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[Victor Omega]

In my Nintendo's "Withered Technology" Philosophy in hardware literally means: "Wait until it's cheap / avoid cutting edge" I broke down Nintendo's unyielding hardware philosophy.

Withered Technology has 3 strict laws:

1. Wait until the tech is cheap.
2. Wait until the tech is understandable (easy to develop on/for)
3. Avoid Cutting edge tech.

Old tech ----------->Use it in a new way = $$$
Withered Tech ----> Lateral Thinking = New Product


LCD screen found in Calculators ------>Handheld gaming = GAMEBOY
Infrared IR found in TV remote -------------->Motion control = Wii Remote
Displays found in Tablets --------------------------------->Gaming tablet = Switch

The most recent tech we saw them add was OLED to a switch variant.

Let's acknowledge the elephant in the room ; the problem facing Nintendo currently is power and their online service. These are two things they must address in their next console or....upcoming generation. However, Nintendo will likely do so without treading too far from the status quo.

As for their next wither tech progression (this is the "gimmick" we all love to hate in Nintendo), I think its some form of augmented Reality.

In tech in general, especially in the mobile space, the camera, or in manufacturing terms, the image sensor, has become by far the most over-developed, over-manufactured feature in smartphones; we pay thousands of dollars on smartphones for a glorified camera. That tech is mature enough...or withered... for Nintendo to use in gaming.

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Obviously, AR is not new to Nintendo either

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Image Sensors / Camera found in smartphone -----------> AR = Nintendo Next console

It could be overstepping or could be too safe of a prediction, but if Switch 2 / Pro DOESN'T have a built-in camera, I'll be shocked.


EDIT: Title: Predicting* Nintendo's Next Move: Augented Reality

​

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

Eh, if they ever put that into their next console it will be just an extra optional gimmick like with amiibos.

Not to mention cameras consume a lot of battery power.

Also, what happens when the Switch is docked?

 

[SaintALia]

I'm with SlimeGooGoo here, it can be part of their gimmick, but they aren't going all in on that.

Nintendo experiments with a lot of things and has a lot of patents, and they're willing to buy into technologies or companies they like and can incorporate into their consoles, but if they're still going their one system hybrid route, then they won't go all in on AR, unless they can perhaps leverage the docked functions somehow.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

I don’t see how they cools build an entire system around this.

 

[ADiTAR]

I think Mario Kart Live Circuit didn't do that well, and was kinda like their Labo experiment. If it taught them anything is that people don't want AR from their console gaming.

 

[UltimaKilo]

Not even Apple has been able to crack true pass-through AR… No.

 

[AJUMP23]

 

[Griffon]

I'd say one more generation before they go for it.

Edit: nevermind I read VR not AR lol.
AR is not new for nintendo, and if they had it in them to make a big AR hit, they would've already done it on 3DS. But it only remained a gimmick.
Pokemon GO worked because it's on the phone and, unlike a console, it's inconspicuous to go out with you phone. Doing the same with a console makes you at best look like a dork, at worst an open invitation to get mugged.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

They are too busy working on Labo 2.0, this time made with Styrofoam boxes instead of cardboard.

 

[Kataploom]

Of all game devs out there, Nintendo seems to be the most experienced with AR, they don't have to get into it, they do a lot of AR, even the 3DS had that free AR game using the camera

 

[CamHostage]

I don't see it being the thing, but I haven't seen pretty much any Nintendo idea coming to the mainstream until Nintendo wizarded it to life, so, maybe?

It's certainly something Nintendo has had interest in over the years. They've tried a number of techniques to get players gaming in the real world (Game Boy Camera, StreetPass, Pokemon Go, Mario Kart Live, just the portables and Wii U in general) and if they had a novel component to add to the equation, I could see that being a tentpole feature of "Switch 2". Maybe not something used by every developer or in mainstream games brought to the platform, but you could say that about a lot of Nintendo "gimmicks".

 

[Zannegan]

I don't doubt Nintendo will go for withered tech with some aspects of their new system, but they're also not afraid to adopt new or at least uncommon tech when it suits their vision, such as the "HD Rumble" linear actuators in all Switch controllers. Also that list of withered tech is pretty reductive. For examples, IR sensors were used in TV remotes, yes, but not an IR camera.

I am interested in how you see augmented reality 2.0 working as a gimmick for an entire console though. As others have pointed out, what happens when it's docked? What about multiplayer? Do you have some sort of screen in every controller? If they went that far (which, to be fair, I am totally willing to believe of them) it wouldn't exactly be withered tech anymore.

You could, feasibly, do some sort of system-wide head-tracking 3D solution pretty cheaply with cameras, if every controller included one. An array of cameras on each controller could also help with positional tracking if they wanted to focus on improving that as well. Would probably be murder on the battery though.

 

[Quantum253]

I was pretty impressed with Samsung's design and versatility on the Fold series. I could see Nintendo making portable and console gaming more effecient with something like the Switch Fold or Nintendo Flip where the unit just folds in half for storage travel or smaller additional screen for AR type things in the world

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

It's more likely Nintendo will drive specialised hardware and locked content again with their next hardware release. I don't see them opening up to any smartphone for example. Nintendo to me are more likely to go the Apple M1/M2 route with their own purpose build hardware/software combo. It's really what their famous for, oh and selling peripherals like no tomorrow. Perhaps you are correct about the smartphones tech/manufacturing/OS/apps capabilities being leveraged but I don't see Nintendo enabling a wider market off existing smartphones and brands.

The core of Switch dominance is Nintendo's IPs and hardware that is clean, easy to use and fits a purpose to differentiate Nintendo from other platforms e.g. SNES mode 7 = Mario Kart, N64/SGI = Mari 64, Gamecube = 4 players/controllers on one system, Wii/U = motion games/peripherals, Switch = hybrid console/handheld. It's not much of a stretch to consider their own take and market segment focus to dominant again with their next hardware release. Is that AR/VR/console/handheld? I don't see Nintendo adding all that up in one price point they'd be happy to put to market.

 

[yurinka]

This reminds me of Invizimals in PSP and Vita. It was very successful in the South West of Europe, where it was made and the only place where Sony decently marketed it. It even ended having its own cartoon tv show.