Topic: Am i wrong for thinking that Nintendo is in one of its best eras right now?

Correct me if im wrong, but im pretty sure the s2 era is the era with the most hate for nintendo.
I do understand someof the hate but dont you think the prices are a tad bit justified?
The games on the switch 2 are also really high quality, the directs are hype. And more people get to experience this console launch.
What do you guys think about the s2 launch.

This is just my opinion: so far, the Switch 2 launch hasn't been horrible, but it could've been better. Their messaging really wasn't the greatest in some cases, like how Switch 2 Edition physicals worked or how backwards compatibility made some games run better. There are some things I don't like (Game Key Cards being an example), but overall, what I've seen of the console itself is awesome. Assuming everything goes as planned, I'll be getting my own early next year. I can definitely see how some people (especially people who like physical games) don't like the situation regarding the Switch 2 though, and I was almost like that for a little bit but thankfully a lot of my qualms with the system have already been solved.

I could be wrong and probably am but I feel the Switch 2 will not have as good a first year as Nintendo are hoping for but that with a new hardware revision and perhaps more competitive pricing it will get back to where it needs to be within 2 years. However I'm talking from a UK perspective and its difficult to know the full situation in the US or Japan from here. US is Nintendo's biggest market by far and really it is to a degree about how the Switch 2 performs in the US. Generally disposable income has been in decline in many countries and there is economic uncertainty so Nintendo's movement on price to make itself more premium could backfire.

Dare I say it but I think I enjoyed ownership of my wii u more because of its commercial failure. There were loads of fantastic games but not many customers so there was serious discounting for the years it was Nintendo's main format. I've no regrets buying a wii u early. Ultimately all that really matters is if the Switch 2 represents a great gaming experience for you. Personally I'm waiting until there are more games available and the hardware perhaps is a little better which will probably be the right time for me. Which might be 18 months from now. However a while back there were a few offers for heavily discounted Switch 2s in the UK that made it tempting but they were out of stock before I could get one so if there is some sort of amazing Black Friday deal I could get onboard early.

I only buy exclusive games for Nintendo consoles generally though unless something comes my way very cheap with rare exceptions. I'm not interested in re-buying wii games etc.

@WaveBoy
Yea, there's no beating the NES/GB/SNES days, rose-tinted glasses and all. I still love booting up all of those systems, all these years later. It's amazing how soooo many games from back then can feel clunky and stiff (and confusing for RPGs), but most of Nintendo's stuff even as far back as the 80s still feels good to play today. They've always been great at making a game enjoyable just to control the character.

And Nintendo is still the developer that consistently makes the best games. BotW, for as much as it's not my preferred "mode" of Zelda, is truly incredible. Splatoon was and is such a fresh take on the team shooter, and I'm excited to see where they take it with a more single-player game (if that's what Raiders is). And for as much as I will always cherish Mario 64, the 3D Mario games just keep getting better and better.

@WaveBoy During the NES and SNES eras Nintendo was just on fire. So many hits that would make your head spin and they weren't afraid to experiment, take Mario Bros 2 for example. The quality was unbeatable. Really once the N64 hit they just got complacent.

If you have the money for it...yeah.

That's the entire caveat. Like there's other things that do annoy me...why did you bring back a focus on download only games only to make them unappealing Nintendo? And there's other concerns, or weird issues in specific places. But when it comes to their games, for the most part, since the Switch 1 started I think they've done as well as I could reasonably hope for. Easily the best era for their games since Gamecube/GBA. Until proven otherwise, I feel every confirmed Switch 2 full priced game from Nintendo we know of (ignoring paid updates to games that released before Switch 2) is a W as a new game. (the issues with Mario Kart World seem really overstated, at worst its probably still better than any of the pre-DS games tbh)

Best 30fps era for sure.

@WaveBoy The Dreamcast is such a beast. I still hook mine up from time to time to play some Soul Calibur or Crazy Taxi or NFL 2K. The thing that held back the Dreamcast was its lack of games. Not only did they succeed in pissing off third party companies like EA with the Saturn but they neglected some of their own IPs. Could you imagine if we got a Streets of Rage for the Dreamcast or a Shinobi?

