Nintendo announced its newest gaming system, the Nintendo Switch, with much fanfare through a video that was uploaded online. However, while there were many gamers that were instant fans of the hybrid console, investors apparently were not impressed.
The day after the Nintendo Switch was unveiled, the shares of Nintendo fell by 6.5 percent. While analysts are saying that the decline does not necessarily mean that the gaming console will surely be a failure, it was noted that the share plunge is worse compared to the 5 percent decline seen in June 2011 after the announcement of the disappointing Wii U.
According to some investors, the share price drop was due to the lack of surprise on the Nintendo Switch, as with Nintendo deciding to withhold details on what was once known as the Nintendo NX for over a year, there were already rumors that more or less predicted what the gaming console would be capable of. This led to the lukewarm response in the market, as most investors in the know saw a product that fell largely in line with speculations.
Perhaps another factor that contributed to the chilly response of investors was the long list of questions that remained unanswered after the announcement video of the Nintendo Switch. One of the most important details on whether the hybrid console would be able to compete in the video game industry with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One is still unconfirmed, and that is the price of the Nintendo Switch.
It has been rumored that the base model of the Nintendo Switch will be sold at $299, with bundles that will go for $399. However, with no confirmation coming from the company yet, it is difficult to gauge the hybrid console's competitiveness in the market.
Other questions that remain for the Nintendo Switch that are sowing uncertainty among investors are the battery life of the hybrid console, the titles that will be available upon its launch, and whether the display of the Nintendo Switch will have touchscreen features.
It is already known that the device will not support backward compatibility for Wii U and 3DS games due to the Nintendo Switch using cartridges, through there is still the possibility for the system to support playing digital versions of older games.
A spokesman for Nintendo said that the company still has some surprises up its sleeve, claiming that Nintendo has not shown everything there is to the Nintendo Switch. Whatever these surprises may be, they better be good enough for investors to show interest in Nintendo and to launch the hybrid console into success.
