Topic: Where does Nintendo go after the Switch?

@Fastballer If projectors were that small and cheap, every phone would come with one.

How do you go back to a tv console after the Switch? I say continue as is with a more powerful hybrid or something where the dock actually increases power for tv play.

@ThomGee - Despite some folks perspective on Nintendo being a console manufacturer, portable gaming is Nintendo's bread-and-butter business. Its been their hallmark since the Game & Watch in '83. The follow up to Switch will no doubt be another low-powered portable alternative (or companion device) to the PS5, Xbox SX, and PC.

Thinking about it recently... Nintendo should port their games to PC. Launch an eShop front for Windows (integrated accounts wise with the eShop on Switch).

As the industry becomes increasingly digital it just makes sense.

Owning their own storefront would mean they’d retain the sales advantages of being a platform holder and the pull of their own walled garden hardware (tied to that storefront) would give a compelling reason for consumers to buy indie games from the Nintendo PC eShop app.

In other words: the eShop is the platform now - the Switch is just it’s most prominent & powerful delivery mechanism.

@StuTwo
They'd have to give up the hardware business if they did that, honestly. Their games being exclusive remains the only reason to buy Nintendo hardware. We overlook that there are other devices out there that do exactly what the Switch does, and honestly, probably better, but those other devices don't succeed because they don't have a unified backing behind them (exclusives, established fan base, etc.).

They will probably make a even smaller switch Lite.

@DizzyDee81 I agree but it’s Nintendo so they will do something stupid to aliens potential gamers or more importantly potential developers. They need to standardize their online and voice chat with industry standards. No more BS gimmick stuff to try and be different. I have faith in Nvidia and what the next switch will be able to do. The other stuff will be on Nintendo not eff up.

@Qwertyninty
Yea, they definitely need to standardize their online and voice. Aside from that, if they stick with the Switch format but make it 4k capable docked (even if checkboard), I think they'll have another solid console that can keep them in the third-party AAA port range for the next generation.

5-10 years ago I'd have agreed with you. Today I'm not sure they would.

Nintendo's own games form the backbone of the eShop. Their own games are what would a PC eShop would be built around and they are attractive enough to bring an audience to the marketplace. I don't think that Nintendo would have the same problems that Microsoft and other large 3rd party publishers have had trying to compete with Steam (it would be a much smaller storefront, of course, but I think they'd be able to stay distinct).

I don't see how it would diminish the advantages of selling an own branded console - if anything it enhances it (which is probably part of the reason why Valve has tried to make "Steam Machines" a thing in the past). If your console is high quality at a good price and it's a locked down ecosystem where your store front is the only storefront then it will still sell... and if you want to use that physical device you need to be invested in that storefront. The two are intertwined.

In theory they'd open themselves up to a third party like Alienware creating a "Switch clone" that's a GPD Win style Windows PC in a handheld console format that would run the Nintendo PC eShop (alongside other PC launchers like Steam). However I think that a third party trying to create a mass market product of equal quality will always fail (except in the super niche of very high end hardware selling at an absolute premium) because they don't have a stake in game sales and have to make all their profits upfront from hardware. Plus they won't ever be able to match the quality of experience that the platform holder innately has.

10 years ago it would have been impossible but in 2020 it's an approach that could be successful and will - eventually - become essential.

Nintendo will probably do it in about 20 years - long after the moment to actually do it has passed.

@rallydefault yeah it really isn’t hard. The roadmap is in place for them. From a power/tech standpoint buys make sure the next switch is in ball park of ps4 maybe a little more. Get remasters of this gen games and maybe a couple of next gen ports. Nvidia will make sure the modern tech and architecture is there which is more important than raw specs.

