When the average consumer goes to retail March 3rd to buy a Switch, they'll need a Switch console, a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and they may elect or choose to gift or be instructed to purchase some additional peripherals. Sometimes these will be clueless parents and grandparents who are unused to Nintendo's frankly obfuscatory naming policies (New 3 / DS / i / Lite / X / L / et cet), and I think that it may be unclear for the consumer yet again.
One thing they may choose to buy is a Pro Controller ($69.99). This is not to be confused with the existing Wii U Pro Controller or any Wii Classic Controllers they may see sharing aisle space with Nintendo's new peripherals.
Of course, they may just be told by their child, "I need another controller." In which case the shopper may blindly buy an additional JoyCon controller ($49.99) - either bundled individually or in packs of two ($79.99).
Should they need a JoyCon Charging Grip ($29.99), they'll have to navigate between the already present AC adaptors sold for the New 3DS, competing for shelf space.
The shopper may choose to buy a colored JoyCon wristguard / cover - not to be confused with any of the existing Wii / Wii Motion Plus "condom" wrist straps lingering in inventories.
With only 32GB of onboard storage, it's possible the consumer will want a memory card. And between SD and MicroSD and proprietary and non-proprietary everywhere in-store, that's going to be a potential struggle for the layperson.
Don't forget that Amiibos work with NFC on the Switch, so why don't you grab your son the Zelda one. Uh, well one of the 12 Zelda ones.
And should the consumer get all that right, let's hope the grandparent out shopping for their dear grandchild picked up the version of Breath of the Wild with the Switch Red Icon in the upper left portion of the box art, and not the sky blue arc of the Wii U version.
Has Nintendo thrown smoke in the eyes of the consumer with their naming conventions (ie; Pro Controller) and abundance of accessories? Will retailers deplete stock in time for a smooth transition to Nintendo's one platform that finally unifies its handheld and console divisions? Has Nintendo handled this changing of its platforms gracefully?
One thing they may choose to buy is a Pro Controller ($69.99). This is not to be confused with the existing Wii U Pro Controller or any Wii Classic Controllers they may see sharing aisle space with Nintendo's new peripherals.
Of course, they may just be told by their child, "I need another controller." In which case the shopper may blindly buy an additional JoyCon controller ($49.99) - either bundled individually or in packs of two ($79.99).
Should they need a JoyCon Charging Grip ($29.99), they'll have to navigate between the already present AC adaptors sold for the New 3DS, competing for shelf space.
The shopper may choose to buy a colored JoyCon wristguard / cover - not to be confused with any of the existing Wii / Wii Motion Plus "condom" wrist straps lingering in inventories.
With only 32GB of onboard storage, it's possible the consumer will want a memory card. And between SD and MicroSD and proprietary and non-proprietary everywhere in-store, that's going to be a potential struggle for the layperson.
Don't forget that Amiibos work with NFC on the Switch, so why don't you grab your son the Zelda one. Uh, well one of the 12 Zelda ones.
And should the consumer get all that right, let's hope the grandparent out shopping for their dear grandchild picked up the version of Breath of the Wild with the Switch Red Icon in the upper left portion of the box art, and not the sky blue arc of the Wii U version.
Has Nintendo thrown smoke in the eyes of the consumer with their naming conventions (ie; Pro Controller) and abundance of accessories? Will retailers deplete stock in time for a smooth transition to Nintendo's one platform that finally unifies its handheld and console divisions? Has Nintendo handled this changing of its platforms gracefully?
