PaigeFTW: Nintendo Switch Misgivings
Nintendo unveiled its long-gestating NX console last week: Nintendo Switch, the console you can “switch” on the go from TV sidekick to awkwardly big handheld in mere seconds, thanks to detachable controllers.
You can tell I’m skeptical about the whole thing.
Here’s the thing: Nintendo’s first-party games all but guarantee that it will always be able to sell a reasonable number of units. You can’t mess with Mario, Link, Kirby and the gang. They basically print money.
The problem Nintendo has had this generation with the Wii U is a distinct lack of third-party support. In other words, there’s hardly anything to play on this thing besides Nintendo games.
This lack of support can be traced to Wii U’s noticeable lag behind PS4, Xbox One and PC processing power. The Wii U just can’t do all the things those platforms can. It would require extra resources to develop exclusive titles. So most developers just don’t.
Obviously, Nintendo hasn’t released any specs for the new console yet — but somehow, I don’t think a console designed to bounce between handheld and console outputs is going to be on the level of its competition. There’s gotta be a compromise somewhere, right? (That, or the battery is going to die faster than a Pikachu using Quick Attack.)
I’m also concerned by the seeming lack of touchscreen — and the fact that this console seems poised to take over Nintendo’s handheld empire, the one place the publisher undoubtedly still reigns supreme. Can the Nintendo 3DS coexist with the Switch?
A lot of questions, not many answers just yet.
Despite this, I mean, yeah, I’d buy one. I gotta, don’t I? I gotta play Zelda, wherever the series goes. But I hope Nintendo gets it right this time — and that we aren’t just repeating the past as the sun sets on gaming’s most influential mover.
