Is The Nintendo Switch the successor to both the Wii U and the 3DS line?
Warning controversial opinions and thoughts below. Approach with caution!
This is a question that I have been asking myself since the Nintendo Switch was first unveiled to the world two months ago.
I believe in order for the Nintendo Switch to be a success, Nintendo needs to combine their 3DS development teams with their Wii U development teams. In fact I thought this was the whole point of making the Switch a portable/console hybrid. If Nintendo isn't planning on quietly taking the 3DS out back and putting a bullet into the back of it's ageing head while nobody is looking then they have effectively created a scenario where a Nintendo system will be directly competing with another Nintendo system. Is there really a need for two portable Nintendo consoles with differently libraries at the same time?
I believe by taking the some gamble of promoting the Switch as not only the successor to their previous home consoles but also a successor to the 3DS that Nintendo has an opportunity to get a lot of those 3DS only owners to make the switch (see what I did there?). Combining platforms as I thought was their plan would likely help create a much larger user base for the Switch and a much larger library of software if ALL of Nintendo's development teams were working on the same hardware. More hardware sales would mean much higher sales for Nintendo titles and a larger revenue stream for Nintendo not to mention everyone will have access to all of the Nintendo titles that they want to play.
Make no mistake, I own a 3DS and I feel like Nintendo has done a much better job with the 3DS then the Wii U but if given the choice between more 3DS games or more games on the Switch's beefier hardware then I would definitely prefer the latter.
It is a gamble to completely denounce the 3DS line in favor of an all-in-one solution such as the Rift but I am confident that between big games like Zelda and mobile games like Pokemon being released frequently on the Switch will greatly boost console sales at a exceedingly fast pace. Pokemon is a huge hitter and a LOT of handheld gamers would quickly snap up a Switch if that was the only means to play the next great annual Pokemon release.
Mixed Messages:
Nintendo has been completely unclear on their intentions with making the Switch the successor to the 3DS/portable line and I have come up with these possible conclusions:
-Nintendo wants to slowly phase out the 3DS as it's still quite profitable and popular for them.
-Nintendo wants to wait awhile to see how well the Switch performs before phasing out the 3DS.
-Nintendo themselves may not be confident that the Switch will be a success and therefore don't want to kill off the 3DS line just yet until they see how well the Switch performs.
The Bottom Line: Nintendo has a real chance here to revamp their products and potentially sticking with a console/portable hybrid from here on out. I am a huge fan of the concept and since Nintendo has never put a huge focus on visuals since the early days of their console making, I am completely find with this approach.
Having both portability and home console functionality in one system allows for a lot more content across a singular platform meaning less need for different hardware.
The Switch appears to be designed for easier and faster upgrades. I could see a Switch 2 arriving 4-5 years from now with a newer iteration of Tegra but retaining backwards compatibility with Switch 1 titles. This is all theoretical of course but it seems like this would be much easier to do. Hard to know for sure.
Nintendo really needs to come out by E3 and discuss their intentions with the Switch in regards to whether or not it's replacing the 3DS or not.
Their online plans are interesting because they essentially want to create an entire online service much similar to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network via an app that will likely be carried over to future Nintendo consoles. So instead of rebooting the online software every single generation, Nintendo can more or less carry the online platform over from one system to the next. Nintendo's online system will probably launch with some issues and complaints from consumers but once Nintendo figures things out and learns more from their mistakes and consumers, I could see this online phone app becoming a pretty solid online platform. It will take some time to get there.
Final Thoughts:
If Nintendo plans on keeping the 3DS line around, I feel like it will diminish some of the "point" of the Switch as well as continue to eat away at potential Switch hardware and game sales. If Nintendo Switch becomes the primary home AND portable console then I think the Switch has a real chance at being a success. However if this isn't Nintendo's plan and they continue pushing the 3DS then I am not as confident that the Switch will ultimately be a success. I think it will perform better then the Wii U regardless of Nintendo's strategy but it won't be a "success" unless Nintendo positions it as the only Nintendo hardware you need to play both console and portable games.
The ball is in Nintendo's court...
So what about you guys? Do you think the Switch will eventually replace their portable market completely or will Nintendo keep the 3DS platform around? Would you guys prefer this or prefer keeping the 3DS around?
