Nintendo has sold over 65 million Switches since launch, winning many gamers over with its library of stellar proprietary content, impressive ports, and dual approach to big screen and handheld gaming. But an industry analyst suggests that Nintendo would be better off focusing on handheld thrills exclusively.
Wedbush Securities’ Michael Pachter argues that the Switch Lite is not only a step in the right direction, but what Nintendo should have done all along. In an interview with GamingBolt, Pachter stated that he believes few players use the device in both modes and that he does not see the appeal in the hybrid concept. Admittedly, demand for the Switch Lite has been extremely high, particularly during the pandemic, and there is no question that a dedicated handheld would be profitable.
That said, Pachter’s assertion, and his claim that “Nintendo isn’t that smart,” seems like a hot-take: shortsighted and deliberately provocative. From a hardware standpoint, one of the Switch’s primary advantages over its competitors is its capacity to facilitate local multiplayer gaming, a feature that has become vanishingly rare among home consoles. The Switch’s dock singlehandedly enables friendly tournaments of Mario Kart, Mario Party, and the system-selling Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which has enjoyed record-breaking success on the Switch.
Since the launch of the Wii in 2006, Nintendo’s hardware has primarily competed against Microsoft and Sony with the strengths of its conceptual appeal rather than its technical specifications. The Switch’s dual hand-held and docked screen approach is the company’s latest bid to differentiate itself from the competition, though last year, Nintendo released the Switch Lite which eschews the television dock in favor of a handheld-exclusive experience.
Abandoning functionality in favor of reduced production costs is a move that would hurt a specific, dedicated contingent of consumers, and run contrary to Nintendo’s creative, concept-driven approach to hardware. Joy-Cons do have their problems, as even Nintendo has acknowledged the dreaded Joy-Con drift issues.
One would hope, however, that Nintendo would refine an idea that gives consumers more options, rather than going for a streamlined manufacturing process to provide a meager boost to their bottom line. Nintendo can afford to shrug off certain gimmicks, like the Joy-Con’s lackluster motion controls, but the Switch’s hybrid utility still has merit for many gamers that cannot be found on other consoles—including the forthcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X.
To his credit, Pachter provides his own potential hybrid screen solution for Nintendo, proposing that the Switch Lite link up to televisions via a Firestick-like dongle. Though this also shortchanges the Dock’s capacity for USB peripherals, like the Gamecube controller dock.
Given Nintendo’s upcoming Joy-Con price reduction, it is possible that the company may be clearing its stock in favor of taking the Switch Pro in a different direction more to Pachter’s liking, though hopefully, hybrid screen and local-multiplayer features persist in some fashion.
The Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite are available now.
Source: GamingBolt
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