As we approach the launch of the Nintendo Switch, I think it's important to take a step back and revisit the months leading up to the launch of the WiiU:
Aug 12, 2012
Just two months away from the WiiU Launch, "WiiU can do 1080p No Sweat"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dJ0J81elz8
Mar 14 2012
Epic Games VP Will be "Shocked" if Wii U Isn't a Success
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksskw06HhXA
Sep 18, 2011
Can the WiiU dominate the competition?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjSl4NhhTDk
Interview with Reggie about the WiiU from Jan 2012:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_quwkeVIk6g
Sound familiar?
Those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.
I'm not sitting through videos when the intent is clearly pessimism that I've already had several thousand healthy servings of already, but I honestly can't even remember hype on the Wii U because of the trainwreck of it being mistaken for a Wii upgrade overshadowing everything.
Going off of the titles, they seem to be saying the Wii U is a powerhouse that will dominate the competition, which very few people if any are saying about the Switch. If they are, then they certainly aren't on the forums I'm actually reading. The main thing I'm reading is that it's easy to port to, which if the game isn't held back by being GPU heavy. . .yeah, I don't see why not. I can see indies in particular being very easy to port to it. I mean, developers are positive, but no one ever took the "this is going to take the world by storm" ones seriously in the first place because it always sounded like fibbing PR. Two different devs have laughed pretty hard at the Switch already, which is pretty standard Wii U reaction, but on the bright side at least Bethesda is actually giving it a shot this time when they didn't even remotely care before.
I have no idea whether the Switch will be a trainwreck or bob up slightly in the ocean and happily stay afloat at it's own pace as everything else sails past them, but the Switch doesn't strike me as entirely retreading the Wii U. They aren't even talking about the specs because they KNOW they're weak and they intend to focus on what they actually designed the system for instead. I'm not expecting Nintendo to get "all teh support," or "win" the generation but I don't think that's going to be Nintendo's succeed/fail condition in the first place.
Yeah, I know. Acknowledging that hype and spokesman talk isn't a prophecy and that devs will likely dip their toes once and leave and still thinking it has even a slight chance? Shock! But I think this will more rely on how Nintendo handles their own game releases and marketing than anything else. The presentation was pretty bad, but their commercials have done a decent job getting the idea across. There's still quite a few hiccups in getting people to understand exactly what it is, but since they gave it it's own identity instead of tying it to the Wii they at least have the ability to get that across by the time they have more units available to sell again. And as for the games, the launch is admittedly extremely weak but the Switch's first year is so many leagues ahead of the first two of the Wii U's lifespan that it's kind of funny.
Yes, the topic of the Switch not being a "dominating force with all the third parties" has been talked about. A lot. But as suffocating of obviously terrified marketing talk as "it's not about power, it's not about specs" is. . .no, not really. Nintendo was always driving this ship alone, they just have to figure out how to sail it.
