And this is the crux of the issue. Yes, there are plenty of people excited for Switch, but these are the same people that would have bought the console no matter what. Switch is still only appealing to Wii U owners. Nintendo isn’t offering enough features to entice new custom. Switch needs choice, variety, and the promise of games in the future to lure a wider audience.
There’s a rather irritating insistence from Nintendo fans that what appeals to them is enough to sustain Switch, but the reality is that the mainstream doesn’t care a jot about Xenoblade or Splatoon. Even the third party support that is there is either obscure titles or indie games – icing on the cake, not meat in the sandwich.
Following the Switch’s reveal, speaking with Time.com, Reggie Fils-Aime stated:
“…That is the Nintendo history. We make smart choices, and we are oftentimes lucky… What we are working hard to do, is to make smart choices with Nintendo Switch, and once again be fortunate that the marketplace responds in a positive way.”
And herein lies Nintendo’s age old problem: it’s banking on another fad and is still too preoccupied with chasing the dragon that was the Wii. Smart choices shouldn’t necessarily equate to merely ignoring status quo and innovating a clever toy – the foundations with which all successful consoles have been built must still be in place.
I’m not suggesting Nintendo replicate Sony or Microsoft in the battle for power. Innovation is great, Nintendo’s alternative design choices are an important part of its identity, but if doing so comes at the cost of isolating Switch from third party developers, that is just foolhardy. I’m sure we’d all love a niche device that plays first-party Nintendo and indie games, but Switch can’t just be that. Nintendo knows it, too; that’s why EA was there. Unfortunately, though, in trying to convince us of the strength of that relationship, it has never looked so shallow.