As someone in their mid-thirties, I remember sitting next to my sibling’s childhood friend as he played the Atari, fascinated by the incredible graphics as he obliterated hostile alien life forms in Space Invaders which proved to be lots of fun. Fast forward a couple of years, and my parents loved me so much they bestowed upon me something called the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
Forget the Atari; the NES featured incredible 8-bit graphics that wowed me as a kid. Just like the thousands of children who grew up with the system, the console and Nintendo itself turned me into a hardcore fan for many years with how much fun it was, a love affair that continued through the even more impressive Super NES.
The Super NES was my last Nintendo console until I gave into the hype of the Wii. I enjoyed the Wii tremendously because of how it brought my family together. We all had a riotous time playing Wii Sports, but ultimately I gave it to a friend after the motion control gimmick wore off. I was largely unaware of the Wii U until I saw a store display and found the idea intriguing. “What’s this? I can play games on the Gamepad without having to have the TV on? How cool is that?” Together with its improved graphics and the fact that I now had someone to play it with on a regular basis, I plunked down the funds for the Wii U.
Now I know the Wii U has not been the success Nintendo hoped it would be, and the company is choosing to put it out of its misery by abandoning production. Calling it a failure seems harsh, but most would agree it’s true. As someone who purchased the console late into its miserably short shelf life, the news was disappointing, but I brushed it off. Its growing pains and issues aside, the Wii U has provided me hours of fun when I arrive home from work and need to zone out.
When the teaser for the Nintendo Switch was released last year, I was intrigued with the idea. Now that the console has been fully unveiled, the kid in me is beyond excited. Reading comments on social media, however, many gamers are already digging Nintendo’s coffin for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that the Switch is nowhere near as powerful as its competitors.
Now I don’t doubt that Nintendo faces a grueling, fierce uphill battle in making the Switch a success, but I feel they’re in a great position. Unlike the Wii U which was a great idea if perhaps half-baked, the Switch would allow me to take the console anywhere I please. I can fire it up for a session during my lunch break at work and return home to continue my adventure at home and I don’t have to use annoying smartphone touch controls to do it.
The thought of being able to relive my childhood no matter where I happen to be appeals tremendously to the kid in me and I have little doubt that Nintendo will continue to do one of the things they do best: release genuinely fun experiences that allow people of virtually all ages including thirtysomething-year-olds like myself to ease away the stresses and simply have a great time. The fact that I can now possibly challenge my co-worker to a fierce game of Mario Kart or Smash Bros. during our lunch break sounds like a fantastic way to add some fun to the workday.
If fate decides the Switch will be Nintendo’s final stab at maintaining a semblance of its former glory, I believe it will still provide hours of fun for those of us that appreciate but don’t necessarily need all of the bells and whistles. The company will seal its place in history as an innovator that tried something new, always delivered in providing genuine entertainment, and I’m proud to have stuck by them all of these years. Here’s to you, Nintendo.
