I was writing a response to this thread about Kimishima remarking that the Nintendo Switch’s life will be longer than Nintendo’s usual cycle:
http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=234567
And, it ended up a bit long winded in response, so I decided to make this its own thread, in discussing what Nintendo’s hypothetical 10 year plan may look like.
Early 2017 - Mid 2019:
Nintendo will continue to pay lip service to 3DS, as they quietly ship less 3DSs and 3DS games each year, and continue to ramp up Nintendo Switch production.
With new Pokemon now only coming to the Nintendo Switch, the writing is on the wall for the 3DS, but Nintendo will still happily say a few nice words about the 3DS and continue their low effort extra money printing.
Pokemon Switch, along with high quality Wii U ports (Super Smash Bros DX in 2018, etc.), and a few larger 3rd party games will help sustain the Nintendo Switch’s momentum into 2019.
Late 2019 - Mid 2022:
Late 2019 is when more original 3rd party titles will be hitting the Nintendo Switch giving it a needed boost as momentum just begins to falter. Nintendo will continue to drop marquee titles less frequently, while preparing a large second wave of first party Nintendo Switch titles for a second wind boost.
Having bought this much time is a win win for Nintendo, as they prepare a new shot in the arm for Nintendo Switch, having used this time to get production costs down on a Nintendo Switch Mini launching for $199.99 MSRP in late 2019, while still keeping the OG Nintendo Switch at $299.99 with a pack-in game (they will want to keep this price point occupied for a smidge longer), and they will also drop the New Nintendo 2DS to $99.99 and the regular 2DS to $49.99 at this same time as well.
Hitting these 4 key price points simultaneously, they will literally swim in success.
During 2020 Nintendo will give another great boost to the Nintendo Switch family, introducing the Nintendo Switch XL, which will feature the same physical dimensions as the OG Nintendo Switch, but will have some key luxuries, such as a major reduction to the bezel, allowing for a much larger screen with the same sized joycon, and a much longer battery life thanks to a much more efficient Tegra chip.
The Nintendo Switch XL will be $299.99 MSRP, the OG Nintendo Switch will drop to $249.99 without a pack-in game, and the Nintendo Switch Mini will remain $199.99 for a bit longer.
In 2021 the Nintendo Switch Mini will drop to $149.99 and the OG Nintendo Switch will drop to $229.99 and the entire 3DS line will no longer be produced just as it hits its 10th birthday.
At this point, Nintendo will be confident enough to have $149.99 as their budget entry with a massive library of games and peripherals to up-sell to newcomers.
In 2022, the big wave of new first party games that Nintendo has been saving up for this year hits shelves month after month (faster than even 2017s pace) to keep things going, and to also really capitalize on a gigantic user base allowing for a huge software sales year.
Late 2022 - 2027:
Late 2022 is where Nintendo gets a little creative to keep hardware moving, they extend the Nintendo Switch Family of devices even further, offering home console only and handheld console only models (to really cut costs) to hit a niche at an even lower price point. Launching the Nintendo Switch Boy, Nintendo Switch Girl, and Nintendo Switch TV each retailing for $99.99 MSRP
2023 Sees the launch of Nintendo Switch SP and Nintendo Switch GO for $129.99 each for collectors, and people who enjoy the novelty and niche of clamshell and slider handheld consoles.
2025 is when the Nintendo Switch 2 launches as the original Nintendo Switch Family is twilighted for the next few years. This successor will be fully backwards compatible, but Nintendo will keep the budget low price Nintendo Switches around for a few years for cheaper entries, doing price cuts where matured production cost saving allows.
The Nintendo Switch 2 would be akin to what the 3DS was to the DS, or what GBA was to GBC as far as similarities as a successor and backwards compatibility.
Nintendo switch 2, being the futuristic Hybrid console, having more processing power, with a truly unique feature (assuming the technology advanced enough in that time) Portable HD projector mode for gaming with friends and Hologram Projector mode for mixed reality gaming i.e. using player pieces (such as room scale tracking Amiibo 2.0) with a full hologram board (environmental full volume holograms projected into physical space).
So, What do you all think of this 10 year plan?
How many of these points do you think Nintendo will hit over the next 10 years?
What is your vision of how Nintendo’s next 10 years may play out?