I often imagine what the Dreamcast could have been if Sega didnt bungle the Saturn or if the just skipped the Saturn and did the Dreamcast. Not only was the system itself great but what about the VMUs? Such ahead of its time.

@Hapless I honestly was never a fan of Shenmue. It was one of those games that for.me was all hype and nothing more. Dont get me wrong it was a good games just not the killer app.everyone makes it out to be.

@Tasuki same. Loved the Dreamcast for blitz. In fact she mid was the beginning of the end of video games for me. It was an ultra realistic open world game. Ugh. Now days no more arcade games. Everything is so realistic it isn’t fun. And do we really need more open worlds. Ugh. I just want some more zombie revenge, house of the dead, virtua striker, soul calibur, power stone and other games like that.

@WaveBoy @rallydefault
The amusing thing is that if you look at old news stories from the early 90s there is plenty of complaining about the SNES/GB. The fact that Sega was faster to market and cheaper than the SNES. Or that the GB had a lower quality screen. Or the fact that you could play Master System games on the Game Gear but on GB there was no such thing

I think there's even one rather infamous Vox-pop news clip from that era where some channel in the US was pretty negative about the price of the SNES. And multiple people responded by saying they were upset that the SNES could not play NES games and they would have to buy another copy of Mario for their kid. The cash register in the background was ringing but people weren't particularly overjoyed

Obviously we got used to that over the years and some of those complaints seem silly now. To the point where people now complain that the Switch 2 is somehow too backwards compatible. But overall I think it just shows that people just generally don't like change and will always prefer what they're used to and comfortable with

Ultimately, that's kinda what nostalgia is. Just going back to what's comfortable

In my humble opinion, NSW1 was the greatest console ever released. Taking in totality the exclusives, ports, features like gyro aiming and hybrid advantage. In totality no other console comes close.

By having BC, NSW2 inherently stands on the shoulders of that titan and just builds on it, right out the gate fixing framerates for nearly all games that had performance issues on NSW1, which is huge. That alone makes it a better Switch, so even without a single game it's already my favorite console ever made.

But seeing the lineup for the first 6 months:

• Mario Kart World
• DK Bonanza
• Pokemon Legends Z-A
• Hyrule Warriors AOI
• Kirby Air Riders
• Metroid Prime 4

I see 6 big 1st party exclusives. That's unprecedented. Half of which will sell 10-20 million, maybe more (certainly more for Mario Kart). I also see

• Zelda BotW NSW2 Ed
• Zelda TotK NSW2 Ed
• Mario Party Jamboree NSW2 Ed
• Kirby Forgotten Land NSW2 Ed
• Super Mario Galaxy 1/2 (NSW2 Update)
• Drag X Drive
• Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
• Fast Fusion
• Rune Factory
• Bravely Default HD
• Ys X Nordics
• Hades II

As console exclusives or Nintendo exclusives in that first 6 months. And then I see

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Civilization VII
• Daemon X Machina
• Fantasy Life i
• Hitman World of Assassination
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Kunitsu-Gami
• No Sleep For Kaname Date
• Persona 3 Reload
• Romancing Saga 2
• Silksong
• Sonic Racing Crossworlds
• Split Fiction
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Street Fighter 6
• Suikoden I+II
• Tony Hawk PS 3+4
• Trails In The Sky 1st Remake
• Wild Hearts S
• Yakuza 0
• Madden 26
• EA FC26
• WWE 2K26
• NBA 2K26

Not to mention the near dozen NSW1 games that got NSW2 upgrades like

• Arms
• Captain Toad
• Clubhouse Games
• Dragon Quest III
• Zelda Link's Awakening
• Zelda Echoes of Wisdom
• Pokemon Scarlet/Violet
• New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe
• Splatoon 3
• Super Mario 3D World
• Super Mario Odyssey

