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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Best handled Nintendo hardware transition

curl-6 on 14 March 2023
Soundwave said:

Nintendo's problems in part are due to software development starting too late I think in a lot of cases.

If I was running Nintendo I would have insisted (not asked, insisted) that the Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, and Smash Bros. teams must be working on hard development (not just planning, but actual level/world building, etc.) successor franchise installments of those IP for the next generation no later than January 2022 already, so the next installments of those games should already be well over a year into development already. I don't know what the Mario 3D/2D teams are doing but they should also be not only well into development of their next game but well past 50-60% complete.

You shouldn't even really need finished hardware for that as you can approximate what the next system's hardware would be like and use an older Nvidia graphics card to at least begin development on.

Everybody got a break most likely over the COVID break, and the last installments in these IP are now years in the past, it's time to get down to the nitty gritty of making the next franchise installments.

Gotta have content and the next transition will be harder for Nintendo because they're not going to have a Wii U library that was largely unplayed by a lot of people to pick apart and repurpose for easy hit titles in year 1 (ie: there's not gonna be a BOTW or completed Mario Kart 8 just laying around this time). 

This October it will be 6 years since Mario Odyssey, ordinarily we would already have gotten the next 3D Mario, which makes me strongly suspect they're holding onto it as a first year game for the successor.

Mario Kart 9 should also be very far along by now if Nintendo have any common sense.

I am skeptical if Nintendo will want to entirely let go of their 120 million plus Switch userbase right away though, specially considering the 3DS saw support for a 2 years after the release of the Switch.



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Soundwave on 14 March 2023
curl-6 said:
Soundwave said:

Nintendo's problems in part are due to software development starting too late I think in a lot of cases.

If I was running Nintendo I would have insisted (not asked, insisted) that the Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, and Smash Bros. teams must be working on hard development (not just planning, but actual level/world building, etc.) successor franchise installments of those IP for the next generation no later than January 2022 already, so the next installments of those games should already be well over a year into development already. I don't know what the Mario 3D/2D teams are doing but they should also be not only well into development of their next game but well past 50-60% complete.

You shouldn't even really need finished hardware for that as you can approximate what the next system's hardware would be like and use an older Nvidia graphics card to at least begin development on.

Everybody got a break most likely over the COVID break, and the last installments in these IP are now years in the past, it's time to get down to the nitty gritty of making the next franchise installments.

Gotta have content and the next transition will be harder for Nintendo because they're not going to have a Wii U library that was largely unplayed by a lot of people to pick apart and repurpose for easy hit titles in year 1 (ie: there's not gonna be a BOTW or completed Mario Kart 8 just laying around this time). 

This October it will be 6 years since Mario Odyssey, ordinarily we would already have gotten the next 3D Mario, which makes me strongly suspect they're holding onto it as a first year game for the successor.

Mario Kart 9 should also be very far along by now if Nintendo have any common sense.

I am skeptical if Nintendo will want to entirely let go of their 120 million plus Switch userbase right away though, specially considering the 3DS saw support for a 2 years after the release of the Switch.

They are either sitting on a new 3D Mario for this fall because of the movie or holding it for the launch of Switch 2.

Mario Kart I think is the most important Nintendo IP, even eclipsing the Mario platformers at this point, MK9 (or 10 if you count Tour as 9) has to be deep into development right now unless Nintendo has lost their marbles. I would want that as early in the Switch 2's product cycle, even day 1 if possible (since you're not going to have a new Zelda). 

Even Animal Crossing and Smash Next, like I would want those to be in actual development by now, not just sitting around a table and discussing ideas. That should have already been what those teams were doing over the COVID pause.



Mar1217 on 14 March 2023

As an avid 3DS gamer I'd say the transition to the Switch was formidable in any case cuz the reality of it is that the WiiU was basically dead by the end of 2015. So the transition to that took them more than a year, even then they had to use part of their previous library on the WiiU to make up for the holes it could've had in it's first to second year schedule.

The GC to Wii had actually quite the smooth transition too going back from memories because they actually decided to make the Wii into the GC + basically. To me in the beginning, these two consoles were almost indistinguishable.

On the handheld side, the whole era of GB to GBA and finally DS was almost flawless



Switch Friend Code : 3905-6122-2909 

curl-6 on 14 March 2023
Mar1217 said:

As an avid 3DS gamer I'd say the transition to the Switch was formidable in any case cuz the reality of it is that the WiiU was basically dead by the end of 2015. So the transition to that took them more than a year, even then they had to use part of their previous library on the WiiU to make up for the holes it could've had in it's first to second year schedule.

The GC to Wii had actually quite the smooth transition too going back from memories because they actually decided to make the Wii into the GC + basically. To me in the beginning, these two consoles were almost indistinguishable.

On the handheld side, the whole era of GB to GBA and finally DS was almost flawless

Yeah for the most part their handheld transitions have been more seamless in that the old system isn't killed off prematurely and even lives on for a while beside the new one, yet without depriving the replacement of support and system sellers.

Even 3DS continued to get games well into 2019.



Mar1217 on 14 March 2023
curl-6 said:
Mar1217 said:

As an avid 3DS gamer I'd say the transition to the Switch was formidable in any case cuz the reality of it is that the WiiU was basically dead by the end of 2015. So the transition to that took them more than a year, even then they had to use part of their previous library on the WiiU to make up for the holes it could've had in it's first to second year schedule.

