Nintendo of Japan's boss, Tatsumi Kimishima, revealed quite a lot of Switch tidbits in a new interview ahead of the console's reveal.
The in-depth discussion follows Time's recent chat with Shinya Takahashi, Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development's director and Yoshiaki Koizumi, Nintendo Switch producer, which also revealed quite a number of possibilities concerning the hybrid's future.
Switch As A 3DS Replacement
It's no secret that the Switch is poised to fill in the gaps Wii U left. The latter, after spending much of its market lifespan struggling to appeal to gaming audiences, has finally had its life support yanked, a timely withdrawal to make way for the Switch, a console that many think is what the Wii U should have been in the first place.
That ill-fated console's history, while encumbered by an eminent lack of third-party support, amid other snags, was also earmarked, on occasion, by highly realized and stellar titles, a few of them being Super Mario 3D World, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Pikmin 3, and a handful more.
But now that it's vacating its space for the Switch, that leaves the 3DS, Nintendo's popular handheld, in fact the highest-selling handheld of this generation, in a very awkward position.
The Switch's main selling point is its portability. If you buy the Switch, you'll get a home and a handheld console in one — that's the whole pitch. What happens then, to the 3DS? Sure, Nintendo says the Switch won't topple the 3DS's handheld foothold, but it promised the same thing with the DS, back when the Game Boy Advance was all the rage.
It stands to reason that the 3DS will indeed be replaced by the Switch, maybe not now, though if sales for the Switch balloon, it's clear what Nintendo will focus on. So, is a 3DS successor on the cards? Apparently not.
No Plans For Launching A 3DS Upgrade
Pressed about a potential 3DS upgrade, Kimishima squashed the notion.
"We are not creating a successor to the 3DS right now. We are, however, still thinking of portable systems," he told Time, noting that portable consoles aren't lost on its radar. "We are thinking of ways that we will be able to continue bringing portable gaming systems out, so yes, we are thinking of different ways to continue the portable gaming business."
How About VR?
Considering the possibility of VR, Kimishima says that the device is powerful enough to handle VR experiences.
"We've said this before, and I feel like we're saying it a lot, but we are interested and doing [VR] research." The question for Nintendo, however, is how it will incorporate the technology into a compelling implementation, and not just bank on its initial realism, which could progressively be shell shocking.
"The question, of course, is 'What is the best way to bring virtual reality to our customers as a form of entertainment?' Not just, 'Hey, look! It's realistic!' or whatever, but what is the best way to use this technology to bring something fun to our consumer base? We are definitely looking at that."
Nintendo has been mum about a few Switch-related things still in the realm of unknowns, which is concerning, to say the least, given that the release of the console is imminent. Anyhow, it looks like it has put much confidence on the console, revving up Switch marketing quite significantly with a recent Super Bowl ad.
The Switch's reveal trailer is Nintendo's most viewed YouTube video to date, with some even joking that the views are much, much higher than the Wii U's lifetime sales. Whether that fanfare will translate to the Switch sales remains to be seen, but Nintendo is visibly thrusting its latest machine into high gear.
The Nintendo Switch comes out March 3 for $299. For the first ever in its history, Nintendo will implement a paid tier service for online services, such as multiplayer and voice chat, for a little under $30 per year.