And we have even more lined up for early 2026 including

• Yoshi and the Mysterious Book
• Mario Tennis Fever
• Splatoon Raiders
• Super Mario Bros Wonder NSW2 Ed
• Rhythm Heaven
• Monster Hunter Stories 3
• Resident Evil VII
• Resident Evil Village
• Resident Evil Requiem
• Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
• Dynasty Warriors Origins
• Elden Ring

And it would be remiss to not mention the incredible access to so many past console generations:

• NES
• SNES
• Genesis
• N64
• GC
• GB/GBC
• GBA
• VB

And all of this lineup from just 3 months after launch. 3 measly months! Just imagine what the library is going to entail after 7-8 years.

Furthermore, the gameshare feature is grossly underrated- it doesn't work well with NSW1 but NSW2 to NSW2 its a gamechanger. Mouse mode is a gamechanger. Gamechat, albeit a decade or two late to the party, is indeed a gamechanger for enjoying Nintendo games moving forward. Its so convenient and everyone has access to it. I wasn't too impressed when it was revealed but I've found it to be quite compelling in practice.

So ya, to me this is the pinnacle of gaming. Others are free to disagree and certainly there will be a wide variety of opinions that differ from mine. But if you're asking me, I've never been happier as a gamer than right now.

I'm of the opinion that Switch 1 was the best Nintendo era. I love Wii, snes, GameCube, GBA, DS but for the most part Switch just combined almost everything that was good altogether into one device and had many fantastic games.

Switch 2 is too early to say much about. Lovely feeling controllers and a couple really good exclusives so far. It's Switch with a lot of improvements and a price rhat goes along with it. Time will tell how the generation continues.

I assume their hopes are limitless, but their official forecast is 15 million sales. Considering they are around half that and they still have both the holiday season and the first 3 months of 2026 in their fiscal year, it would be pretty hard not to get to that number or at least extremely close.

It does happen though where a console launches well but then sales slow to a crawl like wii u and Dreamcast. The Switch was more about casual gamers and those people are less about high hardware and software prices. Early adopters are a different breed to casual gamers. Here in the UK stock is plentiful with no issue on supply. It definitely feels like there is more sales slowdown in the UK than expected but this might all change in the build up to Christmas. However I totally accept the UK is not on its own a significant market for Nintendo and doesn't buy Nintendo consoles in the same population ratio as the US or Japan. However Switch 2 sales are still important outside North America and Japan.

The original Switch is a long way from dead yet too and wouldn't surprise me if Nintendo released a new original Switch model to take the Switch to the end of its run. Maybe something like a Switch Lite but with a dock or hdmi output. Something to keep interest in the original Switch. Nintendo is still pushing hard for more original Switch games. Although Nintendo have called it the Switch 2 if anything they are marketing it more like the aborted model from 2-3 years ago the 'Switch Pro' and of course it is based on exactly that model with the T239 chipset it just probably has more memory and storage than the pro model was probably originally designed to ship with. The Nintendo are not supplying Switch 2 development kits to even some big publishers makes me think they wish to enjoy the much higher margin on Switch hardware and Switch 1 software sales for a while. I guess they don't want to ignore the huge install base of the Switch 1 either that has the potential to generate a lot more income than Switch 2 for a while.

Maybe the Switch 2 in relation to the Switch 1 is more a PS4 vs PS4 Pro difference rather than PS4 vs PS5. Yes it will have some exclusive games but to a greater degree the Switch 2 may be more about running original Switch 1 games with better graphics and frame rates. Maybe Nintendo is expecting Switch 2 owners to spend 90% of their time with Switch 1 games.

My point is maybe Nintendo's focus isn't on getting rid of Switch 1 but instead just having the Switch 2 as the premium option in which case maybe they will accept lower sales but with more premium hardware and software prices.

