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When the Nintendo Switch launched in March of this year, it was a hit with critics and gamers alike. By being able to play it as a full console at home, but also as a handheld on the go, it can be played whenever, wherever. In addition, it’s supported by a plethora of games at or near launch, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, and the upcoming Super Mario Odyssey. Therefore, it seems reasonable that the Switch has been the top-selling console in the U.S. for several months in a row.
When asked if he was surprised at the Switch’s success, junior David Binley states, “Kind of, but Nintendo is a very fad-based company, they always follow what’s popular or what they said what’s popular, and then everyone else does it, and it falls off and Nintendo has a few years where they can’t sell anything, and then they come up with something new.” Because it’s a new concept, the Switch’s popularity is not entirely surprising.
The main problem is that Nintendo has a reputation for mainly having family-friendly games on their consoles. With Mario being their main mascot, it can be difficult to overcome this stereotype.
Dustin Baxter, a freshman, gave his opinion on their reputation: “They don’t have enough game availability, and variety and most of their games are like family friendly or child-friendly, like E rated games. Most people play M rated games though.”
However, this may be changing with their newest console. Game developer Bethesda has announced plans to bring Doom, Wolfenstein 2, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to the system. Considering these are all M rated games, a few being first-person shooters, it very well may bring in a more mature audience.
So far, Sony has led the pack in the so-called “console war”, selling over 63 million Playstation 4 units worldwide.
When asked about who was winning the console war, freshman Aaron Fresh stated: “Probably Sony. I’m personally Microsoft, but I hear very good things about Sony, and a lot of people use their consoles.”
Although they have declined to comment on the exact number, it is estimated that Microsoft has sold between 25-30 million Xbox One consoles. Both consoles were released in 2013, so each has been available for plenty of time. The Switch, however, only released earlier this year, but it has already sold almost 5 million units worldwide by July, and over 2 million units in the U.S by September. In fact, in the same period on the market, the Switch sold faster than the Wii did. Considering the Wii was one of the top selling consoles ever, this is a huge feat for Nintendo.
Nintendo needed to step up their game after the Wii U’s sales were remarkably low. Some fear that the longevity of the Switch may be as short as the Wii U, which was discontinued last year.
Sarah Fuller, a freshman, gave her opinion on the longevity of the Switch: “In all honesty, it might not be as long as the Wii because the Wii held out for a long time and still holds out. I think it will probably be as popular as the Wii U, and not a lot of people own a Wii U.” Based on comments from various gamers and critics, many are worried that the Switch may have the same fate, but Nintendo’s newest console has so many highlights, this may not be an issue.
Look out Microsoft and Sony. Between an abundance of first and third-party games, being able to play console games wherever, and multiple ways to play, the Switch has become quite a threat in the console war.
