Gadgets

Nintendo President Opens Up About Alleged Hardware Upgrade & Growing Franchise

If you’re a Nintendo fan, the rumor about a new upgraded console should not be breaking news. Speculated by Bloomberg in May, information of a new Switch was released at the E3 conference. The hardware console could land on the market as early as September. However, fans’ expectations dropped when no relevant news about the Nintendo Switch Pro was disclosed at E3.

In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Nintendo president Doug Bowser indirectly addressed the rumor by discussing the relationship between technology and gameplay.

“We are always looking at technology and how technology can enhance gameplay experiences. It’s not technology for technology’s sake,” Bowser told The Washington Post. “It’s how specifically can technology enhance a gameplay experience. And then where do you apply that technology? Do you want to apply it on current existing hardware or platforms, or do you want to wait for the next platform? And then what’s the right gameplay experience with that? There’s a host of factors that goes into it, and it’s something we’re always looking at.”

Matthew Kanterman, the equity research analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, acknowledged that “an upgraded Switch can be extremely valuable in extending the lifecycle of the platform.” Nintendo currently has no financial reasons to release a new console. The lifetime-to-date sales figure now stands at approximately 85 million Switch units, and according to the latest numbers from analyst firm NPD Group, the Switch remains America’s best-selling console in terms of revenue and units sold.

Impressive as it sounds, Nintendo has no intention to stop expanding its empire. Many games that were originally exclusive on the Switch have extended to mobile phones, including Animal Crossing and Mario Kart. With the 650 million unique downloads of six mobile games, Nintendo is able to grow in the countries where the Switch is not sold, Bowser said.

The sturdy franchises of Mario and Pokemon are also expanding in a realistic way. Nintendo is partnering with Universal Studios to build out theme parks around the world, with one already open in Osaka, Japan.

“We view ourselves as an entertainment company that is focused on very unique entertainment experiences,” Bowser said. “At the hub of that is our integrated hardware and software model, and that model has allowed us over decades to generate the characters, the deeply immersive worlds in the IP we all know and love so well, but we also know that there’s an opportunity to introduce more people to that IP now.”

Nintendo is now experiencing steady growth and healthy expansion all over the world, and therefore a new console might not be the priority of the company’s agenda. However, it is still possible that Nintendo will surprise us one random day in the future.

Austen Chen

Recent Posts

‘Black Myth: Wukong’ Xbox Edition & Physical Edition For PS5 Prepped For Release

After releasing for PC and PlayStation 5 digital download on August 19, 2024, Black Myth:…

1 hour ago

DC’s Upcoming ‘Creature Commandos’ Series Receives A New Trailer At NYCC

At New York Comic Con, a brand new trailer was premiered for the upcoming DC…

2 days ago

Playtesters Leak Details From Nintendo Switch Online Program Against Nintendo’s Terms & Conditions

A few weeks ago, Nintendo announced an upcoming playtest for a new feature for their…

4 days ago

‘Diablo IV’ Fans Are ‘Having Fun’ With Bugs From The New Spiritborn Class

With the release of Diablo IV's new Vessel of Hatred DLC on Oct. 8, the new Spiritborn class…

5 days ago

‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6’ Is Finally Here & The Reign Of The Riot Shield Is No More

The highly anticipated new addition to the Call of Duty: Black Ops family was released on Oct.…

7 days ago

The First Official Pickleball Video Game, ‘PPA Pickleball Tour 25,’ Is Finally Here

PPA Pickleball Tour 25, the brand new pickleball game from FarSight Studios, has been released.…

4 months ago