The news keeps on coming with one of the most awaited consoles coming out this year. Ever since the Nintendo Switch was announced in 2016, people have been eating up information left and right. Nintendo fans of all ages have spent a great deal of time with their eyes glued to any device that could connect to the internet, anxiously waiting for the next piece of information about this console to be leaked out a like a hungry wolf waiting for its meal. With the latest live stream that Nintendo held, a great deal of information was released, feeding the minds of anyone who's been hungry enough to keep hunting for more information. It seems like almost everything is out there for the fans to get ready, but there are two sides to every tale. With all this information being released about the Switch, what could possibly go wrong? A few things, actually, and five of them will be explained today.
The Verge makes it clear that the five hurdles that Nintendo has to get through are not easy, and they have been something that Nintendo has dealt with for a while, considering they are problems that, if one looks at their track record, have gone toe-to-toe with for a while.
1. Meet Consumer Demand
Nintendo's gone through this time and time again, and sure enough, the Switch will not be any different. Whether Nintendo relies on artificial scarcity that encourages lines and high prices for other markets like Amazon to get them a lot of press or simply because they have a poor record of estimating interest in its own wares, the only way that Nintendo can get over this hurdle is to sell the hardware at retail price, and not through secondary markets like eBay that ask for quite the upcharge.
2. Solve the Inevitable Power Problem
With this new console coming out, it's no surprise that its battery life won't be what we expect. The trailer denotes that you can take it on flights over vast differences, but really, how long can it last considering how strong and demanding the Switch's processes are? The consoles performance will differ greatly from when it is docked to when it is not, specifically at 40 percent of the fully docked device. The battery as well as performance when it is mobile versus when it is docked are key things to look into.
3. Building an Internet Platform that Works
When it comes to Nintendo's internet activity, they've constantly valued safety over anything else to drive home its family-friendly impression. That being said, the matchmaking is still tedious. If they can improve the online experience from its recent attempts, then they will be moving into a new, more comfortable online multiplayer age.
4. Don't Assume Core Franchises are Enough
Nintendo has made a great deal of core franchises from Mario to Legend of Zelda, to Fire Emblem and so on, but they can't keep thinking that this will be enough to bring them into the clear. If Nintendo wants to see clearer skies ahead, they need to make room for third-party publishers and give them a chance. Anyone can be excited about the next Mario Kart installation, but you can only get so excited after seeing it seven or eight times, like what happened with Mario Party. As long as it can get third-party support, the Switch will be one step closer to the finish line.
5. Stop Being so Cheap
Nintendo has a habit of releasing the same titles over and over again on different consoles. It sparks a sense of nostalgia for most, but it is not enough of a selling point to keep going by. What The Verge really looks for is Nintendo's ability to support backward compatibility. In Microsoft's case, anyone who buys games on the Xbox service will ultimately have them on future Xbox hardware, and fans could only hope that Nintendo can do something similar.
While these are the main concerns for The Verge, Geek has increased their list from five to ten things that could make the Nintendo Switch go south, and here they are from beginning to end: bad performance, friend codes, brand dilution, artificial shortages, software drought, being too portable, third-party alienation, battery life, price, and of course, the high expectations. With all these things standing in the way of Nintendo, will the Switch rise to the occasion or sink dramatically into the sea? Fans all over the world can only wait and see.
