The generational change of Nintendo consoles usually occurs approximately every six or seven years. Nintendo Switch He has been with us for five years and it is obvious that is in the prime of his life. Not only because of the games already available and those that are in the oven, but also because of the way they measure themselves head-on with the new generation systems. Five years later, Switch is still selling like hot cakes.
Although, Nintendo Switch has given us great surprises and great joys With conversions of games like The Witcher 3, Dragon Ball FighterZ, DOOM Eternal and Overwatch so successful that they defy all logic, it is no secret that neither technological ceiling -reached years ago- has been a barrier for a machine that has not only shown the best face of The Big N, but has managed to captivate the general public.
Based on new adventures with Mario, Kirby or the fireproof Pikachu, but also being very experimental with risky proposals and daring ideas. positioning itself as the best system to enjoy in company or recover the classics of all life and, in the process, proclaiming itself as the new bastion of the indie video game beyond the PC. Many open fronts and all perfectly covered.
¿What has changed since its launch, in a relatively distant 2017? It is definitely amazing to see how much the game catalog has grown from that launch catalog in which it seems that nobody, except Bomberman, wanted to coincide with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Five years and 100 million consoles sold later, we are still excited by the mere idea of returning to that Hyrule that we fell in love with and rediscover it in new ways.
And despite the fact that today we see Nintendo Switch as a console that is synonymous with success, the truth is that five years ago the Big N was going through a moment very delicate at all levels.
Nintendo’s NX project: from the failure of Wii U to the triumph of Switch
The secrecy that surrounded everything related to Switch before its presentation was, to say the least, unusual. The situation, very complicated. Nintendo announced the successor to the Wii U on the same day that it confirmed its entry into the mobile gaming market and when it had not yet been on the shelves for three years. There were many reasons to force the relief: Wii U barely managed to sell just over 13 million consoles. As an illustration, PS5 sold that amount before completing its first year.
The premature announcement of what was renamed NX Project It was accompanied by all kinds of speculations about it. Shigeru Miyamoto himself went so far as to say that the new console had not been presented to literally prevent the appearance of imitators. The question asked itself: what was Nintendo up to? What we didn’t know is what would Nintendo put in our hands.
After being shown for the first time in Christmas 2016, Nintendo Switch hit the shelves a March 3, 2017 with a handful of games and, standing out among them all, the new adventure of the hero of Hyrule. The Legend of Zelda Breath of The Wild It was the definitive leap from the saga to open world games, but it also took the feeling of adventure to the next level. He was not only a true console salesman, but the Switch’s definitive standard-bearer.
Barely a month later, another must-see: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The first of many and very welcome Wii U re-releases on Switch. A second chance for an absolute essential that today continues to triumph in sales and grow in terms of content. The hilarious Mario kart races became the perfect excuse to get hold of that new little machine.
Two years and a few months later, Nintendo Switch released the eighth generation of Pokémon. To the surprise of no one, the Sword and Shield editions swept the sales level. Indie developers found in the Switch eShop a privileged showcase in which to carry their games. Companies like Ubisoft, EA, Bandai Namco or Square Enix brought their greatest hits to the fashionable console and did custom conversions. Microsoft’s Minecraft opened up cross-play between all systems.
For the first time in ten years, a Nintendo desktop no longer depended on its exclusivities, although it must be recognized that These have always had a very special value. And the same can be said of its legacy: instead of offering a system similar to the Virtual Console of previous systems, it opted for an online subscription whose maximum incentives are online gaming and an unbeatable offer of classic games. With room for improvement, of course, but terribly amortizable.
And despite the fact that five years later we are still waiting for Netflix to arrive on Nintendo Switch, the policy regarding applications has changed a lot: YouTube, Crunchyroll or a comfortable version of Twitch are already available on the console. We can’t wait to see what’s next, and given the choice, a Discord app or an alternative for voice chat.
The secret of the overwhelming success of Nintendo? Games games and more games. Have a resounding catalog focused on all audiences, backed by the stars of the house. Which does not mean that many of us are still excited to see a conversion of Grand Theft Auto V or Persona 5 Royale in each announced Nintendo Direct.
Because, despite everything that has been achieved in these five years, few companies can arouse more fascination and fire both the imagination of those passionate about video games like Nintendo. Especially if there are pocket monsters, mustachioed heroes or pointy-eared adventurers involved.
