Following the reveals of the Xbox One S and the Playstation 4 Pro, Nintendo has officially announced the newest addition to its gaming console family: the Nintendo Switch. This addition is a leap for Nintendo into the next generation of its video game systems, a sharp contrast to decisions by Microsoft and Sony to expand and build on already released consoles and not move on to their next generations.
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The video announcement, just a little more than three-and-a-half minutes long, is simple overall but informative, demonstrating and stressing the versatility of the Switch as both a home console and a handheld console. Players are shown to be taking advantage of this by playing games like The Legend of Zelda and Mario at home, out and about, and on the go.
I am impressed by what Nintendo has to offer this time around with the Switch. Besides the console itself piquing my interest, what has also grabbed my attention is Nintendo’s decision to abandon the almost decade old Wii brand in favor of starting anew.
While the Switch still could be considered to be a heavily redesigned expansion of the Wii U, it not sharing a connection to the Wii line through its name gives the Switch an opportunity to attract consumers like me who decided against buying a Wii U after many of our criticisms of the original Wii went unaddressed and carried over into its successor.
Both during the lifespan of the Wii line and now in reflection, my biggest criticism is the small quantity of games available in comparison to the Xbox and Playstation console lines. This turned not only me but many others away from the Wii U and, had Nintendo responded and provided solutions, I may have been convinced to buy a Wii U.
No games have officially been confirmed for the Switch, but Nintendo revealed over 30 different partners who are currently working on titles for the system which gives me faith that they may deliver a console that Nintendo fans, including myself, have been desiring for quite some time.
While there is still a lot to learn about the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo has impressed me by choosing to start anew while also building on the groundwork put in place by the Wii and Wii U. I do believe I will end up buying a Nintendo Switch but, whether or not that is at release in March of 2017 or a year or two later depends on both the features and the games that become available.
Since the 1970s, Nintendo has accomplished a lot of great things in the gaming industry and the Nintendo Switch will hopefully turn out to be great and allow for them to step up and join Microsoft and Sony at the front of the pack, especially in terms of American gaming.