@BonzoBanana
I would suggest you look at the actual sales numbers of those rather than just making broad statements. I think it's very clear Switch 2 is going to meet the sales targets Nintendo has projected. And citing Wii U and Dreamcast as comparisons is kinda blind to the known sales numbers that are already available

Eg Nintendo has already confirmed they sold 5.8mill till the end of June. The Wii U was only at 5.3mill by the end of 2013. Switch 2 did in a few weeks in the middle of the year what Wii U couldn't achieve after 14 months and two holiday sales periods

@skywake
That is funny! I was a Nintendo Power kid, so I was just living in that bubble.

But that was also in a time, blissfully, of no social media that allowed people to just keep piling on and stewing over the dumbest stuff (and oftentimes straight-up wrong stuff).

One of the things that does continue to bug me about the Switch 2 (and Nintendo in particular) is how Nintendo of America has been canceling Japanese game releases for no particular reason, including some that I was interested in (cough the Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth games cough). Supposedly this is due to certain content being in the games, even though games with that content had been released on the Switch since the early days of the console generation. I've heard theories that Visa and Mastercard were behind it, and that they've been debating with Steam about the same thing as well. If it weren't for the physical Hyperdimension Neptunia games on Playasia, I would most likely still be undecided about Switch 2, because I'm really looking forward to playing those games, and when their American eShop release was canceled, I was actually really upset at Nintendo for the first time in my life. They also lost quite a bit of my trust, which is why I decided to start buying physical games again as long as all the game content except maybe a few bug fix patches is on the cartridge. My reasoning was "If they cancel releases of games that I'm interested in, then why should I 100% trust them? And if I no longer 100% trust Nintendo anymore, then why should I 100% trust their digital ecosystem?" If I see a game I want that also has digital dlc, then I'll still get the game digitally of course, but I'm still way more concerned about the format of a game then I was over the past few years after I decided to go fully digital a few years back. Because of how Nintendo of America treated the Japanese game releases, the last six months of the Switch console generation (December 2024 - May 2025) were an absolute downer, even though the Switch is my current favorite console generation (though Switch 2 might beat it if it keeps being awesome, unless Nintendo of America keeps canceling Japanese game releases throughout its console generation). What really doesn't make any sense is that they canceled the release of something like Hyperdimension Neptunia (which has some fanservice scenes but never fully reaches complete nudity territory), and only half a year later, Cyberpunk 2077 (which I've heard has actual explicit complete nudity, btw) is allowed on the Switch 2. I'm still trying to find an answer as to how that makes any sense at all. I'm still going to get a Switch 2 early next year, but I'm worried about more games releases I'm interested in (I'm a major otaku, so mostly stuff like turn-based JRPGs and first party Nintendo games) getting canceled for some stupid reason. For me, when the Switch 2 complaints around the internet started, I wasn't at all concerned about the price except the sticker shock of being $50 more than I expected (which I got over in 5 minutes). I was a lot more concerned about the issue I've been talking about here. To be honest, I just needed to rant a bit. ✌️ But yeah, like other people are saying in this thread, Switch 1 is my favorite console generation right now.

To be fair, besides BotW/TotK which are a weird case because Nintendo wants people to get the Switch 2 editions via expansion pack, all the Switch 2 editions Nintendo has made have either had significant DLC or are for games which aren't even out yet. There have been a far larger number of free upgrades precisely how you are describing; those ones just don't bother calling themselves Switch 2 editions.

In terms of third party games? They obviously are allowed to do whatever they want. Plenty of the graphiical or performance improvements have been free, a few have cost $1 or $2.59 or $10.

Yep, that's why I caveated 'or not even out yet' regarding Prime and Pokemon. I'm sure Nintendo would be happy to charge $70 for the Switch 1 editions also and make it a free upgrade for Switch 2, but they obviously decided that didn't fit in their strategy of training customers to accept the new higher price.

And yes, several third party games have decided to do a similar strategy. I don't think anyone is arguing that Nintendo isn't responsible for setting a trend to a $70 price point.

Where are the older game updates. Princess peach. Yoshi crafted world. The 2d Kirby’s. Crusn blast. Any of these games justified more than arms.