I'd love to see Nintendo make hybrid consoles their "thing", with the Switch OS as their platform with 100% backwards compatibility. The biggest limitation, of course, is the current physical media, but are people really ready for a fully digital Nintendo platform? Of course, there would have to be some way to accommodate people who already have a sizeable cartridge collection, but how long can Nintendo realistically support the Switch cartridge format? Too bad you can't install games from the cartridge, but I can't think of any way of doing so that wouldn't be easily exploited and/or would screw legitimate customers in the event of a technical glitch.

You present a good argument, but I think you're underestimating the technical challenges of maintaining games for multiple platforms. Right now, Nintendo only has to target exactly one platform: the Nintendo Switch. If they made a PC storefront then suddenly they'd have to maintain code bases for multiple platforms, one of which (the PC) is a moving target. This would require them to expand their workforce and would complicate the development process, especially if they wanted simultaneous releases. Your argument almost makes it sound like expanding to the PC would come for free when it would, in fact, be very costly and risky.

@StuTwo
Nintendo putting their games on other platforms and thus opening more hardware competition just seems messy and ultimately a bad thing for them. Given what we've seen as Nintendo fans the last few decades, Nintendo's hardware would almost surely be more costly with very little to set itself as "better" than 3rd-party competitors.

And then things can just get even more confusing for the average consumer from that point. Sure, now you can play Nintendo games on a variety of consoles, but wait - these games are specifically designed for a Switch-type device, these games are designed for DS layouts, these games need Wii remote input, etc. A good chunk of Nintendo's games since the Wii/DS era require inputs most PC/other consoles don't have.

Want to buy Mario Odyssey as a relatively simpler example? Ok, cool. You can play it on the Nintendo-branded hardware for 300 bucks, OR you can get <insert random company here>'s version of the hardware for 100 bucks less AND it has a bigger battery life. But it doesn't have the licensed Joycon rumble. But it has a better display. But it doesn't have NFC capability. But it...

I mean, you could just see the hot mess that would quickly turn into. Yea, they could just put games out there that will work on anything, but I think that would just give gamers a reason to never buy Nintendo hardware again. They'd have to have their numbers people work out if they'd make more profit assuming higher software sales with diminished or no hardware sales. I mean, a consumer needs to buy 5 AAA-priced games to equal one console purchase, much more if they only buy smaller games like Snipperclips and such. Does the math work out? Maybe, maybe not. It would be a huge boon to MS and Sony, though. Then most "hardcore gamers" (whatever that means) would REALLY have no reason to ever purchase a Nintendo console ever again; they could just pick up the rare game they may want (BotW, Astral Chain, etc.) on their Xbox and be done with it. No console, no pro controller, no eventual replacement Joycon, all that potential cash gone. I just think it would be a foolish move. It would be the end of Nintendo as a truly innovative and kinda wacky company.

Just thought about this... They release a more powerful console along the lines of the Xbox One Series X... The kicker- the Switch will be used as a gamepad if desired (streaming like PS4/Vita) or for certain games, asymmetric games, party games inventory etc. The Switch essentially becomes Nintendo's handheld, but can still be used in some capacity with current hardware.

Nintendo Switch Pro.

After that, they’ll come up with another console with either a basic name like Nintendo 2 (PS5) or an really long name like Nintendo Fun Home Console (XBox One Series X)

@rockodoodle But If people didn’t own a Switch, that wouldn’t work. They would need to pay and extra $200 just to play certain games.

I thought graphics didn't matter and everyone was happy with 504p gaming. I thought the switch had another 3-4 years in it. Or now that the new systems are coming out people are starting to think maybe the graphics aren't that great

I don't think it will happen next generation (I'd be glad to be proven wrong) but I think a return to dual-screen gaming is the next logical step. A future console can perhaps also "Switch" into a dual or single-screen console on the fly (though the second screen may be mandatory for some games), and the second screen in the box could also be used for asynchronous multiplayer and other functions (similar to the "Mosaic mode" of Clubhouse Games and Super Mario Party, for example) without needing a second console. Nintendo could also sell the second screen separately as, like the Wii U Gamepad, it won't be able to function independently.