The GC to Wii had actually quite the smooth transition too going back from memories because they actually decided to make the Wii into the GC + basically. To me in the beginning, these two consoles were almost indistinguishable.

On the handheld side, the whole era of GB to GBA and finally DS was almost flawless

Yeah for the most part their handheld transitions have been more seamless in that the old system isn't killed off prematurely and even lives on for a while beside the new one, yet without depriving the replacement of support and system sellers.

Even 3DS continued to get games well into 2019.

Actually, even during 2017-2018, my time spent on games was still mostly done on 3DS. It was truly once the support had dried and that games on my Switch began to pile up where I truly fully transitioned.

I know this prolly won't replicate itself with the Switch successor because I'll get it on launch most likely but they certainly would hard pressed not to find a way to make the transition from Switch to Super Switch just as smooth as those with cross-gen titles obviously.



Switch Friend Code : 3905-6122-2909 

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curl-6 on 14 March 2023
Soundwave said:
curl-6 said:

This October it will be 6 years since Mario Odyssey, ordinarily we would already have gotten the next 3D Mario, which makes me strongly suspect they're holding onto it as a first year game for the successor.

Mario Kart 9 should also be very far along by now if Nintendo have any common sense.

I am skeptical if Nintendo will want to entirely let go of their 120 million plus Switch userbase right away though, specially considering the 3DS saw support for a 2 years after the release of the Switch.

They are either sitting on a new 3D Mario for this fall because of the movie or holding it for the launch of Switch 2.

Mario Kart I think is the most important Nintendo IP, even eclipsing the Mario platformers at this point, MK9 (or 10 if you count Tour as 9) has to be deep into development right now unless Nintendo has lost their marbles. I would want that as early in the Switch 2's product cycle, even day 1 if possible (since you're not going to have a new Zelda). 

Even Animal Crossing and Smash Next, like I would want those to be in actual development by now, not just sitting around a table and discussing ideas. That should have already been what those teams were doing over the COVID pause.

The next Mario Kart is 100% a game that needs to happen in year 1 of the successor, it's the biggest no brainer, and they've had enough time to make it happen.

If the successor launches next year, it should also be viable to get the next Animal Crossing out in the first year. 

Throw in 3D Mario and you have a first year to rival Switch's 2017.



Jumpin on 15 March 2023

It depends on the criteria for it. If you mean based on a rise of gen over gen sales, Wii U to Switch. If you mean the smoothest transition, probably GB to GBC, or GBC to GBA, GBA to DS.

If we’re going for personal feelings, my favourite was Gamecube to Wii, as it went from one of Nintendo’s lowest points to one of their highest in a very short time. How it personally impacted me was it brought me from a time when I wasn’t really much into gaming anymore (at least, new games), to being back like Casino Royale.



I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.

Jumpin on 15 March 2023

Bowsette is another way of looking at successful transitions by Nintendo.



I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.

Soundwave on 15 March 2023
curl-6 said:
Soundwave said:

They are either sitting on a new 3D Mario for this fall because of the movie or holding it for the launch of Switch 2.

Mario Kart I think is the most important Nintendo IP, even eclipsing the Mario platformers at this point, MK9 (or 10 if you count Tour as 9) has to be deep into development right now unless Nintendo has lost their marbles. I would want that as early in the Switch 2's product cycle, even day 1 if possible (since you're not going to have a new Zelda). 

Even Animal Crossing and Smash Next, like I would want those to be in actual development by now, not just sitting around a table and discussing ideas. That should have already been what those teams were doing over the COVID pause.

The next Mario Kart is 100% a game that needs to happen in year 1 of the successor, it's the biggest no brainer, and they've had enough time to make it happen.

If the successor launches next year, it should also be viable to get the next Animal Crossing out in the first year. 

Throw in 3D Mario and you have a first year to rival Switch's 2017.

Also for NSO subs, Mario Kart 8 DLC will run out in 2023, so they're going to need something to keep NSO subscribers locked in, MK Next starting in 2024 makes an awful lot of sense. 



Soundwave on 15 March 2023

The SNES to N64 transition wasn't actually that bad to be honest.

1995 was a monster year for the Super NES, maybe even its best year overall -- SMW2: Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 2, Killer Instinct, 3rd party games like Chrono Trigger.

And even in '96, Super Mario RPG and DKC3 were sizable releases at least, but the first calendar year for the N64 is not too shabby at all at least for US tastes

Super Mario 64
Pilotwings 64
Wave Race 64
Killer Instinct Gold
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Cruis'n' USA
Mario Kart 64
Blast Corps
Star Fox 64
Tetrisphere
GoldenEye 007

That stacks up as well as any first year any Nintendo system has had, particularly when Mario 64 can be considered 1996's Game of the Year and GoldenEye 007 is a lot of people's choice for 1997's Game of The Year.

The problem was with basically little to no third party support there was like very little support software in between Nintendo's releases so it made droughts seem incredibly dry, even though Nintendo's output objectively was pretty good.

If they had compromised on the CD-ROM issue they would have had games like Resident Evil and Street Fighter Alpha 2 and perhaps even Tekken and Ridge Racer to space out between the above releases and suddenly it's a great first year.