The Nintendo Switch is nearing the start of its fourth year on the market and by every metric you could possibly assign to it, the system has been a smashing success. Over fifty-million units have been sold since its launch in March of 2017. To put that into perspective, its immediate predecessor, the WiiU, was on the market for six years (twice as long as the Switch, thus far) and only managed to sell 15mm units. So the Switch, in half the time, has sold more than double the amount.

The Wii, Nintendo’s best-selling home console, sold 100mm units, but it needed about eight years to do it. Fifty million in three years means Nintendo has the inside track to topping the lifetime sales-rate of their most successful system. Of course, the Switch is not just a home console; it’s also a portable one, and 50mm sales as a portable unit would put it above only the Virtual Boy. Nintendo’s portable market dominance can never be understated.

Three years later and the system has seen its share of huge-selling, AAA games. Six titles have eclipsed the ten-millions sales mark, with a seventh soon to join them. In comparison, no WiiU games reached ten-million sales, while the Wii had nine games reach the threshold (two of which were pack-in titles).

Probably the most striking example of how hot the system is compared to its immediate predecessor: the WiiU version of Mario Kart 8 only sold eight-million units; the Switch’s port of the game has sold twenty-two million. Suffice to say, the Switch is dominating.

Nevertheless, I have somewhat to say against it…

Knowing that Nintendo has a fervent desire to ensure a steady supply of games and experiences are made available, it’s understandable that some cosmetic and supplementary features on the system were put on the back-burner. Resources devoted to a side-feature are really resources taken away from putting the final polish on Zelda or Mario. It’s a tradeoff most fans were fine with in the first year…maybe even first two.

But as we enter year three, and with a solid and growing library of games already available, it’s time to start looking at what the system “needs” in order to feel more robust and complete.

Here are three things Nintendo would do well to implement in 2020:

STREAMING VIDEO

It was months before any non-gaming feature could be found on the system, but eventually, Hulu was made available to download on the eshop. Hulu is fine but the two big tunas everyone wants are Netflix and Disney+. Those are the video streaming services available in 150mm homes combined. Sure, they can be found on almost any compatible system, phone, tablet or smart TV, but for completion’s sake, for convenience sake, and just so that someone on the train can switch instantly from a quick game of Luigi’s Mansion to a quick episode of The Mandalorian or The Witcher, the system needs a more robust library of streaming services.

If nothing else it’s a matter of perception. Everyone else has Netflix and Disney+; you gotta keep up with the Jones’.

CUSTOMIZABLE USER INTERFACE

How is this still a thing? Literally, on day one of the system’s life, owners were saying “when are we going to get themes? The 3DS has themes. Where are the Switch themes?”

Right now you can go to your Switch settings, select the “themes” tab and choose from two options: light or dark. This seems like the easiest, most no-brainer little touch Nintendo could do: Give us more themes. This should have been there from the beginning. A Breath of the Wild theme, a Mario Kart theme, a Splatoon theme, a DOOM theme, a Mario Odyssey theme, a Luigi’s Mansion theme, etc. It doesn’t need to be any dramatic thing with new sound effects or even music (although music would be nice). Just a new background beyond the plain white or plain black.

I get that Nintendo is going for a stripped-down, clean interface, but variety is the spice of life, and for a company that has always excelled at putting a little touch of whimsy on almost everything, it’s sad that their big seller is so…bland to behold.

CLASSIC GAMES

Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.

YouTube privacy policy

If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.

Item One: Nintendo has more money now than at any time in its history. They are swimming in capital.

Item Two: Nintendo has a library of classic games so varied, so polished, so ingrained in the culture and collective psyche of gamers that many of us have bought Super Mario Bros. for the NES not once but six or seven times by now.

Item Three: There is a huge demand for classic games—more than the paltry number we have now—to release on the Nintendo Switch so that pixel-perfect experiences can be had at home or on the go, all from the same system.

So why, when considering those three key items of note, has Nintendo not taken a meager portion of their vast war chest and hired out a development team with the exclusive job of developing, porting, adapting, or whatever needs to be done to their old games to get them available on the system? Why two generations after the Nintendo Wii featured N64 games have we had zero N64 games? Where are half the NES and SNES games that were available on either the Wii or WiiU online stores? Where are the Gamecube games?

Nintendo is literally selling one of these…

…and it’s only being put to use in a single game!

What are you even doing, Nintendo?

BONUS: F-ZERO

I would settle for F-Zero GX, whether that’s a straight-up port of the Gamecube classic or a remastered version built from the ground up for Switch. I don’t care. I’ll pay $60 right now for a bare-bones Gamecube port. F-Zero doesn’t need a gimmick. It doesn’t need a hook. It doesn’t need some new kind of play mechanic to justify its existence.

That’s the one thing about the wonderful Shigeru Miyamoto that I wish wasn’t so chiseled in stone at Nintendo; not every game needs some secondary reason for being. Sometimes “because it’s just a fun arcade experience” is more than enough. You don’t need to “Sticker Star” F-Zero.

You just need to release it.

*****

The Switch is turning three years old and I’m loving it. More great games are on the horizon, but along the way, would it be too much to ask for some Netflix/Disney integration? Is it too much to ask for a Xenoblade Chronicles theme? Would it kill them to release Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door?

Can I get a little Mute City for crying out loud?!

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

11 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Kkelie

2 months ago

Wouldn’t it be great if it had the capability to watch Netflix? You wouldn’t need to take a tablet on the road for short trips. I still love my Switch but I would love it more with Netflix!

BostonAustin

Reply to Kkelie

Right! You’d think they’d add it to make the device more versatile. Then I wouldn’t need to lug my phone, my Switch, and my tablet on business trips.

Snarky-Guru

3 months ago

I don’t mind that the Switch hasn’t been updated to include more streaming services. If I want to stream Netflix or Disney+ on the go, I can just use my phone since I always have it with me anyway. I would love to see more games though!

Shelbii

4 months ago

Great idea about Netflix or Disney+. You wouldn’t have to take your tablet on car trips if they actually did this. I bought the Switch 2 years ago and still love it. My kids always take it in the car.

Drewsi

Reply to Shelbii

I doubt they will ever put Netflix or Disney+ on the Switch. Maybe if they come out with a second Switch. My kids love to take it too. I’m not a huge fan.

Oh ha ha… my thoughts exactly! My kids take it with us too but we also bring a tablet to watch movies. Maybe if they come out with a new version it will include this.

KeeperofUnicorns

I still love it, but I wish there were more games, especially from the Zelda, Mario, and Donkey Kong franchises. I think they need an upgraded pro version as well.

Gavin the Binge-Watcher

I’m not personally hung up on themes and customization, but I have wondered why Nintendo doesn’t allow for it as it would be another money making opportunity for them.

Reply to Gavin the Binge-Watcher

I’ve wondered if the decision was motivated by fears of spyware. Allowing customization might mean opening up the walled garden. I can see them being weary of that threat and going in a different direction for more protection.

Reply to KeeperofUnicorns

That’s a great point, security. I don’t really care about themes either. I just want a system that has great games. This one hasn’t disappointed me yet.

Thatcher

I could see that being part of their rational had Nintendo not allowed for the customization of their other devices over the years. Plus Nintendo could code the device so that only their official themes were usable.

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

Nintendo’s Switch is turning three…here’s what it (still) lacks

STREAMING VIDEO

CUSTOMIZABLE USER INTERFACE

CLASSIC GAMES

BONUS: F-ZERO

*****

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you