NINTENDO should add a home console version for switch 2

[JWeinCom]

SvennoJ said:

JWeinCom said:

I'm generally in favor of offering more choice to customers, but there are reasons not to do this. For one, you want to make your product's key selling point crystal clear, and the Switch's is its hybrid functionality. Although, Nintendo has offered a 2DS and handheld only Switch, so who knows.

But I think there's also a big risk of market confusion. Ideally, you want everyone who owns a platform to be able to play any game on the platform. I used to work in gaming retail, and a lot of people were frustrated when they found out they couldn't play certain games on certain versions of systems, for example GTA V on harddriveless PS360s, certain games on the old 3DS, games that required a specific peripheral, etc. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but you want to minimize those things.

There are also manufacturing related logistics. Particularly around launch time, if you don't properly guesstimate the demand between the two versions of your product, you wind up with situations where you have a bunch of the less popular model that people don't want, and then you wind up foregoing sales. When the Vita came out few people wanted the 3G model, because it really didn't make sense, and a bunch of people decided not to buy it. No idea if they wound up buying one down the line, but it's possible that they just lost the urge and didn't wind up getting one.

Long story short, I wouldn't complain if they did this, but I don't know if it's the best move from a logistics/marketing perspective. I think having one version of a system, especially at launch, is for lack of a better word, cleaner.

What Nintendo has made crystal clear is that they favor the handheld functionality and consider tv as a side option. There would not be any market confusion as a console version would still play all the same games. But sure, at launch it's easier just to have one SKU. That didn't stop MS and Sony though from coming out with 2 versions each.

Software compatibility can be an issue depending on controls. For instance, if Nintendo wanted to do games that rely on touch, such as Kirby Canvas Curse, or something like Nintendo Land which may have each player requiring a separate screen. Of course, Nintendo hasn't done many things on Switch that couldn't work on a home console version. I think Super Mario Party had some minigames requiring two Switches and Kirby Tilt and Tumble wouldn't really work well as a docked game. So, it may not be an issue depending on what software Nintendo is planning. Personally I'd like to see some more touch based stuff (which can somewhat be replicated by Joycons but would be awkward) and stuff making Wii U esque use of multiple Switches.

But, this is going on the assumption that Nintendo is just going to announce a more powerful Switch, and I don't think that's likely. It's been over two decades since Nintendo's done a new system that was just an old one just more powerful. For better or worse, each system has had its own Gimmick, and I don't think that will change now. So, depending on what exactly Nintendo plans to do with the Switch 2, there could be some games that couldn't work or wouldn't work well on the base Switch. All theoretical at this point since I have no idea what kinds of games they'll be making (I'm honestly thinking VR may be a key feature), but we'll see. 

As for Sony and Microsoft releasing multiple SKUs, sure they did, and Nintendo could. That doesn't mean it was the right decision, and there's also the fact that the audience may be different.