Warning controversial opinions and thoughts below. Approach with caution!
This is a question that I have been asking myself since the Nintendo Switch was first unveiled to the world two months ago.
I believe in order for the Nintendo Switch to be a success, Nintendo needs to combine their 3DS development teams with their Wii U development teams. In fact I thought this was the whole point of making the Switch a portable/console hybrid. If Nintendo isn't planning on quietly taking the 3DS out back and putting a bullet into the back of it's ageing head while nobody is looking then they have effectively created a scenario where a Nintendo system will be directly competing with another Nintendo system. Is there really a need for two portable Nintendo consoles with differently libraries at the same time?
I believe by taking the some gamble of promoting the Switch as not only the successor to their previous home consoles but also a successor to the 3DS that Nintendo has an opportunity to get a lot of those 3DS only owners to make the switch (see what I did there?). Combining platforms as I thought was their plan would likely help create a much larger user base for the Switch and a much larger library of software if ALL of Nintendo's development teams were working on the same hardware. More hardware sales would mean much higher sales for Nintendo titles and a larger revenue stream for Nintendo not to mention everyone will have access to all of the Nintendo titles that they want to play.
Make no mistake, I own a 3DS and I feel like Nintendo has done a much better job with the 3DS then the Wii U but if given the choice between more 3DS games or more games on the Switch's beefier hardware then I would definitely prefer the latter.
It is a gamble to completely denounce the 3DS line in favor of an all-in-one solution such as the Rift but I am confident that between big games like Zelda and mobile games like Pokemon being released frequently on the Switch will greatly boost console sales at a exceedingly fast pace. Pokemon is a huge hitter and a LOT of handheld gamers would quickly snap up a Switch if that was the only means to play the next great annual Pokemon release.
Mixed Messages:
Nintendo has been completely unclear on their intentions with making the Switch the successor to the 3DS/portable line and I have come up with these possible conclusions:
-Nintendo wants to slowly phase out the 3DS as it's still quite profitable and popular for them.
-Nintendo wants to wait awhile to see how well the Switch performs before phasing out the 3DS.
-Nintendo themselves may not be confident that the Switch will be a success and therefore don't want to kill off the 3DS line just yet until they see how well the Switch performs.
The Bottom Line: Nintendo has a real chance here to revamp their products and potentially sticking with a console/portable hybrid from here on out. I am a huge fan of the concept and since Nintendo has never put a huge focus on visuals since the early days of their console making, I am completely find with this approach.
Having both portability and home console functionality in one system allows for a lot more content across a singular platform meaning less need for different hardware.
The Switch appears to be designed for easier and faster upgrades. I could see a Switch 2 arriving 4-5 years from now with a newer iteration of Tegra but retaining backwards compatibility with Switch 1 titles. This is all theoretical of course but it seems like this would be much easier to do. Hard to know for sure.
Nintendo really needs to come out by E3 and discuss their intentions with the Switch in regards to whether or not it's replacing the 3DS or not.
Their online plans are interesting because they essentially want to create an entire online service much similar to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network via an app that will likely be carried over to future Nintendo consoles. So instead of rebooting the online software every single generation, Nintendo can more or less carry the online platform over from one system to the next. Nintendo's online system will probably launch with some issues and complaints from consumers but once Nintendo figures things out and learns more from their mistakes and consumers, I could see this online phone app becoming a pretty solid online platform. It will take some time to get there.
Final Thoughts:
If Nintendo plans on keeping the 3DS line around, I feel like it will diminish some of the "point" of the Switch as well as continue to eat away at potential Switch hardware and game sales. If Nintendo Switch becomes the primary home AND portable console then I think the Switch has a real chance at being a success. However if this isn't Nintendo's plan and they continue pushing the 3DS then I am not as confident that the Switch will ultimately be a success. I think it will perform better then the Wii U regardless of Nintendo's strategy but it won't be a "success" unless Nintendo positions it as the only Nintendo hardware you need to play both console and portable games.
The ball is in Nintendo's court...
So what about you guys? Do you think the Switch will eventually replace their portable market completely or will Nintendo keep the 3DS platform around? Would you guys prefer this or prefer keeping the 3DS around?
