The chip shortage saved Nintendo from the industry and itself. Now it has the time to think clearly and move on from the Switch.
Nintendo announced a new update to the Nintendo Switch. Called the Nintendo Switch OLED model, the newest lineup for the Switch emphasizes new bells and whistles for the platform. With this update, a lot of people expected more to the console than announced. However, this new update may be better for all parties as it admits something because of external forces: We want a Switch 2 and not a Switch Pro.
First, let’s talk about the Nintendo Switch OLED Model updates. A large and welcome update to the model is the inclusion of an Ethernet port. For the longest time, Nintendo avoided ethernet ports. Remember the Wii? It did not have an ethernet port. The Wii U also did not have an ethernet port. Even the Switch models none of them had the ethernet port.For Nintendo to do an integrated ethernet port for play, meant that they saw the pandemic on top of other usage statics and conceded that the Ethernet should come with the Switch.
Another great thing about this update is the kickstand. While it seems like a dumb modification to talk about, people will know that the kickstand constantly failed to hold up the switch. It would hold up for a bit but constantly pop off and does not keep the consul stable for tabletop mode. For them to make a full kickstand allows for people to truly take advantage of the tabletop aspect of the switch.
Of course, we need to talk about what’s in front of us, the OLED screen. A larger screen with better brightness for contrast will make more games pop. It will allow for better dimming so that you can still play without having to blare light at your eyes. The quality of life, given the impact on the battery, will be better for those who have not picked up the Switch.
The true negatives of this new update can be summed up as the following: no Bluetooth, no 3rd USB port, and no comment on Joycon drift. The USB port missing is a damn shame, but not the biggest issue since 2 already exist on the base. The lack of Bluetooth is inexcusable given the fact that Bluetooth allows for connectivity including Bluetooth headphones for gaming. The biggest issue is the Joycon drift. Nintendo has made no comments about addressing the issue, and with the pending lawsuits, it may not want to publicly address it. If the drift got addressed in the update, we may hear back from Nintendo later discussing how they always iterate on their designs.
The complaints about no 4k and no aggressive updates to the hardware make sense if people would not think beyond the Switch.
It’s worth thinking about Nintendo Switch in general. The Nintendo Switch is a five-year-old console. Plenty of games to justify the console came out and are still trying to get more games out of the window. It has multiple different SKUs in the Switch and Switch light. The console brought joy to a lot of people. Most of all it prints money for Nintendo.
The printing money is what we should think about in relation to pushing out an update that creates more horsepower. We have seen this time and time again that Nintendo tends to take a weird iterative approach. In the Gameboy Era we had form factor changes and color updates before the Advance and very little changed in power between them (Color excluded). The Advance changed form factor, but no real horsepower change. Only the 3DS did a horsepower iterative update and that was well received. What would change this issue, the chip shortage.
4k, faster frame rate, adjustable refresh rate, better power, all of these are great for an update or pro model. What would be even better for all of these is a new console. Nintendo came into this next-gen first and really pushed for competitiveness. The Switch held its own with resolution, gaming, and balance, fighting between mobile and console. Now, in the twilight of the console coming ahead, the decision became either go for the pro, or go for the next console push. The chip shortage made the right decision for them. Between the lack of components, manpower, and expediency for manufacturing the chips to make a Switch Pro happen, have stalled out. Nintendo has a great finale lineup for the Nintendo Switch and they (as well as gamers) should enjoy it with all their heart.
Now, Nintendo can put all of its focus on the better alternative, a Switch 2. In this case, the Switch 2 should aim to be as competitive as the Xbox Series X or the Playstation 5 with a 2023-2024 launch. These target years could give them the time to create a better lineup for launch games, allow for backward compatibility between the original Switch. It will also motivate them to create a console that lives up to Nintendo’s idea of gaming while having the power to do so for all developers. For gaming’s sake, I hope Nintendo pursues this course.
