5 years of Nintendo Switch: successfully bucking the trend
3/3/2022
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
A mix of DS and Wii, Nintendo truly created a new kind of console. Five years on, over 100 million devices have been sold. A reason to celebrate, despite some rough spots.
Nintendo is known for doing things its own way. As evident from the Nintendo 64’s trident controller, the Wii’s motion controller or, once again, the Nintendo Switch 2-in-1 console. Since its launch on March 3, 2017, both the Japanese game company and its fans have had a lot to celebrate. Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe were two of the best console launch titles ever. The fact that one of them also appeared for the Wii U and the other was just a re-release hardly seemed to matter. With over 100 million units sold, the Nintendo Switch is the fifth most successful console of all time. There’s no end in sight, with 23 million units already forecast for fiscal year 2022.
Everyone’s console of choice
The Switch owes its success to three things. For one thing, Nintendo has managed to bring real console games to a handheld. There are, of course, top-quality games on the Nintendo DS or the PS Vita. But they lag behind real console games in terms of scope, graphics or playability. With the Switch, that suddenly changed. And Nintendo delivered the perfect game on launch: «Zelda Breath of the Wild». I remember spending hours on the train between Winterthur and Zurich exploring the fascinating world of Hyrule. In the evening, I’d put the console in its dock and climb steep cliffs with Link on the big screen in search of new secrets. It felt magical, as I wrote in my review.
Nintendo has always been able to rely on its perennial favourites Mario, Zelda and Pokémon. The fact that one of the best Switch games to date was available at launch catapulted the Switch to the top of the console charts. «Mario Kart Deluxe» meanwhile, which got off to a hesitant start, has now sold over 43 million copies. On the Wii U, it was only around eight million. At first, it seemed like an act of desperation to rehash the old game to spice up offers at launch. Apart from «Breath of the Wild», there wasn’t much else. In retrospect, it turned out to be a stroke of genius.
Equally important is the third point for the Nintendo Switch’s success: its price. 299 US dollars, translating into around 349 francs here, was just cheap enough to undercut competition from Sony and Microsoft. And for a brand new console, there was nothing to complain about at that price – unless you were a nerd like me.
Compromises that don’t matter to the masses
Compromises in performance and features made this low price possible. The Switch’s display only has a resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels. Docked, it’s still 1920 × 1080 pixels, but without graphical improvements. Nintendo doesn’t attempt bombastic graphics akin to other consoles. Again, this never really matter to the Japanese gaming giant. They make up for below-average performance with a creative design, which also manages using low pixel density. The fact that «Zelda Breath of the Wild» still stutters in many places due to the Switch’s lack of power doesn’t seem to bother the masses. This is probably also why there still hasn’t been a performance upgrade after the third hardware revision, with a 4K Switch still only a rumour.
Nintendo also still lags behind the competition when it comes to online features. At launch, there was nothing to do online aside from playing with buddies in «Mario Kart» or «Splatoon». Today, the service is no longer free and, apart from a few free NES and SNES games at irregular intervals, still only offers rudimentary features. Nintendo 64 titles cost even more. Offers here are even more meagre, and actual ports of old games are not beyond reproach either. Even the synchronisation of save states was a long time coming, and is still not on the level of Sony and Microsoft. Managing multiple Switch consoles with multiple people is also a horrifying experience. And connecting Bluetooth headphones? Works… since last September.
The future remains exciting
Nintendo goes its own way in many things. This is annoying at times, such as when basic things are ignored. On the other hand, the Switch gave us one of the most innovative consoles since the Wii, and a games selection you won’t find anywhere else. In 2022, things will continue at a rapid pace. This year, the new «Zelda»is set to be released and «Splatoon 3» is on the horizon, with «Kirby and the Forgotten Land» already coming in a few weeks and «Pokémon Arceus» already selling millions. Even if it hurts to say: please Nintendo, keep up the good work.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
