When it comes to console launches, Nintendo has traditionally featured a big gimmick for its hardware. Be it the motion controls on the Wii, the dual-screen nature of the DS and 3DS, or the controller screen of the Wii U. Even the Nintendo Switch when it first came out was revolutionary for how it could be both a portable handheld system that could also be used as a home console when docked.
In a recent Ask the Developer Q&A, Nintendo’s Takuhiro Dohta revealed that the company doesn’t consider its upcoming console, the Switch 2, to have any major gimmick in the same way that previous consoles have had. Rather, the company has focused on making a capable gaming machine with a lot of the same features as the original Switch. Dohta explains that this was done because the nature of game development has changed quite a bit since the Switch first came out.
“From a software developer’s perspective, we thought of what we’d want in a console if we were creating a game,” said Dohta. “In the past, Nintendo developed software that took advantage of unique hardware features, such as the Wii Remote and the Nintendo DS system’s dual screens. However, since Switch launched, I think there’s been a shift in how software developers create games.”
“Rather than leveraging hardware features to create something unique, developers can now choose which software technologies they want to incorporate to make their games stand out.”
He also spoke about how throwing on new hardware features that may or may not be used by developers wouldn’t be as useful. Rather, the company was more focused on patching up the shortcomings of the original Switch, such as its lower overall power.
“My honest opinion as a software developer is that just because a new hardware feature is added, it doesn’t necessarily mean that various problems will be solved or that new kinds of gameplay experiences will be created one after another,” he said. “So, with Switch 2, we improved its processing speed in the hope that it’ll become a dedicated game platform with a strong and solid foundation that allows software developers to create what they want.”
Member of Nintendo’s Technology Development Division Tetsuya Sasaki does point out that this doesn’t mean that the company wouldn’t offer unique hardware-based experience going forward. Rather, the company wants to explore some of the more unique gameplay through extra hardware through individual games. He brings up Ring Fit Adventure as an example of this.
“Just to be clear, we’re not saying that Nintendo will never develop gaming consoles with new and unique hardware features in the future,” said Sasaki. “We made that choice this time because, rather than equipping the new console with new hardware features, we thought we’d have the option to offer new gameplay experiences by packaging additional accessories together with games, just as we bundled the Ring-Con with Ring Fit Adventure.”
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be out on June 5. For more details about its hardware, check out our coverage of its features, as well as its more technical aspects.