Your thoughts on the Next Ninty Console

[Jumpin]

curl-6 said:

Soundwave said:

The Switch is selling because it's *not* the 3DS. It is not some low level game machine that relies a lot on kids. By going higher tier with the Switch you have a more compelling product that's resulting in better sales. 

If you do the whole "lets just ride this platform into the ground until it's badly outdated" thing that's not going to work for the Switch. Switch is a different kind of platform from the DS/3DS/GB lines, if Nintendo tried to make a "4DS" today it probably wouldn't even hit 50 million. Reason being smart phone games have really cannibalized the kids and budget market. The 3DS still has some sway there, but it's a small market. 

The higher end market is where it's at for Nintendo, that's where you have a device that does things you can't really get on a smartphone or tablet and they need to keep IMO at least a 1 generation gap minimum between the Switch the other home consoles. If you let Sony/MS stretch it to 2 generations difference, the gap is too large and the Switch will lose credibility as a hybrid console and really just be a glorified portable that has a TV out. So when Sony/MS go to PS5/XB2, Nintendo needs to introduce a Switch that is in the PS4/XB1 tier at least. 

Otherwise the Switch brand is going to lose luster, it's not going to work as a "well now it's a cheap little Game Boy type thing!". 

The Switch isn't high end though, it never was, from day 1 it was technically behind the competition. People aren't buying it for its graphics, two of its biggest sellers are Wii U games.

You're both right,

People aren't buying it for the graphics, but people ARE buying it because it's a compelling product.
And Nintendo is going to have to maintain that, otherwise they run into the generational arch where they sell up to year 2 or 3, and then in decline for 3, 4, 5, and 6, and then do it all over again from scratch.

Putting in a new graphical chip is an easy win, and then rather than declining from 15, to 12, to 10, to 6m, they can keep up the 20m per year level, and perhaps even increase it in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and so on. We don't have to say goodbye the Switch and say hello to the Switch U, we can keep our Switches, new consumers get their Switch 2s which are more compelling purchases than ours, and third party devs get increased sales... as do first party devs.

This may be the first time this is possible with Nintendo hardware given the nature of the Switch... which is built with hardware that is generally made to be upgraded in this fashion.

I also think the next hardware would do best to launch the same day as Pokemon, with some other big first party game not far off that date: maybe Animal Crossing? (I would actually prefer Animal Crossing earlier, but business is business).