Five years of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the first success of Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild It wasn’t a Nintendo Switch-exclusive game: Wii U users had been waiting for it for many years and countless delays, and to be fair, their highest expectations were met. However, the hero of Hyrule’s greatest adventure to date was and still is the perfect excuse to release the Nintendo console.
As with the Nintendo Switch itself, the key to understanding the success of Breath of the Wild at a critical and public level it lies in his way of disposing of and inheriting everything previously achieved and learned and rethinking it based on new ideas. Give the player greater freedom when experimenting with what is already known. Something that on paper seems simple, but when it comes to shaping it, it is a titanic challenge.
Because fantasy and open world games have existed before and will continue to exist in the future, but the feeling of going to the highest mountain in our sight in search of sanctuaries and descending from its summit in a paraglider or sliding at full speed on our shield is something that can only be imitated with greater or lesser success.
The spirit of discovery and the thrill of the adventure of the saga was present, but its way of providing freedom set a new chair. And seeing the possibilities of the Sheikah stone, it is clear that there are still very interesting things to discover and new crazy things to do.
What The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Whether it is considered a perfect video game, inside or outside the saga itself, it is already something that each one must consider. But its impact on video game culture is unquestionable and, by extension, his enormous legacy is one of the reasons why the imminent future of the Nintendo Switch looks so good.
Because the long-awaited sequel to Zelda: Breath of the Wild is much more than just a response to the biggest hits coming to next-generation consoles: it’s the game with which we will measure everything achieved and learned by Nintendo during this new stage. And, seen what has been seen, it already aspires to be a new milestone for adventure games and video games in general.
100 million consoles later (and counting)
With Nintendo Switch, for the first time since the launch of the Game Boy the Big N unified its desktop and laptop catalog in the same console. That might seem like a shot in the foot, but you have to recognize that his philosophy of offering two consoles in one and being able to play your tabletop smash hits anywhere or on the go is quite the claim. And the safe being for at least five years. Possibly a few more.
Nintendo itself ensures that Nintendo Switch is barely in the middle of its life cycle, and you only have to see what we know is coming in 2022 to understand the reasons for such a bold statement:
For starters, Kirby and the Forgotten Land already aims to be the best pink hero game ever made. Big words.
Splatoon 3 will consolidate more and better the colorful, crazy shooter formula for everyone. Cementing the competitive aspect from the console.
did you already have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? Up to 48 new classic circuits will be arriving in batches and in a staggered way to the console.
If you are passionate about role-playing, Fire Emblem: Three Hopes and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 are synonymous with characters with a special charisma and countless hours of gameplay.
Although if what you are looking for is action, with Bayonetta 3 we will be more than served. The witch from PlatinumGames is one of the most powerful exclusivities on Switch.
Of course, we have the return of the best games from the Nintendo legacy. Not only through the expanding catalog of Nintendo Switch online, but with long-awaited re-releases like Nintendo Switch Sports or Mario Strikers.
Of course, despite the fact that all the previous ones have a unique appeal, Pokémon Scarlet and Purple, its open world very inspired by Europe and its lessons learned from Pokémon Legends: Arceus (the first bombshell of the year) is called to be the best seller of this new stage.
Which does not overshadow the long-awaited arrival of the game called to lead and round off this first and very fruitful stage of Switch: la secuela de Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
That Nintendo Switch has resumed its habit of deliver at least one key release per month After the complications derived from the global pandemic, it is something that has cemented more and better confidence in the Nintendo brand and the console itself. Encouraging that there is always something new interesting to play, that we treat ourselves or, directly, by positioning obligatory appointments in our calendar each month. Something that no other system can boast.
And despite the fact that, at the hardware level, Nintendo Switch has its own limitations, cloud gaming will continue to expand its catalog and encourage us to welcome essential games that go beyond the expectations of its players. As a Control: Ultimate Edition that offers ray tracing or the arrival of the entire Kingdom Hearts saga.
What can we expect from the future of Nintendo beyond Switch and the next game The Legend of Zelda? Although it is clear that it is still too early to talk about the successor, there is only one thing that I sincerely ask of the Big N given what is already on Switch and what is to come: backward compatibility.