Nintendo HDS.
Basically Switch 2 with clam shell design, BC with All 3DS, NDSi and NDS games.

I think Nintendo should continue the Switch line, the same way they had Game Boy, GB Pocket, color, Advance... and DS, DS Lite, DSi, 3DS, 2DS. I'd like to see a new Switch. Personally I'd love it to be called "Switch Advance" in homage to the GBA. It'd be all around an updated and refined Switch. I think it would need 2 SD card slots, native Bluetooth headphone support, improved online functionality and, two versions: a budget version and a premium version. The budget version being a Switch Lite Advance and a premium version having all around better build quality, a nicer screen, and such. The Lite Advance however should have TV functionality but not come with a dock. They should find a way to move the TV output functionality to the dock itself. That way they could save space in the Switch itself, and reduce the cost of both versions. (though I admit I know nothing of the tech itself and maybe there is some fundamental reason this cannot be done). Also, I think it would be interesting if they had a way for the Switch to support 5G. Maybe with an optional dongle or something.

@rockodoodle Personally I have thought about that too. When I've tried returning to my Wii U post Switch, I've really hated the feel of the gamepad, the terrible battery life and the dim screen and wished Nintendo had released an app for Switch that let it function as a Gamepad. Which is more or less what you described right? I've also imagined a new Switch dock with a disk drive and backwards compatibility support for Wii and Wii U games, and even other docks that support older cartridge based titles. But it always comes off clunky.

I really don't think Nintendo should try and jump back in to the Sony-MS console war. Both Sony and MS have large, established fanbases that are looking for that kind of content while Nintendo gamers have shifted in a different more independent direction. It would be hard for Nintendo to win that war. I think it would be better for Nintendo to continue the hybrid line - providing a product that has it's own powerful first party IPs and allows gaming in a different manner from MS or Sony.

@sixrings The Switch is easily the best platform for gaming I've ever enjoyed. I play games on my Switch more than PS4 and PC combined twice over. It's not that graphics do not matter - they just aren't even in the top 3 most important factors. For me it is: 1. the gameplay, 2. story/setting/world building, 3. Convenience factor. Then things like music, graphics and peripheral/gimmick support are secondary.

But technology improves over time. This is a given. Eventually there will be another device after the Switch. It could be like what I described above, or something else entirely, but obviously Nintendo will eventually release something new.

But hey, if graphics are all that matter for you or if not all, but the most important thing, live your life however you want. There's nothing and no one stopping you from doing that.

@StuTwo If a company could release a real competitor to Steam, Nintendo might be the one to do it. But Steam is just so overwhelmingly powerful on PC gaming. Even Microsoft releases most of the big games on Steam! And they make Windows! The thing is, there would be nothing but Nintendo first party games releasing on eShop. The vast majority of players would stick with Steam for everything else. So overall I just don't think that would be a good move.

@Mountain_Man I do think a digital only device is inevitable. But I don't think Nintendo really needs to drop cartridge support even if they move away from making new games physically - I've seen people working on the Switch and the game card slot itself is relatively simple and doesn't take that much space - it's the cards that cost money more than the card readers. So In a future device the slot could be retained purely for that compatibility.

But another thing might be possible. Currently you can redeem Nintendo coins from Nintendo games games - once per cartridge and only on one account. So Nintendo can track individual games. Nintendo could make it work where you can install a game once from each cartridge - other people could still play it, but would not be able to install from it. Yes, you run into the issue of people buying games, installing them, and then selling them - but that only hurts resale value of games. This system would not be implemented until a "transitional phase" where Nintendo is supporting game cards, but no longer producing them. They could even go the route of releasing an add on for a future digital only device solely for people to install their physical collections.

But before a digital only device would be practical, a future Switch would need more storage capacity. Personally, I think the best way to do this would be to have 2 or even 3 SD card slots.