Some analysts have been chiming in about the upcoming Nintendo Switch, the portable device that also doubles as a home console. The device has been receiving a lot of praise from hardcore gamers -- a market Nintendo has been trying to win back. However, not everybody is in love with the Nintendo Switch.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, they managed to get in word with various analysts from around the world, each of whom chimed in to give their piece about the upcoming hybrid gaming device from Nintendo. Most were skeptical about the Nintendo Switch, but mobile market analyst Dr. Serkan Toto was not impressed, saying...
Sorry, but is a portable/home console approach really that innovative in 2016? I am most concerned about the target group of the device: who else but die-hard Nintendo fans will buy the Switch? The Switch lacks a killer feature, and I think it will be very difficult for Nintendo to win back the casual gamers that are mostly on mobile now.
It's a weird criticism to have. For one, just about every analyst has been saying that Nintendo needed to go mobile. Nintendo not only put some of their popular games on mobile devices with games like Miitomo, Pokemon Go and Super Mario Run!, but they're taking that concept a step further by actually entering into direct competition with mobile providers using their own tablet device in the form of the Nintendo Switch.
Not only is the Switch a tablet -- powered by a custom Nvidia GPU based on their highest end Tegra architecture -- but Nintendo is also still catering to the home console market with a docking case for the Switch that allows for high-end visual output and playability from the comfort of your home while sitting down at the TV. And even more than that, the Tegra technology inside the Switch is based on architecture that affords for up to 4K native resolution output (at a max of about 30fps on moderate graphics settings), so it's difficult to see how this isn't innovative, since it's directly targeting the hardcore market that Sony and Microsoft are gunning for with the PS4 Pro and the Xbox Scorpio, both of which are also touting 4K gaming output, but also catering to the mobile market.
More than anything, this is a very aggressive and very innovative move by Nintendo because they're gunning for two markets that they've lost massive share in: the hardcore living room market (which Sony currently dominates with the PS4) and the portable gaming market (that smartphones and tablets have snatched up).
The Nintendo Switch also hearkens back to classic gaming with a focus on local multiplayer and even split-screen gaming on the tablet by using the two detachable gaming pads. The whole control scheme is an impressive bit of tech and I'm sure we'll see some very equally innovative accessories made for it. That's not to mention that this opens the door for Nintendo's portable and mobile games to be playable on the Switch alongside their larger-scale outings like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild from a single device. If the Switch sells well enough, it would not only eat into the mobile gaming market share but also the home console market share as well.
Nevertheless, analysts seem to be on board with Dr. Toto and there was a dip in Nintendo's stock price following the initial announcement of the Nintendo Switch, according to the Japan Exchange Group numbers. If pre-orders soar for the new Nintendo Switch, which is due out in March next year, then investors will definitely change their tune in a hurry.
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