Skip to main content

If Switch 2 is the end of innovative Nintendo, there's much to be sad about

What happened to the company that used to surprise us?

A product image of the Switch 2 with a sad face emoji superimposed over the middle of the screen.
Image credit: Eurogamer / Nintendo

For as long as I can remember, Nintendo has done its own thing. This was never more apparent than in 2005, when I started working for Eurogamer and when Nintendo was prepping the announcement of a new console codenamed Revolution. As far as we were concerned, this was going to be a competitor for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Except, it wasn't. The console, unveiled as the Wii, was something else.

The Wii was the moment Nintendo excused itself from a raw-power console rat race, and focused instead on fun, on being a toy maker. It launched a machine that was comfortably, and confidently, less powerful than rival consoles, but it doubled-down on being different instead. We scratched our heads in bemused delight as legendary game-maker Miyamoto-san demonstrated fitness game Wii Fit on an E3 stage, wobbling around happily on a balance board peripheral, and we held plastic steering wheels in the air to play Mario Kart with friends and flung Wiimotes at our televisions as if they were bowling balls.

I distinctly remember people not giving Wii a chance at the time - I remember not giving the Wii a chance at the time - but how wrong we were. It surged to 100 million sales, making it the best selling console of that generation, and reached a mainstream audience beyond the typical circle of people captured by games. Games like Wii Fit sold in the tens of millions and spawned entire fitness franchises. Nintendo hadn't just created a new console, it had created a whole new way to play.

And no one expected it.

The Switch 2.Watch on YouTube

Fast-forward to the Wii U in 2012, and OK, we hit a bump in the road, but still, here was a Nintendo willing to try things - to demonstrate not just new hardware but new ideas. I'm still not sure I even understand what it was even though I had one; it was a console with a touch-screen controller, a second screen, presumably envisaged to merge the worlds of DS and Wii together. But it didn't really work; or rather, there weren't enough games that proved compellingly how it could work, so financially, it was a bit of a flop - prompting the late Nintendo president Iwata-san to take a huge pay cut, which I wish some other companies were doing now.

Nevertheless, without the Wii U we probably wouldn't have the Switch, which took all of the sentiment of the Wii U, all of the good ideas, and realised them in a way that worked. A console that was also a handheld and, crucially, one you could take out of the home with you. Again, it was a Nintendo competing with imagination and finding novel ways to play. And the Switch was a roaring success, becoming Nintendo's best selling home console, with more than 140m sales, only slightly behind the DS with 150m sales.

Generation after generation, Nintendo surprised us with new ideas, even when the ideas themselves seemed slight. The DS to 3DS wasn't much of a jump, but do you remember using that 3D slider for the first time? Magic - or, well, maybe a headache. Wii U to Switch: a concept nailed. Switch to Switch 2...

Huh?

I can't have been the only person watching the Switch 2 reveal yesterday hoping to be surprised - the only person hoping to be Nintendo-d. Yes, copious leaks had revealed almost every aspect of the new console in the lead up to today's announcement, but Nintendo would still have a surprise left to play, surely. A Miyamoto up its sleeve. As the trailer wore on, I readied myself for it, for something unexpected, for something unforeseen. A secret compartment lodged in the back of the machine that turned it into a flute or something I don't know! Something. But there wasn't anything. All I saw was a design I know very well already. Joy-cons which behave a bit like PC mice, and a mysterious C button, were as mysterious as it got.

Where's the imagination in it all? Where's the Nintendo in it all, the toy maker?

Games haven't been announced for Switch 2 yet, though we got a glimpse of a new Mario Kart in the reveal trailer.Watch on YouTube

I'll tell you what it reminds me of: it reminds me of Apple. There was a period of time when Steve Jobs would stand on that Apple stage and routinely pull out a piece of hardware that would reorientate the tech world. Here's an iPhone! Or, here's an iPad! And the world would gasp at the imagination of it all. He seemed unable to do anything wrong. But now I don't feel any excitement watching Apple. It's just similar-looking iPhone after similar looking iPhone. It's predictable.

Nintendo represented the unpredictable in gaming for so many years. In a world where console design has become homogenised, where the elaborate has been removed of the understandable - at least as far as innards are concerned - Nintendo was the one company laser-focused, it seemed, on remembering what it was in the business of making: games - fun. The focus was so holistic I began thinking less of Nintendo consoles as devices and more of toys.

But what if Nintendo is going the way of Apple now, sucked into the vortex of iterative updates and sensible-ness?

Two things worry me. One is that this might be the final form of Nintendo games machines now forever more. Perhaps, as with the rectangular smartphone, we've reached the endpoint in form-factor, from a design point of view. I doubt Nintendo will ever go back to making a stationary console to sit under a television, so until foldable screen technology becomes cheap and reliable enough to factor into a design, this general Switch design might be as good as it gets.

The other thing that concerns me more is that Nintendo might have lost some of its creative nerve, or become more conservative. There has been a change in leadership in recent years, of course. Nintendo's long-running president Satoru Iwata came from a game-making background, whereas the company's current president Shuntaro Furukawa comes from an accountancy background. Does that have something to do with it - has he instilled a more cautious approach? That's not to say it's a wrong approach, by the way. From a business perspective, this - the Switch 2 - might be the perfect play, and a healthy business means a healthy Nintendo, which can't be a bad thing. There's also a chance Nintendo will let its imagination do the talking in the games, rather than in the hardware.

Look, never rule Nintendo out - I've learnt that the hard way - but I can't shake a feeling of disappointment at the Switch 2 reveal all the same. A feeling of meh-ness. A neutral reaction to something I ought to be excitedly talking about with colleagues and Eurogamer readers. Worse still is a realisation that's probably it for Nintendo hardware for the next handful of years. And so I'll wonder it again: what happened to the Nintendo that used to surprise people? Is that it?

For a contrary opinion, check out Donlan's piece: If the Switch 2 is safe, then I'm Jason Statham and I want to star in it. I won't hold it against you.

Read this next

universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top