Happy 5th Birthday to the Nintendo Switch!

Yikes, it’s already been 5 years? The Nintendo Switch is actually getting kinda old. It has been able to accomplish a lot in its lifespan so far, and there seems to be a lot of space out ahead of it for further growth. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

Has it Really Been 5 Years?

As hard as it is to believe, the Nintendo Switch came out in the United States on March 3rd, 2017. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild came out on the same day, and it immediately became one of the most highly-rated games of all time. Since then, we’ve had Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Super Mario Odyssey, Metroid Dread, and many others. Too many to name, honestly.

A Critical Time for Success

In the Wii U’s first 5 years, it had been called a failure many times over, but its hard-fought battle for survival taught Nintendo everything they needed to know for the Switch. Losing any relationship to the Wii name and becoming truly hybrid also contributed to Nintendo’s ‘switch’ from tradition to a new level of innovation. It’s hard to believe anyone doubted that the Switch could save Nintendo, but at the time, the concern was strong. The Switch has practically been a money printing press for Nintendo since launch.

The Nintendo Console Cycle

If you look at Nintendo’s history for releasing home consoles, the Switch is close to retirement. Every Nintendo home console (we’re ignoring the Virual Boy in this) has lasted 5-6 years before being replaced. The less-successful consoles have always held it together for 5, while the star consoles have almost always made it to 6 years. If we grant the Switch 6 years, we should start hearing rumors of the next Nintendo console soon. E3 is coming up… and it might be the first in-person E3 since before the pandemic. While my backlog for the Switch is still enormous, I can’t help but get excited at the prospect of a new Nintendo Console.

It’s not like the Switch’s hardware can still be considered competitive, (in terms of graphics) so a “New” Nintendo Switch doesn’t make much sense to me. Nor would pushing for more cloud gaming to free up more resources. While I’m confident Nintendo plans to expand their cloud gaming when they do release a new console, I can’t imagine them relying on it entirely. As long as NSO membership benefits continue onto the new system, I’m good. Keep releasing those classics, Nintendo! It’s the only real way to fight piracy these days!

What Will Nintendo’s Next Console Be?

The hybrid handheld/home console functionality is sure to return. OLED screen technology will probably be the standard, and it will almost certainly have beefed up cloud gaming processing power to combat the maligned performance of current cloud games. To avoid another Wii U naming debacle, I am not sure what they will call the console. Numbering consoles has never been Nintendo’s thing, but this might be the first time it is necessary. Graphically, Nintendo has always kept the bar low, and I don’t see that changing. I see the company going for improvements over the Switch (which will hopefully include 1080p handheld and 4k+ docked resolution standards) but nothing to bring it in line with the PS5 and XBox Series S/X.

Maybe Metroid Prime 4 will get pushed onto the next console, or it will release on Switch and the Switch’s successor at the same time! The same might be true for Breath of the Wild 2? This next E3 should tell us a lot about what the company plans for the next console cycle.

A Fantasy Novel Inspired by Gaming

I wrote a fantasy novel called Withered Kingdom, and I am trying my best to sell it by self-advertising with this blog. If you like this blog, please check out my book through the Amazon embed below, or by searching “Withered Kingdom” on your Amazon search bar. It is for sale now as an ebook and a paperback, but a hardcover is coming soon! If you really want a hardcover, buy one of the other editions to show your support!

If you’re a fan of gaming and don’t normally buy books, please give this one a shot. I’ve been a gamer my whole life and gaming has absolutely influenced my writing. It’s relatively short, but it is the start of a series, so please, check it out today!