So the Nintendo Switch has launched. Chances are those who have picked it up have also picked up The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as well with it. For me I am loving the new Zelda game so far! That is not what we're here to talk about though.
The Switch. When I first heard about this console I was curious. I was thinking to myself... "Really? This soon?" Then Remembered that Nintendo tends to release their consoles 5-6 years between one another. Was this simply within the motions of Nintendo or were they accepting that the Wii U had failed? Now don't get me wrong, the Wii U certainly didn't fail in terms of sales and games. They also kept their promise of the new Zelda game being on the Wii U, it was just released on the Switch as well. Super Smash Bros. and Super Mario Maker helped sell Wii U consoles.
With the release of the Switch though I see that online features will need to be paid for in the future. Which I guess was going to happen at some point. It does pose a lot of questions though as well as concerns.
I wonder what will happen with the stuff that I moved from my Wii to the Wii U? Will I be able to transfer all of my Virtual Console games from the Wii U to the Switch? Will their be a new Virtual Console?
Also a concern is that this could damage Nintendo's handheld market. The Switch is being advertised as a console you can take with you and play at home. Pretty cool. It is a handheld that can plug into your TV via an HDMI cable, with HD style graphics. That's a cool idea and I love me some Animal Crossing on my TV, so a new Animal Crossing game would be the best of both worlds for all players out there. However with that being said... is there really any purpose of developing games on the 3DS anymore? The only thing left there is the touchscreen which has been utilized very well among developers.
Although with these questions and concerns in mind, I'm glad that Nintendo FINALLY dropped their gimmicks. Oh yeah, the games are on cards instead of disks (which I prefer honestly), but I don't see it being too cost-effective on third party developers, since you can also download games through Nintendo's eShop. But the Joycons (WTF) once slid into the controller husk that comes with the console, feels similar and looks similar to a Gamecube controller (arguably the best video game controller).
There are pros and cons to this and with The Legend of Zelda taking the sandbox approach and Mario taking an... interesting approach. What else will be seeing from Nintendo? This old dog doesn't seem to be down and out yet.
Questions of the Day
1. Do you own a Nintendo Switch? Yes or no... why?
2. What games do you have for the Nintendo Switch?
3. What are your thoughts the different directions Nintendo are taking?
4. Which hat is more magical? Link's or Mario's?
