Nintendo did try following PlayStation once before with the GameCube, and it ate up nearly all the profits from their handhelds, and resulted in Nintendo’s first quarterly loss since the early 1960s. The other thing is the PlayStation style console is a relatively small niche, outside of the PlayStation brand; there has only ever been once exception to this historical reality: The Xbox 360. And that was more a result of a massive fumble with the PS3 launch. One more consideration: the overall demand for those types of consoles has declined compared to its peak around 2008 to 09 (when PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360 were all capable of good annual sales).
I Nintendo didn’t win with power in the NES/GB and Wii/DS eras, they won with lateral hardware advancement.
However, I think Nintendo should explore expanding the Switch 2’s platform to include both budget handheld and home console models while keeping the hybrid model as the core of its business.
And the above is just from a philosophical standpoint. There is also the technical standpoint: I suspect jumping into X86 architecture would create massive hurdles for Nintendo given the Switch is on RISC-based architecture. Someone who knows hardware might be able to clarify if this is the case and to what extent.
As for Nintendo’s next logical advancement, I think that’s into the realm of VR and AR. They’ve already pioneered in both with very limited success, but the tech will be there one day where it will be feasible as part of the Switch platform… similar to how they really just needed to wait until they could do something like Breath of the Wild.
I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.
