On Thursday, October 20th, Nintendo revealed the Switch (previously dubbed the NX), their newest console and successor to the WiiU. The Switch is pitched as a combination portable and home console, with a screen that can be placed inside of a dock for TV gaming, and can be removed to be taken on the go.
The controller, dubbed the Joy-Con is one of the most interesting ideas of the console in my opinion. Instead of one controller, a single Joy-Con is actually two parts of what would be a standard controller. Each part of the Joy-Con has a thumbstick, four buttons (a directional pad on the left, the standard ABXY buttons on the right), and two trigger buttons on each. When separated, the two resemble something of a mix between the classic Nintendo Entertainment System controller and the Super Nintendo controller.
The big question that has to be asked is if this will help Nintendo re-establish themselves in the home gaming market. Major franchises like Madden have been absent from Nintendo consoles in recent years, with the last mainstream installment of the series appearing on the WiiU in 2012, the year the system itself came out. While great titles like Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros., and Splatoon have been successful for the system, those titles are made by Nintendo themselves. While some third parties like Platinum Games (The Wonderful 101, Bayonetta 2) have found success on the WiiU, other companies have opted out on putting major franchises on the system. This is a shame as series like Madden and the 2K series of sports games are literal system sellers. If the Switch wants to be as successful as the Xbox One or the PlayStation 4, Nintendo needs to make it appeal to series like those and their fans.
Where the Switch may find most of its success, however, is within its portability and controller. Having the default controller be able to work for two people means that impromptu play with friends is possible without each person having a console. If the games themselves are good enough, it would encourage those who don't have a console to consider buying one.
While it's too early to predict, it seems that gamers will have to see for themselves when the console comes out in March 2017.
