Nintendo Switch - 4 Questions that Need Answering

It’s no breakthrough statement in saying Nintendo’s Wii U was a flop. Following the release of the Wii back in 2006, the Wii U had a lot to live up to as a successor: but the problem was, nobody knew that’s what it was - a successor.

The Nintendo Wii U's marketing and the name alone pretty much killed the console before it had a chance to get off the ground. Once third party support from publishers like EA and Ubisoft fell out the backdoor too, due to poor sales and performance, its fate was well and truly sealed within a couple years of launch.

The thing is the Wii U was, and still is, a great console - but only when referencing exclusives, not those that have been slap-dashed together to bolster what few extra sales a port of, let’s say FIFA, would generate. Mario Kart 8 is considered by some as one of the best in the series, Smash Bros 4 won’t age anytime soon and new IPs like Splatoon show firstly; how new Nintendo IPs still have a chance in the modern gaming market, and that Nintendo don’t need to just rest on their laurels, relying purely on sales from series like Zelda and Mario.

I think of Nintendo as the Studio Ghibli of the videogames world. The plucky underdog, capable of creating timeless classics one after another, but rarely able to generate the same volume and widespread appeal akin to the goliaths of Disney and Pixar/Microsoft and Sony.

Now, with the Nintendo Switch, the beloved Japanese company has a chance to win back the hearts of fans that would’ve at one point followed them to the ends of the earth back again, but also appeal to the mainstream, so they can generate enough revenue to keep providing these fantastic memories to the masses for many years to come.

Before the Switch’s planned release in March 2017, we as fans and those on the fence need answers to the following:

How much is it?

A solid RRP will be the first thing that would turn off any would-be buyers. As well as a competitive price, the console needs clarity. None of this 8GB, 32GB rubbish like we had with the Wii U - one console, one price, with bundles including optional accessories that can always be purchased at a later date - no ‘Pro’ versions, unless the base console is identical. It worked for Xbox, it worked for PlayStation, it did not work for the Wii U.

What we know so far:
Recently leaks seem to put the console in the £249/$249 bracket which is what most gamers, based on a recent Verge poll, said would pay for the console going on what they’ve seen so far.

How will Amiibo work with the Switch?

There are a vast plethora of plastic Nintendo buddies on sale that work on both the Nintendo Wii U and the 3DS. Whilst there was omission of Amiibo functionality from the teaser, you can’t tell me that Amiibo will only work for this current generation of Nintendo consoles - that just doesn’t fly.

Whether it’s a wireless base to ping those things onto your screen and into your games, or it’s as simple as tapping them on your Switch controller; we need some clarification. If Nintendo decide not to have them work for the Switch altogether, then I don’t even want to think about it.

What we know so far:
A Nintendo representative recently said that Switch would support Amiibo but failed to clarify exactly how that would be implemented - a simple tap on a JoyCon or in conjunction with a separate bit of hardware?

Can I play my older Nintendo games on the Switch?

Every Nintendo console since the SNES has managed to incorporate backwards compatibility in some way or another. We know that the Switch will use cartridges akin to the DS/3DS to aid portability, but I’d hate to see some of the quality Wii U games get left behind (despite the obvious design traits of Wii U games) without some thought.

It’s highly likely that the downloadable Virtual Console games will be playable on the Switch. Will our purchases from the eShop be transferred to be used on the Switch, or will we need to buy Super Mario Bros. 3 for the third or fourth time? I’d like to hope the former.

What we know so far:
Physical media has obvious design limitations and interviews have already suppressed the idea of backwards compatibility with these. It’s yet to be seen whether downloadable titles will have some use, Nintendo have been quite minimal with the information they have been divulging.

What launch games will we see, and who are they from?

Taking inspiration from previous launches, there needs to be a VERY strong set of launch titles for the console to gain any momentum. Let’s take a look at Nintendo’s previous launch titles: Red Steel, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario 64, Crazy Taxi, Happy Feet. Some great hits, some did better than others, but it’s safe to say there needs to be a good combination of first and third party titles primarily.

Zelda is a must, if not that, then some other Nintendo blockbuster. However, given the timeframe between now and the launch, a game like that is unlikely to emerge. We need a couple of crowd pleasers - a Call of Duty or Battlefield. FIFA would maybe be a little irrelevant at the time. A competitive Nintendo IP like Splatoon would serve them well and had been hinted in the teaser; and a racer too. Name a retail racer on the Wii U other than Mario Kart 8 - you’ll struggle, there weren’t many. Project Cars was supposed to be on the Wii U but never emerged. F-Zero would be a good shout, recently released on the eShop as a playable title on the Wii U. Or maybe, just maybe...Riiiiiidge Racer makes a return as it did for the console since the Nintendo GameCube has had a racing game released with it at launch.

What we know already:
Bethesda developer Todd Howard recently conducted an interview with Glixel in which he said “we’re definitely going to be supporting it,” and called the kit itself “probably the best demo I’ve ever seen.” High praise from a prestigious developer - and could have a rippling effect on other big-name developers. This was clearly established already with the showing of a ‘Skyrim-esk’ looking game during the Switch’s initial preview. It was further enforced by the list of developers that have already pledged their allegiance to Nintendo, with over 40 companies signing up so far including the likes of EA, Sega, Square Enix and Capcom.

What questions do you want answering from Nintendo before the big January reveal?