Switching things up
The promised day has finally arrived!
Nintendo has finally unveiled its long brewing seventh home console, long
codenamed NX: the Nintendo Switch. And what came as a bit of a shock to me, the
internet seems to have collectively agreed that it looks to be really cool!
Gamers on the internet seem to be
perpetually at war with each other for no reason other than to argue for
argument’s sake. We saw this in things like the No Man’s Sky debacle and the
Final Fantasy XV delay earlier this year. Yet here, with the Nintendo Switch,
people have come together in agreement that this is something worth getting
excited about.
The question is why, though? Why is
everyone uniting under the umbrella of the Switch when they were tearing at
each other’s throats earlier?
I think the answer can be found in
Nintendo’s past, specifically with the Wii U. True story, when I first saw the
Wii U, I thought it looked terrible. As the Wii came down crashing and burning
at the end of its line, I wanted Nintendo to return with a gimmick-free
console, similarly in vein to the GameCube. The last thing I wanted was a
single tablet controller, with Wiimotes for the other players. Once I finally
had the Wii U in my hands, I fell in love with the console, but it still gave
me a pretty lousy first impression.
Turns out I wasn’t alone in this. But
even years after launch, the Wii U was the laughingstock of comment sections
filled with Sony and Microsoft fans. It didn’t attract the casual crowd either,
because of a lot of failed marketing. Basically, Nintendo wasn’t able to
distinguish the Wii U as its own thing, and most perceived it as an add-on to
the Wii, sort of like the Wii Zapper. On that note, does anyone else remember
the Wii Zapper? I’m pretty sure only like five games used that thing.
As I said many times during the Wii
U’s lifespan, I wanted Nintendo’s next console to be back to basics. I had had
enough of gimmicks, and was ready for a regular console.
So why is the Switch, arguably even
more gimmicky than the Wii U, getting so much love?
Well, first of all, it’s dropping the
Wii name. This gives the casual crowd notice that it’s a brand new thing, as
opposed to wrongly assuming it’s an add-on to an existing console.
But ultimately, the main thing about
the Switch that succeeds is that it’s primarily a home console. The first thing
they show in the trailer is a guy playing Zelda with a Pro Controller. Yes, the
gimmick is there, but considering
that this is primarily a home console, the fact that they’re pushing the
controller type that was an afterthought on the Wii U makes it clear that
Nintendo is bouncing back.
The other thing that really makes the
Switch interesting is the portability. It’s no secret that the 3DS is lucrative
for Nintendo. They’ve been the undisputed kings of portable gaming for years,
especially if you don’t count the mobile market. Gamers and casuals alike love
having games like Pokémon or Animal Crossing to bring with them on road trips
or even on their bus commutes to work, especially if they need to keep their
phone battery for other reasons. I always found it that, despite how much
Nintendo initially touted the ability to play on the Wii U GamePad without
being in the same room as the console, you could barely make it to the other
side of the house without being plagued with connectivity issues. With the
Switch, you can now play anywhere, and that sounds amazing. There’s still the
concern of battery life and losing the game cartridges or detachable
controllers, but from first glance, it’s a really good idea.
Nintendo is being extremely protective
over Switch information, even more so than they usually are. This trailer is
apparently the only info we’re getting on the console until next year, making
us wait for important things like specs and pricing info. Despite that, it was
a great starting point, and we can all come together hotly anticipating the
Switch and what it’s going to do for the gaming marketplace.
Song of the Week
It wouldn’t be an editorial about the
Switch without the awesome song from the trailer. The song, Ha Ha Ha Ha Yeah
(not the name I would’ve gone with, but whatever) by White Denim encapsulates
the more adult feel the Switch seems to be going for perfectly.
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