The philosophy of Nintendo when it comes to consoles has been based on questioning abrupt hardware changes and the abrupt transition to new generations. Why opt for new CPUs and architectures to start from scratch when you already have full mastery of the previous ones? In the end, this idea has given them the greatest success possible, and hardware and power are definitely not something that keeps the Japanese company up at night.
For Nintendo, Video Games Are Still More Important Than Hardware Power
During an interview with Inverse, Doug Bowser, President of Nintendo of America, talked about Nintendo's priorities now that all the rumors, reports, and leaks point to the imminent announcement of the successor to ]Switch. Regarding this, the executive of the Japanese company stated, "We've always said at Nintendo that what's most important to us is not so much what's inside the machine or the device, but what happens on the screen when you put your hands on the controls and start participating in the gaming experience. Does it attract you? Is it immersive? To that point, you can use a variety of different artistic styles, some with greater fidelity, others perhaps with a different, more cartoonish style."
Time to jump into the wonder that awaits! #SuperMarioBrosWonder is available now, only on Nintendo Switch. pic.twitter.com/AuZkYcwErn
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 20, 2023
At various points in their history, Nintendo fans have questioned why the company is not on par or even ahead of its competitors in terms of hardware. However, the reality is that such investments have not been favorable for the Japanese company, as happened with the Nintendo 64 and the Nintendo GameCube. Hence, by revisiting the philosophy of squeezing the most out of the mastered hardware, stemming from Gunpei Yokoi and followed by Satoru Iwata, the company opts for familiar hardware that is cost-effective and precise for developing their games, while also providing a competitively priced console.
As for what could be presented with the hypothetical Nintendo Switch 2, reports indicate that the company will opt for hardware comparable to that of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with Nvidia technology, taking advantage of their advances in scaling for visual improvements that are close to current console standards.
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