Last week’s Nintendo Direct was pretty special. It had some deep cuts for fans, some major announcements, some decent third party stuff. They announced system level features and an news app, updated daily. This is the kind of dedication we expect to see from a console at the height of its sales potential, and yet this also marked the very last Direct dedicated to the Switch. That’s absolutely spectacular.
Listen, there is a lot you can knock Nintendo for. Their virtual game cards highlight that perfectly. Take a nice feature, water it down as much as you can, add a dose of late stage capitalism and then cartoonify it. Bam. Point at a feature, you probably won’t go wrong by following that equation.
And yet their dedication to supporting the Switch deserves applause. They filled an entire show with content a week before their big Switch 2 showcase. And yes, most of it if not all of it will be available on Switch 2, and likely with better features. But you don’t have to upgrade. You will be buying games on your original Switch right into next year and probably beyond.
PlayStation would ever do this. Their cross-gen periods are strained, showcasing the biggest and brightest version and then showing a logo for the older console at the end. Ahead of the launch of the PS5, they actively hid that certain games were cross generation. Remember how Miles Morales was definitely only doable because of PS5’s UNIQUE SSD™. Yes, we all believed in generations then too.
I fully expect some GOAT contenders to be announced next week, during the Switch 2 reveal. That’s mostly because Nintendo’s fans love Nintendo content. Sounds silly, but it’s something the other guys don’t always do.
NintenDo what Sony and Xbox Don’t
I’ve written about this extensively before. First party content, first and foremost, sets the tone for your device. You want cinematic blockbusters? You buy a Sony device. They have 97% the same catalogue as Microsoft’s console, but the showcase titles make you feel like it’s more lopsided than it is. One of Microsoft’s biggest issues is that they don’t have a thing. For a minute they were the Halo, Gears, Forza people. They had a shot at being the quirky, risk-taking people. Now they’re the buy their games on PlayStation people.
You want a masterclass in this? Go look at the Dreamcast catalogue. A thing of beauty.
Nintendo has a vibe. Whether they’re selling you a 20m blockbuster or something a little more low key, you can tell it’s a Nintendo game. It’s not for everybody, but the people who love it really do. A sizeable chunk of this audience will be buying a Switch 2 when it goes on sale later this year.
But for those that don’t, Nintendo has plenty still to offer. They have been totally upfront about there still being reasons to own a Switch. I respect the hell out of that. And I just hope that the other console makers are taking notes.
Mat Growcott has been a long-time member of the gaming press. He’s written two books and a web series, and doesn’t have nearly enough time to play the games he writes about.
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