8th generation standards will it just be another bloodbath of a fight and as Nintendo fans we lose out? Despite how you feel about 3rd party it is nessesary for a successful console, it gives faith to consumers and overall brings the value to your purchase and having more options is always better than limited ones. I like Nintendo as much as the next person but it's important to look at this objectively and look at the past and see where the potential future lies for this console and hope they aren't shooting themselves in the foot again.
Thanks for reading.
#LetsmakeNintendogreatagain
7th gen consisted of Wii, PS3, and Xbox360, this was the first gen in which Nintendo decided to not be in the power race and rather tap into a different market that never plays video games let alone not know what Nintendo is. This was arguably the biggest difference between power from each other and as a result 3rd party started to sway away.
8th generation consists of Wii U, PS4, Xbox One. Nintendo finally catches up from previous gen console specs, however due to their marketing or lack of they failed to get a proper install base and as a result 3rd party once again suffered for it. No one wants to develop for a system that's in 3rd place, has an architecture that's radically different from the other two and despite playing catch up are behind drastically in specs to the PS4 and Xbox One so even if someone was willing to go through the hoops of porting a game they would likely have to make drastic cuts for it to function properly. I'll give Nintendo credit for not following trends and making a Wii U Pro or Wii U S.
Here we are at 9th generation where once again Nintendo gets a head start with their Switch before the PS5 and Xbox Scorpio make it to the market. Because the Switch is intended to be both a console and a handheld you can imagine it's specs won't be up to par with 8th generation consoles in order to keep it affordable and for the battery lifespan to not die out in less than an hour. I see a new generation as an opportunity for console manufacturers to reflect on what they did wrong and improve on themselves cause after all whatever is decided we are in it for the long haul of 5-6 years.
We often hear from Nintendo themselves that specs don't matter and it's about creating unique experiences. However I firmly believe the majority of sales on the Wii were from those that got sucked into the motion control fad primarily with Wii Sports and never bought anything else, let alone touched their system after the first 1-2 years. Keep in mind smart phones barely existed for its time so that really helped with not having competition with that too.
With the Wii U Nintendo was chasing a ghost that just wasn't there. It's clear they thought naming the system after its predecessor would help consumers remember that unique experience from the Wii but that only did the opposite. With the lack of marketing or emphasis on its features it just felt like they were hoping it would sell itself like the Wii did with a large majority thinking it's an add on to the original system similar to how people initially thought the 3DS was a DS but played games in 3D.
The main point I'm hoping to get across is if Nintendo is hoping to coast by on another (for a lack of better term) gimmick and really praying that it will catch on to both consumers and 3rd party alike? Will we go through another 5-6 years of a drought because Nintendo wasn't mindful of the specs and cause conflict with developers to jump through hoops? I'll give credit where credit is due and commend them for finally ditching PowerPC with something more familiar and friendly to work with but what good is that if performance has to take a hit? At the time of writing it's already confirmed that Square Enix's Final Fantasy 15 will not be coming to the Switch nor will Slightly Mad Studio's Project Cars 2, despite all the wonderful things they had to say about the Switch and the broken promise of their first game going to Wii U.
I don't know anything about Sony and Microsoft's newest systems that are likely due this year too outside of their names but if the Switch can't even reach 8th generation standards will it just be another bloodbath of a fight and as Nintendo fans we lose out? Despite how you feel about 3rd party it is nessesary for a successful console, it gives faith to consumers and overall brings the value to your purchase and having more options is always better than limited ones. I like Nintendo as much as the next person but it's important to look at this objectively and look at the past and see where the potential future lies for this console and hope they aren't shooting themselves in the foot again.
Thanks for reading.
#LetsmakeNintendogreatagain
