Since the Nintendo Switch presentation, the gaming community found itself in the typical three camps: hyped, disgruntled or 'IDGAF.' After the disaster that was the Wii U, it's easy to see why people would fall into the 'disgruntled' camp, however, we shouldn't be too worried about the Nintendo Switch.
A rebuttal to "Opinion: Nintendo Switch is in trouble"
If we look at the history of Nintendo – at least since their current competitors released the original Xbox and PlayStation – they haven't been the sole console in a home. Their consoles have been the additional console, the support console. They aren't the main piece of tech in the room, they are the supplementary tech that tends to be more useful than most of the other options if you have more than four people in a room.
With this knowledge, Nintendo knows they don't have to compete with the Xbox One or PlayStation 4, they just need to woo you into wanting the unique feature they are offering. With the Wii it was the motion controls, with the Wii U it was the gamepad, with the Switch it's the mobility.
Try lugging your PS4 and Xbox One on a bus and playing it – it won't be a fun endeavor. The Switch, on the other hand, is offering a unique addition to your gaming arsenal, a home console you can take with you to the outside world and pick up exactly where you left off on your TV screen when you're home.
It's offering something you won't be doing with your Xbox One or PS4 unless you buy an accessory that allows you to do so (and that's still a pain in the butt 'cause those things are heavy).
About the games… Stop complaining about them.
Sure, the Nintendo Switch is launching with less games than the Wii U – but it is launching with some heavy hitters and third party games. In fact, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild could be a system seller – it's offering a fresh take on Zelda. If someone doesn't own a Wii U, there's a chance they will buy the Switch just for that game and it helps that Wii U consoles have been vanishing from shelves — a point I'll be circling back to.
In addition to Breath of the Wild, we've got Splatoon 2, it's predecessor was shooter of the year in 2015, a brand new Super Mario game – Super Mario Odyssey (Holiday 2017), a Bethesda game (which the Wii U never saw) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Fall 2017), a number of Dragon Quest games, Steep (recently released from Ubisoft), Minecraft, Xenoblade 2, Project Sonic, Stardew Valley, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 and a bunch more.
There are plenty of games to be excited about – especially a whole new take on Mario. Nintendo didn't spend time on bringing up somewhat exhausted games.
Now back to the Wii U vanishing…
The Wii U had a horrible shelf life, everyone knows it and there's no point in arguing it. It's no surprise that the console has been slowly disappearing as the Switch launch nears. Nintendo is limiting your options, and if you think you can buy a cheaper Wii U for Breath of the Wild – they don't want to make that an easy endeavor.
It's really a beautiful, but cruel, way of making you buy the Switch (wipe that horribly beautiful corporate tear from your eye.).
The Wii U suffered from a horrible lack of marketing, even clear marketing that let you know what that console offered over its similarly named predecessor. The Switch is already getting better marketing – its reveal trailer didn't feature many children, showing that the console isn't only for kids (a stereotype that got slapped onto the Wii U), that is was great for parties (Mario Kart and Smash Bros. are the games you pull out when you have friends over) and that it could be used for things like eSports (at the end).
The Switch isn't the same beast as the Wii U and Nintendo is making a point of that.
New features and technology are on the way
The Switch is unique, we've been over that. The system will run 720p60 as a handheld and up to 1080p60 when docked, that means that when it's in handheld mode games will look like they do on the Wii U. It's launching with 32GB of space, more than the Wii U offered in its base version. And to reiterate a previous point, it doesn't matter if it's on par with the Xbox One and PS4 – the Switch isn't looking to replace those consoles. On top of that, the use of game cartridges helps mitigate that need for extra storage space.
Nintendo is starting a paid online service with the Switch, we don't know enough about it develop a full-fledged opinion. We do know that the service will offer online gaming, sharing screenshots to social media, friend management, eShop access, exclusive deals and a monthly download (though you only have that game for a month, then it's gone). The online service needs to be fleshed out by Nintendo before we can really offer fair judgment.
The accessories are priced the same way every other console prices their accessories, which is too damn expensive. Unfortunately, that's the status quo. Nintendo shouldn't have to offer cheaper accessories when everyone else charges too much, though they should at least be on par with the other accessories (which they nearly are, Xbox controller are anywhere from $60 to $80). The dock being $90 is negligible, you can pick yours up and move it – the same way you treat your Xbox One or PS4.
Real talk, the Switch's success and third-party game availability depends on YOU
Whether the Switch sees more third-party games and indie games doesn't depend on Nintendo, it depends on you. The Wii U didn't sell, there was no real user base – so developers didn't spend time and money developing for a console that wouldn't see any type of monetary return. Yes, game developers want to create games – it's their passion – but they also want money… like any other company.
The Switch's adoption rate will decide whether or not Ubisoft, Activision, Bethesda, and other developers bring more games to the system.
